DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill originally drafted to make it illegal for landowners to allow drinking on their property by anyone under 21 has been changed. The House Public Safety Committee approved an amended version of the bill Thursday that now limits offenses to those who permit people younger than 18 to drink on their property. The bill exempts property managers who aren’t aware of minors drinking The panel approved the bill 15-to-5. It now goes to the House floor.

First violations would carry a simple misdemeanor charge and a $200 fine. Subsequent offenses carry $500 fines. Rep. Deborah Berry, a Democrat from Waterloo, says she’s worried about how the measure would be enforced. Republican Rep. Jarad Klein, of Keota, says the amended bill was an improvement over the earlier version.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports two accidents occurred recently. An accident this (Thursday) morning at 250th and Vine Avenue southeast of Clarinda, caused $7,000 damage, but no injuries. Sheriff Lyle Palmer says a 2003 Chrysler Concorde driven by 34-year old Tara Hoskins, of Clarinda, was turning left from 250th onto Vine at around 7:45-a.m., when her car collided with a 2002 Ford Focus driven by 23-year old Austin Ascherl, of Clarinda.

The accident happened as the Focus was traveling north on Vine and didn’t come to a complete stop at the intersection. In addition, Hoskins’ vision was obscured due to frost on her driver’s side window, and she was traveling left of center. No citations were issued.

The other accident occurred March 4th at the intersection of 170th Street and E Avenue, south of Essex. Sheriff Palmer said a 2000 Dodge Dakota pickup driven by 18-year old Kaleb Kelly, of Essex, was traveling south on E Avenue at around 3:50-p.m., when he failed to stop at the stop sign. The pickup hit a 2003 Dodge Ram pickup, driven by 62-year old Donavon Lundgren, of Essex, causing both trucks to be totaled. Both drivers and a passenger in the Lundgren pickup, 59-year old Cheryl Lundgren, suffered non-incapacitating injuries, and were transported to the Shenandoah Memorial Hospital by ambulance. Kelly was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop or Yield sign.

DELOIT, Iowa (AP) — Three people face murder charges in connection to the discovery of two bodies inside a burning building in western Iowa. Authorities announced Thursday at a press conference that they have arrested 19-year-old Jayden Chapman, 36-year-old Erika Haberberger-Dains and 26-year-old Michael Schenk. All three are charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson.

Erika Haberberger-Dains

Jayden Chapman

Michael Schenk

Authorities say the bodies of 80-year-old Marvin Huesling and 81-year-old Alice Huisenga, both of Carroll County, were found inside the burning structure Monday. Huesling died of multiple gunshot wounds. Huisenga was killed by “homicidal violence,” though additional information was not released.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says the suspects were likely on the property to steal scrap metal. They are at the Crawford County Jail.

The Fire Weather Danger Index for much of far west and southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska will be in the VERY HIGH category today! Emergency Management officials say you should be extremely cautious if you plan to burn outdoors today. There are currently no Burn Bans in effect, but officials say if the dry weather continues throughout the next few weeks that could change.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Kimballton and a woman from Atlantic were arrested this week, following an investigation stemming from a traffic stop in Audubon at around 6:45-p.m., Wednesday. Sheriff Todd Johnson says 49-year old Lance Zachary Anderson, of Kimballton faces Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Deliver, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Driving While Suspended charges. Anderson was being held in the Audubon County Jail on $100,000 bond.

A search warrant executed at Anderson’s residence early this (Thursday) morning in Kimballton, resulted in the arrest of 40-year old Robyn Annette Ingersoll, of Atlantic. Ingersoll was charged with Possession of Meth and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Ingersoll was booked into the Audubon County Jail and later released, after appearing before a magistrate. Her preliminary hearing was set for March 31st.

The incident remains under investigation.

Sheriff’s officials in Cass County report an Atlantic woman was arrested Wednesday on a District Court warrant. 38-year old Eva Marie Coatney, was taken into custody for Failure to Appear for a Debtor’s Exam. Coatney was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on her own recognizance.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement today (Thursday) letting residents of the County know that, while the Iowa State Sheriffs’ & Deputies’ Association appeals that are coming out in the mail are not coming directly from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, the mailings are indeed legitimate.

Individuals choosing to join the voluntary program can do so for as little as $25, while businesses can show their support for a minimum of $50 contribution. The funding provides critically important technical resources, training, and legislative support on key criminal justice issues.

Individuals who have not received a membership appeal and would like more information can contact the Iowa State Sheriffs’ & Deputies’ Association in writing at P.O. Box 526, Atlantic, Iowa 50022-0256 or visit the web site at www.issda.org. Be advised that payment to join the Iowa State Sheriff’s & Deputies’ Association cannot be made at the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, says he has been following the debate over legalizing medical marijuana in the state.  “My position has always been that it should be driven by the needs of patients and the determination of whether it’s safe and effective for them to use to reduce their pain,” Braley says. “I think this is going to be a continuing conversation that Iowans are going to have, and I think it’s an important one.” Colorado has legalized recreational use of marijuana along with medicinal use. Braley says the recreational use of marijuana would have to be something state lawmakers decide after hearing from Iowans.

“For me, the much more important issue is whether people who have chronic pain, and serious debilitating diseases are in need of access to something in the form of medical marijuana when other pain medications are not effective for them,” according to Braley. “And there’s been a lot of news coverage about families — including children — who are using this in the medicinal form, because it is the only thing that they can tolerate to address their severe chronic pain.” Braley is running for the U-S Senate. He was asked about the federal government’s decision to not stop the recreational use of marijuana in Colorado, even though it is a controlled drug.

“It think it’s a lot more complicated than that. I mean, it gets down to that whole relationship between the federal government and states’ abilities to decide what kind of laws apply to the public welfare of their citizens,” Braley says. Braley says the decision to not enforce the drug laws in the case of marijuana is something the Obama Administration made based on the situation and would not cover every case.

“I think that’s a decision that would have to be made on an ongoing basis. I think that most American citizens expect federal laws to be enforced. When they come into conflict with state laws, then the state and federal government have to come to some sort of reasonable accommodation with the Constitution, and I think that’s what’s happening now,” Braley says. Braley did not answer a question about whether he agrees with President Obama’s statement that marijuana is no more dangerous a drug than alcohol.

(Radio Iowa)

In anticipation of the rapid drying conditions forecast for this weekend, Shelby County Emergency Management officials say they will begin bi-weekly local fire danger assessments, next week.

Spring cleanup time is traditionally when a lot of people burn their brush piles.Officials say being aware of the potential for that small fire to spread due to wind and other meteorological conditions, conducive to rapid fire spread, is what the Fire Danger Assessment Program is all about. Monitoring the burning conditions will allow authorities to advise residents as to whether a controlled, open burn should be put off to a more favorable day, and save area volunteer firefighters from leaving their jobs for a burn which becomes uncontrollable.

Shelby County Emergency Management asks you to please call your controlled burns in to the Emergency Management Agency at 712-755-2124. Officials will take your information and put you in touch with the Fire Chief in your community.

The Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) wants students and families to be aware of major changes coming to the 2016 SAT, a standardized college admissions exam that assesses critical reading, math and writing skills needed to be successful in college. College Board, the owner and developer of the SAT, recently announced that a redesign of the SAT (https://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-subject-test-dates) will involve many changes to the exam. According to College Board, “The redesigned SAT will focus on the knowledge and skills that current research shows are most essential for college and career readiness and success.”

Some of the changes scheduled to take place beginning in 2016, include:

· The writing portion of the test will now be optional.

· The length of time to take the test will be reduced to three hours, with additional time allotted for students taking the optional essay portion.

· The writing portion will now require test takers to respond to a passage of writing as opposed to responding to a statement using their experiences.

· The reading section will center on source citations. Students will need to support their answers using evidence from readings.

· Obscure vocabulary words will replaced with those more widely used in college and the work place.

· Scores will now be based on a scale of 1600, rather than 2,400.

· Algebra, problem solving and data analysis will be the new focus in the mathematics section.

· The math section will no longer allow calculators to be used on every portion.

· In the multiple-choice section, points will no longer be lost for wrong answers.

· Writing passages from significant moments in American history and science will be used in different sections.

· For income-eligible students, application fee waivers will be available for up to four colleges.

· Digital and print versions of the test will be offered.

“Some of the changes to the SAT, ending the penalty for guessing incorrectly, eliminating obscure vocabulary words and making the essay optional, are being done to better realign the exam with schoolwork,” stated Karen Misjak, executive director for Iowa College Aid. “Keep in mind that these changes won’t take effect until 2016. The free test prep program available through Iowa’s state-designed career and information planning system, I Have A Plan Iowa®, will help students prepare now for the SAT, ACT or GRE.”

For more information on the changes to the SAT, visit www.collegeboard.org. In addition, more information to help Iowa families plan, prepare and pay for college is available on Iowa College Aid’s website, www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.