(Radio Iowa) — A traffic stop Sunday night in northwest Iowa’s Woodbury County led to the seizure of over five and a half pounds of cocaine. Woodbury County Sheriff’s Sergeant Nate Sands stopped an eastbound vehicle on Highway 20 at Osceola Avenue that was traveling 82 mph in a 65 speed zone.The driver, 37-year-old Jacob Rios, had a California drivers license and a car registered out of Oregon.

Court documents state Rios was very nervous and couldn’t give the correct name on the registration. He also stated he was going to see a friend in Chicago but couldn’t immediately think of the friend’s name. Sgt. Sands had his K-9 Rico sniff the vehicle and around 5.6 pounds of a substance which field tested positive for cocaine was found in the trunk under the floor where the spare tire should have been.

Rios was taken into custody and charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine, speeding, no drug tax stamp, no vehicle insurance and was put on a federal hold for ICE. Rios is being held in the Woodbury County Jail on $30,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A developer needs just one more city council vote before he can implement proposed plans to transform a former Des Moines junior high school into an eclectic space featuring meeting rooms, restaurants, a bar and boutique hotel. We Can Build It owner Jeff Young says he is hoping to invest up to $8 million to revamp the old Franklin Junior High school.

The Des Moines Register reports that the city council is set to vote May 20 on Young’s request to rezone the 213,000-square-foot property from church and school use to a planned unit development. Supporters say they would like to see life injected back into the long-abandoned and underutilized building that’s attracted crime in the past.

Critics say they are concerned about excessive traffic, garbage and noise.

MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) — A July 17 trial starting date has been scheduled for an eastern Iowa man charged in the death of a woman hit by fragments from a homemade cannon. Delaware County court records say 31-year-old Max Fenton has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and two fireworks charges. The improvised cannon was made from the sawed-off barrel of a .50-caliber, black powder rifle and was supposed to serve as a noisemaker. Authorities say the rear of the barrel “blew out” in Greeley the night of July 2, 2016, sending fragments toward where 55-year-old Lori Heims was sitting, hitting her in the head. She died later at a hospital.

The trial has been delayed since because of legal maneuvering. Judge Michael Shubatt noted previous trial delays and says in court records that he won’t delay it again for further preparations or negotiations between the parties.

A bicyclist who was struck by a ban Monday morning in eastern Iowa’s Johnson County, has died at the hospital. The Iowa State Patrol reports 83-year old David Lorentz Schuldt, of Iowa City, was riding a bike on Old Highway 218 at around 10:35-a.m., a little south of the Iowa City limits, when he was hit. The driver of the 2017 Chrysler Pacific van, 26-year old Shaena Elizabeth Beachy, of Kalona, was traveling north on 218 when she saw the bicyclist, but was unable to move to the left, due to traffic in the adjacent lane.

Schuldt was transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where he died from his injuries.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that affects the liver and if left untreated, can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), more than 18,000 Iowans have been diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C since 2000; however, the number of Iowans unaware they have hepatitis C virus (HCV) could be much larger. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly half of people living with hepatitis C are undiagnosed.

HCV infection causes inflammation of the liver. When this happens, liver function may be affected. Most people with HCV don’t know it, because they don’t feel ill. Fortunately, HCV is highly treatable and over 90% of those with the virus are cured after just 8 to 12 weeks of taking oral therapy (pills). Testing and diagnosis of hepatitis C are critical first steps for improved health outcomes, reduced transmission and cure. CDC and IDPH recommend hepatitis C blood testing for people who have ever injected drugs, as well as anyone born between 1945 and 1965 (Baby Boomers).

Injection drug use is the most common way people get hepatitis C. There are several things people who inject drugs can do to prevent acquiring or transmitting hepatitis C, including:

• Use sterile injection equipment every time you inject.
• Avoid reusing or sharing drug injection equipment, including syringes, cookers, cottons, water and ties.
• Use a spare sterile syringe to split drugs.
• Get tested for hepatitis C regularly.
• Seek treatment for substance use disorder.

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month. To learn more about HCV and public health recommendations, visit https://www.idph.iowa.gov/hivstdhep/hep/hep-c.

The Griswold School Board held a Special Meeting Monday evening, to consider approval of an Assistant High School Softball Coach. Superintendent Dave Henrichs said there were two people selected. Jason Reynolds and Marlia Mundorf were approved as Co-Assistant Coaches.

The Griswold School Board also approved an Open Enrollment request for student to AHSTW, effective immediately.

(CLARINDA) –The Iowa Department of Corrections and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Iowa State Patrol will hold Joint Emergency Response Training in Clarinda, next week. The tactical training/exercises will take place May 14th and 15th. An estimated 300 people, including Corrections/Trooper’s will participate during the course of the week-long training event at the Clarinda Correctional Facility. The event includes scenarios such as hostage negotiations, a bus rescue and riot control.

The event is open to the media only.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports 24-year old Anthony Michael McCoy, of Avoca, was transported from the Shelby County Jail, Monday afternoon to the Pott. County Jail. McCoy was wanted on a Pott. County warrant for Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender. His bond was set at $2,000. 50-year old Jodie Ann Tuttle, of Harlan, was also transported from the Shelby County Jail to the Pott. County Jail, Monday afternoon. Tuttle was wanted on a warrants out of Pottawattamie County for Failure to Appear, and Violation of Probation. She was sentenced to serve two-days in jail.

Later in the day, Monday, 27-year old Alexander Axl Cornelius, of Council Bluffs, who was already an inmate at the Pott. County Jail, was served with a warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order/Contempt of Court. The man was serving time for Harassment in the 1st Degree by texting. His bond was set at $2,000.

(Iowa News Service/DES MOINES, Iowa) – An Iowa nurse says the recent deaths of two Hollywood celebrities in their 50s from stroke should be a wake-up call for those who think they’re too young to worry.

Victoria Borges with Methodist Medical Center said she became a champion for stroke prevention after her mother died of heart disease when she was 17 years old. In her practice, Borges said she’s seen people as young as 18 and as old as 98 treated for stroke. “It can happen to anybody that is not of ideal weight, that smokes, that has those risk factors – sedentary lifestyle, high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure – any of those things makes people at risk,” Borges said. “It doesn’t matter what age you are.”

Fifty-one year-old movie director John Singleton and actor Luke Perry, age 52, both died from strokes in the past two months. May is American Stroke Month, and the American Heart Association of Iowa reminds residents that 80% of strokes are preventable. To learn what your numbers should be, go to heart.org/bloodpressure. Borges said “FAST” is an easy way to remember and identify the most common symptoms of stroke: face drooping, arm weakness and speech difficulty. She added the “T” in FAST, which stands for “time”, is critical for a positive outcome. “If any of your loved ones, or anybody you know, is experiencing these symptoms, get to the hospital immediately so we can treat their stroke as fast as possible,” she said.

In May alone, some 65,000 Americans will experience a stroke, with many unaware that they were even at risk. High blood pressure is the biggest factor, but of the 116 million people in the U.S. who have high blood pressure, fewer than 50% have it under control. At the same time, lowering blood pressure by 20 points can cut your risk for stroke by half.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — A judge has ordered a trial moved for a homeless man accused of killing a former Iowa State University golfer. Story County court records say the judge decided Monday to move the trial of 22-year-old Collin Richards to northeast Iowa’s Winneshiek County. He’s pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in the Sept. 17 slaying of 22-year-old Celia Barquín Arozamena.

Authorities say Richards stabbed her to death while she was playing a round at a public course in Ames, near the Iowa State campus in Story County. Barquín was a top golfer in Spain as a teenager and came to Iowa State to pursue her career. Richards’ attorney said in a motion that pretrial publicity would keep Richards from getting a fair trial in Story County.