(Radio Iowa) – A district court judge has struck down a lawsuit that challenged the language in the Linn County gambling referendum that allowed developers to build a casino in Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids mayor Tiffany O’Donnell says the ruling affirmed that Linn County voters knew exactly what they were voting for.  “These voters approved this back in ‘21 and have been dodging bullets and fists ever since,” she says. The lawsuit came after the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission decided not to act on the complaint about the referendum and went on to award the gambling license to Linn County. O’Donnell says the court ruling shows that was the right action.

“Really validates the will of the people here, and also validates the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, frankly.” O’Donnell says getting everything in place to build the new casino has been a long journey with multiple hurdles. The lawsuit by the operators of the Riverside Casino casino came after a market study showed it and other casinos would lose millions in revenue to the new casino in Cedar Rapids. Mayor O’Donnell has supported the casino since taking office and says they can now keep moving ahead. “Really now, this really does clear the path. I likened it to speed bumps-I knew there would be speed bumps along the way. We’ve had several. But this city, and you know, these people, are just fighters for what’s right and I couldn’t be more proud,” she says.

Work started on the Cedar Rapids casino soon after the gambling license was awarded in February.

(Radio Iowa) – Recent rainstorms are helping to improve Iowa’s soil conditions, though only about a third of the state is completely drought-free. The new map from the U-S Drought Monitor shows the amount of the state in abnormally dry or drought conditions has fallen in the past week from around 80 to just under 70 percent. State climatologist Justin Glisan says southwest Iowa remains a “problem child” with above average temperatures and below average rainfall.

“One of the driest parts of the state has been that southwest corner of Iowa,” Glisan says. “As we shifted into May, we did see a slightly more active weather pattern, but actually it was the first May since 2010 without a tornado reported. So, the lack of severe weather — that’s where we see drought and dryness across the state.” While spring officially ends later today (Friday), Glisan says meteorological summer started June 1st. Over the course of March, April and May, he says Iowa was two-and-a-half degrees warmer than normal, and two inches below normal for precipitation. Though Iowa broke a four-year drought in May of last year, Glisan says dry conditions are still impacting water levels.

“If you go back four to five years, most stations across the state are still missing out on about a year’s worth of precipitation,” he says. “So, this has impacts on aquifers, which we pull water out of, but also well fields and other water supply sources.” The new drought monitor map shows pockets of “moderate” drought in all four corners of the state. As corn pollination and detassling season approaches, Glisan says Iowa’s crops may become stressed.

“With those windy conditions and high temperatures, that’s where we can exacerbate dryness across the surface,” Glisan says. “So, we’re extracting soil moisture — that topsoil moisture — first. Plus, vegetative demand is increasing with corn and beans, as well. So, this is where we can get into a period of time of rapid drying at the surface.”

Glisan says that could cause stress in corn and soybean fields. On the positive side, he says most of the state remains in a lull in terms of severe weather.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police report a man was arrested early today (Friday), on an OWI charge. Authorities say 22-year-old Lee David Parcher was arrested at around 12:45-a.m. in the 200 block of W. Washington Street, for OWI/1st offense. Parcher was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two men from Red Oak were arrested Thursday afternoon on Theft charges. According to the Red Oak Police Department, officers arrested 54-year-old Clinton Joe Hans England and 44-year-old Luke Daniel Rinehart. The men were taken into custody at around 1:30-p.m., in the 300 block of 2nd Avenue.  Both were charged with Theft in the 3rd Degree. England was additionally charged with Burglary in the 3rd Degree.

England was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond. Bond for Rinehart was set at $2,000.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Thursday night, arrested a local man on an OWI/1st offense, charge (A Serious Misdemeanor).  Authorities say 54-year-old Todd Allen Konz, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 8-p.m. in the 1000 block of N. 4th Street. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans studying to become Certified Nursing Assistants are now able to take part of the C-N-A exam online. Larry Johnson, Junior — director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — says it means students don’t have to travel to a community college to take the written test. “With the changing workforce, with changing technology we saw the demand, and wanted to make sure it was available for Iowans,” Johnson says.

Iowa’s multiple-choice test for Certified Nursing Assistants has 100 questions. Johnson says the state hired two companies to administer the online test and ensure the person taking the test is the person who’d get the certification if they pass. “Iowans studying to become Certified Nursing Assistants are now able to take part of the C-N-A exam online. Larry Johnson, Junior — director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — says it means students don’t have to travel to a community college to take the written test.

“With the changing workforce, with changing technology we saw the demand, and wanted to make sure it was available for Iowans,” Johnson says. Iowa’s multiple-choice test for Certified Nursing Assistants has 100 questions. Johnson says the state hired two companies to administer the online test and ensure the person taking the test is the person who’d get the certification if they pass. “The individual has to be in a room by themselves, have a computer with internet connection and then they have to scan their phone,” Johnson says, “so that way the proctor can make sure that they are in the room by themselves and it is the actual person taking the test that they say it is.”

The online option is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It went live in early June and Johnson says some have already signed up and taken the test online.  “Health care is a great profession and appreciate all the people that work in long-term care and as a CNA,” Johnson says, “and this is just one more option to get people certified so that Iowans can get the care they need.” An in-person clinical skills evaluation is still required for all aspiring C-N-As, too.

During that part of the exam, a nurse observes students doing things like taking a patient’s vital signs and following hand washing guidelines. The latest federal data indicates there were over 22-thousand C-N-As working in Iowa three years ago and, as the population ages, there will be increased demand for C-N-As in nursing homes and hospitals.

“The individual has to be in a room by themselves, have a computer with internet connection and then they have to scan their phone,” Johnson says, “so that way the proctor can make sure that they are in the room by themselves and it is the actual person taking the test that they say it is.” The online option is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It went live in early June and Johnson says some have already signed up and taken the test online.

“Health care is a great profession and appreciate all the people that work in long-term care and as a CNA,” Johnson says, “and this is just one more option to get people certified so that Iowans can get the care they need.” An in-person clinical skills evaluation is still required for all aspiring C-N-As, too. During that part of the exam, a nurse observes students doing things like taking a patient’s vital signs and following hand washing guidelines.

The latest federal data indicates there were over 22-thousand C-N-As working in Iowa three years ago and, as the population ages, there will be increased demand for C-N-As in nursing homes and hospitals.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources confirmed the recovery of a body Thursday evening from Clear Lake in Cerro Gordo County. The individual, identified as Dennis Blume, 54, of Fonda, Iowa, was located around 5:30 p.m. after an extensive search.

Authorities received a 911 call at approximately 1:30 p.m. reporting an unoccupied fishing boat circling on Clear Lake. DNR Water Patrol officers responded quickly and made contact with the witnesses who reported the incident. The witnesses were able to stop the boat, which contained the victim’s belongings.

Emergency personnel from the Clear Lake Fire Department, Ventura Fire Department, and the Iowa DNR conducted a coordinated search using sonar equipment locating the boat owner’s body at 5:30 p.m. The Clear Lake Fire Department utilized underwater drone technology to recover the victim’s body from the lake.

The incident remains under investigation.

JOHNSON COUNTY, Iowa [KCCI-TV]  — Three more people have been diagnosed with measles in eastern Iowa, Johnson County health officials say. The three new cases are household contacts with the initial measles case, an unvaccinated child who was exposed during international travel, identified in Johnson County last week. The new cases include two unvaccinated children and one unvaccinated adult.

Johnson County Public Health officials say they are continuing to monitor individuals who were exposed after the initial case. There have now been six cases of measles identified in Iowa this year. In May, officials identified the first case of the disease in Iowa since 2019. Currently, there is a multistate measles outbreak across the United States. As of June 12, there have been nearly 1,200 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. this year.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services says the vaccine is 97% effective against measles, but only 84% of 2-year-olds in Iowa are vaccinated — well below the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks.

Officials say anyone who has been exposed to a measles case and has symptoms should contact their medical provider or go to an emergency room, but tell them you have been exposed to measles ahead of arriving.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — One person is in custody after they “entered the stage area during event activities” Thursday afternoon during the National Speech and Debate Tournament at the EMC Expo Center in Des Moines. According to a news release from the Des Moines Police Department, the male’s “behavior prompted safety concerns and the immediate area was evacuated.”

Authorities say it happened just before 3 p.m. and officers working the event took the person into custody. “No weapons were seen or have been recovered at this time,” according to DMPD. “No injuries have been reported at this time.”  The area was safely cleared and participants were allowed back into the events center before 4 p.m. and the schedule resumed at 5:15 p.m.

It’s the 100th anniversary of the National Speech and Debate Tournament. Organizers expected more than 10,000 people from schools across the United States and around the world to attend the five-day event, which opened Monday and ends Friday.

Shelby Young with the National Speech and Debate Association provided the following statement:

This afternoon, an unidentified attendee entered the stage during the Humorous Interpretation Finals, interrupting the round. The individual has been subdued and removed from the premises. There were no weapons involved, and no threats were made. The hall was evacuated and there are no reported injuries. The rest of the venue has been swept for any potential threats by members of law enforcement. We understand the concerns people have, and we want to assure everyone that this is an isolated incident. 

(Grinnell, Iowa) – (updated/edited)  The driver of a pickup truck died and one other person was injured, during a collision this (Thursday) morning on Interstate near Grinnell. According to the Iowa State Patrol a semi carrying an oversized load blew a tire near mile marker 185 on eastbound I-80, at around 7:15-a.m.

The semi pulled-over and parked on the shoulder of the interstate. A Ford F-350 pickup serving as a pilot vehicle, was parked behind the semi on the shoulder. The driver of the pickup, 55-year-old Brenton Fregia, of Troutman, NC, was outside of the vehicle attending to the semi with a flat tire.

An eastbound semi struck the rear of the pickup and the disabled semi. Brenton Fregia was critically injured and later died at the hospital in Grinnell. A woman who was injured in the crash was also transported by Grinnell EMS to Unity Point Hospital in Grinnell.