(Dallas County, Iowa) – A collision Friday night on Interstate 80 near Van Meter resulted in a woman from Norwalk (Iowa) being flown to a hospital in Des Moines. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2019 Freightliner semi driven by 26-year-old Devon Clarke, from Kissimmee, FL, was traveling east on I-80 at around 11:20-p.m., at the same time a 2017 Chevy Equinox driven by 25-year-old Madison Stogdill, of Norwalk, was traveling WEST, IN THE EASTBOUND LANE.

The SUV struck a bridge and rolled over before it was struck by the semi. Stogdill was transported by Mercy One Helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. The crash remains under investigation. Multiple agencies assisted at the scene.

The State Patrol reports also, a collision between two motorcycles in northeast Iowa late Saturday morning, resulted in injuries to one of the motorcycle riders. A 2008 Triumph motorcycle operated by 53-year-old Chad Ernst, of Garber (Iowa), and a 2013 Harley Davidson cycle being operated by 56-year-old Daniel Helle, of Solon, were both southbound on Hilton Road in Clayton County, just north of Highway 3, when one of the cycles struck the other in the rear.

The crash happened at around 11:17-a.m. The Patrol says Chad Ernst was transported by Edgewood Ambulance to the hospital in Manchester.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, Edgewood Fire, and Edgewood Ambulance.

(Corrects date of 2nd trial) (Atlantic, Iowa) – Jury trials in the case of an Atlantic man charged in connection with a stabbing incident are set to take place July 12th and August 2nd, in Cass County District Court. According to online documents, 30-year-old Anthony Asay faces felony charges of Attempted Murder, Arson in the 1st Degree and Willful Injury causing bodily injury, as well as serious misdemeanor charges of Assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, and Possession of Marijuana/1st offense.

Last Thursday a judge approved a motion by the Defense to have separate jury trials on the charges. A jury trial for Asay on the charges of Attempted Murder, Arson 1^st Degree and Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness will begin Tuesday, July 12. A jury trial for the charges of Willful Injury Causing Bodily Injury, Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness, and Possession of a Controlled Substance will be held August 2^nd.

Anthony Rey Asay (Cass County Jail photo)

Some of the charges (Arson 1^st Degree, Attempted Murder and Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness) were filed in connection with residential structure fire at 106 Cedar Street on May 4^th. The following day, Asay was arrested in connection to a stabbing on Cedar Street. As he was being taken into custody at a residence in the 1200 block of Birch Street, in Atlantic, Asay become uncooperative, and resisted Officers.

He was also charged in connection to an incident that took place on April 30th.

(Sioux City, Iowa) – Iowa Democratic Candidate for US Senate, Admiral Michael Franken, will meet with Audubon County residents in Audubon, beginning 6-p.m. Saturday July 16th, at the El Adobe Restaurant on Main Street. The event is a part of the Franken campaign’s 99 County Tour, and will offer local residents an opportunity to hear directly from Franken about why he is running to represent Iowans.

This will also be an opportunity for Franken to hear directly from you about the issues and policies that matter most in rural Iowa.

Retired Vice Admiral/Iowa Senate candidate, Mike Franken.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Two men from Nebraska were arrested last Tuesday afternoon on drug and theft charges, in Adair. According to the Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Police in Adair responded to the Kum & Go in Adair at around 3:20-p.m., for a reported Theft. The Officer viewed in-store surveillance video of the suspects, who were later identified as 56-year-old Jackie E. Richardson, and 47-year-old Lloyd Eugene Scaife, both of Omaha, allegedly stealing bottles of liquor. The store manager said the men drove in a white Tahoe to the Relax Inn Suites, located near the convenience store.

The Adair Police Officer showed employees at the motel pictures of the suspects, who were positively identified. The men were said to have been doing work on the business’ air conditioning. Both suspects were located. Inside their vehicle was a bag of marijuana on the center console. Scaife and Richardson were taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and Theft in the 5th Degree. They were each later released on a $1,300 cash or surety (C/S) bond.

On July 3rd, 24-year-old Dennis Blake Eddy, of Orient, was arrested in Orient at around 2:24-a.m. He was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, with a Breath Alcohol Content reading of .114%. Eddy was arrested following an investigation into an accident on S. School Street, in Orient. He was also cited for Failure to Maintain Control, and later released on a $1,000 C/S bond.

And, on July 7th, 30-year-old Shane SIM Black, of Lacona, Iowa, was arrested by an outside agency, on an Adair County felony warrant for Violation of Probation. He was released the following day on a $5,000 c/s bond.

The fall semester won’t start for several weeks at the state’s colleges and universities, but now is a key time in the financial planning process. The C-E-O of Iowa Student Loan, Steve McCullough, says parents and students need to do some research when it comes to student loans.

He says there are federal student loans, private loans, and the loans offered through the Iowa program.

He says the state loan could save a family one-thousand dollars over the life of a 10-thousand dollar loan. McCullough says their website at studentloan.org can help you see your options.

There’s been a lot of talk from the Biden Administration about forgiving student loans. McCullough says the shouldn’t be a factor in any student loan decision right now.

McCullough says there are things students can do to reduce the amount they need to borrow.

He says if you base your decisions on the facts at the time and really take the time to do your research and understand that interest rates and the other factors you can make a difference in how much you end up paying in the long run.

Iowa’s attorney general says a 24-hour waiting period for abortions went into effect statewide Friday. On June 17th, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled a 24 hour waiting period for an abortion was constitutional. Iowa abortion providers began scheduling two appointments, at least a day apart — the first to certify the patient had an ultrasound and was given the option to see the image and the second for abortion. This week, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected the governor’s request to reopen the case so the court could consider a new legal standard making it harder to find other abortion restrictions unconstitutional. By refusing to rehear the case, that has cleared the way for the 2020 law requiring the 24 hour waiting period for abortions to take effect.

Iowa has a labor shortage at the same time there’s an influx of refugees, so Iowa Workforce Development is now partnering with resettlement groups to place Iowa’s newest residents in jobs. Stephanie Moris, director of the Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa, says before a business hires a refugee, resources should be in place, as more businesses are open to hiring non-English speakers.

Moris says employers need to be innovative when it comes to addressing barriers like language and transportation for refugees. That’s why IowaWorks developed the three-part series on how to tackle such issues. They’re now available online for businesses across Iowa to access. Edgar Ramirez helped lead the webinar series and says he sometimes sees businesses hire refugees without forethought.

Ramirez says he wants the state to focus on building more infrastructure for refugees. He’s helping to organize job fairs across Iowa that will specifically spotlight the refugee community in the coming months.

Lakes and rivers were busy during the Independence Day holiday and that is expected to continue throughout the summer — with many people trying their hand at kayaking. D-N-R river programs outreach coordinator, Todd Robertson, says you shouldn’t head out onto rivers without doing a little preparation.

He said learning and working on some basic paddling strokes can be very beneficial.

He says you have to be prepared for both ends of the spectrum from swollen lakes, to ones that are down.

Robertson says kayaks have been flying off the shelves the last couple of years.

Robertson says. He says the D-N-R has a kayak and canoe school you can access on their website on how to paddle. They also offer classes and Robertson says some retailers that sell boats that actually give short lessons. Robertson recommends before you buy a kayak or canoe that you rent one and they’ll give you some quick instruction. He says there are also a lot of online videos that can be helpful in learning about paddling.

The Cass County Conservation Board has partnered with the Atlantic Public Library for a Cass County #PlantWildflowers BioBlitz Informational Presentation. Lora Kanning, the Cass County Conservation Naturalist will be explaining how to participate in the upcoming Cass County #PlantWildflowers BioBlitz. Learn how to participate in this day long biological census. A BioBlitz aims to promote and improve local natural spaces by empowering citizens to better understand and protect biodiversity. It is a Citizen Science program similar to tagging Monarch butterflies and the Backyard Bird Count. This presentation will focus on how to use the applications from a smartphone or tablet and submit the users’ observations. The presentation will be held at the Atlantic Public Library Community Room on Wednesday July 13th 6 PM. Kanning will also be available for troubleshooting during the BioBlitz at the Atlantic Public Library Community Room Saturday July 16th 12 PM-2PM. We hope you will join us for this great public program.

#PlantWildflowers BioBlitz is a daylong biological census. The public can use an application called iNaturalist to submit their Cass County Observations anytime throughout the day on July 16th. A BioBlitz aims to promote and improve local natural spaces by empowering citizens to better understand and protect biodiversity.

These programs are made possible through a grant from the #Plantwildflowers Initiative with PBS Nature and HHMI Tangled Studios that the Atlantic Public Library applied for.

Cass County Extension is set to host Food Preservation 101. which is a two-hour overview of general food preservation principles. The class includes current recommendations for canning, freezing and drying, display of equipment and utensils and sources for safe and tested food preservation information.  The program will be held on Thursday, July 14 from 6 to 8 pm at the Cass County Extension office, 805 W. 10^th Street in Atlantic. There is a $10 fee for the program, but scholarships are available upon request. To ensure adequate materials are available for all participants, pre-registration is required by Wednesday July 13^th.

Call 712-243-1132 for more information and to register for the class, or visit https://go.iastate.edu/5NFQDZ to register online. A full list of all food preservation resources and upcoming classes can also be found online at the Preserve the Taste of Summer Home Page- https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/preserve-taste-summer.

ISU Extension offers a library of publications with recipes and instructions for preserving a wide variety of foods, from fruits and vegetables to pickles and meats. These publications are available as free downloads on the ISU Extension Store at https://store.extension.iastate.edu/, or can be picked up at your local ISU Extension Office.

Information will also be shared at this program about ISU Extension’s more in-depth food preservation workshop series; Preserve the Taste of Summer. This series of hands-on food preservation workshops is a great opportunity for those who want to go beyond the basics, according to Fuller. The cost of each workshop is $40 and Cass County Extension is planning to host a session Salsa Making on Saturday, August 13^th – Scholarships are also available for this class upon request.  Additional topics, including jams, pickles, and dehydrating will be offered at locations around Iowa throughout the summer.

In addition to learning the basics of food safety, Extension staff remind home canners that dial gauge pressure canners should be tested annually for accuracy. Dial gauges will be tested at the end of the program on July 14 free of charge, or lids can be dropped off at the Cass County Extension office at any time for free testing.

Home food preserves can also get answers to food preservation questions by calling ISU Extension and Outreach’s toll-free AnswerLine. Experts answer questions Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and from 1– 4 p.m. In Iowa: 1-800-262-3804; Relay Iowa phone linkage for deaf/hard-of-hearing individuals, 1-800-735-2942

Questions can also be emailed to answer@iastate.edu .  Frequently asked questions and other resources are available at the AnswerLine website, www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/answerline.

All of these resources and more will be showcased at the Food Preservation 101 Workshop July 14th, so be sure to call or go online to pre-register today!