KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
(Updated 3-p.m.)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Davenport man is protesting a state law that requires him to financially support a child that’s not his. Joe Vandusen received a letter this month from the Iowa Department of Human Services notifying him that he would have to pay child support for his estranged wife’s child, even though he is not the father, according to The Des Moines Register.
Vandusen, 45, said he and his wife split up without filing an official divorce and have hardly talked in the last 15 years. The child Vandusen is expected to help support is about 1 year old, he said. Vandusen contacted the Department of Human Services’ Child Support Recovery Unit to say he’s not the biological father of his wife’s child, and he offered to take a paternity test to prove it. He said he was told it didn’t matter according to state law.
“They said since I’m still legally married, I’m going to be responsible for the child support,” Vandusen said. The Register could not reach state officials for comment, but WQAD-TV in Davenport reported that a Human Services spokesperson said in a case like Vandusen’s, the husband is considered the legal father of his wife’s child.
Other states have similar laws, which are aimed at making sure all children receive sufficient financial support. Vandusen said he was recently laid off from his job and doesn’t have the money to pay child support. He said he also can’t afford to pay an attorney to file for divorce and fight in court against the child support requirement.
Vandusen already owes child support on his own child, who was born to another woman before his marriage. He said “in that case, I didn’t deny it.”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Legislature has checked off several boxes that are needed to agree on a state budget and reach adjournment this session.The completed tasks include deals on taxes, K-12 education and what’s actually available to spend for the fiscal year that begins in July. Lawmakers could adjourn the session on schedule in April, a stark contrast to last year when they extended it into June amid disagreement over education funding.
Lawmakers appear to agree there’s about $7.35 billion available for the next budget, and about $176 million in new dollars. Legislative leaders agree most of that new money will go to K-12 education, but they haven’t released information about where the rest should go. Issues like Medicaid oversight, funding for water quality initiatives and medical marijuana remain in limbo.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested this weekend on separate, OWI & assault charges. Early this (Sunday) morning, 24-year old Shayney Delyn Scott, of Villisca, was arrested in Villisca for OWI/1st offense. Scott was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where she was being held on $1,000 bond.
Saturday morning, deputies in Montgomery County arrested 22-year old Ridge R. Ballard, of Villisca, on charges of Simple Assault, and Interference with Official Acts. Ballard was taken into custody in Villisca and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $300.
Sheriff’s officials in Adams County report a woman from Nebraska was arrested Saturday on drug charges, following a traffic stop. Kayla Davis, of Omaha, was taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified a prisoner who, along with two police officers and another driver, was killed in a fiery, wrong-way crash in Interstate 80 in Iowa. Des Moines police say 32-year-old Tosha Nicole Hyatt of Des Moines was being transported early Saturday from Council Bluffs to Des Moines when the police SUV she was in was hit head-on by another vehicle traveling the wrong way on I-80 west of Des Moines.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Ride-sharing company Uber has set its sights on Dubuque — a prospect not being embraced by local taxi companies. Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce President Molly Grover tells the Telegraph Herald that Uber Iowa recently reached out to express an interest in coming to Dubuque. Uber allows consumers with smartphones to request a ride and connect with Uber drivers who use their own cars to provide rides for a fee.
ASHTON, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa avian rehabilitation facility says an injured bald eagle euthanized last week was suffering from lead poisoning — an affliction that kills many of the eagles it tries to treat. The Sioux City Journal reports that the euthanized eagle was found March 8 on the ground along Iowa Highway 60 near Ashton. It had been hit by a semitrailer and could not fly or walk.
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — A section of a 100-year-old brick utility building the Hydroelectric Dam has collapsed, and officials say it will likely be torn down. The Fort Dodge Messenger reports that the structural failure happened sometime Wednesday or Thursday. No one was hurt.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Police have identified a prisoner who, along with two police officers and another driver, was killed in a fiery, wrong-way crash in Interstate 80 in Iowa. Des Moines police say 32-year-old Tosha Nicole Hyatt of Des Moines was being transported early Saturday from Council Bluffs to Des Moines when the police SUV she was in was hit head-on by another vehicle traveling the wrong way on I-80 west of Des Moines.
Des Moines officers Susan Farrell and Carlos Puente-Morales, who had been on the job less than six months, were killed in the crash 12:40 a.m. crash. Police have not yet named driver of the other vehicle. Police say both officers and the driver of the other vehicle were wearing seat belts, but don’t know if Hyatt was.
Police in Red Oak, Saturday, arrested a woman wanted on two active Montgomery County warrants for Violation of Probation. 19-year old Cara Belle Hale, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 11-a.m. in the 1400 block of N. Broadway St. in Red Oak, and brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where her cash bond was set at $10,000.
ASHTON, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa avian rehabilitation facility says an injured bald eagle euthanized last week was suffering from lead poisoning — an affliction that kills many of the eagles it tries to treat. The Sioux City Journal reports that the euthanized eagle was found March 8 on the ground along Iowa Highway 60 near Ashton. It had been hit by a semitrailer and could not fly or walk.
Kay Neumann, director of Saving Our Avian Resources — or SOAR — in Manning, Iowa, says many of the birds the facility receives suffer from lead poisoning. That’s usually because they’ve eaten wild animals that have been shot with lead. She says 14 eagles were recently brought to the center with lead poisoning. Only one is still alive and being treated.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Experts at Iowa State University in Ames say they expect the highly contagious strain of dog flu that has sickened hundreds of dogs in Chicago to make its way to neighboring Iowa. Dr. Bryce Kibble with the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine tells Des Moines television station KCCI that the canine illness “is probably going to get here at some point.”
Kibble says many dogs have become infected, but not very many die from it. Symptoms include coughing, nasal discharge and watery eyes. Kibble says vaccines for the flu strain are still being developed and are not readily available. Animal welfare groups think this sickness is the same strain that sickened 1,700 dogs in Cook County, Illinois, in an outbreak last year.
(DES MOINES) – Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds released the statements Saturday, following word of an early morning vehicle crash on Interstate 80 that claimed the lives of two Des Moines police officers. Branstad said “Our hearts are heavy this Easter weekend on the news of an early morning crash on Interstate 80. We’re learning that the crash took the lives of two young Des Moines police officers who dedicated their lives to protecting public safety and were killed in the line of duty. Chris and I wish to extend our sincere sympathies to the families of everyone impacted in this horrific accident.”
Lt. Gov. Reynolds added, “I’m heartbroken to hear this morning of a tragic vehicle crash involving two fallen police officers from the Des Moines Police Department. On this celebration of Easter, it’s very difficult to comprehend how young lives can be taken so quickly. Kevin and I wish to extend our thoughts and prayers to all of the families affected by this terrible crash.”
Gov. Branstad will issue a statement later in the week on lowering flags to half-staff.