(Radio Iowa) – A World War Two veteran who was a charter member of the Iowa Air National Guard and former commander of the 185th Air Wing has died at age 97. Colonel Warren “Bud” Nelson served in the military for almost 40 years. Brigadier General Larry Christensen, a recent commander of the 185th, says Nelson was a true pioneer of the Air Force. “He was there at the beginning of the Air Force and the Air National Guard coming out of World War Two. And so then you think about those guys and what they did, I guarantee there wasn’t a how to book back then, how to start an Air Force how to start an Air National Guard,” he says. “And that’s why I always say to retirees, especially up there at the 185th, that we’re standing on their shoulders, they’re the ones that created the foundation.”

Nelson had been working as a P-51 instructor pilot after World War Two and was determined to continue flying. At the age of 21, with three years under his belt, he moved to Sioux City to join the newly formed 174th Fighter Squadron. There he continued to fly the P-51 Mustangs until 1950 when he switched to the jet-powered F-84 Thunderjet.

Warren “Bud” Nelson (photo by Vince DeGroot,ING)

Christensen says Nelson was unique in flying several different aircraft. “A lot of people they only fly one airplane. I was lucky enough to do three, but he actually did eight,” Christensen says. “So again, we go back to the history that he had, the knowledge that he had, you know the different experiences. We’re gonna be hard pressed to find anybody with that kind of experience.”

Nelson volunteered to become part of the world’s first nuclear fighter bomber wing when he and other 174th pilots were assigned to the 20th fighter bomber wing in Europe. They flew regular missions along the West German border as a show of force against Soviet-occupied East Germany. The 174th eventually grew into the 185th tactical fighter group which was assigned the F-100 super saber and was activated again in 1968 for the war in Vietnam. Nelson became the wing commander in 1976 and went through his final airframe change when the unit transitioned to the A-7 Corsair in 1977, and then retired in 1980. Christensen says with all that Nelson accomplished, he was very humble about it.

“He’d sit and talk to you for as long as you want to talk — but he definitely wasn’t a person to brag. Even though he had the right to do so, he never did,” Christensen says. Nelson was a native of Jackson, Minnesota, but called Sioux City home for most of his life, and continued to live here after his retirement in 1980. The funeral for Nelson will take place at 10 a-m Friday at the First Presbyterian Church in Sioux City. Visitation is Thursday from 4-6 p-m. at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel, with a Masonic service at 6 p-m.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Malvern was arrested Tuesday evening. 71-year-old James Edward Pontow was arrested at around 6-p.m., for Driving While Barred.

Deputies investigated an incident that resulted in property damage, Wednesday afternoon. Authorities say 48-year-old John Lindeman, of Defiance, was backing a 2020 Kenworth semi tractor-trailer up a driveway at 21505 Eastman Road at around 4:45-p.m., after he improperly turned down the driveway. The truck was unable to gain traction on the gravel road, and was privately towed back to Eastman Road.

The Sheriff’s Office said the semi’s actions caused significant ruts and damage to the gravel driveway that had just been resurfaced by the homeowner. Lindeman told Deputies that his GPS told him to use the driveway as he was delivering goods, but he realized too late that the address was not correct, and he was unable to back-up on the driveway. No citations were issued.

(Radio Iowa) – Triple A is reporting gasoline prices in Iowa are about 30 cents a gallon higher than a month ago. Meredith Mitts is a spokeswoman for Triple A Iowa. “The reason we’re seeing this is while crude oil is still hovering around roughly the same prices, we’re seeing an increase in demand,” she says, “which is driving some of those prices up.” Mitts says gas prices in the weeks ahead are expected to rise because of holiday travel and weather may be another factor.

“It could be a snow storm or a rain storm. It could be a hurricane hitting some of those pipelines,” Mitts says, “but severe weather has the ability to impact what gas prices we’re seeing locally even if hitting somewhere else, like down in Florida or on the east or west coast.” Council Bluffs is where gas is selling for the lowest price right now — three-59 ($3.59) a gallon, according to Triple A. Ames has the highest price at three-84 ($3.84) a gallon. “In the last week, though, we’ve really only gone up three or four cents, depending on where you’re at,” Mitts says.

Diesel fuels prices are averaging above five dollars a gallon in Iowa. That’s about 38 cents more than a week ago — and nearly equal to the nationwide jump in diesel this past week.

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.