Coralville, Iowa – The Iowa Dept. of Corrections, on Wednesday, reported 21-year-old Brent Lee Robinson, convicted of Robbery 2nd Degree in Linn County, failed to report back to the Hope House Residential Facility as required, Tuesday.

Robinson is a white male, height 6’3″, and weighs 201 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on August 11, 2022. Persons with information on Robinson’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Brent Robinson (IA DOC photo)

Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau report, 68-year-old Alan Steven Kessler, of West Des Moines, was recently charged with one count of Theft in the First Degree Against an Older Individual (Class B Felony), one count of Ongoing Criminal Conduct (Class B Felony), and one count of Securities Fraud (Class C Felony) following an investigation by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and the Iowa Insurance Division’s Securities Bureau. The charges against Kessler stem from an investigation which began in April of 2022.  According to a criminal complaint filed by the Dallas County Attorney’s Office, Kessler allegedly had an ongoing scheme to steal from and defraud an elderly individual.

Alan S. Kessler (Photo Courtesy of Dallas County Sheriff’s Office)

Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said “This case is working its way through the legal system, but it’s possible that there may be more victims out there. I encourage anyone that may have been defrauded by Mr. Kessler to come forward and contact our offices immediately.” Attorney General Tom Miller says “This is one of the first charges filed under Iowa’s new criminal elder abuse law, which went into effect July 1. We’ve been advocating for the legislation for years to address abuses like these.” Miller encouraged Iowans to report other alleged instances of fraud by Kessler to the Consumer Protection Division at consumer@ag.iowa.gov or 888-777-4590.

On October 2, 2022, Kessler was arrested and booked into the Dallas County Jail.  Kessler posted a $25,000 bond and was released.

In a separate case, 47-year-old Sang Nguyen, of Des Moines, pled guilty on October 4, 2022, to one count of Insurance Fraud – Application Submission (Class D Felony) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.  The investigation began in June of 2022 after the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau received information indicating Nguyen had provided false information to an insurer when purchasing full coverage automobile insurance.

The investigation determined that after Nguyen’s motorcycle was involved in a single vehicle collision and sustained over $3,000 in damage he contacted an insurer to purchase auto insurance coverage.  During the purchase Nguyen provided false information about the existing damage to his motorcycle and was granted full coverage automotive insurance.  Days later, Nguyen filed an insurance claim alleging that the pre-existing damage occurred after he obtained the insurance coverage.  Nguyen’s intent was to receive insurance benefits to which he was not entitled.  Nguyen was arrested on July 20, 2022.

Sang Nguyen (Photo courtesy of the Polk County Jail)

Following his guilty plea, Nguyen received a five year suspended prison sentence and was placed on supervised probation for two years.  Nguyen was also ordered to pay a fine of $1,025.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Police Department have issued a report on arrests and citations covering the Sept. 26 through Oct. 9, time-frame. Most recently….

• This past Sunday (Oct. 9), officers arrested 27-year-old Mikenda Ifraim, of Atlantic, for Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree.
• Last Friday (10/7), Atlantic Police arrested 22-year-old SK Kovac, of Atlantic, for Harassment in the 2nd Degree.
• On Oct. 6th, 33-year-old Brett Pryor, of Atlantic, was arrested on charges that include: Domestic Abuse Assault (3rd or subsequent offense); Interference with Official Acts; Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations; Public Intoxication, and Disorderly Conduct.
• Atlantic Police arrested 24-year-old Kimboy Alian, of Atlantic, on Oct. 5th, for Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree, and Public Intoxication.
• 26-year-old GLove Kovac, of Atlantic, was arrested Oct. 4th, on a Cass County warrant for Failure to Appear.
• 22-year-old Justin Rollin, of Atlantic, and 35-year-old Michael Leeper, of Adair, were arrested in Atlantic Oct. 3rd, on separate charges. Rollin was charged with Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. He was released at the scene with a citation; Leeper was arrested for OWI/1st offense.
• On Oct. 1st, officers with the APD arrested 48-year-old Dan Christensen, of Atlantic, for: Public Intox.; Interference w/Official Acts; Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree; Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations; Assault; Possession of a Controlled Substance (Marijuana), and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia.
• Sept. 27th, Atlantic Police arrested 23-year-old Rosemary Moses, of Atlantic, for Disorderly Conduct.
• And, on the 26th, 19-year-old Myson Kovac, of Atlantic, was arrested for Theft in the 3rd Degree.

With the exception of Justin Rollin, Rosemary Moses, Michael Leeper, GLove Kovac and Mikenda Ifraim, each of the other individuals mentioned remained held in the Cass County Jail, as of Thursday morning.

Police in Creston (IA) report a man was arrested Wednesday morning. Authorities say 34-year-old Jeffrey Michael Hoffman, of Shannon City, was arrested at around 9-a.m.. for Violation of Probation. Hoffman was being held in the Union County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) A parcel of farmland in Plymouth County has set the record for the most paid per acre in Iowa. Auctioneer Bruck Brock of Brock Auction Company sold the ground Monday. “We auctioned off 55 acres of farmland — not development land and it didn’t have any wind turbines aren’t under any undue influence — tt was just farmland,” Bock says. “It was between Remsen and Marcus for John Fiscus, and it brought 26-thousand-250 dollars an acre, which to this point is the highest selling piece of farmland at auction in the history of the state of Iowa.” Brock says the new owner of the land farms neighboring ground.

“He and his son are going to farm it and they have a farming operation in that area and are really good to high quality farmers and it’s just a great was a great piece of farmland. It laid just perfectly, and of course right between Remson and Marcus is we call it the gold standard in farming around here. It’s as good as farmland gets,” according to Bock. The veteran auctioneer says there was spirited bidding for the land. “There were three people that bid up to 25-thousand per acre — and then the final two took it up to 26-thousand-250 per acre,” he says. Brock has a good historical perspective on the land in the area.

“We have sold one up here, not too far from that one for 25-thousand an acre. So it’s in an area where the prices are very strong. But you know, the difference that we’ve seen, my grandfather sold the first piece of farm ground in Ida County for our firm in 1919 for 60 dollars an acre, and we’ve seen every price increase all the way up to this one,” Brock says. Brock says the competitive bidding gives everyone a sense of fairness and the farm brought what the market was willing to pay.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report a woman was arrested early this (Thursday) morning. Authorities say 23-year-old Shelby Ann Nelson, of Villisca, was arrested at around 12:22-a.m. in the 900 block of N. Broadway Street. She was charged with OWI/1st offense and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where Nelson’s bond was set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – The Linn County Board of Supervisors has unanimously voted for a temporary moratorium on new applications for large-scale solar projects. Last month, on a two-to-one vote, the Linn County Board approved rezoning land near Palo for construction of large solar fields that will connect to Alliant Energy’s power grid. The moratorium on any NEW applications for utility-scale solar projects in Linn County will last at least three months, but the Board of Supervisors could extend it for as a long as a year.

Officials say it will give staff time to examine Linn County ordinances regarding construction of large arrays of solar panels, like how far away they must be from neighbors. During a public forum on Wednesday, one man questioned whether the moratorium was merely a delaying tactic by opponents of solar projects. Another said once building begins, there’s no turning back and the county should take the time necessary to review its solar-related rules.

County officials say they will appoint a citizens’ committee of Linn County residents to review and make recommendations for the county’s solar ordinance.

(Radio Iowa) – U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy was on the Iowa campaign trail yesterday (Wednesday) with Zach Nunn, the G-O-P candidate in Iowa’s third congressional district.  “I encouraged him to run two years ago. At the time, it wasn’t right for him, but now it the right time,” McCarthy says. “…When I look at the challenges that we have before this nation, I just understand that Iowans want to see a change.” Nunn, who has served in the U.S. Air Force and the Iowa National Guard, has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine. Nunn says the Biden Administration’s decision this week to send surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine should have happened long ago.

“Going forward, we need to have a strategy to be able to deter the Russians and help the Ukrainians, but handing over just…billions of dollars with no plan is not a plan for success.” A few Republican candidates have begun calling for an end to U.S. aid to Ukraine. McCarthy says if Republicans gain a majority in the U.S. House, they’ll push the Biden Administration for a plan to end the war.

“You don’t just throw aid. What is the plan to win? What is the plan to end this? And let’s see what it is. What do you need at this moment? And then there’s a check and balance,” McCarthy said. “You never give a blank check — ‘I’ll write anything,’ and you never give a blank check that: ‘I’ll just say no.'” McCarthy also blasts the idea of cancelling U.S. arm sales to Saudi Arabia, as some Democrats have proposed. McCarthy says it would harm relationships with allies if America fails to fulfill its promises.

Both McCarthy and Nunn say after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, decisions about abortion policy should be made at the state, not federal level. Nunn already has voted for some abortion restrictions in Iowa as a member of the state legislature. “I think the court’s been very clear here under the 10th amendment, this is back to the states,” Nunn said. “…Not only the states have the responsibility to do…we really this needs to be a conversation with Iowans and we need to afford them the opportunity to have their voice heard.”

McCarthy echoes those sentiments.  “Well, I’ve watched the Supreme Court decision and what the Supreme Court decision did in my decision is pushes it down to the states,” McCarthy said. “Let the states make that decision.”

McCarthy and Nunn made their comments during an interview with Radio Iowa before a campaign fundraiser in West Des Moines. Nunn is challenging Democratic Congresswoman Cindy Axne’s bid for a third term in the U.S. House.

(Radio Iowa) -The candidates in Iowa’s new second congressional district revived their strong disagreements over abortion policy during a joint T-V appearance last (Tuesday) night. Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, is seeking a second term in the U.S. House. “I think it’s important we have some sort of conversation about how we protect life in this country,” Hinson says. “…It’s why I’ve supported a variety of pro-life policies.” Liz Mathis of Hiawatha is the Democrat running against Hinson.

“I will codify Roe when I get into Washington,” Mathis said. “I will also take government out of women’s health care decisions.” Both candidates said the situation at America’s southern border is dire. Mathis says new technology could help speed up asylum hearings. “I think the Biden Administration has failed at the border,” Mathis said. “When we look at pictures, it looks like chaos and so I believe that we need to hire more border patrol…They’re doing paperwork there and paperwork that is late is making people languish at the border.”

Hinson said the federal government should hire more agents for the border patrol rather than the I-R-S. “Let’s talk about technology,” Hinson said. “I’ve helped as a part of the Homeland Security Appropriations Committee to fund technology that allows us to use drones and specialty cameras to help monitor our southern border so we can stop these bad guys trying to make their way into our country.”

The candidates debated last (Wednesday) night in K-C-R-G T-V studios where both had worked in the past as on-air journalists. Television stations K-C-C-I in Des Moines and K-W-Q-C in the Quad Cities were co-sponsors. Hinson and Mathis will debate once more — next Tuesday, October 18th, on Iowa P-B-S.

(Atlantic, Iowa/updated) – The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education met this (Wednesday) evening in the High School Media Center. During their session, the Board received an iJag Program Update from iJAG Instructor Guy Somers.

Somers said also, he’s trying to build relationships with 9th and 10th graders to get them interested in what the program has to offer, and that “we will get our numbers up,” and that he’s “Excited about different things going on in the program that show growth individually for students.” That includes the Atlantic iJAG program’s first internship/apprenticeship, thanks to Camblin Mechanical.

Other employers who have active internships in the trades (engineering, manufacturing, and more), and are part of “Future Ready Iowa,” have been invited to be guest speakers at the Careers Day. A different employer will also be brought in every two weeks, to talk about what makes their business interesting as a career opportunity. Guest speakers are set-up to appear on Thursdays, with students performing community service on opposite weeks.

The students are only required to serve 15 hours of community service as part of the program, but Somers said they’ll do much more than that, because it’s part of the “Key to success.” iJAG stands for Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates. The program for High School Juniors and Seniors connects businesses and education, to provide the most cost-effective dropout prevention and school career solutions. 22 Seniors were enrolled in the program during the 2021-22 school year. The Atlantic School Board approved participation in iJAG in April, 2021.

In his report to the Board, Superintendent Steve Barber said the District’s Certified Enrollment numbers that will be submitted to the State, are up from last year, and overall up by 100 students, over the past two-years.

The Pre-Kindergarten through fourth grade statewide voluntary preschool is four students less than one year ago (does not include IEP four-year-olds). The total number of school-aged students served in Atlantic is 1,517, an increase of 40.9. The figures also include 5.5 more E.L. students. In other business, the Atlantic School Board approved the resignations of: Shelby Briggs, Washington Paraeducator; Adam Smith, Middle School Wrestling Coach, and Trace Petersen, MS Track Coach. The also approved Superintendent Steve Barber’s contract recommendations for the following:

• Evan Adamon, TLC Mentor & NHS Sponsor
• Samantha Gunderson & Jessica Burchman, HS Paraeducators
• Traci Luke, Sp. Ed Car/Suburban Driver
• Matt  Best, 9th Grade Girls Basketball Coach, & Ed Den Beste (Interim) 9th Grade Boys Basketball Coach
• Michaelin Juhl, Junior Class and Prim Sponsor
• Kelsey Haupert and Aaron Koontz, Volunteer Cheer Coaches
• Dayna Nakashima, Interpreter/Transcriber

High School Assistant Principal/Activities Director Andy Mitchell submitted, and the Board approved, his recommendations for the Summer 2023 Sports Coaches: Weight Room Coordinator, Derek Hall; Head Softball, Terry Hinzmann; JV Softball, Molly O’Hara; 9th Grade Softball, Derek Handel; JV Baseball, Oran Perkins, and 9th Grade Baseball, Bodie Johnson.

The Board approved an application to the Iowa Dept. of Education’s School Budget Review Committee (SBRC), for a Modified Allowable Growth amount of $585,683.55 for a 2021-22 Special Education Deficit, which, if approved, would allow the District to receive that amount in additional spending authority. Last year, the deficit was $485,405.32. They also approved Scot Aden as the District’s Title IX/Equity Coordinator and related name change for related board policies. Josh Rasmussen had previously served in that capacity.

The Board approved a transfer of $2,000 to the Class of 2023 and $6,852.28 to the Class of 2024, from the Class of 2022 Activity Fund balance (The fund balance was $8,852.28 prior to the Board approved transfer). The Atlantic School Board approved Mr. Barber’s recommendation that they accept a $30,000 life insurance donation from the estate of Lillie Johnson, and to transfer those funds to the Atlantic School Foundation, according to the family’s wishes. Lillie Johnson’s son Steven, the executor of his mother’s will, contacted Mr. Barber last Spring informing him of the donation. The funds are to be used to support education scholarships for students who plan to attend a post-secondary school. The life insurance company had listed the School District as beneficiary, hence the need to transfer the funds.

In other School Board news, they approved a pay application in the amount of $201,777 for the Achievement Center roof capital improvements project, and a final payment of $21,868 for the High School south parking lot project, which closes out that project.