(Radio Iowa) – Christina Bohannan of Iowa City, the Democrat running in Iowa’s first congressional district, says immigration is something people from all parties care about it. “We hear this a lot,” Bohannan said this weekend. “People want to secure the border and we should secure the border.” Bohannan, who’s running a second time against Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Davenport. said Miller-Meeks and other Republicans played politics with the issue this year by rejecting a bipartisan border security that was backed by the union that represents Border Security agents.

“The strictest border security bill that our country has ever seen,” Bohannan said. “…Rather than do anything about it, Representative Miller-Meeks and U.S. House Republicans wanted to keep playing politics with it, they wanted to keep using it as a campaign issue. If that is not the best example of putting party over country, I don’t know what is.” Bohannan also is criticizing Miller-Meeks for voting against the bipartisan Infrastructure Bill three years ago.

First district congressional candidate Christina Bohannan speaking on August 10, 2024. (RI photo)

“An infrastructure bill that’s fixing our roads, bridges, dams, locks here in southeast Iowa and creating hundreds of great paying jobs in the process. How can you vote against fixing the damned roads?” Bohannan asks. “…Senator Chuck Grassley helped negotiate that infrastructure bill and voted for it because he knew how great is was going to be for Iowa.” Grassley was the only Republican in Iowa’s congressional delegation to vote for it.

Bohannan made her comments during a speech on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. Miller-Meeks declined the paper’s invitation to speak at the venue.

WAUKEE, Iowa [KCCI] – Waukee police have identified the person who was found dead after being pulled from a pond last week. Police responded around 3:30 p.m. Aug. 8 to a report of a drowning in the 2500 block of Grand Prairie Parkway.

According to the Waukee Fire Department, two boys were fishing on the pond and lost their pole. When a man who had been working in the area went into the water to retrieve the pole, he started to struggle and the boys called 911.

The man, now identified as Keith Bychinski, 31, of Earlham, was pulled from the water hours later.

(Radio Iowa) – The Libertarian Party’s candidate for president says the federal government’s deficit spending is a hidden tax. Chase Oliver — making his fifth trip to Iowa — is promising to veto any budget that isn’t balanced if he’s elected president. “Every single day, $8.9 billion is being added to the deficit,” Oliver said. “That is going to affect our kids and our grandkids and the cost of living here on out.” The Libertarian Party’s platform calls for significantly reducing the scope of the federal government by getting rid of regulations and cutting spending. “Inflation is a hidden tax…because the government is making our worth dollars less and less and less each year because they run deficit spending to the tune of trillions of dollars and they have to print money to make up for that,” Oliver says, “and what that does is it devalues the money you have in your pocket.”

Libertarian Party presidential nominee Chase Oliver spoke to reporters in Iowa on August 10, 2024. (RI photo)

Oliver won the Libertarian Party’s 2024 presidential nomination nearly three months ago. He says the two major political parties treat voters like dupes and have created a centrally planned economy that benefits corporations. “An abusive, an intrusive and overly large government that continues to rob us of the value of our dollar, that continues to insert itself into our business and our property and and over and over again we do not have advocates either in Des Moines or Washington, D.C. who fight for us,” Oliver says. “They fight for the people who line their pockets.”

Oliver, who says he is the first presidential candidate to have visited all 50 states this year, filed the paperwork to get his name on the Iowa ballot last Wednesday. “You should not have to sacrifice your vote to say: ‘Oh, well, I’m going to vote for the lesser of two evils,'” Oliver said. “Dare to pick the best choice on your ballot. Compare my platform to that of Kamala Harris or Donald Trump or RFK, Jr. or any other challenger.”

Oliver made his comments at the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. cited security concerns and cancelled his appearance at the venue.

(Radio Iowa) – Classes resume in most Iowa schools in the next week or two, and Iowa parents are being warned to be careful with what they share online about their children. Jim Temmer, with the Better Business Bureau, says those cute social media posts about your kid’s first day in their new grade give away a lot of key details of their lives that could be misused. “Are they holding a board with their name, their age, their height, what grade they’re in, whatever it is? Maybe they’re wearing the school uniform,” Temmer says. “Scammers or predators could use that information.”

That could mean basic identity theft, or even using that information to gain your child’s trust. “Make sure your home with your address and street sign are not visible so they can’t find out exactly where you live,” he says, “or there’s some landmark that everybody would know where you are.”

Temmer says if you are going to share those pictures on social media, make sure they’re only going out to actual friends.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports three recent arrests. Saturday night, 30-year-old Raymundo Herrera, of Houston, TX., was arrested in Greenfield for OWI/1st offense. His arrest was the result of a traffic stop on an SUV he was driving, that was moving at an “extremely slow” rate of speed on eastbound Highway 92, while entering the Greenfield City limits. There about one-block’s worth of vehicles stacked-up behind the vehicle, according to the deputy’s report. He said also, the SUV, a 2020 Jeep Wrangler, was swerving back-and-forth onto the shoulder of the road.

When he approached the vehicle following the traffic stop, the deputy had knock on the driver’s side window of the Jeep, to get the driver’s attention, because he was not paying attention to the deputy’s flashlight being shined through the window. Instead of rolling down the window, the driver – identified as Herrera, opened his door . During questioning of Herrera, the deputy detected an odor of alcohol coming from the man. Herrera completed a Field Sobriety Test, but ultimately refused a Preliminary Breath Test (PBT). He also refused to provide a breath sample for chemical testing at the Sheriff’s Office. Herrera was released later that night on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

As we’ve previously mentioned, on August 7th,  Adair County Deputies arrested 28-year-old Joshua James Jost, of Creston, on an Adair County warrant for failing to appear in court on a Violation of Probation charge. He was released the following day on a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

On August 7th also, Luke Daniel Hommes, of Fontanelle, was arrested on an Adair County warrant, after his bond on an Assault charge was “Revoked and Exonerated,” when his bail bondsman withdrew his surety bond for reason that Sheriff Jeff Vandewater said were not clear.  This was therefore NOT a new charge. Hommes was released the following day on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

And, on August 5th, Police in Stuart arrested 50-year-old Eric Wayne Whiting, of Stuart, on charges that include: Driving While Barred; Possession of Marijuana/2nd offense; Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia, and Felon in dominion/control of a firearm or offensive weapon by a domestic abuser. His arrest followed a traffic stop on a motorcycle in Stuart, whereby the Officer knew Whiting possessed a restricted license and did not possess a valid motorcycle license. A follow-up investigation at Whiting’s residence resulted in the discovery of multiple items of drug paraphernalia, a plastic baggie with a substance believed to be marijuana, a .9-mm pistol, and a black powder rifle. Whiting has a previous court order prohibiting him from possessing weapons, and a previous conviction in Madison County, for possession of marijuana.

He was taken to the Adair County Jail and released the next day on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – With all the recent family friendly events in Atlantic, from RAGBRAI to the Cass County Fair, and AtlanticFest, the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce reminds you that there is still plenty more fun to be had in Atlantic. The summer isn’t over yet! Chamber Program Director Kelsey Beschorner says “We have thoroughly enjoyed a summer full of community events and we look forward to wrapping up the summer with the All-Class Reunion festivities and “Back to School” Discount Dayz the weekend of August 16th and 17th.”

The weekend kick’s off this Friday August 16th, with the first inaugural AHS Alumni Banquet, hosted by the class of 79′ and 84′. That will be held at the Cass County Community Center. Discount Dayz will also begin Friday, with an exciting line-up of participating businesses offering great deals to help everyone get geared up for back to school.

On Saturday, August 17th, the AHS Alumni Smackdown Golf Tournament will take place in the morning at both the Nishna Hills Golf Course and Atlantic Golf and Country Club. All attendees of the tournament are encouraged to join the fun following the tournament to mingle and catch-up during Smack Down After Dark. The event will feature food trucks, a beer garden, and live music performed by “Off the Fritz” at the Band Shell in Sunnyside Park. It is free and open to the public.

For more information about any of these events, visit www.atlanticiowa.com, follow the Chamber on Facebook, email chamber@atlanticiowa.com, or call 712-243-3017.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports four recent arrests. Sunday night, 24-year-old Tylor Jay Rains, of Creston, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st Offense. Rains was taken to the Union County Jail where he is being held on a $300 bond. And, at around 4:30-a.m., Sunday, 21-year-old Levi Joshua Henry, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/2nd Offense. Henry was taken to the Union County Jail and later posted a $2,000 bond before being released.

Friday night, 37-year-old Christopher Micheal Phipps, Jr., of Creston, was arrested for Interference w/Official Acts, and Public Intoxication/1st Offense. Phipps was taken to the Union County Jail later released on $600 bond.

Wednesday afternoon, 29-year-old Ryan James Corder, of Storm Lake, was arrested in Creston on a Union County Warrant for Theft in the 3rd and 5th Degrees. Corder was taken to the Union County Jail and was later released on a $2,300 bond.