A chain reaction accident Wednesday night, in Red Oak, caused a total of $6,500 damage, but no one was hurt. Red Oak Police say the accident happened at around 8:24-p.m. on Red Oak High School property, just off N. 4th Street. Officials report a 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan driven by 18-year old Kaitlyn Ruhl, of Minot AFB (Air Force Base) in Minot, ND. (and owned by Allison Ruhl, of Red Oak), followed too closely, and struck the rear of a 2010 Buick LeSabre, driven by 46-year old Michael Brown, of Exira (and owned by Todd Brown, of Exira).

The impact caused Brown’s car to be pushed into the rear of a 2018 Kia Optima, driven by 40-year old Barbara Ann Lombard, of Red Oak. All vehicles were able to be driven from the scene. No citations were issued.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowans who live in mobile home parks are appealing again to Iowa lawmakers, asking for new legal protections against what they describe as predatory owners. Carrie Presley lives in Table Mound Trailer Park in Dubuque and is president of the tenants’ association. “These corporate entities are coming after us like a virus and we don’t have the time for a cure,” she said. “You guys are it, so please — help us.”

Presley spoke at a news conference, just hours after key legislators announced bills that would have limited mobile home park rent increases are tabled. Angela Smith-Stoltz lives at Park Plaza Mobile Home Park in Muscatine and she says if lot rents get too high, mobile home owners cannot afford to move their home to another location. “It infuriates me on a personal level because these are my neighbors,” she said. “We are average, everyday, hard-working people just trying to get by and have a life.”

The bills that have been tabled would have addressed complaints about “no-fault” evictions from mobile home parks as well. A woman who gave her name as Laura lives in the Gulf View Mobile Home Park in North Liberty. “Last Wednesday, while I was sitting in my living room, someone from the trailer park taped an eviction notice to my door because they lost my rent check. I quickly ran back and got my signed receipt saying I had paid my lot rent,” she said at the news conference, as she started to cry. “…I live in fear now that my house is going to be taken away. I’ve lived there 15 years. This shouldn’t happen to people.”

According to advocates of the bill, 36-thousand Iowans live in mobile home parks. Republican lawmakers say they’re not going to impose in price controls when it comes to rent on mobile home lots, as it could prevent owners from maintaining the property. The bills that have been sidelined would have limited rent increases to the rate of inflation in most cases.

The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will meet tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 21st), at 7:30-a.m., in the Middle School Media Center. During the meeting, the Board will enter into a closed session to discuss a personnel matter. When they reconvene in an open session, the Board will take action with regard to a contract recommendation for the Head Boys Track Coach position.

During their meeting Feb. 12th, the Atlantic School Board tabled a decision on offering a contract to Abby Becker for the boys track coach position. No reason was given for their decision at that time.

(Radio Iowa) — All but one member of a Senate committee have voted to require paroled felons to prove they’ve repaid restitution to victims before they’d get their voting rights restored. The bill’s requirements would kick in *IF* Iowa voters eventually approve an amendment to the state constitution that automatically restores voting rights to felons. The bill passed without debate — and with the support of every Republican on the committee and Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Janet Petersen. “Clearly, if Democrats were in control, we would have had a different piece of legislation coming out…because we believe in expanding voter rights,” Petersen says.

The lone “no” came from Senator Rob Hogg, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids. Hogg says the proposal favors wealthy criminal offenders who can pay restitution immediately over the poor who may take years to repay their debts. “Restoration of voting rights reduces the chance that somebody released from prison will offend again,” Hogg says. “If we want to keep Iowans safe, this is real easy way to help reduce the chance that people are going to commit future crimes.”

A federal appeals court ruled yesterday on a similar FLORIDA law. The three-judge panel said it’s unconstitutional to require felons to pay all court fines and victim restitution before they get their voting rights back.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman is charged with murder after police say she bound and gagged her husband for hours, leading to his death. West Des Moines police say officers arrested 41-year-old Gowun Park on Wednesday. The charges stem from the death Saturday of her husband, 41-year-old Sung Nam. Court records say Park used zip ties to bind Nam’s feet and hands to a chair, jammed clothing into his mouth and used duct tape to attach a towel over his head. Officers were called Saturday evening and found Nam on the floor. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Park is being held at the Dallas County Jail.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has refused to let a group of lawmakers and attorneys move forward with two lawsuits challenging a law passed last year that gave the governor more power over the selection of supreme court and appeals court judges. The cases filed by a group of Democratic lawmakers and lawyers were dismissed by a divided appeals court on Wednesday in a 3-2 decision. It says the court is hesitant to interfere with legislative branch decisions. An attorney representing the plaintiffs says he will ask the Iowa Supreme Court to review the decision.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Two Iowa Army National Guard units are being deployed to Africa as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Col. Michael Wunn said Wednesday that about 90 troopers from a Le Mars unit have already started training with around 40 based at Camp Dodge in Johnston. Send-off ceremonies are scheduled for June, and then the soldiers will head to Fort Bliss in Texas for six to eight weeks of training. Wunn couldn’t say where the troopers will be stationed after they leave the United States, but he expects they’ll end up somewhere in the Horn of Africa. The deployments typically last a year.