After years of failed starts, the Iowa Legislature has finally sent legislation banning the handheld use of cellphones while driving to Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The Iowa House passed Senate File 22 on a 84-11 vote Wednesday. The legislation is an expansion of Iowa’s current laws banning texting while driving to cover any handheld use of a cellphone. Drivers could still use a device in hands-free or voice-activated modes under the legislation.

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South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined a coalition of 51 Attorneys General from across the nation in a bipartisan effort to crack down on illegal robocalls. The group has sent warning letters to nine voice service providers, notifying them that they may violate state and federal laws by continuing to route these unlawful calls across their networks.

In a statement released by his office, Attorney General Jackley emphasized the detrimental impact of these calls on the public. “These companies allow scams of all kinds to be passed on to the public,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This activity has to stop, and the Attorneys General are working to help their federal law enforcement partners.”

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The South Dakota Unified Judicial System (UJS) is alerting the public to a jury duty scam targeting individuals in central South Dakota.

The Stanley County Sheriff’s Office has received over 30 reports today of suspicious phone calls in which scammers falsely claim the recipient has missed federal jury duty and now has a $2,000 arrest warrant. The callers are instructing people to send money via Bitcoin at local convenience stores. One victim reported losing $4,000.

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South Dakota’s annual Point-in-Time (PIT) homeless count identified 1,431 individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January, with a notable increase in those living unsheltered. However, specific numbers for Watertown were not available from the count, and local officials caution that the one-day snapshot presents challenges for accuracy, particularly in colder states.

The count, conducted on January 28th by the South Dakota Housing for the Homeless Consortium (SDHHC), aims to provide an annual snapshot of homelessness across the state. It includes people in shelters, transitional housing, agency-paid motels, and those unsheltered in vehicles, outdoors, or other places unfit for habitation. This data is used for measuring homelessness trends locally, statewide, and nationally.

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A Missouri woman has admitted that she committed a crime when she lied about the status of a chimp named Tonka.

Tonia Haddix pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to two counts of perjury and a count of obstruction of justice. All are felonies. Sentencing is currently set for July 16.

“Individuals go to court to seek justice,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said to reporters outside the courthouse in downtown St. Louis after Haddix’s plea hearing. “There can only be justice from the court if those individuals are honest.”

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The South Dakota Highway Patrol has announced plans to conduct sobriety checkpoints in 14 counties throughout the state during April, including two within the KXLG listening area.

The initiative is aimed at deterring individuals from driving under the influence of alcohol.

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A federal law that makes it a crime to knowingly make false statements to influence the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. does not punish statements that are merely misleading, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The high court ruled for Patrick Daley Thompson, a lawyer and a former alderman who is the grandson of former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and the nephew of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, SCOTUSblog reports. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the unanimous March 21 decision.

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A Henry County family is suing the sheriff for false arrest and malicious prosecution, alleging the county has waged a campaign of “wild west justice” against them.

Curtis and Lori Wagler are suing Sheriff Rich McNamee, Henry County Deputy Carlos Lopez, and the county in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. They allege Lopez’s conduct was “so clearly abusive and in violation of the law that he earned his way to being the sole member of the county’s Brady-Giglio list” – a reference to the list of law enforcement officers known by prosecutors to have been untruthful in the course of their police work.

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Imagine being convicted of a crime—not because you intended to break the law, but simply because what you did was unknowingly illegal. That’s the problem we’re facing as mens rea (Latin for “guilty mind”) is increasingly ignored or watered down in our federal laws.

Without clear mens rea standards, innocent people can be punished for accidental or technical violations of the law. Additionally, the absence of intent requirements gives prosecutors unbridled discretion, which can lead to politically motivated or unfair charges.

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A Canadian citizen has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for intentionally damaging energy infrastructure facilities in both North and South Dakota, thanks in part to assistance from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office among several other agencies.

United States District Court Judge Daniel M. Traynor issued the sentence to Cameron Monte Smith, 50, on Monday, March 10, 2025. The sentence was announced jointly by Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Klemetsrud Puhl for the District of North Dakota, and U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell for the District of South Dakota.

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