(Red Oak, Iowa) – A woman from Mills County was arrested this (Wednesday) afternoon on a drug charge, in Montgomery County. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 49-year-old Lorelei Pierce, of Hastings, faces a Possession of Methamphetamine charge/1st offense, following her arrest during a traffic stop at around 2:50-p.m., at W. Coolbaugh and W. 4th Streets, in Red Oak.

Pierce was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond. Deputies were assisted during the arrest by the Montgomery County K-9 Unit.

DES MOINES – Governor Reynolds has announced that 109 soldiers from the Iowa National Guard will deploy today to Texas in support of Operation Lone Star to help secure the U.S. Southern Border following the end of Title 42.

The deployment will last until Sept. 1, 2023, with the mission of deterring illegal border crossings and preventing the trafficking of illegal substances by cartels through Texas. This is the Guard’s third deployment to the U.S. southern border since 2020, but the first pursuant to a state mission.

Following the deployment of Iowa National Guard soldiers, the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) will deploy Iowa State Patrol officers on August 31, 2023, to support Texas State Troopers with criminal interdiction, crime prevention, traffic enforcement, and law enforcement assistance. An investigative team will also support Texas investigations of narcotics, weapons, and human trafficking. The Iowa DPS deployment will end on October 2, 2023.

All costs will be covered by federal funding allocated to Iowa from the American Rescue Plan. States are given flexibility in how this funding can be used provided it supports the provision of government services.

Gov. Kim Reynolds released the following statement regarding the state’s support of Operation Lone Star:

“On his first day in office, President Biden reversed commonsense policies that protected the U.S. Southern border and American citizens. Since that time, our country has experienced a historic rise in illegal immigrants and illicit drugs entering our country. Two years later, every state is a border state, and Iowa’s unique location at the intersection of two major interstates makes it a target for human traffickers and drug cartels.

“The Biden Administration has failed to respond to the crisis at the border and, in doing so, has failed the American people – Iowans included. They have created one of the most significant national security and humanitarian crises of our generation and are blatantly ignoring the impact it’s having on our states, cities, and our people.

“Since the administration refuses to invest in securing the border and protecting its citizens, Texas has asked other states to help, and Iowa is ready and willing to assist.

“Iowa is deploying National Guard troops and personnel from the Department of Public Safety to protect the citizens and interests of our state by supporting Operation Lone Star and helping secure the U.S. Southern border.”

COUNCIL BLUFFS – D’Jay Baxter Betts, convicted of Theft 1st Degree and Robbery 2nd Degree in Pottawattamie County, failed to report back to the Council Bluffs Residential Correctional Facility as required the afternoon of July 31, 2023.

Betts is a 29-year-old black male, height 6’1″, and weighs 222  pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on July 18, 2023.

Persons with information on Betts’ whereabouts should contact local police.

D’Jay Baxter Betts

(Radio Iowa) – The head of the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges has resigned after a little less than a year as chancellor.
Sonya Williams started as chancellor of the Clinton, Muscatine and Scott Community Colleges on August 8th of last year. The board of trustees for the colleges accepted her resignation yesterday (Tuesday) and announced she was leaving for personal reasons.

Williams, an Air Force veteran, was an administrator at the College of Lake County in Illinois and chief academic officer for that school’s 15-thousand students when she was hired for the job in eastern Iowa. The president of Muscatine Community College has been appointed as temporary acting chancellor of the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges system.

It has satellite sites in Maquoketa, Wilton and in Davenport as well as the main campuses in Muscatine, Clinton and Davenport. The Eastern Iowa Community Colleges system was formed nearly 60 years ago when junior colleges and vocational schools were merged and the state’s 15 area community colleges were created.

ATLANTIC — Heavy precipitation is causing a bypass of untreated wastewater from the City of Fontanelle. It is flowing from Washington and Main Street in town to an unnamed tributary which runs over a mile before reaching the Middle Nodaway River. The bypassing began at 2:51 a.m. The amount of the discharge is unknown at this time.

DNR is monitoring the situation and seeking more information about the extent of the discharge. It is recommended to stay away from this area until the bypass has stopped.