(Iowa News Service) – A new report from AARP Iowa predicts thousands of seniors on Medicare Part D in the state will save money on their prescriptions, thanks to a cap on out-of-pocket expenses set to take effect next year. The limit is part of the Inflation Reduction Act. The report says more than 27,000 Iowans will see their annual out-of-pocket prescription drug costs capped at $2,000.

AARP Iowa’s Advocacy Manager Paige Yontz said right now, some Iowa seniors are forced to use cost-coping strategies – like not filling a prescription or skipping doses – to save money. “On average, people who reach that capped amount are going to see a savings of about $1,500,” said Yontz. “This is something that AARP really fought hard for. We knew that this would provide critical relief for Medicare enrollees here in Iowa.”

The AARP report breaks down the number of seniors who will benefit from the cap by state, age, gender, and race between 2025 and 2029.  Nationwide, the new cap is expected to mean 3.2 million people will see a reduction in prescription drug expenses.  Yontz said the cost of prescription medications is among the biggest concerns Iowa seniors face. She added that the cap will provide some cost certainty for a vulnerable segment of the population.

“Knowing that people aren’t going to pay a dime over $2,000 is just such a financial relief for so many people, regardless of their income level,” said Yontz. “There are just so many people that struggle to make ends meet, when it comes to paying for the drugs that they need.”

The cap on prescription drug costs takes effect the first of next year.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop late Saturday night in Montgomery County, resulted in an arrest. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 40-year-old Cory Ross Smith, of Elliott, was arrested for Driving While Barred, after he was pulled-over at around 11:25-p.m. near 110th Street and Redwood Avenue. Smith was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Red Oak Police Department reports two people were arrested on separate charges early this (Sunday) morning. Authorities say 35-year-old Andrew Ryan Manning, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 2:20-a.m. in the 100 block of W. Coolbaugh Street, for Driving While Barred (an Aggravated Misdemeanor). Manning was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

And, at around 12:40-a.m. Sunday (today), Red Oak Police arrested 38-year-old Jessica Louise Abraham, of Red Oak, for Domestic Abuse Assault. Abraham was taken into custody in the 1700 block of Crestline Drive, and held in the Montgomery County Jail without bond.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa  – Gas prices are expected to continue falling through the election. Right now, the national average price for a gallon of gas is $3.20. That’s down 24 cents from a month ago. Triple A says in Iowa, the average price of gasoline (as of Sept. 15th) in $2.99 a gallon, which is 99-cents cheaper than at this same time last year. Diesel is selling for an average of $3.35/gallon in Iowa. Last year, the price was $4.39 on average.

Prices are expected to keep dropping, with a national average below three dollars a gallon as soon as next month. The primary culprits behind the dip are low demand and falling oil costs.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand fell last week from 8.93 million b/d to 8.47. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks rose 219.2 to 221.6 million barrels, and gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.4 million barrels per day. Tumbling gasoline demand and oil costs will likely keep pump prices sliding.

CRESTON, Iowa [KCCI] — Two people are accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in Creston. KCCI-TV in Des Moines reports 19-year-old Isabel Pettit and 29-year-old Dennis Simmerman are facing numerous charges, including sexual abuse. Criminal complaints in the case were filed last week. Court records say Pettit allowed Simmerman to sexually abuse the girl and that she knew he was a sex offender. Both Pettit and Simmerman are set to appear in court late next week for their preliminary hearings.

Simmerman was previously accused of abusing a child back in 2017 in Clarke County. Those charges were dropped after the county attorney at the time failed to show up for a plea hearing. Court records show Simmerman was charged again with the same crime a year later.

In 2019, Simmerman pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a child. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison but was paroled in 2021. In February 2022, he violated the sex offender registry and received a two-year probation.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Voters in 13 area counties served by Iowa Western Community College will have an opportunity to vote on funding for the expansion and renovation of some the college’s facilities in November. On the ballot, will be a $55 million bond issue, the proceeds from which – if approved by the voters – would allow for the construction of a new diesel and automotive technology center on the college’s Council Bluffs campus, which has seen increased enrollment, and now needs more space in which to operate because classes are at full capacity.

Iowa Western President Dr. Daniel Kinney has said the welding, CDL and Diesel Tech programs are all full, while other career and technical programs are near capacity.

The bond measure would also allow for renovations at Iowa Western’s Clarinda and Atlantic Centers, which are also running out of space for training labs. Kinney has said the bond will not increase your property taxes, since some of their other bonds are expiring soon. The same tax rate currently in effect would continue, if the bond measure passes.

The measure to be found on the ballot during the November 5th General Election asks “Shall the Board of Directors of the Iowa Western Community College (Merged Area XIII) in the Counties of Adair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Crawford, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie and Shelby, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $55,000,000 to provide funds to construct, furnish, and equip a new academic building and renovate, remodel, and improve existing buildings within the Merged Area XIII?”

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Red Oak Police Department reports a woman was arrested on an assault charge Friday evening. 31-year-old Jennifer Lynn Sweany, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 5:40-p.m., in the 1800 block of E.  Summit Street, for Assault Causing Bodily Injury. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Pottawattamie County was arrested early this (Saturday) morning, following a traffic stop. 39-year-old Michael Anthony Hollinger, of Council Bluffs, was taken into custody at around 1:44-a.m. near Highway 34 and Boxelder Avenue. Hollinger was charged with Driving Under Suspension. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $491.25.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) — A Johnson County Sheriff’s Office deputy was in for a big surprise this past week. KCRG reports that wWhile on a route early Monday morning (Sept. 9th), the deputy happened upon an elk running down Shannon Drive near West High School in Iowa City. In a Facebook post, the sheriff’s office says the elk has been spotted at other locations in Iowa City.

Screenshot from Johnson County S/O in-car video of an Elk

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, elk were native to Iowa but left as the state was settled. DNR officials estimate less than 10 are in the state. Elk is also a protected species in Iowa and cannot be hunted.