(Creston, Iowa) –  Police in Creston arrested a man Thursday night on assault and weapon charges. Authorities report 39-year-old John David Foster, of Creston, was arrested at around 7:15-p.m. at the Creston/Union County Law Enforcement Center, on charges that include Domestic Abuse Assault/3rd or Subsequent Offense, and Assault While Displaying a Dangerous Weapon. Foster was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, until seen by a judge.

DES MOINES, Iowa/KCCI — The Des Moines Police Department is investigating a shooting involving an officer on the city’s south side on Thursday evening. The shooting was reported just before 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the 2100 block of Meadow Court on Des Moines’ south side.

Sgt. Paul Parizek, with the DMPD, said officers went to the home to do a wanted check on someone believed to be in the home with felony warrants for domestic abuse assault and felon in possession of a firearm. Parizek confirmed officers located a man they believed to be the wanted person in the home and said the man ran from officers.

Officers followed and yelled at the man to stop and show his hands, Parizek said. He said there is video evidence from body-worn cameras that shows the man fired a handgun directly at an officer. Two officers returned the gunfire, striking the man. A third officer was on scene and did not fire a weapon, Parizek said.

There were others inside the home at the time of the incident, Parizek said. Officers began lifesaving measures and called for medics, but the man died at the scene. Parizek said the officers involved are physically OK. Per department policy, the involved officers are now on administrative assignment. The names of the individual shot and the officers have not yet been released.

The investigation is ongoing. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has brought in to lead the investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has joined other states in a lawsuit against the Biden-Harris Administration to stop a “green mandate” for homes. Bird says the green mandate forces strict regulations for home building and estimates show that home buyers will be forced to foot the bill for nearly 32-thousand dollars more for each new home. She says newly built homes are already designed to significantly improve energy efficiency– far surpassing the standards for older homes and the green mandate makes homes too expensive for many families for next to zero environmental benefit.

The Utah and Texas-led lawsuit says the Biden-Harris mandate is unconstitutional and exceeds the authority set by Congress. Other states in the lawsuit are: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and the National Association of Home Builders.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop at around 7:10-p.m. Thursday, in Red Oak, resulted in an arrest. According to Red Oak Police, 21-year-old Mason Dean Franzen, of Red Oak, was arrested for Driving While Barred. Franzen was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The incoming chairman of the Iowa Senate Education Committee says he supports anything that expands access to preschool. Republican Senator Lynn Evans is a retired superintendent from Aurelia. “If we’re serious about improving early childhood literacy in this state, we need to ensure our five year olds are hitting our classroom doors kindergarten ready,” Evans says. Most children, by the age of five, recognize about 10-thousand words, but research indicates children who come from low-income households tend to have a smaller vocabulary.

Some school districts are offering full-day preschool, but charging tuition to cover the hours not financed with state tax dollars. “A structured, research-based curriculum in a preschool setting for four year olds would make good sense in increasing the access for those who don’t have the financial means to do so on their own,” Evans says, “and is something that I would support.” Last year, Evans proposed that the state cover the costs of full-day preschool for children from households with an annual income at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty rate. Evans says he’s been tweaking that proposal and is waiting to see what Governor Reynolds proposes. The governor will reveal her 2025 legislative agenda on January 14th.

“She also is very concerned about early childhood literacy and making sure that we have appropriate preschool environments for people that want to use that and she’s also concerned about our daycare in the state and child care access,” Evans says. “I’m going to hold off on mind and let her have an opportunity to roll out what her vision is and then maybe we can come to agreement between the two, but I would support anything that improves access to preschool.”

The state’s voluntary preschool program for four year olds provides state funding for 10 hours of instruction per week. A coalition of public and private school organizations recently formed to urge lawmakers to take the step of making a full day of preschool available to children from low income households.

ROCKWELL CITY, Iowa — An Iowa man has been charged with several felonies in connection to a Dec. 31, 2024, shooting in Pomeroy that sent two to the hospital. According to a press release from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, 22-year-old Nicholas L. Benedict, of Rolfe, is charged with willful injury causing serious injury, a Class C felony; reckless use of a firearm resulting in serious injury, a Class C felony; going armed with intent, a Class D felony; assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, an aggravated misdemeanor; and obstruction of prosecution, an aggravated misdemeanor.

According to the criminal complaint for the going armed with intent charge, Benedict also “aided and abetted another in the commission of this offense.” He was being held in the Carroll County Jail on a $29,000 cash bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 10 at the Calhoun County Courthouse in Rockwell City.

Nicholas L. Benedict

The two people who were shot in Tuesday’s incident remain hospitalized but are expected to survive, the sheriff’s office says. Law enforcement says a fight involving five men Tuesday morning led to the double shooting in Pomeroy. Several hours later, two of the people involved were located at an apartment in nearby Manson and taken into custody.

It is not clear if Benedict is one of the two who were taken into custody on Tuesday.

(Radio Iowa) – A change for women on Medicaid now gives them coverage for 12 months after giving birth compared to the previous postpartum coverage of two months. The chair of the U-i Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Christian Pettker, says many serious issues can come up beyond the first two months postpartum. “That includes hypertension, diabetes, mental health disorders. So extending it out another 12 months gives the person and the care team time to develop a longitudinal care plan,” he says.

Pettker says it is very important to monitor these issues following the delivery. “We could start somebody off on a plan, but oftentimes that plan has to change as they recover from their childbirth and they adapt to their new life with a child and, and with their family,” he says.

Iowa was one of the last states to approve the extension last legislative session after the federal government started offering permanent matching funds to states that did so. And Iowa lawmakers lowered the income cutoff for women to qualify for Medicaid. It was 375 percent of the federal poverty level. Now it’s 215 percent.

DES MOINES— Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Thursday) extended a disaster proclamation for O’Brien, Palo Alto, Sac, Sioux, and Worth Counties effective immediately through February 1, 2025. The USDA has confirmed positive cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in all five counties.

This proclamation allows state resources from Iowa Homeland Security, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and other agencies to assist with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection. The proclamation also waives regulatory provisions related to commercial vehicles responding to affected sites.

The recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern, and it remains safe to eat poultry products. If producers suspect signs of HPAI in their flocks, they should contact their veterinarian immediately.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says that with the weather forecast for Saturday night into Sunday indicating a probability for accumulating snowfall, the Clarinda Police Department would like to remind the citizens of Clarinda about the snow ordinance.

The ordinance states no person shall park any motor vehicle or other apparatus upon any street of the city that will obstruct the removal of snow when there has been an accumulation of 2 inches or more of snow or ice. Any vehicle left parked on any street in violation of this ordinance may be impounded, and the registered owner of the vehicle will be subject to a $30.00 parking fine, and payment of all applicable towing and storage fees before the vehicle is released. 

The parking ban remains in effect until the snow ceases to fall and the streets have been plowed from curb to curb.

(Radio Iowa) – Blood from eastern Iowa donors may already be helping survivors to recover from the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans. Amanda Hess, spokeswoman for ImpactLife in Davenport, says they’re part of a national coalition of blood centers that routinely share supplies wherever they’re needed.

“We sent less than a dozen O-red cells, which is part of our standard protocol that Blood Emergency Readiness Corps members have on hand to ship at a moment’s notice when there is a mass casualty event,” Hess says. “We set those O units aside and they are ready to go immediately to package and ship off during the weeks that we’re on call.” Authorities in New Orleans say a man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a Bourbon Street crowd, killing 15 people and injuring at least 35.

The suspect was killed in a gun battle with police. Hess is urging Iowans to come forward and donate blood to replenish supplies as this is one of the center’s most difficult times of the year. “Holiday weeks, we see a drop in donations of 20-25%, which can put a strain on the supply, especially when you have a couple weeks in a row,” Hess says. “We have additional donor rewards that we promote right now, and we really just have wonderful volunteer donors that step up.” She says all blood types are needed.

“Red blood cells have a shelf life of 42 days. Platelets, however, are only good for about a week,” Hess says. “We’ve got to make sure that they get transfused pretty immediately, and so platelets are a daily constant need.” ImpactLife is headquartered in Davenport with offices in Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Iowa City, Muscatine and Ottumwa.

https://www.bloodcenter.org/