SPRINGVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities suspect a grill may have caused a fire that injured a Linn County man. Firetrucks were sent to the Springfield house around 3:20 p.m. Saturday. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says the residence was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived. A resident was taken to a hospital for treatment of what’s believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. He’s been identified as Mark Kirchmann. The Sheriff’s Office says Kirchmann had been grilling at the house. The fire remains under investigation.

The freeze-thaw cycle of the past few months has brought a bevy of bone-jarring potholes to virtually every Iowa road. Kelly Pargett, spokeswoman for State Farm Insurance in Iowa, says motorists can’t do much about the crumbling roads but we can try to protect our vehicles by choosing where and when we drive. “Driving at night is harder so try to take well-lit roads so you can see the surface,” Pargett says. “Drive slower than you normally would. Give yourself a chance to see the potholes and avoid it before you’re into it.”

Some Iowa roads already more closely resemble moonscapes and Pargett says one key to keeping out of those concrete craters is to increase your following distance. “Tailgating does make it worse,” she says. “There can be a lot of driving issues and driving hazards from tailgating, more than just not seeing potholes. Certainly, give yourself a chance to see what’s ahead of you so you can try to avoid the pothole as much as you can.” As always, avoid distractions like cell phones, navigation systems and the radio. Pargett says keep your eyes on the road and get ready to brake. “If you can’t avoid the pothole, we do recommend trying to brake before you hit the impact because it’s less damage to your axles and tires,” she says.

It may be better for the suspension, too, if you brake before hitting the hole versus skidding over it. Pothole damage can quickly rise into the hundreds of dollars, though many insurance companies cover it under the collision portion of the policy. State Farm is Iowa’s largest auto insurer.

(Radio Iowa)

The man who’s been leading the Iowa Department of Human Services for the past eight months faces a political test. At least five Democrats will have to join the 29 Republicans in the Iowa Senate to confirm Jerry Foxhoven’s nomination to be director of the Iowa Department of Human Services. “I can’t tell you if he will or will not get confirmed. I think right now that’s up to him, so he needs to come and talk to Senate Democrats about his job performance from June until now,” says Senator Liz Mathis of Cedar Rapids, the top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Human Resources Committee. Mathis says Democrats are concerned about unresolved problems with the Medicaid program — from denied care for patients to unpaid bills for doctors, hospitals and other health care professionals.

“I like Jerry. He’s a friend of mine…Since he’s been DHS director, I’ve called him and asked him to visit our area and talk with a number of difference providers so, for me, he’s been accessible and responsive, but at the same time, not much has changed,” Mathis says, “so we still have a lot of providers who are owed a lot of money.” Republican lawmakers also have publicly expressed frustrations with the private companies hired to manage care for Medicaid patients. House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, a Republican from Clear Lake, says House members are drafting a proposal to address those concerns. “We want to make sure that the issues we’re concerned about are addressed and I think there’ll always be some form of accountability measure in that bill,” Upmeyer syas. “We want to know that we are getting good outcomes and that it is effective.”

Senator Mathis says some health care providers tell her they may have to cut services or close their doors because of the backlog of unpaid Medicaid bills. “There’s a lot brewing out there and I think Director Foxhoven could change some of this,” Foxhoven says. Republicans on the Senate Human Resources Committee voted a week ago to recommend Foxhoven be confirmed as Human Services director, but they did not speak out on his behalf. The D-H-S is the largest state agency, with four-thousand employees and a budget of six billion dollars in state and federal money. A million Iowans receive services from the agency.

(Radio Iowa)

Five people were arrested on drug charges in Montgomery County over the past few days. Sunday evening, officers with the Red Oak Police Department and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a narcotics search warrant at 1311 N. 1st Street, in Red Oak. Taken into custody, was 41-year old Jeremy Joe Mortensen, and 32-year old Heather Gannon Iverson, both of Red Oak. Mortensen was arrested on Felony charges of Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Deliver, and Gathering where controlled substances were used. He was also charged with Possession of a Schedule 4 narcotics and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Iverson was arrested for Felony Gathering where controlled substances were used, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Both were transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where Mortensen was held without bond, and Iverson’s bond was set at $5,000.

Earlier in the afternoon, Sunday, Red Oak Police arrested 43-year old Michael Abraham Harris, and 39-year old Leann Evelyn Harris, both of Lewis. The couple were taken into custody at around 2:47-p.m. in the 400 block of Senate Street, in Red Oak. Michael Harris was charged with Possession of Meth and Possession of Drug paraphernalia. Leann Harris was arrested for Possession of paraphernalia. Both were transported to the Montgomery County Jail, and Michael Harris’ cash bond was set at $1,000, and Leann Harris was being held on a $300 cash bond.

And, at around 7-p.m. Friday, Montgomery County Deputies conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of A Avenue and Highway 34. As a result of the stop, the Montgomery County K9 Unit was deployed. The K9 alerted to the presence of narcotics inside the vehicle. A search was conducted, during which about 271 grams of marijuana, and a .357 magnum revolver, were seized. 27-year old Carl Robert Austria, of Villisca, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance with intent to deliver, a drug tax stamp violation, carrying weapons, and child endangerment. He was also charged with four counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance, plus an additional drug tax stamp violation, resulting from a three-month long narcotics investigation. Austria was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $36,000 cash only bond.

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature is reviving a bill that would limit the public’s access to many 911 calls. The Republican-controlled Iowa Senate put the measure on hold last year after concerns were raised about its far-reaching implications for accessing records. Now a three-person panel is scheduled Tuesday to review it. If enacted into law, authorities’ initial response to shootings, stabbings and many other incidents could face less public scrutiny. A Republican senator says the proposal needs changes.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Public Information Board has charged Polk County Assessor Randy Ripperger with violating Iowa’s open records law. The Des Moines Register says Ripperger is accused of wrongly denying public access to a list of 2,166 Polk County property owners who have had their names removed from the assessor’s website search engine. The case is an administrative proceeding, not a court trial. A June 21 hearing has been set.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former insurance agent and former claims representative have been charged with felonies following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that former insurance agent 37-year-old Nicholas Menough, of Grimes, is charged with fraudulent submissions, forgery and second-degree theft. The investigations began in April 2017.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature is reviving a bill that would limit the public’s access to many 911 calls. The Republican-controlled Iowa Senate put the measure on hold last year after concerns were raised about its far-reaching implications for accessing records. More than eight weeks into the session, a three-person panel is scheduled Tuesday to review it.

The legislation would declare that audio, video and transcripts of 911 calls involving injured people are confidential medical records and exempt from Iowa’s open records law. If enacted, authorities’ initial response to shootings, stabbings and many other incidents could face less public scrutiny. Another provision would make calls involving minors automatically confidential.

The GOP-controlled Iowa House passed the bill last year with unanimous bipartisan support and no debate. Some Democrats in the House later acknowledged they didn’t realize the scope of the legislation, in part because it was framed as a measure about protecting children’s privacy.

Sen. Dan Dawson, a Council Bluffs Republican who will oversee the upcoming subcommittee meeting on the bill, said the proposal needs changes, though he didn’t specify how it should be altered. He sees room for records exemptions, particularly in cases where information becomes available quickly in the aftermath of a homicide case. He worries that could taint a jury pool tied to an eventual trial.

The legislation was introduced last year in response to the release of 911 calls to The Associated Press, which exposed a string of gun accidents in an Iowa county that killed two teens and injured a third. Rep. Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton who voted for the bill last spring, said she now opposes the measure. Wolfe said she sees a need to clarify current exemptions in Iowa’s open records law, though not through this legislation.

The proposal would need to advance out of a full Senate committee in the next two weeks to survive a legislative deadline. If the bill is amended and makes it out of the full Senate, it would need to be approved again in the House. Randy Evans, director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, emphasized the unintended consequences of lawmakers deciding some 911 records should be private based on a medical condition or age. The AP’s access to 911 records involving children shed light on gun violence in Iowa, he said.

Separately, high-profile child abuse cases in the state have received more attention in part because news organizations accessed critical 911 records. All this information is in the public interest, Evans said. He warned if lawmakers decide to add exemptions to public records, they need more time than the dwindling weeks of the current session.
“The Legislature needs to proceed cautiously,” he said.