ADEL, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says a California man has been arrested after a traffic stop along Interstate 80 southwest of Des Moines turned up more than 430 pounds of marijuana. Television station KCCI reports that a trooper stopped a sport utility vehicle on suspicion of a traffic violation Wednesday night and searched the SUV after smelling a strong odor of raw marijuana coming from inside the vehicle.

The search uncovered three large duffle bags containing 258 pounds of THC edibles and five large duffel bags containing about 173 pounds of high-grade marijuana. The 32-year-old driver from Los Angeles was arrested.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Environmental groups and community activists rallied at the Iowa Capitol to push lawmakers to consider halting the growth of hog farms in the state. Food and Water Watch and Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement sponsored the Thursday event. They have sued the state, claiming it has violated its obligation to protect the Raccoon River from hog farm pollution.

Activists at the rally called on lawmakers to consider a House bill introduced last year that would impose a moratorium on hog farm expansion. The bill sponsored by a group of Democrats was not assigned by Republican leaders to a subcommittee for discussion.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency is asking for all businesses in Shelby County to please visit the EMA website, shelbycountyema.com, and fill out the Shelby County Business Contact Information form. Emergency Management Coordinator Alex Londo says business owners or managers will then simply click on the link and fill out eight questions on the form that is attached.

The responses will be sent back to the Shelby County EMA, with the end goal to ensure that they have all the correct information in the event of an emergency at their business after hours. All of the responses will remain confidential.

The site is active now. If any of you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call Londo at 712-755-5160, or e-mail alondo@shco.org.

(Radio Iowa) — The 2020 Iowa legislature will NOT boost the penalties for assaulting referees, umpires, line judges and other sports officials. Bills on the topic were permanently tabled in the House AND the Senate this week. Representative Tom Moore of Griswold retired this summer after officiating high school softball games for the past 30 years. He was a high school wrestling official for 38 years.

“Veteran officials don’t usually have very many problems,” Moore says. “It’s usually the younger officials and fans feel they can intimidate whether it be verbally or, God forbid, physically.” But Moore says assault is assault and it makes no sense to single out sports officials as a protected class.

“Where do we stop? It could go teachers, legislators, newspaper reporters and radio announcers or reporters,” Moore said. “Where do we stop?” Currently state law DOES call for enhanced penalties for assaulting police, fire fighters, prison guards, nurses and doctors and some state employees — including tax collectors. Moore says adding sports officials to that list won’t really address the state’s referee shortage.

“We’re seeing a change in our society that leads to more confrontation with officials,” Moore says. “It’s hurting the overall athletic scene.” Moore was Griswold’s football coach for 23 years. He says proposed liability protection for the decisions referees make during a game was another problem area in the bill he helped shelve at the statehouse.

A collision Thursday afternoon in Adams County between a semi-tractor and a passenger van has claimed the life of a Coon Rapids man. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2013 Dodge Caravan driven by 64-year old Jerome Koester, of Coon Rapids, was at a stop sign near Highway 34 and Highway 148, when for reasons unknown, Koester failed to yield and entered Highway 34.

A westbound 2006 Peterbilt semi driven by 47-year old Travis Dukes, of Lenox, struck the van. Following the collision, the semi rolled onto its driver’s side. Koester died at the scene. The accident, which happened at around 1:20-p.m., remains under investigation.

The Patrol was assisted by Adams County EMS, along with Corning Fire and Rescue.

COUNCIL BLUFFS – Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections report 31-year old James Dean Archer, who was convicted of Willful Injury- Causing Serious Injury, and other crimes in Page County, failed to report back to the Council Bluffs Residential Correctional Facility as required this (Thursday) morning.

James Dean Archer

Archer is a white male, 6-feet tall. He weighs about 178 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on October 22, 2019.  Persons with information on Archer’s whereabouts should contact local police.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans on an Iowa Senate committee have advanced a proposed constitutional amendment designed to override an Iowa Supreme Court ruling that nullified abortion restrictions. Senator Jake Chapman of Adel made the case for it in committee. “This is judicial tyranny. Do we want to cede our power, the people’s power, to unelected judges across the street to rewrite our constitution?”

Chapman says the court improperly ruled Iowa women have a fundamental right to an abortion and a 72-hour waiting period was unconstitutional. “What we had was five unelected judges with the power of the gavel rewrite out state constitution,” Chapman says, “a right that didn’t exist prior to 2018.” The proposed amendment says Iowa’s constitution does not recognize, grant or secure a right to abortion.

2022 is the earliest Iowa voters could decide whether to add that language to the state constitution. The 10 Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted for the proposal. The five Democrats on the panel voted no. “The Republicans are sick of the courts standing up for Iowans’ rights. They want to make sure they have the final say.” That’s Senator Claire Celsi, a Democrat from Des Moines. Another Democrat from Des Moines, Senator Tony Bisignano, predicts there will be what he called “an onslaught” of anti-abortion legislation if the amendment is added to the constitution.

“It will have very, very striking consequences to women’s right to make decisions for theirselves,” Bisignano said. A similar proposal did not come up for a vote in the Republican-led senate last year. Advocates say having Governor Kim Reynolds publicly call on her fellow Republicans to pass the proposal makes it likely the full senate will vote on it this year.

(Radio Iowa) — The medical director of the Iowa Department of Public Health is reassuring Iowans they shouldn’t fret about coronavirus. State epidemiologist Dr. Caitlin Pedati says while there is a single case confirmed in the northwestern U-S, the potentially-fatal virus is not a big concern, but it’s good for Iowans to have it on their radar.

“The overall risk here in the United States and in Iowa remains low right now,” Pedati says. “It’s possible that we might see travel-associated cases like we did in Washington state two days ago, but right now, the overall risk for people here in the United States is low.” More than 600 cases of the virus are confirmed in China and at least 17 people have died. There is no vaccine and many of the symptoms resemble the common cold.

Iowans should continue practicing good hygiene, Pedati says, as simple steps will go a long way toward prevention. Pedati says, “Those good public health tools of washing your hands, covering your cough and staying home when you’re sick, those are important things that will protect you from a variety of illnesses.” The name coronavirus comes from the Latin word “coronam” for crown, as the virus, under the microscope, resembles a crown.

In addition to China and the U-S, coronavirus cases are confirmed in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam, but all cases appear to trace back to one area of China. Pedati says, “Anybody who has traveled or is planning travel to Wuhan City, China, will want to work with their clinical and public health providers to make sure they understand the recommendations and that if they get sick, that they understand to seek care.” Several major Chinese cities have banned large gatherings over the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival while expanding travel restrictions on the Wuhan area.

In the U-S, health officials are working to educate the public about the virus. “At the national level, the CDC is also working on screening people who are coming from that particular city here by directing flights into one of five particular airports where they’re evaluated for exposures and symptoms,” she says. Those airports are in: Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The case in Washington state involves a man who recently visited family in the Wuhan region of China. He’s in isolation and is undergoing treatment.

(Radio Iowa) — A bill under consideration in the legislature would let county attorneys apply for professional weapons permits, so they could carry guns in most places where guns are banned. Assistant Polk County Attorney Bret Lucas helped draft the bill. He’s gotten death threats because of his work on criminal cases.

“Sure, some of those are idle threats. It’s venting, things like that, but every now and then you come across an individual that truly causes you concern,” he says. The bill, which has cleared a Senate subcommittee, would require county attorneys to undergo the same training and testing as others who have these permits.

Susan Cameron Daemon is the lobbyist for the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association. “For a professional permit, you do have to train every year and you have to qualify every year,” she says. “And We believe others that get that professional permit should be at the same standard.”

There are several other gun-related proposals under consideration at the statehouse, including a bill that would allow paramedics working with SWAT teams to apply for professional weapon permits. Another would prevent businesses from telling employees with a concealed weapons permit they can’t have a gun in their car or truck in the parking lot at their work site.

WASHINGTON (AP) – With all eyes on Democrats as they prepare to cast their ballots in Iowa’s kickoff caucuses, President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is working to try to persuade Republican voters that they should turn out at their caucus sites, too. The push is complete with a presidential rally next week, GOP-led training sessions and a new video featuring the president’s daughter-in-law.

It makes clear that the campaign is trying to avoid the optics of empty Republican rooms on caucus night juxtaposed with Democratic gatherings brimming with enthusiastic voters and keep the focus on Trump.