FOLLOWING A FATAL PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT IN OELWEIN TUESDAY, THE NAME OF THE VICTIM WAS RELEASED WEDNESDAY. JACQUELINE LENSING WAS HIT WHILE CROUCHED IN FRONT OF A VEHICLE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHY THE 54-YEAR-OLD OELWEIN WOMAN WAS IN THAT POSITION. IN AN UNRELATED INCIDENT, STATE TROOPERS RESPONDED TO A FATAL MOTORCYLCE ACCIDENT ON HIGHWAY 136 IN JONES COUNTY SOUTH OF CASCADE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE 64-YEAR-OLD VICTIM IN THAT SITUATION WENT OFF-ROAD, ALTHOUGH AUTHORITIES ARE STILL INVESTIGATING WHY. THE NAME OF THE RIDER WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE.
CONDITIONS AWAY FROM CROP FIELDS ARE GIVING FARMERS REASON FOR OPTIMISM. COMMODITY PRICES HAVE BEEN STRONGER OF LATE. AARON PUTZE OF THE IOWA SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION OFFERED SOME THOUGHTS ON THE YEAR AHEAD. PUTZE WAS A WEDNESDAY GUEST DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL. FIND THE FULL INTERVIEW ON DEMAND AT KXEL.COM.
YOU STILL NEED A BUILDING PERMIT TO FIX MAJOR DERECHO DAMAGE IN LINN COUNTY, BUT THE FEES FOR THOSE PERMITS WILL BE WAIVED IN MANY AREAS THROUGH THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE STORM. LINN COUNTY SUPERVISORS FINALIZED THE EXTENSION THIS WEEK. THE FEE WAIVER APPLIES TO RURAL PARTS OF THE COUNTY, AS WELL AS SEVERAL COMMUNITIES INCLUDING LISBON, MT. VERNON, AND CENTER POINT. THE STORM MOVED THROUGH THE MIDWEST LAST AUGUST 10TH CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA.
BLACK HAWK COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES ARRESTED THREE PEOPLE ON DRUG CHARGES AT A RURAL ADDRESS SOUTH OF WATERLOO ON WEDNESDAY. SCOTT GILSTRAP, TIERZAH SCHUBARTH, AND MELISSA BECK ARE EACH IN THEIR MID-TO-LATE 30S. ALL THREE FACE FELONY METHAMPHETAMINE DISTRIBUTION COUNTS. SHERIFFS OFFICIALS ALSO INDICATED THAT THEY FOUND COCAINE AND MARIJUANA WHILE SEARCHING THE PROPERTY ON DOUGLAS DRIVE. CHILD ENDANGERMENT CHARGES AGAINST THE GROUP WERE ALSO FILED IN THE CASE.
A BILL SIGNED WEDNESDAY BY GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS GIVES PROSECUTORS MORE TIME TO FILE CHARGES AGAINST SEX OFFENDERS WHO ABUSE CHILDREN. PREVIOUSLY, A STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS PREVENTED CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AFTER THE VICTIM REACHED AGE 33. THE NEW LEGISLATION REMOVES ALL AGE LIMITS ON SUCH CASES. IOWA IS ONE OF 14 STATES TO MAKE THIS CHANGE. IN A STATEMENT, REYNOLDS THANKED THE SURVIVORS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE WHO HAD BEEN ADVOCATES FOR THE BILL.
SOME IOWANS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT A DIFFERENT ANNOUNCEMENT BY REYNOLDS WHICH WAS MADE EARLIER THIS WEEK. ON TUESDAY, THE GOVERNOR SAID THAT FEDERALLY-ENHANCED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS WILL END IN MID-JUNE. OUR COVERAGE PARTNERS AT TV-9 SPOKE WITH PATTY BLACKWELL, WHO IS OUT OF THE JOB MARKET DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WHILE ALSO DEALING WITH SEVERAL UNDERLYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS. THE CHANGE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK ELIMINATES SUPPLEMENTAL FEDERAL BENEFITS. IT DOES NOT AFFECT THE STATE’S STANDARD UNEMPLOYMENT SAFETY NET.
AFTER DIFFICULTIES DURING THE PAST DECADE, IOWA AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS ARE HOPEFUL ABOUT 2021. AARON PUTZE OF THE IOWA SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION SAYS IT WAS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR FARMERS TO SIMPLY BREAK EVEN DURING RECENT YEARS. IN PUTZE’S RECENT APPEARANCE ON KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL, HE TALKED ABOUT INCREASING SOYBEAN DEMAND. CHINESE HOG PRODUCTION WAS DEVASTATED BY AFRICAN SWINE FEVER IN RECENT YEARS. COUPLED WITH POTENTIALLY CHALLENGING SOUTH AMERICAN WEATHER CONDITIONS, SOYBEAN PRICES HAVE BEEN CLIMBING.
A WEDNESDAY FIRE RESULTED IN THE TEMPORARY LOSS OF A HOME, AS WELL AS THE LOSS OF A FAMILY PET. CEDAR RAPIDS FIREFIGHTERS WERE UNABLE TO SAVE A CAT OVERCOME BY SMOKE AT A FIRE SCENE IN THE 500 BLOCK OF 7TH AVENUE SOUTHWEST. THE EMERGENCY WAS REPORTED BY A BYSTANDER WHO SAW SIGNS OF FIRE DURING THE MID-AFTERNOON; NO ONE WAS HOME AT THE TIME. IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT SPARKED THE INCIDENT; WATER AND SMOKE DAMAGE HAVE MADE THE HOME UNINHABITABLE.
CABLE COMPANY MEDIACOM IS UNHAPPY WITH THE CITY OF WEST DES MOINES. YESTERDAY, MEDIACOM ANNOUNCED IT HAD FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION OVER THE WAY WEST DES MOINES MANAGES UTILITY RIGHT-OF-WAY. AT ISSUE IS THE INSTALLATION OF A $50 MILLION DOLLAR GOOGLE FIBER NETWORK. MEDIACOM CLAIMS THE GOOGLE PROJECT IS RECEIVING PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT WHICH WILL TILT THE COMPETITIVE BALANCE FOR INTERNET SERVICE IN WEST DES MOINES.
