(Glenwood,Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports there were seven arrests over the past week. Today (Monday), a little after 1-a.m., 40-year-old Crystal Marie McCann, of Bellevue, NE., was arrested at the Mills County Jail on a warrant for Possession of Controlled Substance ($5,000 bond). Friday night, 38-year-old Garret Allen Horgdal, of Henderson,  was arrested on a warrant for Failure To Appear. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

There were three arrests Thursday in Mills County: 36-year-old Andrew Thomas Copeland Falk, of Red Oak, was arrested within the City Limits of Emerson, on 2 counts Possession of Controlled Substance, and Drug a Tax Stamp Violation (Bond $55,000); 41-year-old Louis Hardrock Younger, of Bedford, was arrested within the City Limits of Emerson for Possession of Controlled Substance (Bond: $25,000), and, on an Out of County/State Warrant (No Bond); 53-year-old Gary Duane Boehler, of Missouri Valley, was arrested in Mills County, Thursday at the Pottawattamie County Jail, on a warrant for Harassment in the 3rd Degree (Bond $300).

And, on March 30th, 25-year-old Devin Brandon Jackson, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Sarpy County, NE., Jail, on warrants for 2 counts  Violation of Probation (Bond: $50,000). Also arrested on the 30th at the same jail facility, was 27-year-old Corey James Wentz, from Des Moines, on a Mills County warrant for Theft in the 3rd Degree (Bond $2,000)

Sheriff’s officials said also, that on March 28th, Century Link in Omaha, NE reported an incident of Theft in the 4th Degree at 350th St/Marh Ave. No other details were provided.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say five people were arrested over the past four days, Authorities say that at around 4:23-a.m. today (Monday), 27-year-old Cody Shayne Thompson, of Diagonal, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Offense/Marijuana. Thompson was taken to the Union County Jail and held on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

Saturday evening, 38-year-old Lee Ryan Fowler, of Creston, was arrested at his residence on a Union County Warrant. The warrant was for an original charge was Violation of a No Contact Order and Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Fowler was transported to the Union County Jail where he later posted a $1,000 bond (cash or surety).

And, there were three separate arrests in Creston last Friday (April 1st):

• Just before 3-p.m., 34-year-old Julian Albert Rex Allision, of Creston, was charged with OWI 2nd offense, Driving while suspended and Eluding. Allison was transported to the Union County Jail and later posted at $7,300 cash or surety bond.
• At around 8:40-p.m., Friday, 35-year-old Thomas James Blobaum, of Creston, was arrested at his residence on a warrant out of Nebraska for Terroristic Threats. Blobaum was transported to the Union County Jail where he being held pending extradition to Nebraska.
• And, at around 11:30-p.m., Friday, 28-year-old Brandon Scott Lawrence, of Lorimor, was arrested in Creston with the assistance of Creston Police K9 Baxo. Lawrence was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd Marijuana. He later posted a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

In other news, Creston Police say a resident of the 800 block of W. Jefferson Street, reported Saturday morning, that someone got into his vehicle and took his wallet. The victim advised Police the contents of the wallet included a debit card, fuel card, boss debit card, DOT physical card and his driver’s license. No loss estimate was available. Saturday night, a man residing in the 400 block of N. Vine Street in Creston, reported to Police, that someone tried to break into his vehicle while parked at his residence. The man reported hearing his vehicle alarm go off at 9:50pm. When he went outside to check his vehicle, the man noticed damage to the front passenger’s door and the rear lift gate. No entry was made into the vehicle. Damage estimate $500.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – This week (April 3-9), is National Library Week, and the Atlantic Public Library encourages all community members to visit the library in person or online to explore and access services and programs. The library offers a wide array of programs, classes and resources that are available in person or from the comfort of home, including downloadable e-books, audiobooks, and magazines as well as online homework help.

National Library Week, is a time to highlight the essential role libraries, librarians and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening communities. The theme for this year’s National Library Week is “Connect with Your Library,” which promotes the idea that libraries are places to get connected to technology, media, programs, ideas and classes, in addition to books. Most importantly, libraries also connect communities to each other.

As demonstrated through the pandemic, libraries of all types go above and beyond to keep their communities connected by expanding their programming, resources and collections. Libraries across the country are making a difference in people’s lives by providing electronic learning resources like online homework help and wi-fi access for students and workers who may lack internet access at home. Atlantic Public Library Director Michelle Andersen says the Library is supporting the local community with services such as VIP Connections, a social club for adults every Tuesday morning, and online resources like Brainfuse, Creativebug, and Ancestry.com.

Events happening during National Library Week include:

• Holy Vulnerability, faith-based book group, today (Monday) at noon
• VIP Connections, a weekly social club that meets every Tuesday 10 am to Noon
• Magic the Gathering casual play on Tuesday 4-6 pm (continues on the first and third Tuesday of each month)
• Knitting Group Wednesday at 10 am (regularly meets on the first Wednesday of each month)
• Toddler Time, a weekly story time for young children, on Thursday at 10 am
• Lessons of the Holocaust program Thursday at 6 pm
• Community Shred Day, a drive-through shred service for personal papers, on Saturday 9-11 am

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries of all types across the country each April. For more information, visit the library’s website at www.atlantic.lib.ia.us or visit the Atlantic Public Library’s Facebook page. The Atlantic Public Library connects the community to information, resources, and each other in order to spark ideas and new connections.

(Radio Iowa) – March proved to be a mixed bag when it came to temperatures and precipitation. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says things were slightly wetter than normal. “Precipitation we were above average across much of the state — seven-tenths of an inch preliminarily. Typically we receive about two inches of snowfall and rainfall during March — above-average totals in the southeast two-thirds of the state,” Glisan says. He says there wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary in the temperatures for March. “It was near average when you look at temperatures statewide. We were about 36 degrees for the average temperature there,” Glisan says. “We did have pockets of above-average temperatures in north-central and southeastern Iowa — but basically what we would expect climatologically on the temperature side.”

Glisan says the most notable weather occurrence in March was the deadly tornadoes. “We lost seven individuals form two supercells spawned tornadoes in southern Iowa. This was the highest fatality count we had since the Parkersburg E-F-5 in 2008,” he says. “And it was the first E-F-4 tornado this far north, this early in March.” Glisan says the outlook for this month could give us some April showers “We have actually seen a shift in the precipitation field from the initial outlook issued in the middle of March. And we are seeing a slightly elevated signal for wetter conditions across the state — which would be beneficial in terms of drought conditions. Now we don’t want to get too wet to keep farmers out of the fields, but this is a good signal to have,” according to Glisan.

He says the signals for the temperature are not showing any trend toward warmer or cooler conditions at this point for April.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says over the past dozen years, his department has awarded 50 million dollars in state grants for installing ethanol-compatible equipment at gas stations and it’s time to take the next step.  “We can have a great industry that produces a fantastic product that’s cheaper and better for the environment,” Naig says, “but if a consumer doesn’t the opportunity to pick up the pump handle and pump it into their gas tank, we haven’t completed the supply chain.”

Naig says Governor Reynolds has proposed a practical Iowa Renewable Fuels Standard Governor because it requires stations that can to offer E-15, but waivers would be available to smaller, older stations that can’t afford new tanks, pumps and fuel lines. “There are fueling stations out there that don’t have compatible equipment, it’s an older station, it’s a mom and pop shop that there is no earthly reason for them to break up their concrete and replace all their tanks and pumps and hoses to be able to offer these higher blends,”Naig says, “but for those stations that can and that have compatible infrastructure, let’s get on with offering those higher blends.”

Under the plan that’s passed the House, Naig’s agency would be in charge of granting the waivers. Naig says he’s asked the legislature to make it very clear which stations would qualify for a waiver and not have to sell E-15 or higher blends of ethanol. “I don’t want a lot of gray area out here,” Naig says.

The governor’s ethanol standard for Iowa passed the House earlier this year, but has stalled in the Senate. House members have also voted for a moratorium on another ethanol-related issue. The proposal would delay until next year any developers’ request to seize property along proposed carbon pipeline routes where landowners have not signed off on access. Naig says he can see the benefits of capturing the carbon from Iowa ethanol plants and shipping it to underground storage through pipelines.

“If you can capture the CO2, you can lower the carbon intensity of a gallon of ethanol and what that can do is, we hope, preserve the longevity and the ethanol and biodiesel and renewable energy in our energy portfolio as a country and that is good news, that is a positive thing that can happen,” Naig says. “On the flip side, there is the issue of building a pipeline and those can be very difficult decisions for a landowner. Imagine a pipeline coming across a century farm.”

Three companies have announced plans to build carbon pipelines through Iowa. Naig says he’d much rather see the companies strike voluntary deals with landowners and the Iowa Utilities Board should be careful in considering private property rights before granting eminent domain for land seizures. “What I have encouraged each of the pipeline companies to do is negotiate in good faith, compensate landowners fairly, answer their questions, satisfy their concerns,” Naig says. “…If these projects are going to go, they should go because the landowners are willing to participate.”

Naig made his comments during a weekend appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

(Radio Iowa) – Several dozen people gathered on the state capitol steps Sunday for a rally to support transgender Iowans. Jo Allen was a lead organizer of the event.  “People that run this state don’t necessarily listen to our voices and that’s why we need spaces like this,” Allen said, “so that people can listen to the voices that are being impacted by bills that are being passed.”

A month ago, Governor Reynolds signed a bill requiring all participants in girls’ sports in Iowa high schools and women’s sports in Iowa colleges to have been identified as female on their birth certificates. Rally-goers say the move harms trans students who are at higher risk of suicide than their peers.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Katarina Sostaric)

(Radio Iowa) – A 62-year-old Cedar Rapids man has been charged with beating a woman to death with a board this weekend. Cedar Rapids Police say Arthur Flowers called 9-1-1 to report a woman had overdosed on heroin in his home. Officers found 22-year-old Emily Elizabeth Leonard dead in the bathroom from head trauma. Blood was found in the bathroom and in another room in the home.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports the 62-year-old appeared to have blood on his hands and police found a bloody board that is the suspected murder weapon. ANNOUNCER OUT: Flowers has been charged with first degree murder and is being held on a one-and-a-half million dollar bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (April 3, 2022) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed two positive cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Iowa. The virus was found in a commercial turkey flock in Sac County, Iowa and in a flock of commercial breeding chickens in Humboldt County, Iowa.

Flock owners should prevent contact between their birds and wild birds and report sick birds or unusual deaths to state/federal officials. Biosecurity resources and best practices are available at iowaagriculture.gov/biosecurity. If producers suspect signs of HPAI in their flocks, they should contact their veterinarian immediately. Possible cases should also be reported to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at (515) 281-5305.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States. It remains safe to eat poultry products. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F kills bacteria and viruses.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Public Library is hosting a special program called Lessons of the Holocaust, this Thursday, April 7, beginning at 6 pm. The presenter is retired educator Brad Wilkening who serves on the state commission for Holocaust education. The presentation includes historical background on the Nazi rise to power, survivor stories, and a call to action to apply these lessons to daily living.

Wilkening says, “We have a responsibility to help create a safer more caring environment. We need to be upstanders and not bystanders in the face of evil. My goal is to keep the lessons of the holocaust alive.”

The event is free and open to the public. Contact Library Director Michelle Andersen for more information (712-243-5466). The Atlantic Public Library continues to connect the community to information, resources, and each other, in order to spark new ideas and new connections.

(Farrgut, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Fremont County report a man from Missouri died in a crash that took place Friday morning, northeast of Farragut. The accident that occurred in the 3700 block of Highway 2, was reported at around 8:51-a.m. The driver of the vehicle, 29-year-old Brandon Michaelis, of Rock Port, MO., who was not wearing his seat belt, was partially ejected from his vehicle during the crash, and died at the scene.

An investigation determined the vehicle was traveling east during the overnight hours Thursday into Friday on Highway 2, and appeared to have lost control before it traveled into the south ditch, crossed a fence then entered a drainage ditch striking the south bank before coming to rest.

The accident is still under investigation. The Fremont County Sheriff’s was assisted at the scene by Farragut Fire and Rescue, Shenandoah Fire and Rescue and the Fremont County Coroner’s Office.