(Radio Iowa) – Memorial Day is less than two weeks away, and while many Iowans talk about supporting the troops and veterans, volunteers are needed year-round at the Disabled American Veterans to help local men and women who served in uniform. John Kleindienst is a U-S Marine Corps veteran and the D-A-V’s national voluntary services director. He says the impact volunteers have on the veteran community is invaluable.

“When an individual volunteers for a veteran or a veteran’s family, they get to hear his side of the story and establish a relationship that continues to grow and prosper,” Kleindienst says. “So, I hear stories all the time from our volunteers and I hear stories all the time from veterans, how meaningful it is for volunteers to step in and fill critical gaps.” The number of veterans who need additional support is rising, especially since the number of volunteers has significantly dropped because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The D-A-V offers a variety of scholarships for young people who volunteer through the organization. “We do award 10 scholarships annually valued at $110,000. Our top scholarship is $30,000,” Kleindienst says. “(All) an individual 21 years of age or younger has to do is get out and volunteer for veterans and give us 100 hours or more in order to be eligible for our scholarship.”

The organization is now accepting applications for the 2024 scholarship season. Learn more at DAVscholarships.org.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says she wants to increase the oversight authority of the Department of Defense as a way to stem the flow of fentanyl at its source in Mexico. “The D-O-D plays a leading role in the nation’s counterdrug intelligence and monitoring operations. However, the lack of interagency cooperation over classification and inadequate resources have hampered our government’s counter fentanyl efforts,” Ernst says. The Republican from Red Oak says the Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act of 2023 has bipartisan support.

“This important measure would classify fentanyl trafficking as a national security threat to the United States to provide a response proportional to the problem,” she says. “Second, it would encourage U-S military forces to support counter front fentanyl efforts more actively.” Ernst says it would direct the Pentagon to develop a fentanyl-specific counter drug strategy, including enhanced cooperation with Mexican defense officials focused on putting the Pentagon’s tools to use to save lives.

Ernst says she is partnering with Democrat Senator Tim Kaine (Cane) of Virginia — who is on the Senate Armed Services Committee with her — and says they have Democrats and Republicans, both in the House and the Senate who support it. “We are very hopeful that we’ll either be able to get this introduced into the National Defense Act for passage this year, or we can work through other channels as well,” Ernst says. She says this is completely legal and there already have the counter drug efforts within D-O-D.

“It is completely congruent with what’s already existing in law. We are just expanding those authorities to work more with those Mexican officials,” she says. Ernst, who is retired from the Iowa National Guard, says she has already gone into Mexico and spoken with the Mexican Navy and Army leadership about how everyone can work together to curb fentanyl trafficking.

ADEL– Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources, today (Tuesday), said “Persons recreating on the North Racoon River should avoid an area immediately below the Adel Wastewater Treatment Facility where a pool of partially treated waste has collected after a release on Monday. A problem with a valve caused the release. The valve was repaired, but liquids with suspended solids pooled adjacent the river at the facility. The partially treated waste did go through ultraviolet disinfection treatment, but as a precaution, river users should avoid the area until the pool dissipates.”

The facility is off Portland Road on the southeast side of town.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports four arrests from the past week.

On Monday, May 15th, Deputies arrested 39-year-old Fernando Villa-Diaz, of Atlantic, on a Failure to Appear warrant.  Villa-Diaz was being held in the Cass County Jail (as of 5/16/23).

Last Friday, May 12th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 27-year-old Austin Van Aernam, of Atlantic, on a warrant for Criminal Mischief 2nd Degree.  Van Aernam turned himself into the Cass County Jail where he was booked-in and subsequently bonded out.

On May 11th, 46-year-old Amanda Bashor, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Failure to Appear warrant.  Bashor was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held pending her later release.

And, on May 9th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 42-year-old Christopher Holz, of Lewis, on the charge of Domestic Abuse Assault – 1st Offense.  Holz was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.

[UPDATED] (Atlantic, Iowa) – Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds hosted a Fentanyl Roundtable in Atlantic, Tuesday morning at City Hall. She also signed HF 595, a bill which increases penalties for fentanyl manufacturers and dealers whose actions lead to serious injury or death.

Reynolds blamed President Biden for allowing the flow of drugs to proliferate in this country.

The bill she signed also holds accountable those who lace counterfeit pills with small but deadly doses, by lowering the threshold for when penalties kick-in.

Gov. Reynolds signs HF 595 at City Hall, in Atlantic (5-16-26) – (Chris Parks photo_

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and DPS Commissioner Stephan Bayens both spoke at the event in Atlantic. Bird said “Drug dealers who kill and poison will be punished,” under the bill.

Commission Bayens said “Stopping the flow of poison’s like fentanyl into our communities remains one of our highest law enforcement priorities.”

DPS Commissioner Stephen Bayens (Chris Parks photo)

He said both urban and rural areas of the State are reeling from the influx of fentanyl coming into the State.

He said an award-winning example of the collaborative law enforcement strategies can be found in the recent federal indictments of six Iowans after a series of overdoses in Cass and Shelby Counties.

Bayens said “it took months of diligence and hard work from 12 different criminal justice agencies, but the efforts paid-off in June of last year, when a Grand Jury handed down six federal indictments All six plead guilty to their charges. A number of those defendants are being sentenced in the Council Bluffs Federal Courthouse. They are accused of distributing over 10-thousand fentanyl pills in southwest Iowa.

From Atlantic, the Governor moved on to Van Meter where she stopped at the I-80 eastbound Weigh Station, and signed SF 513, a bill for an act relating to motor vehicle enforcement duties of the department of public safety and the department of transportation, providing transfers of moneys, and including effective date provisions.