DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans to sell health insurance policies compliant with the federal Affordable Care Act in Iowa next year. The company announced Thursday plans to offer polices as long as there aren’t any significant changes to the 2010 law also known as Obamacare.

Wellmark, the state’s largest health insurer, announced last April it would stop selling ACA plans because of high costs, an uncertain future and the loss of $90 million over three years. It insured 21,400 individuals.

On Thursday the company said it believes the individual market can be functional again. Minnesota-based Medica is the only company selling ACA-compliant polices statewide this year. About 72,000 Iowans buy health insurance on the individual market.

Riverside School District Superintendent Tim Mitchell, Thursday afternoon, responded to a Des Moines Register report picked up by media outlets, including KJAN, that stated investigators found mechanical repair records for the bus involved in the fire that killed a student and the bus driver, were changed a week after a fatal bus fire in December.

In his statement released on the District’s website, Mitchell said “The Riverside Community School District rejects any characterization that inspection or maintenance records for bus #4 were altered.  Following the December 6 inspection of the bus, the District immediately completed all repairs noted for bus #4.  The District documented that these repairs were made, and this documentation is unchanged.

“The on-site inspector from the Iowa Department of Education instructed the District to additionally note the repairs in the Department’s online system, once the inspection report was available there.  The report did not become available until December 15, three days after the accident occurred.  In the ensuing weeks, the District noted repairs for all buses that had been repaired, including bus #4, in the online system as instructed by the Department.

There is no dispute that the necessary repairs for bus #4 were completed before the accident on December 12.  Our focus has always been, and remains, on the student and employee we lost that day and ensuring the safety of our students and staff.”

The National Weather Service has updated its list of counties in Iowa that under a Winter Weather Advisory. In the KJAN listening area, Carroll County (Which was under a Winter Weather Advisory), was upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning. The warning is in effect from 3-p.m. today until 9-a.m. Friday. Persons in the warned area can expect heavy snow, with accumulations for 4-to 7-inches, along with northerly winds of 15-to 25-miles per hour, which will create difficult driving conditions, including during the commute Friday morning.

Counties in purple are under a Winter Weather Advisory; Counties in Pink are in a Winter Storm Warning.

Counties that remain under a Winter Weather Advisory from 9-p.m. tonight until 9-a.m. Friday, include Audubon-Crawford-Guthrie and Dallas, in our listening area. Snow of 2-to 4-inches can be expected, along with northwest winds of 15-to 25-miles per hour, which can create blowing and drifting of snow. Plan on slippery road conditions and reduced visibilities at times.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — A dog handler accused of leaving four dogs inside a hot vehicle last year, killing three, has pleaded guilty to three counts of confining animals. The Ottumwa Courier reports that in exchange for Craig Eugene’s recent plea, a fourth count was dismissed. Eugene was fined $300.

Police say the dogs were found in Eugene’s car July 8 outside the American Kennel Club All Breeds Dog Show in Ottumwa. Two of the dogs were found dead in the car and a third died at a veterinary clinic. Police say Eugene, of Marengo, Illinois, told officers his vehicle was running when he put the dogs inside, but it wasn’t running when he returned. The National Weather Service says the Ottumwa temperature peaked at 89 degrees that day.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday), reports a man already in the Pott. County jail, was served Wednesday, with a Felony warrant for Conspiracy to Deliver Methamphetamine. The warrant was served on 49-year old Dennis Earl Page, of Council Bluffs. Page was remanded to the custody of jail staff and returned to his cell, once the charge was read.

A report of marijuana found Wednesday afternoon on the Jack Links property on Magnolia Road, in Pott. County, resulted in a citation for 26-year old Jose J. Sandoval, of Omaha. Sandoval was cited for Possession of a Controlled Substance (7 grams of marijuana), after a green leafy substance was found in a plastic baggie.

A Deputy working to serve civil papers Wednesday afternoon in Council Bluffs arrested a man on a Felony warrant for Theft in the 2nd degree. Authorities say a deputy was following a pickup into Bluffs Acres ran the vehicles’ license plate, which came back showing the owner of the truck, 44-year old Stacey Lynn Hollingsworth, of Council Bluffs, was wanted on the warrant.

And, 26-year old Dalton Joel Behrens, of Treynor, was arrested at around 2:20-a.m. today (Thursday), for OWI/2nd offense. Behrens was taken into custody after a Deputy was called to investigate an unknown injury accident at Highway 6 and Eagle Lane, where a 1998 Dodge Ram pickup had gone into the ditch.  No injuries were reported.

A bill that would ban abortions in Iowa after a fetal heartbeat can be detected cleared a senate subcommittee this (Thursday) morning after emotional and pointed testimony at a public hearing. Chuck Hurley is vice president of The Family Leader, an evangelical Christian group. “‘The Golden Rule’ is to treat others the way we want to be treated. Is there anybody in this room who honest to God wishes that they’d been aborted?” Hurley asked and some in the crowd reacted angrily. “That’s what we’re talking about.”

A doctor told lawmakers a fetal heartbeat may be detected as early as four weeks into a pregnancy. The Iowa Medical Society warned lawmakers the state’s only training program for O-B/G-Y-N doctors will be shut down if the bill becomes law. Scott Valencia, chairman of the Iowa Coalition of Pro-life Leaders, responded. “If a heartbeat exists, there is life…if all of them are going to leave because we stop finding better ways to take lives, we have a bigger problems to be looking at here,” Valencia said. Jamie Burch of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland says the bill “intentionally goes too far.” “The motivation behind this bill is clear: to create a vehicle to challenge Roe v Wade,” Burch said. “If this bill passes and is signed into law by our governor, it will open the door to endless litigation.”

Iowa Catholic Conference executive director Tom Chapman told lawmakers the church believes life begins at conception, but is “neutral” on the bill because it is “likely unconstitutional.” “We should consider the unintended, long-term consequences that could result from our court finding a robust right to an abortion in our state constitution,” Chapman said. “which could result in the elimination of some of the limitations we already have in Iowa.” A senator told Chapman to go back to the state’s four Catholic bishops and rethink their stance on the bill.

Leah Vanden Bosch wore a pink t-shirt to signal her support of Planned Parenthood. Vanden Bosch told legislators she would have killed herself if she hadn’t had an abortion. “I don’t want to be sharing my story…but I feel like I have to stick up and represent these women,” Vanden Bosch said. “I’m praying to the same God that you are right now this morning and he’s pushing me here to speak to you and show you a different side.”

At the conclusion of the public hearing, half dozen senators spoke about the bill — giving a preview of the debate to come in a senate committee next week.

(Radio Iowa)

Legislators are considering a bill that would force the state’s grocery stores to always have “conventional” eggs for sale. Republican Representative Lee Hein, of Monticello says the concern is stores may be pressured to only sell eggs that come from “cage free” operations.  “Which are $3 to $4 more expensive that the regular commodity egg that’s cheaper and more affordable,” Hein says.  Bill backers say it’s about ensuring consumer choice. Critics say it will require stores to sell a certain product. Hein admits to “struggling with” the idea of imposing a mandate. “But I also believe that we don’t need to bow down to the pressure of the animal rights groups, which are maybe growing, but are still a small segment of the population,” Hein says. “And I firmly believe that the regular Iowans wants a choice.”

The vast majority of the eggs laid in the U.S. each year come from “conventional” large-scale operations with thousands of hens. Some retailers, like Walmart, have committed to eventually buying eggs from hens that have a larger range of movement indoors — in so-called “cage free” operations. If this bill becomes STATE law, though, Walmart stores in Iowa would be required to keep selling eggs raised in large-scale conventional operations. The legislation has cleared initial review in both the House and Senate. It must pass a full committee by the end of next week to remain eligible for consideration in the 2018 Iowa legislature.

(Radio Iowa)

The Des Moines Register reports an investigation into the Dec. 12th, 2017 fatal Riverside School District school bus fire, has revealed new information in the case. In the report, investigators found mechanical repair records for the bus involved in the fire that killed a student and the bus driver, were changed a week after the fatal fire. Following an inspection which occurred six days before the fire, the bus was ordered to stop transporting students. An exit lock signal and outside warning light were both not working at the time of the inspection.

The school district reported the fixes were made on a handwritten note the same day as the inspection. The state requires all bus repairs to be reported with the state before it can start transportation again, but the school failed to do so. Those same fixes weren’t reported to the state until at least seven days after the accident.

Federal investigators and the National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating.

With above-normal snowpack in the mountains of Montana and Wyoming, the U-S Army Corps of Engineers is getting the Missouri River reservoir system ready for expected runoff this spring. Kevin Stamm, with the Corps’ water management office in Omaha, says they expect runoff to be higher than normal, but only slightly.”The 2018 calendar year runoff forecast is 26.4-million acre feet which is 104% of average,” Stamm says. “Above average runoff is forecast to continue in February.

In March and April, the plains snowpack in Montana is forecast to cause above-average runoff, however, drought conditions in the Dakotas will likely cause below-average runoff in the lower region.” Corps engineer Joel Knofczynski says they have already hit their flood storage goals. “On January 15th, the reservoir system storage reached 56.1-million acre feet which is at the base of the annual flood control zone,” Knofczynski says. “This means that all of the stored 2017 flood waters have been evacuated from the system.”

The Corps says releases from Gavins Point Dam, the lowest on the system, will stay at about 18-thousand cubic feet per second for the rest of winter, but can be adjusted as needed.

(Radio Iowa)

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors say a central Iowa man charged in the death of his 2-month-old daughter killed the baby by placing pillows on her face. The Des Moines Register reports that 29-year-old Calvin Curtis White, of Nevada, has been charged with first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death after his daughter was found not breathing Jan. 29 and later died. Police also say they found a recorded message on White’s phone in which he said he killed the infant by placing pillows on her face to keep from hearing her cry.

Police say White was the sole caregiver of his daughter at the time of her death. White remains in the Story County Jail on a $1 million bond.