More than a thousand licensed plumbers in Iowa will get a “red tape” break on July 1st. State Labor Commissioner Michael Mauro says current regulations require plumbers who work on construction projects to fill out licensing paperwork with both his agency AND the Iowa Department of Public Health. “Currently, there’s like 1290 plumbers who also register as contractors,” Mauro says.

Starting July 1st, there will be a “one-stop” point of state licensing for those nearly 13-hundred Iowa plumbers who work in the construction industry. “Get that license. It’ll be for three years,” Mauro says. “We think it’s a good thing.”

Currently, the Iowa Department of Public Health issues licenses to plumbers and the Iowa Workforce Development agency’s labor division issues licenses to contractors — so people who do both have to get two licenses. A person must register as a “contractor” in Iowa if they earn at least two-thousand dollars a year from work on construction projects.

Governor Branstad and Republican legislators have been pushing agencies to state government streamline licensing procedures. State agencies issue licenses to a wide range of professionals — including accountants and even interior designers.

(Radio Iowa)

A man is wanted for assaulting a police officer in Urbandale early this (Thursday) morning. Urbandale Police Sergeant Chad Underwood says the officer responded to the report of a possible traffic accident just after 5 a.m. and located a vehicle that matched the description given by the caller. “The officer stopped the car, approached and began talking to the driver, at which time the driver pepper sprayed the officer in the face and fled the scene,” Underwood said.

Police Officer body cam image of Bordinat

The suspect is 25-year-old Brandon Bordinat, a convicted sex offender. While police are asking for help in locating Bordinat, Underwood warns he should be considered armed and dangerous. “It appears that this was something he maybe planned out in order to get away and that obviously makes us fearful of what he could possibly do if we try to apprehend him again,” Underwood said.

Bordinat is approximately 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. He is white, with brown eyes, brown hair, and this morning he had a beard. Bordinat’s vehicle license plate is ERX822. “It’s a black, 1998 Toyota Camry with heavy damage to the trunk area and rear passenger lights,” Underwood said.

Suspect’s vehicle

The name of the officer who was pepper sprayed has not been released.

(Radio Iowa)

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a 22-year-old man has died after a barbell slipped from his grasp and crushed him at a gym in Ankeny. The accident occurred Monday morning at Elite Edge Transformation Center. A spokesman for the center, Mark Yontz, said Thursday that Kyle Thomson was lifting 315 pounds on a bench press when the barbell slipped. Yontz says there were spotters watching Thomson on the bench.

Ankeny Fire Chief James Clack says the barbell fell on Thomson’s neck. Clack says a fire ambulance took Thomson to a Des Moines hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Iowa State University spokeswoman Annette Hacker says Thomson was a student there and lived in Pleasant Hill.

Iowans who shop online using Amazon will have to pay more, starting Sunday. The popular website will begin charging the six-percent Iowa sales tax as of January 1st. Victoria Daniels, spokeswoman for the Iowa Department of Revenue, says Iowans who buy items for themselves will be charged that tax, but not necessarily if they’re buying a gift for someone who lives out-of-state. “It depends on where the item is being shipped,” Daniels says. “For example, if you purchase something online but it’s being delivered to Illinois. Illinois law will then dictate what sales tax is charged, or not charged, to the person who is receiving the gift.”

Daniels says the change was not an effort by the state to make money. She says officials at Amazon approached the state first. It’s unclear how much money Iowa may rake in from the tax via Amazon purchases. “What we do know is, a couple of years ago, we did an estimate about what would come in potentially if the federal government were to pass legislation requiring remote retailers to collect the sales tax,” Daniels says. “We estimated at that time it would be anywhere between $18- to 24-million.”

Online retailers that don’t have “brick and mortar” stores in the state typically haven’t forced customers to pay the sales tax. “Target and Walmart and other stores that have a physical presence here, yes, they are required to collect the state sales tax from Iowa customers.”

Amazon already charges sales tax in about 30 other states. Amazon revenues in 2015 reportedly exceeded 100-billion dollars.

(Radio Iowa)

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department took reports about a theft and incident of vandalism, Wednesday. A resident told Police that sometime between 10-p.m. Saturday and 9:30-a.m. Wednesday, someone took a black 2010 R&W trailer from the 200 block of N. Cedar Street. The loss was estimated at $2,500.

And, a Creston resident living in the 200 block of N. Oak Street, said someone broke out a window in the rear of her home. The incident, which happened at around 8:50-p.m., Wednesday, resulted in a loss of about $100.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Cass County Conservation has teamed up with the Atlantic’s Orscheln’s store, to help feed the Trumpeter Swans (at the Schildberg Recreation Area, in Atlantic). From now until January 31st, you can buy a bag of Whole Cleaned Corn at the registers and Orscheln’s staff will put it aside for the Trumpeter Swans. Four bags fill the feeder.

And, don’t forget to join Cass County Conservation Staff at Atlantic’s Schildberg Recreation Area on Saturday, January 7th, 2017.  CCC Staff will be giving ten-minute presentations regarding the Trumpeter Swans every half-hour beginning at 11:00 a.m. with the last one being presented at 2:00 p.m.

The Schildberg Quarry is located on the northwest edge of Atlantic, on the north side of Highway 83.

IF THE WEATHER IS “BAD” OR THE SWANS ARE NOT AT THE QUARRY…the program will be held at the Atlantic Public Library from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. with a light lunch available. The event is being sponsored by the Cass County Conservation Board, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Atlantic Public Library.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man whose body was found in a field near Fort Dodge was a homicide victim. The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner says 51-year-old Donald Preston, of Fort Dodge, was shot to death by someone.

The Iowa Criminal Investigation Division said Wednesday that Preston had last been seen by relatives in Fort Dodge on Dec. 22. The discovery of his body was reported Monday morning, and authorities it appeared to have been in the field overnight. No arrests have been reported.

At least six people have died in traffic crashes in Iowa since the start of the Christmas to New Year’s holiday period. That has increased the total number of roadway fatalities this year to 397. Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Nate Ludwig says it’s the most traffic deaths recorded in the state in eight years. “We haven’t been over 400 since 2008. Right now, the traffic fatality count is 397 and that is 82 more than last year at this time,” Ludwig says. The rise in traffic fatalities is blamed on three main factors; distracted drivers, motorists not wearing seat belts, and speeding.

“We’ve seen a lot of fatalities this year that have been attributed to high speed,” Ludwig says. “We’re not talking about just barely speeding…this is 80 to 90 miles an hour.” Ludwig believes too many people “take driving for granted” and are overly aggressive. “Everybody is in a hurry, they wait until the last minute to leave, and then they try to make up time,” Ludwig says. “I spoke with some Troopers in the Des Moines area who said that they’ve never seen so many vehicle on Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and the day after traveling at 80, 90, 100 miles an hour on the interstate.” Ludwig says while the number of traffic deaths this year in Iowa is appalling, it’s not just a number.

“It doesn’t click with people, but this number is somebody’s loved one, somebody’s wife, husband, parent…and it’s an alarming number,” Ludwig says.

(Radio Iowa)