RED OAK, Iowa – Joni Ernst today (Monday), announced that former Vice President Mike Pence will be one of her special guests at her annual Roast and Ride taking place on Saturday, June 3.

“I’m excited to welcome Mike Pence to Roast and Ride this year! As a fellow motorcycle fan, Mike will also be joining me on my Ride to benefit Iowa’s Freedom Foundation,” said Joni Ernst. “Even though Joe Biden and the national Democrats ditched Iowa, Republicans are maintaining our FIRST in the nation status. My annual Roast and Ride is THE event to be at in 2023! It’s the perfect opportunity to engage directly with Iowans from all corners of the state.”

“Wherever Joni Ernst asks me to be, I will be. As proud parents of a Marine pilot, Karen and I understand the importance of giving back to organizations like Cedar Rapids’ own Freedom Foundation, an incredible veterans support charity,” said Vice President Mike Pence. “I am honored that Joni has once again asked me to join her annual Roast and Ride and look forward to being back with the people of Iowa soon!”

Former V-P Mike Pence

As a combat veteran and a champion for all veterans, Joni always donates the proceeds from her annual motorcycle Ride to an veterans charity. This year, she will be honoring Freedom Foundation in Cedar Rapids.

Last week, Ernst announced Nikki Haley will also be a special guest for this year’s Roast and Ride. Ernst has invited all 2024 Republican presidential candidates and hopefuls. Additional special guests will be announced soon.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Two outstanding individuals from the Atlantic community – Maria Peterson and Heidi Williams – were each awarded a Turner W. Russell Memorial Scholarship for 2023. Turner’s father, Ron Russell, says the scholarships are given in memory of Turner Russell, who passed away in 2020, following a 2-year battle with brain cancer. Turner’s life was characterized by a love of God and others, and he was involved in service to his church and community, while growing up in Atlantic. Turner also served in a number of short term, overseas, mission trips during his high school/college years, and was involved in a ministry to homeless individuals in Denver, during his years at Colorado Christian University. The $1500 scholarships honor students who have demonstrated strong character, academic scholarship and service to others through school, community or church.

Maria Peterson

Maria Peterson Scholarship Photo 2023

Maria is a 2023 Atlantic High School graduate, who plans to attend Des Moines Area Community College in the Fall, with a planned field of study in the area of Business Administration, taking classes towards the Medical Office Specialist program. Maria has been a very involved student, participating in band, choir, girls swimming and management of boys basketball. Additionally, she has a record of academic excellence. Maria’s references describe her as a person of high character who helps others, and is respected by peers and adults alike. She has actively served others in the community and in her church, including ministries that support those in need, and individuals with disabilities. Her service and ministry to children has included participation in Vacation Bible School, and as a camp counselor at Central Iowa Bible Camp.

Heidi Williams

Heidi plans to attend Moody Bible Institute, in Chicago, this Fall to pursue a degree in Children and Family Ministry. She was a dual-enrolled student with Atlantic High School, and previously graduated from her Homeschool Academy. During her high school years, she participated in basketball, track, and cross-country, and was a member of the National Honor Society. She was also highly involved in her community and church. An active participant in GracePoint Church, she served as an Awana leader for children, was a musician for the Worship Team, and served several years as a counselor at Bethany Camp. After high school, she traveled with Life Action Ministries for three years in the role of Lead Children’s Minister for the team that taught 4-7 year olds. Life Action Ministries is an organization that hosts church conferences across the country that include Bible-centered preaching, quality worship, and children / student ministries. References describe Heidi as a person of high character, who demonstrates a love for God and a love for people, along with a servant’s heart.

Heidi Williams Scholarship Photo 2023

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A regularly scheduled Atlantic City Council meeting will be held 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. On the agenda is a Public Hearing on Amending the FY 2023 Budget, followed later on in the Council action items, by a Resolution to Amend the Budget as presented.

The Council is also expected to award the 2023 4^th of July Fireworks Display contract, the bids for which were solicited following the Council’s meeting on May 3^rd. City Administrator John Lund says only one bid was received by the 5-p.m. Deadline, this past Friday. The bid from Wild Wayne’s Fireworks was $12,500. The City has budgeted $10,750 for the event from the FY 2023 Budget. Lund says “without an alternative, the Council will either have to reject the bid and not have the show, or accept the bid.” He says he thinks he can accommodate the $1,750 difference in the LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) Progress Fund. The Atlantic City Council awarded the fireworks contract last year, to Wild Wayne’s.

In related business, the City Council will discuss the date of the fireworks display. The 4^th of July is on a Tuesday, this year. Traditionally, the Council has set the date of the 4^th and the preceding two days, as the time and days for residents to shoot-off fireworks. Since that would fall on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday this year, Lund says “there is a high degree of likelihood that they will be shot off on Saturday, July 1^st. The Council he says, “Will need to come to a consensus on what days should be allowed for the use of fireworks, so those dates are finalized by their June 7^th meeting agenda.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will:

• Act on an Order to Approve an Agreement with Fusebox Marketing, for website design & development, website hosting, security and site health, a website enhancement plan and photography/video services.
• Act to pass a Resolution adjusting season 2023 benefits for Sunnyside Pool Lifeguards.
• Hold the 3^rd and final reading of an Amended Ordinance (#1031), with regard to Sewer Service Charges (as previously explained in our news reports)
• And, the 2^nd reading of an Amended Ordinance (#1032), pertaining to Special [downtown] Parking Permits (also previously mentioned in our reports).

(Audubon, Iowa) – A man from Exira was sentenced to prison last week, in Audubon County District Court. According to online court documents, 45-year-old Mark A. Smith agreed to a plea deal that resulted in his being sentenced May 9, 2023 to 10-years in prison, with credit for time served. Smith was charged with Felony 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse in connection with an incident that occurred March 3,2021.

Smith had previously been cited into court last Decemeber, on two counts Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree, and two counts Sex Abuse in the 2nd Degree, on September 22, 2022. In October, 2022, four-counts of Lascivious Acts with a child that allegedly took place in Sept., 2020, were dismissed by the court.

In addition to his prison sentence, Smith was ordered to pay a fine of $1,370, but that was suspended by the court. He must register on the State’s Sex Offender Registry, submit a DNA sample for the record, and pay a civil penalty.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports two separate arrests took place, Friday. 39-year-old Trisha Jae Johnston, of Creston, was arrested at her residence, Friday evening. Johnston was charged with Driving while Barred. She was taken to the Creston Union County LEC, cited and released.

And, at around 12:35-a.m., Friday, Creston Police arrested 21-year-old Jacob Stover Rushing, of Creston, at the intersection of Wyoming and Highway 34. Rushing was charged with OWI 1st offense. He was taken to the Union County Jail, and later released on a $1, 000 cash or surety bond.

(Radio Iowa) – National Bike to Work Week starts today (Monday) and the sudden proliferation of electric bikes, e-scooters and even e-skateboards is bringing a new series of risks and challenges — as well as benefits. Cara Hamann, director of training and education at the Injury Prevention Research Center, based at the University of Iowa, says motorists can be surprised when one of these so-called “micro mobility devices” darts into their path on a city street. “When you get on these things, you can go pretty fast. People aren’t used to seeing someone like on a human-powered scooter or skateboard go that fast,” Hamann says, “and so there’s a lot of times misperception by the drivers of how fast people are going on these small devices, and that mismatch can lead to collisions.”

While plenty of people ride traditional bicycles for the exercise, many of the e-bikes also require you to pedal in order to move, just not as much. “There is one class of e-bike, Class Two, where it has a throttle that you don’t have to pedal, but the majority of what you see, you do have to pedal, so you’re getting at least some physical activity,” Hamann says. “The other biggest benefit is using something like an e-bike instead of a car, you have environmental benefits of less emissions.”

Plus, the smaller, personal electric vehicles can help to relieve traffic congestion, while gas-powered vehicles sitting in traffic emit even more pollution. In most communities, this micro mobility technology has advanced faster than ordinances have been passed, so e-scooters may not need a license plate, nor do the riders need to be licensed to take them on the road. In some Iowa cities, e-bikes are readily available for rent on downtown street corners. “Especially with things like e-scooters, there’s been major loopholes in city code. You’ll have e-scooter companies just drop a fleet of e-scooters in a city overnight,” Hamann says, “and there isn’t any policy against it and so all of a sudden, you have these scooters all over the place.”

Electric bike

Dockless e-scooters can be rented for minutes at a time and then left anywhere, so the next renter has to use a smartphone app to find it. That leads to the devices being dropped on sidewalks, creating clutter and a hazard. Plus, some e-scooter users may choose to zip down a sidewalk, darting between pedestrians, which can also be problematic. “People riding them on the sidewalk is a major concern because they can travel pretty fast. On an e-scooter, you can get up to 30 miles per hour, something that really should be ridden on the road, not on the sidewalk,” Hamann says. “That kind of speed mismatch between someone walking and someone on an e-scooter can lead to major injuries if there is a collision.”

While micro mobility devices can be positive additions to our transportation system, Hamann says we need to hone in on safety and policy, and she adds, drivers need to pay attention and be patient in sharing the road.

(Radio Iowa) – State Patrol Troopers who look for illegal drugs on the interstates that crisscross Iowa say our state is no longer just a drive through area on the way to larger cities. Captain Nathan Andrews says the amount of drugs they’ve seen indicate the drugs are now being stored here for distribution. “Hundreds of pounds of meth, coke, fentanyl coming to Des Moines to be harbored in Des Moines,” Andrews says. “So it’s becoming what we always call like a hub city,” he says.

He says they have never seen that before in Des Moines and Iowa in general. “Some suspicions on that might be the borders are pretty porous right now. So they’re bringing in whatever they can get in while they can before that gets locked down or something changes down there, and it’s got to go somewhere,” he says. “So let’s get it in the United States, let’s harbor it up everywhere we can harbor wherever we have organization that can handle it. That could be one reason.” Andrews says the pandemic saw enforcement slowed down and that freed up a lot of movement for criminals, which could be another reason the drugs are being stored in Iowa.

Drugs seized ISP photo

Trooper Ryan Zenor works with the Patrol’s drug dogs and says they routinely see hundreds of pounds of drugs in one stop. “Twenty years ago, and we’re seeing this to walk up, get probable cause and search a car and find 40 to 50 kilos of methamphetamine, cocaine and suitcases in a trunk was unheard of. We would find compartments electronic compartment, and you may find one or two pounds. And that was an absolute huge seizure back in the day,” Zenor says. He says they track the quantity and dollar value of the drugs they seize on the interstates. “Just in 2022 we had 665 pounds of marijuana, one-point-five million (dollars). Cocaine 442 pounds 15-point-five million street value. Methamphetamine 241 pounds six-point-three million street value,” Zenor says.

He says the really alarming number is the seixure of 11-and-a-half pounds of fentanyl. Zenor says that doesn’t seem like a lot when you look at the other drug amounts, but it’s more dangerous. “Just a little dangerous scuff is lethal to us,” he says. Zenor says federal officials did some figuring on the impact after a big fentanyl seizure over in Omaha last year. “They did some studies on if five pounds of fentanyl was airborne, it would take out the population of Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota in one shot. That’s how lethal it is. If you could actually get fentanyl airborne, it would take out all populations of Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota,” Zenor says.

The two say they continue to see large amounts of drugs coming across the state this year. The Troopers made their presentation ruing the recent meeting of the state Transportation Commission.