A bill that has cleared the Iowa Senate was inspired by he security breach at a credit reporting agency that exposed millions in the U.S., Canada and Britain to identity theft. Senator Brad Zaun’s bill would forbid the agencies from charging consumers a fee to freeze their credit in hopes of preventing scammers from taking out loans with the stolen information.

“It’s time that we stand up to these credit reporting agencies,” Zaun says, “and I think this is a step in the right direction.” Equifax temporarily waived fees when its security breach was made public, but it generally costs 10 dollars to put a freeze on your own credit report — and 12 dollars to get it lifted. Hackers stole names, birthdates and Social Security numbers in May and June of last year, but Equifax didn’t disclose the theft until September.

“I personally find responsible Equifax for not having the safeguards in place,” Zaun says. “I can say, in full disclosure, that my information was breached.” Similar bills have been introduced in other states. A bill in Oregon’s legislature would go further and require a credit reporting agency to notify consumers within 45 days of any breach of their personal information. Zaun’s bill banning agencies like Equifax from charging consumers a fee to freeze their credit cleared the Iowa Senate this week by a unanimous vote.

“This is a very important issue,” Zaun said. “With the internet the way it is today, we’re really vulnerable.” Senator Herman Quirmbac of Ames says he is a recent victim of identity theft. “I was notifed a couple of weeks ago by the Social Security Administration that somebody had filed for my benefits,” Quirmbach says. “…Fortunately, their security was better than Equifax’s and they did catch this and the claim was denied, but since then I have been through a lot of hassle trying to shut off a lot of other vulnerabilities.”

Zaun says both he and his wife have run into similar problems trying to clean up their credit record after a security breach.  “I, for one, have tried to correct some of the mistakes on my credit report and it sounds as if I might be a little bit biased, but it takes an act of congress or an act of God to change something on your credit reports,” Zaun says. More than a million Iowans were affected by the Equifax security breach. Attorney General Tom Miller urged Iowans to check their credit reports and freeze their credit as protection from imposters.

(Radio Iowa)

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — A March trial has been scheduled for a man accused of killing an acquaintance in central Iowa’s Jasper County.
Court records say the new starting date is March 7 for 52-year-old Randy Linderman, of Charles City. He’s pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the slaying of 61-year-old Jose Ramirez Berber. A family member found Berber’s body inside his rural Newton home on March 6 last year. Linderman’s first trial date was Oct. 18.

The Newton Daily News reports that DNA evidence taken from Berber’s body and clothing matched that of Linderman. Investigators say Linderman acknowledged that he’d been to Berber’s home several times.

More details emerge about the reorganization plan once Cedar Rapids-based Rockwell Collins is acquired by United Technologies. About eight thousand people work for Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, making it the city’s largest employer. The new company will be called Collins Aerospace Systems. According to Thursday’s announcement, executives will be based in Florida, and the new company will be divided into six units. The avionics and missions systems units will be based in Cedar Rapids.

A company news release indicated a “significant footprint” would be maintained in Cedar Rapids, but there was no indication of how many people would remain on the job in Cedar Rapids facilities. Collins Radio was founded in Cedar Rapids 85 years ago. Rockwell bought the company 45 years ago.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) report the State Medical Examiner’s office has ruled the death of a Union County man was a homicide, but information about the manner of death, was not released. The autopsy was conducted on the body of 45-year old Paul Allen Scheel.  The Creston man’s body was found in his apartment February 14th, after authorities were asked to conduct a welfare check on him. The death was originally considered to be suspicious.

Authorities say this is an ongoing investigation, and that the public is still being asked if they have any information regarding the homicide of Scheel, they are asked to call the Union County Law Enforcement Center at (641) 782-8402. Nothing further is being released at this time.

FAIRBANK, Iowa (AP) — The state appeals court has ruled that a company built three wind turbines in violation of a county zoning ordinance in northeast Iowa. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Mason Wind and Optimum Renewables now faces a court ruling to remove the three 445-foot wind towers east of Fairbank. The company had challenged a 2016 Fayette County District Court ruling to the appeals court, which upheld the ruling Wednesday.

The district court’s ruling shows that officials misinterpreted the county’s zoning ordinance when approving the wind turbine project. County officials said a special permit approved by a county board wasn’t needed because the turbines were “electrical transmission and regulating” facilities. But the district court ruled that the turbines were electrical generating devices that did require approval from the board.

The Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund has recently given funds to some great projects in two communities. Kim Wyman with the Griswold Little League received a check in the amount of $2,000 for updates needed at their complex.

Deb Schuler with the Kiwanis Club is shown with Grant Petty receiving a check in the amount of $500

Kim Wyman with the Griswold Little League is shown receiving a check from Melanie Petty, in the amount of $2,000

Fund spokesperson and Trevor’s mom, Melanie Petty, said Trevor “Was all about baseball, so we are very happy to help with this project.  Members of the Griswold area have been huge supporters of our fundraising efforts through the years and we are happy to pay it forward to them.”

Deb Schuler with the Kiwanis Club received a check in the amount of $500, for their annual bike helmet project. Petty said “This is a project that’s close to our hearts as Trevor was a recipient back when he was in 3rd grade and it made a great impression on him.

She said also, that “We would like to thank all of our supporters for their generosity at our annual golf tournament.  Because of them we are able to help numerous groups through the year.  Plans are already being made for the 10th Annual TFred Memorial Golf Tournament which will be held on Saturday, August 11th at Nishna Hills Golf Course in Atlantic.”