(Radio Iowa) – Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s been cleared by his doctors to return to work after being in quarantine following a positive Covid test earlier this month.  Grassley, who is 87, says “the disease affects people differently,” and he did not experience symptoms. He took a Covid test after learning he had been exposed to someone else who tested positive for the virus.

In a written statement, Grassley cited “positive news” about a Covid vaccine, but Grassley said he’ll continue to wear a mask and practice social distancing and he urged Americans to remain vigilant in protecting themselves and others from the virus.

Iowa’s senior senator also said Congress “must do its part and pass long overdue relief legislation to help families, businesses and communities get through this crisis.”

(Radio Iowa) – Thanks in large part to the pandemic, this is expected to be the busiest Cyber Monday in history and Iowans are warned to be careful as they seek out sales online. Bao Vang, at the Better Business Bureau, says scams are on the rise at this time of year and she recommends using extreme caution as you mouse-click. Vang says, “If someone is splashing ‘Sale!’, ‘Limited-Time Deal,’ just think twice about whether this is luring you instead of actually being a legitimate sale.”

Vang recommends consumers do more reading, researching and checking on both the products and the sellers before buying anything online. “Beware fake websites,” Vang says. “Boy, there’s a lot out there, a lot of websites that are quickly made or can be put up relatively easily, will mimic other sites, can steal photos, images and products from other places.”

The National Retail Federation says consumers are predicted to spend just under $1,000 each this holiday season on gifts for friends and loved ones.

(Updated) The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Monday (Today), heard request from the Cass County Firefighters Association for support of their efforts to obtain a grant amounting to roughly $343,000, which if approved, would help to pay for 700 megahertz (MHz) radios, as part of the Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System (ISICS). Part of the grant requirement is a five-percent local match. CCFF President JC Wyman said the system is superior to what they departments currently use, judging by the few radios they have on-hand.

The combined efforts of all area departments, he said, makes their chances of getting a grant better than if they had tried individually. Wyman said the cost of 45 mobile radios with 14 handhelds, is $341,265. The Federal Government requires a five-percent local match, or $17,064.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon said the EMA and 911 Center fully support the grant application. He said the State built the system used by the State Patrol and DOT. Cass County he said, is taking steps to integrate the communications system into ISICS.

Getting the radios for the County fire departments, he said, would complete that process. Local law enforcement are already using the system. The Supervisors did not set a dollar amount for the County’s share during Monday’s meeting, did but unanimously support the CCFA’s application, and will act on a funding level during their budget meetings. The State has locked-in a price with Motorola, so regardless of when the radios are actually purchased, the price will not increase.

In other business, the Board approved (on a case-by-case basis), family farm credits, and agricultural land credits, in accordance with the Code of Iowa. Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken informed the Board the Secondary Roads Department is continuing with projects such as installing driveway pipes, tree clearances and ditch work, while the weather is still good. He said also, there’s been no word from the DOT, with regard to the proposed closing of 570th Street, under Interstate 80.

Supervisor John Hartkopf reported that the CABEDA (Cass Audubon Border Economic Development Agreement) Board met Nov. 19th to discuss a potential client for the Valley Business Park, and that there is another client interested in pursuing financing for the same area. If the two interests could be combined, Hartkopf that it would bring a lot of tax dollars to the County. Negotiations and other details are still being worked out.

(Radio Iowa) — A southeast Iowa man who served nearly three decades as a state senator has died of Covid-related complications. Eugene Fraise of Fort Madison — known to his colleagues around the state capitol as Gene — was 88. He died at the hospital in West Burlington on Friday. Fraise was a farmer who served as a Lee County Supervisor for seven years before winning a state in the Iowa Senate. He did not seek reelection in 2012 after serving 27 years in the legislature.

Fraise is survived by his wife, Faye, who was his clerk in the senate. The couple were married for nearly 71 years. They married on New Year’s Eve, 1949. Fraise is also survived by three sons, 14 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents in Des Moines say they caught an Oklahoma man with a .380 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets, plus an additional 13 bullets in his carry-on bag at Des Moines International Airport. KCCI reports TSA agents said the incident happened on Nov. 24, just two days before the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel period. Des Moines police were notified and confiscated the firearm from the traveler before citing him on a weapons charge. The name of the individual with the weapon was not released.

TSA officials said this is the sixth firearm confiscated at the Des Moines International Airport in 2020. There were 12 guns found there in 2019. Authorities say the first offense for carrying a loaded handgun into a checkpoint is $4,100, but that can go as high as $13,669 depending on any mitigating circumstances. The rule applies to travelers with or without concealed gun carry permits because even though an individual may have a concealed carry permit, it does not allow for a firearm to be carried onto an airplane.

A traffic stop just before 1-a.m. last Wednesday on Adams County, resulted in a Lenox man being charged and cited. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office report 18-year old Colton Lawrence Vieux, of Lenox, was stopped for speeding 88 mph in a 55 mph zone. During an investigation, an Adams County Deputy located alcoholic beverages inside the vehicle, with one opened and in the driver’s side door jamb.

The Deputy conducted a Field Sobriety Test on Vieux, who showed signs of impairment. He was transported to the Adams County Jail and consented to a test which indicated his Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) was .052. Vieux was booked into the Adams County Jail and held to see the magistrate. He faces a charge of OWI/1st offense, and citations for Minor In Possession (MIP) of alcohol/2nd offense, and speeding. A passenger in the vehicle, Jessica Elizabeth Anderson, of Lenox, was also cited for MIP/2nd offense. She was released on the citation.

(Radio Iowa) Gunfire sent Davenport shoppers scattering on the busiest holiday shopping weekend of the year. Davenport police say two groups of people were arguing just before noon Sunday at NorthPark Mall when one person pulled a gun and fired at least two shots. No one was reported hit and everyone involved and nearby fled. Police and Scott County Sheriff’s deputies responded, shut down a section of the mall and found multiple shell casings. No arrests were made and NorthPark, once the largest mall in Iowa, has fully reopened.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Corrected spelling on Barnes’ name) The Creston Police Department Monday (Today), reported three arrests. Sunday evening, 21-year old Jeffrey Arnold and 23-year old Tylea Barnes, both of Creston, were arrested at the Creston Wal-Mart, for 5th Degree Theft. Both were cited and released on a Summons to Appear in Court. And, Saturday night, 29-year old Jessica Schalpia, of Creston, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order. She was being held in the Clarke County Jail, while awaiting a bond hearing.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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