(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested on separate charges, Monday night. At around 8:20-p.m., Deputies arrested 36-year-old Bryceton Lee Flathers, of Red Oak, on an active Montgomery County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Driving While Barred. Flathers was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

And, at around 11:30-p.m., Deputies in Montgomery County arrested 46-year-old Melissa Marie Schebaum, of Shenandoah, for Harassment in the 2nd Degree. She was arrested in Red Oak and posted a $1,000 bond before being released.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans aren’t imagining things if they think they’re seeing more cars being pulled over along the state’s roads by law enforcement lately. A Special Traffic Enforcement Program, or STEP, is underway now through June 1st. Iowa State Patrol Trooper Paul Gardner says this STEP focuses on making sure people are belted in, and that drivers aren’t impaired or driving distracted.

“We’ve got graduations, a lot of last-minute school events that come out because school will be out for the summer, a lot of events going on,” Garnder says. “So this is the gateway to summer and this is definitely one of our busiest travel times throughout the year. We’ll see more vehicles on the road. They’re estimating an increase in travel not only in Iowa but nationwide.” Distracted driving is becoming a larger problem in Iowa, Gardner says, and he urges motorists to concentrate on the road.

“Typically, we think of distracted driving involving a cell phone, but there’s so many other distractions. You may be looking at billboards, talking to passengers, changing the radio station, all kinds of things that can take your attention away from the road,” Gardner says. “Cell phones are definitely a hybrid version of distracted driving, especially now, because everything is done on the cell phone it seems.” Gardner says cell phones are the focus of much attention during this STEP, and phones will be even more top-of-mind later this summer.

Iowa State Patrol photo

“We’re going to be enacting a hands-free bill that has been passed through the Iowa legislature,” Gardner says, “that will make holding a cell phone or communicating on a cell phone, whether it be a phone call or a text while you’re physically holding a cell phone and you’re behind the wheel, that will be illegal across the board coming July 1st.” Law officers will only be able to give you a warning for now, but starting January 1st, holding a cell phone while driving may bring a 100-dollar fine.

Gardner, who’s based in Fort Dodge, urges anyone who may be drinking during holiday weekend events to find a safe way home, whether it’s through a designated driver, a taxi or a ride-sharing service. Also, he reminds, seat belts save lives. “My advice to those who are traveling, make sure everyone’s buckled up in your vehicle, no matter how long of a trip you’re taking, whether it be just a few blocks down the street or if you plan on taking a longer trip across the state or regionally, make sure that you and your passengers are completely buckled up,” Gardner says.

“Those who are under 18, if you have children in there, even teenagers under 18, no matter where they’re seated in the vehicle, have to be restrained.” A report from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau finds 44-percent of the people who died on Iowa roads last year were unbuckled, which translates to 108 lives lost. In a G-T-S-B survey of Iowans, 88% reported always buckling up in the front seat, while 67% say they always buckle up in the back seat.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say “operator inexperience” led to an accident Monday afternoon, when a box truck became high-centered on a barrier near a convenience store’s gas pump.

According to the report, at around 11:42-a.m., employees of the Casey’s Store on E. Townline Street told police the left side of a delivery truck turned too sharply and struck a metal barrier. The barrier became stuck under the rear wheel well of the 2024 Ford E-350 box truck, operated by 20-year-old Brenton Vanderpluym, of Creston. The box truck had to be removed from the barrier by a tow truck.

Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $3,000. The barrier post sustained about $200 damage, according to police. No citations were issued.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — Gov. Kim Reynolds signed 25 bills into law Monday, including measures related to fireworks, school funding and First Amendment rights.

The slate of bills signed is the first action on legislation Reynolds has taken since the 2025 legislative session adjourned Thursday. However, these are not the first bills she has signed this year — the governor has already signed into law several measures, including high-profile laws like the ban on using cellphones while driving outside of handsfree or voice-activated modes, and the removal of gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

There are still many other measures awaiting Reynolds’ signature that passed this session. The governor has until June 14 — 30 days from the end of session — to sign bills passed this year into law. Measures she does not sign during this period are considered a “pocket veto” and do not become law.

The Governor’s press release provided a list of some of the bills Reynolds she signed into law, Monday:

(Creston, Iowa) – A man on a bicycle complained of pain and was transported by ambulance to the hospital, following a collision with a car Monday afternoon, in Creston. According to the Creston Police Department, 75-year-old Helen Waddell, of Creston, was driving a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee northbound on Birch Street at around 4:24-p.m.  She stopped at the controlled intersection with Irving Street, before proceeding into the intersection, where her SUV was struck by a westbound bicycle, occupied by 54-year-old Charles Balius, of Creston.

Balius suffered suspected serious/incapacitating injuries in the collision, and was transported to the Greater Regional Medical Center by EMS.

The impact caused about $500 damage to the SUV. No citations were issued, but the police report indicated a contributing factor to the accident was Waddell’s failure to yield from a stop sign.

(Radio Iowa) – The bridge over the Mississippi River between Lansing, Iowa and DeSoto, Wisconsin is again closed to traffic for at least a week. Clayton Burke, an engineer with the Iowa Department of Transportation, says they had to close the structure on Saturday night.

“Our monitoring system was identifying that the bridge had moved beyond our safety thresholds and the engineering firm performing the monitoring was recommending that we close the bridge,” Burke says. “Now we’re trying to figure out what happened and analyze the bridge to see if it’s still safe to reopen.”

Burke says they have not determined a reason for the apparent movement of the bridge, but they’re focusing on two possibilities. “We did have construction work going on adjacent to the bridge on Saturday that involved driving some pipe pile with a vibratory hammer, which previously we had tested and found that it did not affect the bridge,” Burke says. “We’re also looking into if there were any un-permitted or any oversized loads that were crossing the bridge.”

Mississippi River bridge at Lansing. (File photo, Iowa DOT)

All of the instrumentation involved is being double-checked. “If the sensors are accurate, then it’s going to come down to, we have to do a detailed and thorough analysis to make sure the bridge is still safe to open,” Burke says, “and that could maybe take a week or so.” A new bridge is being built beside the current bridge and construction work on that new structure is also being halted.

“We have to make sure that everybody’s safe, the public and the contractor,” Burke says. “While we don’t know the condition of the existing bridge, we don’t feel that it’s safe for the contractor to be working next to it until we evaluate the structure and deem that it is safe.”

The bridge was closed for a similar reason in February and March of 2024. The nearest bridges for vehicle traffic to cross the Mississippi River are at La Crescent, Minnesota/Lacrosse, Wisconsin, or Marquette, Iowa/Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

(Radio Iowa) – The State Board of Regents approved a plan today (Monday) to find a replacement for Iowa State University president Wendy Wintersteen, who announced she’ll retire in January. The Board voted to seek out a consulting firm and put together a search committee. Board president Sherry Bates talked about Wintersteen before a vote.  “I want to give a heartfelt thank you to President Wintersteen for her years of outstanding service to Iowa State University and its students, faculty, and staff,” she says. Wintersteen was the first woman and second I-S-U graduate to lead the school.

“President Winterstein is a Cyclone through and through. She has had a remarkable career of more than 40 years at I-S-U, culminating with her tenure as president in 2017,” Bates says. Bate says Wintersteen will be missed. “Her leadership, drive, and innovation has moved the university forward and her efforts have helped I -S-U remain as one of the top land grant universities in the nation,” Bates says.

Bates says the search committee will come up with a timeline for Wintersteen’s replacement once they meet and talk with the consultant.

(Radio Iowa) – The choice is in for a new specialty license plate for education. The Iowa Department of Education announced today (Monday) that a design by 16-year-old sophomore Erin Cho of Ames High School was chosen in the contest to pick the new education plate. Cho’s design features the state bird, the American goldfinch, shown as a teacher and students perched on school books.

A sample of the new Education license plate designed by Ames High student Erin Cho. (Dept of Ed photo)

The first ever contest saw art teachers submit more than 100 license plate designs from students that were then narrowed down to 16 semifinalists.

The license plate will be available through the D-O-T this summer.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has appointed a new chair of the Iowa Utilities Commission. In April of 2023, Reynolds appointed Eric Helland to lead the commission as it reviewed — and ultimately approved — a construction permit for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. Reynolds had nominated Helland to another term as commission chairman, but the Republican-led Iowa Senate never voted on his leadership appointment.

Reynolds has now appointed Sarah Martz, who’s been on the commission for the past two years, to be its chair. Reynolds says Martz, who worked for Alliant Energy for over a decade, has the background to lead the commission as it navigates increased demand for electricity.

Iowa Utilities Commissioner Sarah Martz has been appointed chair of the three-member panel. (Iowa Utilities Commission photo)

Last week, the Iowa Senate overwhelmingly voted to confirm Joshua Byrnes to serve another term on the Iowa Utilities Commission. Helland, the former commission chairman, will remain a member of the panel through April 30th of 2029.

(Radio Iowa) – Several Iowa business groups are urging Governor Kim Reynolds to veto a bill that would set new rules for pharmacy benefit managers — the companies that negotiate drug prices for insurance companies. The groups say the bill adds “massive costs” for patients and their Iowa employers, primarily through a new dispensing fee for each prescription. Nicole Crain is president of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry.

“The cost will be approximately $169 per insured Iowan per year,” Crain said, “which adds about $340 million to private sector health plans statewide.” Lawmakers in Iowa and elsewhere have been responding to independent pharmacists who say P-B-M reimbursements to them are lower than the actual cost of medications and P-B-Ms try to steer patients to chain pharmacies. Crain says Iowa business groups were hoping the state legislature would narrow the bill’s focus.

“The business community understands the proponents desire to help small independent pharmacies,” Crain said, “but there’s so much more in this legislation besides the support ot small independent pharmacies.” If the bill becomes law, P-B-Ms will be required to pay a dispensing fee of over 10 dollars per prescription to in-state pharmacies. That includes all of the state’s independent pharmacies as well as Hy-Vee pharmacies. The business coalition estimates that will yield 66 million dollars a year for Hy-Vee. Crain says other elements of the bill escalate costs, too.

“This bill, unless the governor vetoes it, is scheduled to go into effect on July 1,” Crain said. “We would encourage all individuals to contact the governor and urge her to veto this legislation as it will raise your pharmacy costs at a time when Iowa businesses and their employees are facing increased costs from inflation and challenges with tariffs and trade.” The Iowa Association of Business and Industry, the Iowa Bankers Association, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Iowa Business Council say the bill is believed to be the most expensive health care mandate in Iowa history.

During House debate last week, Representative Jeff Cooling of Cedar Rapids unsuccessfully tried to make the dispensing fee optional, arguing that additional costs will drive patients to use large pharmacies. “When a pharmacy just down the road, possibly, doesn’t have to charge or make the person filling their prescription pay that,” Cooling said. Supporters of the bill say without that dispensing fee, the closure of independent pharmacies will accelerate. The Iowa Pharmacy Association says 31 Iowa pharmacies closed last year and all 31 said it was due to P-B-M practices.

Eleven other states require P-B-Ms to provide a minimum reimbursement to independent pharmacies. The proposed 10-dollar-and-68 dispensing fee in the bill for Iowa pharmacies would NOT be paid to C-V-S, Walgreens, Walmart or Costco pharmacies which operate in multiple states.