(Red Oak, Iowa) – A Cass County woman was arrested Friday morning in Red Oak, following an investigation into an incident at the Tractor Supply Store, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 31-year-old Ashley Dawn Eden, of Griswold, was arrested at around 10:15-a.m., for 5th degree theft, and unlawful possession of a prescription drug.

Eden was taken to the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond pending further court proceedings.

(Atlantic, Iowa – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by First Whitney Bank on Friday, August 23rd, 2024, to celebrate the completion of the 300 Chestnut Street Apartments.

Paul Gude, CEO and President of First Whitney Bank, shared about the 4-year process of acquiring and renovating the building began with working with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council to secure a Downtown Housing Grant. Paul thanked the City of Atlantic and SWIPCO for the diligent work, and said it was very important to use all local business to get the project done. From the appliances to the Wi-Fi it all was all done locally.

Pictured Left to Right: Anthony Drogo, Trey Cappel, Lucas Mosier, Eric Steinhoff, Kyle Lenderman, Garrett Eblen, Chris Parks, John Bricker, Rob Clausen, Janet Cappel, Dr. Keith Leonard, Sonya Clausen, Kennedy Freund, Lana Westphalen, Dolly Bergmann, Krysta Hanson, Megan Sramek, Bill Saluk, Elaine Otte, Alisha Wagner, Jason Nicholas, Paul Gude, Jeremy Butler, Jennifer McEntaffer, Anne Quist, Scott Bennett, Jake Olsen, Jeff Christensen, Bailey Smith, Jeff Gude, Kelsey Beschorner

The upstairs apartments include two, two-bedroom apartments, and two, one-bedroom apartments. The building includes a commercial space on the lower level, that will be “completed to order” for the tenant that moves into the space. Paul shared there are a few prospects in the works to occupy the commercial space.

For availability and information about the 300 Chestnut Street Apartments, call First Whitney Bank at 712-243-3195.

(Radio Iowa) – A death investigation is underway in Charles City after the discovery of two bodies in a house. A Charles City Police Department Facebook post about 1:30 pm Thursday afternoon alerted the public of the investigation and that “there is no reason to believe there is any danger or risk to the public.”

CCPD was dispatched to a residence in the 1000 block of Court Street in Charles City shortly before noon. There, Chief Hugh Anderson says upon entry to the home, two people were found dead. The Iowa DCI was notified and assisted with the incident and the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene.

At this time, no names are being released as authorities work to contact family members.

(Radio Iowa) – At least two more Iowa schools have recently moved to ban smart phones from high school classrooms. Casey Berlau, the superintendent of Carroll Community Schools, says cell phones were already prohibited in elementary and middle school classrooms in the district, but the ban now extends to the high school. High schoolers will be allowed to put their cell phones, smart watches and ear buds in their lockers.

Each class lasts for 41 minutes and Berlau says without the distraction of a cellphone, students are likely to be more engaged in what’s happening inside the classroom.

Dallas Center-Grimes recently adopted a policy that bans cell phones from high school classrooms. In May, Des Moines Hoover High School administrators announced students would not be allowed to use smart phones, AirPods or other personal electronics during the school day. High schoolers in Ottumwa may take their phones to school, but have to store the devices in their locker all day.

(Radio Iowa) – A cabinet-level federal administrator is in western Iowa today (Friday) to encourage people who’ve seen their homes and livelihoods damaged or demolished by this year’s severe weather to lean on Uncle Sam. Isabel Casillas Guzman heads the U-S Small Business Administration and tells Radio Iowa that the S-B-A isn’t just devoted to helping small businesses recover.

Guzman is in the Adair County town of Greenfield, which was hit by an E-F-4 tornado in May that killed four people and destroyed 153 homes. It’s been an especially bad year for severe weather in Iowa, with significant damage in multiple counties from storms, flooding, straight-line winds, and a record 122 tornadoes.

Guzman plans to visit Greenfield businesses as well as the S-B-A’s Greenfield Disaster Recovery Center which opened earlier this month.

Photo of tornado damage in Greenfield by Melissa Ehrman Johnson

She also plans to host a meet-and-greet with homeowners to hear about their recovery needs. Why haven’t more people in Iowa’s disaster areas signed up for S-B-A assistance? Guzman says there can be many reasons, ranging from pride to a lack of trust to a lack of knowledge about what’s available.

This afternoon, the administrator will hold a roundtable meeting in West Des Moines with federal, state, and local stakeholders, along with business owners and non-profits, to discuss tornado damage recovery efforts. She says the agency’s loans are very affordable.

Before flying back to Washington D.C. later today, Guzman plans to meet with the owners of BLK (black) & Bold in Des Moines, the first black-owned nationally-distributed coffee company, as part of celebrating National Black Business Month.