(Radio Iowa) – Fire swept through a three-story apartment building in Coralville on Wednesday afternoon, causing heavy damage and rendering the building uninhabitable. Reports say 12 people were home at the time of the blaze and all escaped safely, though a total of 22 residents were displaced. Resident Gloria Amuda tells K-C-R-G T-V she was asleep and only realized there was a fire because a neighbor was banging on her window.

“My immediate reaction was like, I need to call my work and tell them I’m not gonna be able to go to work, because I’m supposed to be reporting at work in like an hour and a half or so, so that was the first thing I did,” Amuda says. “But then it hit me. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, where am I gonna sleep tonight?’”

No injuries are reported in the fire near Coral Ridge Mall, though several pets perished. Investigators believe the cause of the fire was accidental. Damage is estimated around one million dollars.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Catholic Health Initiatives-Iowa, a faith-based health care provider, is arguing in a medical malpractice case that the loss of an unborn child does not equate to the death of a “person” for the purpose of calculating damage awards. In Iowa, court-ordered awards for non-economic losses stemming from medical malpractice are capped at $250,000, except in cases that entail the “loss or impairment of mind or body.” Attorneys for the CHI and MercyOne hospital are arguing the cap on damages still applies in cases where the “loss” is that of a fetus or unborn child. CHI’s status as a nonprofit, tax-exempt entity is based on its stated mission of providing health services “in the spirit of the gospel.” The ethics guidelines it approved in 2018 state that the corporation is committed to “respect the sacredness of every human life from the moment of conception until death.”

The lawsuit in which CHI is currently embroiled involves the treatment provided to Miranda Anderson of Poweshiek County. Anderson was 34 weeks pregnant when, on April 13, 2021, she arrived at Pella Regional Health Center for evaluation due to elevated blood pressure, headaches and edema. Citing concerns that she was experiencing pre-eclampsia — a condition that can lead to serious complications for both mother and baby and may require early delivery — Anderson was transferred to MercyOne’s Obstetrics Emergency Unit via ambulance. According to the lawsuit later filed by Anderson and her husband, Landen, Miranda Anderson was discharged after two days of monitoring and testing. After further evaluations over the course of the next several days, she was again discharged to her home — until, during an April 21 evaluation, her doctor was unable to detect any fetal heartbeat. The next day, she underwent a cesarean delivery of a nonviable baby girl, Eloise.

The Andersons’ lawsuit seeks damages for negligence, alleging CHI, MercyOne and its physicians failed to recommend early delivery of the baby while it was still viable and Anderson showed evidence of pre-eclampsia. The defendants have denied any wrongdoing. Citing the state’s $250,000 cap on non-economic damages in malpractice cases — a cap that was approved by state legislators in 2017 — CHI and MercyOne are arguing that while the cap on damages includes an exemption for cases that entail the “loss or impairment of mind or body,” that exemption should not apply to a case where a fetus or unborn child is lost. They argue the Iowa Legislature did not intend for the loss of a baby prior to delivery to be included within the exemption and that Anderson’s lawyers are attempting “to put words in the Legislature’s mouth … There is no case law, and plaintiffs cite to none, finding ‘loss of pregnancy’ is a ‘loss or impairment of a bodily function.’”

As evidence of this, they cite the fact that in 2023 — two years after the Anderson pregnancy — state lawmakers explicitly added “loss of pregnancy” to the exemption on the cap for damages. Attorneys for Anderson argue the 2023 change was enacted merely to clarify the scope of the 2017 statute, not to expand the exemption on the caps for damages. In recent court filings, attorneys for CHI and MercyOne argue that “finding an unborn child to be a ‘person’ would lead to serious implications in other areas of the law.” They also argue the Andersons’ unborn child should not be considered a “patient” for purposes of calculating damages. “There is no statute or binding case law finding an unborn child to be a ‘patient’ under the law,” attorneys for the hospital have told the court, citing an Iowa Supreme Court ruling in a 1971 case that held “there can be no recovery (of damages) on behalf of, or for, a nonexistent person.”

As part of their case, attorneys for CHI and MercyOne also argue that the Iowa Legislature’s decision to cap non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases was motivated by a desire to “reduce the size of medical malpractice verdicts to increase the affordability and availability of medical care and protect the public treasury.” The hospital is now seeking a court order affirming the Andersons’ recovery for any non-economic damages that might be awarded shall be limited to $250,000 under the cap approved by legislators in 2017. A hearing on that issue is expected later this month, while the case itself is scheduled for trial on May 12, 2025.

A spokesperson for MercyOne stated Wednesday that the hospital does not comment on pending litigation.

(Creston, Iowa) –  The Creston Police Department reports the arrest at around 5:30-p.m., Wednesday, of a woman on a drug charge. 59-year-old Lori Lee Graham, of Creston, was arrested at a nursing home in Creston, on a charge of Possession of Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense. Graham was taken to Union County Jail and later released on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

(Radio Iowa) – A U-S District Court Judge in Missouri is sending an Iowa man to prison for passing million of dollars in bad checks. Seventy-one-year-old Roger Dean Peters pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud after admitting in a plea agreement to writing bad checks from the Exchange Bank of Missouri and the First National Bank in Hampton, Iowa. The banks estimated the total amount at nearly two-point-nine million dollars by the time his scheme was discovered.

Peters was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for the overdrawn checks.

(Radio Iowa) – An official with the Iowa D-N-R is warning the state’s anglers to be on the lookout for a ferocious, toothy type of fish that spawned a horror movie in the early 2000s. It’s called the northern snakehead and it’s native to places like China, Russia, and the Koreas. Kim Bogenschuts, the state’s aquatic invasive species program coordinator, says it’s believed snakeheads reached the U-S as aquarium fish for collectors, though they’re not friendly with other fish.

“They can get to be over three feet long,” Bogenschuts says. “They’ve got really big teeth and are very aggressive, which is why sometimes people then get rid of them.” If those “pets” were dumped into waterways, that would explain why the fearsome fish are finding their way into the Mississippi River, though none have been confirmed in Iowa’s waters, at least not yet. The northern snakehead is tan with dark brown splotches in a pattern that may resemble a python’s skin and a head that looks, well, snakelike. Bogenschuts says it might be mistaken for a couple of native Iowa fish. “If people are familiar with what we call our bowfin or dogfish, which is a long, tubular, muscular fish, the snakeheads look similar to that,” she says, “although their heads are more flattened and they do have scales on their heads.” In addition to having bands of sharp teeth and a vicious temperament, the northern snakehead is especially renown for being able to survive on land — for several days at a time.

“If they’re in wet grass, wet vegetation, they can slither through it, because they can get enough oxygen from the moisture,” Bogenschuts says. “They’re also capable of kind of like burrowing in the sediments, so if the water levels drop down, they can still get air from the moisture where they’re at.” It’s that unusual behavior that prompted horror filmmakers to focus on a fictionalized version of the feisty fish.”Back when they were first found in the U.S., there were a few movies made, ‘Snakehead Terror’ and things like that, where these giant fish were walking across the land and, you know, eating people,” Bogenschuts says. “It’s not quite that scary, well, it is scary for our native species.”

Iowans who think they’ve caught a snakehead should snap a photo of it and send the pic to the D-N-R. Bogenschuts says the fish should not be released — but killed — and do not leave the body on shore. She notes, snakeheads are supposed to be quite tasty to eat.

(Radio Iowa) – Lutheran Services says the loss in federal funding led to about one third of its 100 employees who assisted immigrants and refugees being laid off last month. The director of immigration and refugee services, Nick Wuertz says the impact of the funding cut goes beyond L-S-I. “It’s well documented that even though we’re welcoming people here for humanitarian reasons, they are significant net contributors to our state and local economy,” he says. “Not only does it not make humanitarian sense, but it also doesn’t make any economic sense for us to not continue to invite people here that want to build a new life and contribute to our communities.” the cuts included 17 people in Des Moines, six in Waterloo and seven in Sioux City who helped the immigrants.

“We see the folks that we welcome continue on to work in the local community, contribute to the workforce, and many of them even start small businesses so it’s really sad and there’s a huge blow and loss for the community,” Wuertz says. Wuertz says private donations are helping keep about half of the impacted employees on the job through April. “I think that’s been the one bright spot in all of this is just seeing how much Iowans truly care and how much people in local communities really value their immigrant refugee neighbors and value the diversity and the contributions they bring to the community,” he says.

Wuertz says L-S-I was owed one-point-five million dollars in back payments following the cuts and 400-thousand dollars is still outstanding. Wuertz says the organization is still looking for money to help immigrants and refugees with higher rent and utility costs. He adds that travel has stopped for all new arrivals, even people vetted and screened to come into the country.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop Wednesday afternoon in Red Oak, resulted in an arrest. Authorities say 57-year-old James Grover Lunsford, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 3:15-p.m., for Driving While License is suspended. Lunsford was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on bond amounting to a little more than $491.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Nearly 500 U.S. Cellular employees in Iowa – including those in Creston and Council Bluffs – will lose their jobs in June, according to Iowa Workforce Development. In central Iowa, more than 140 workers will be affected by layoffs across 13 communities, including Des Moines, Johnston and Fort Dodge. Johnston is the hardest-hit community in the central region, where 39 people will lose their jobs.

On Tuesday that U.S. Cellular announced plans to lay off 4,100 employees across the country. The company is selling all of its wireless operations to T-Mobile. According to the state, the last day on the job for Iowa employees is June 2.

(Iowa News Service) – The Social Security Administration is standing down on implementing a plan which would have dramatically affected how recipients can access critical benefits and receive information they need. AARP Iowa has been pushing back on the plan, reminding lawmakers in Congress that thousands of Iowans rely on Social Security and need to be able to access their benefits and receive timely customer service.

Michael Wagler, AARP Iowa state director, said his organization is working to make sure older Iowans continue to get the information they need. He said while it is good news the agency has stopped the proposed changes, doing so adds to the uncertainty around restructuring plans including staff reductions, office closures and other changes.

“There was already a crisis of customer service happening related to long hold times, and low staffing, delayed call back systems, confused announcements offices closing different things that are happening at a pace we just can’t prepare for,” Wagler explained.

The proposed changes were scheduled to take effect in less than a week but the agency announced all claims will still be allowed to be processed over the phone, at least for now.

The latest data show more than 687,000 Iowans receive a total of $1.2 billion a year in Social Security benefits.

Beyond the logistic challenges, Wagler pointed out uncertainty and confusion also create opportunities for criminals.

“We are also concerned that the change to phone services and other changes that are also happening on a daily basis will lead to scammers using the confusion that the agency has created around this rollout to exploit and prey on Iowans,” Wagler noted. “While this announcement’s aim was the idea that it was to combat fraud, we are also concerned that this will have the opposite effect.”

AARP said its members have sent more than 1 million emails and calls to Congress in recent weeks to push back on the proposed changes and their negative effects on customer service for the 69 million older Americans who rely on Social Security.