(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who’ve filed for unemployment benefits are no longer receiving an extra 300 dollars per week in federal unemployment payments. Governor Reynolds ordered the change, which took effect Sunday. Iowa State University economist Peter Orazem says since Iowa is one of the first four states ending these payments early, it’s a bit of a national experiment on unemployment benefits. “It will be a relatively unusual opportunity for us to see the extent to which those unemployment benefits actually matter for whether or not people are interested in accepting employment,” Orazem says.

Governor Reynolds and other Republicans have argued the 300 dollar federal bonus — on top of the regular state unemployment benefits — has discouraged people from returning to work. Orazem says there’s been some research on what happened when the extra FEDERAL pandemic-related unemployment benefits dropped from 600 to 300 dollars a week last summer.

Peter Orazem

“The change in labor supply behavior at that time was relatively modest,” Orazem says, “but of course that was in the middle of the surge in pandemic cases around the United States, so there were multiple things going on.”

Orazem says the question in 2021 is why the labor market hasn’t expanded as Covid vaccines became available. “So this is going to provide us some indication as to what is the importance of the vaccine versus what is the importance of the unemployment benefit,” Orazem says. Iowa’s unemployment rate for April was three-point-eight percent. The other change that took effect Sunday deals with the taxes Iowa businesses pay into the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund. Businesses that had pandemic-related layoffs were not being assessed a higher tax rate. That tax break ended yesterday.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Three juveniles suffered only minor injures after they lead authorities in central Iowa on a pursuit Monday morning. The vehicle they were in was reported stolen from the Waverly area. The teens, including the 15-year-old driver and two 16-year-old passengers, were taken into custody. Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla told KCCI the incident started around 7:20 a.m. on Interstate 80 east of Des Moines when an Iowa Department of Transportation officer located the stolen vehicle occupied by the three teens.

The DOT officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver took off, leading the officer on a chase on Interstate 80, then southbound on Highway 65. Dinkla said the pursuit was called off due to the volume of traffic in the area and other safety concerns. At 7:44 a.m., emergency crews responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash at the Highway 5 exit at Fleur Drive. Dinkla said the driver attempted to exit there and crashed. He said the vehicle involved matched the description of the stolen vehicle.

The juveniles have not been identified.

(Radio Iowa) – A northern Iowa man and his son, who lives in southern Minnesota, are charged with being involved in the storming of the U-S Capitol. The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Omaha says they arrested Daryl Johnson of St. Ansgar on Friday on charges related to the events at the Capitol on January 6th. The FBI says they received a tip that Johnson and his son, Daniel Johnson of Austin, were both inside the Capitol during the riot. Daryl Johnson’s Facebook page allegedly had several references in comments to being present in the building at the time, with both Johnsons later being identified through video and photos.

The FBI also received tips that Daniel Johnson had posted video on Snapchat while being inside the Capitol. Daniel Johnson was arrested on Friday by FBI Minneapolis special agents. Both have been charged with: entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

**UPDATE 5:22-p.m. 6/14/21**  Council Bluffs Police Officers were able to locate and arrest Lindsy Maves without further incident, Monday. Maves was charged with Attempted Murder, Arson 1^st and Willful Injury. Maves was booked into Pottawattamie County Corrections on these listed charges.

Police in Council Bluffs are looking for a woman who faces an Attempted Murder charge. Officers were called at around 4:34-a.m. to 1435 North 15^th Street, to investigate a female that was found in-front of the location with severe burns on her body. Officers, along with medics from the Council Bluffs Fire Department, arrived on scene and the victim was immediately transported to UNMC for treatment. She was identified as 37-year-old Christine Weilage, of Council Bluffs.

Officers determined that the original incident occurred in-front of 1413 Ave. K.  Detectives and Crime Lab techs gathered evidence at the scene. Their initial investigation indicates Weilage was involved in a disturbance with the suspect, 28-year-old Lindsy Maves, of Council Bluffs.

Lindsy Maves

At some time during this incident Maves allegedly sprayed a flammable substance on Weilage and then lit her on fire. A witness to the incident attempted to put the fire out and while doing so Maves again attacked Weilage by hitting her in the face with an unknown object. Maves then left the area before officer’s arrival. As of the latest information, officers were unable to locate Maves.

The incident remains under investigation. If you have any information about the incident, or the possible whereabouts of the suspect, Lindsy Maves. please contact the Council Bluffs Police Department at 712-328-4728 or Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867, thank you for your assistance.

Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division report 54-year-old Billy Joe Sams, of Bellevue, NE (& formerly Council Bluffs, IA), has pled guilty to one count of Theft Third Degree (Aggravated Misdemeanor) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. As a result of the plea agreement, Sams will serve up to two years in prison and is required to pay restitution in the amount of $17,195.23 along with a suspended fine of $855.

The charges against Sams stem from an investigation which began in 2020. According to criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Fraud Bureau in September of 2020, Sams submitted a claim to his insurer involving a motorcycle accident. Sams provided fictitious information regarding the date of the accident and injuries sustained in order to obtain insurance benefits he would not otherwise have been entitled to.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

The IID says no additional information will be provided at this time.