(Radio Iowa) – Two central Iowa men are now jailed after what police describe as a murder and robbery. Des Moines police were called to an apartment Sunday morning and found the body of a 32-year-old man who officers said had “obvious traumatic injury,” and later said he’d been shot to death. Within hours, two suspects were in custody. Dontaye Burton and Antonio Ross, both 33 and from Des Moines, are each charged with first-degree murder and robbery.

Police say Burton and Ross removed property from the crime scene, but police didn’t say what, though three firearms were recovered. It’s Des Moines’ tenth homicide of the year.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak say a traffic stop at around 10:30-p.m. Friday, resulted in the arrest of a man from Villisca. Authorities say 20-year-old Braden Alan Gray was arrested in the 1900 block of Highway 34, for Driving While Revoked – a serious misdemeanor. Gray was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Board of Supervisors’ regular weekly meeting takes place beginning at 9-a.m. on Tuesday, in their Board Room at the Courthouse, in Harlan. Auditor Mark Maxwell provided KJAN with the agenda:

1. Call to order
2. Conflict of Interest with the Agenda
3. Approval of Agenda-Action Item
4. Claims of July 14th, 2022 Action Item
5. Approve Minutes of July 5^th, 2022 Action Item
6. Supervisor Committee Reports Action Item
7. Consider Recorders quarterly fees and Recorders report approval – Action Item
8. Todd Valline Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry report to Supervisors.
9. Resolution 2022-36 set hearing date and first reading for a Hazardous liquid pipeline ordinance to implement and supplement county land restoration and damage assessment Authority in accordance with Iowa Code Chapter 479B- Action Item
10. Resolution 2022-37 set hearing date and second reading for a Hazardous liquid pipeline ordinance to implement and supplement county land restoration and damage assessment Authority in accordance with Iowa Code Chapter 479B. Action Item
11. Resolution 2022-38 set hearing date and third reading for a Hazardous liquid pipeline ordinance to implement and supplement county land restoration and damage assessment Authority in accordance with Iowa Code Chapter 479B Action Item
12. Resolution 2022-39 set hearing date and first reading for a Carbon dioxide pipeline risk minimization certification ordinance. August 2^nd Action Item
13. Resolution 2022-40 set hearing date and second reading for a Carbon dioxide pipeline risk minimization certification ordinance.  Action Item
14. Resolution 2022-41 set hearing date and third reading for a Carbon dioxide pipeline risk minimization certification ordinance.  Action Item
15. Secondary Roads Report including; three detour arrangements with the Iowa DOT, for use of M-16 and F-32 as detour routes during three DOT projects-Action Item
16. Consider  Appointment recommendation of Stacy Ferry to Landfill Commission– Action Item
17. Adjourn

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say a total of five arrests took place Friday and Saturday. On Saturday, 36-year-old Heather Layne Green, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While Suspended. She was cited and released from the scene. And, 22-year-old Christian Garcia-Vasquez, of Creston, was arrested at his home, Saturday, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. He was later released from the Union County Jail on a $300 cash or surety bond.

At around 11:05-p.m. Friday, Creston Police arrested 36-year-old Tyler Dean Gage, of Kent, for Conspiracy/Intent to Manufacture/Deliver Methamphetamine, Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Gage was transported to the Union County Jail. Gage was later released on $15,300 bond. At around 6-p.m., Friday, 26-year-old Azzinaro Haze, of Creston, was arrested on a Polk County Warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense, and Contempt: violation of no contact order/protective order. Haze was being held without bond in the Union County Jail while awaiting extradition to Polk County.

And, at around 4:50-p.m. Friday, 38-year-old Trisha Jae Johnston, of Creston, was arrested for Driving while Suspended. Johnston was transported to the Union County Jail where and later transported to Adams County Jail. She was eventually released on a $300 cash or surety bond.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Fair concludes its week-long run this evening, with the 4-H/FFA Livestock auction. The auction begins at 5:30-p.m. And, while that Fair wraps-up, three more county fairs are set to get-underway this week. Preparation for the Montgomery County Fair in Red Oak began in earnest last Saturday. And, while there are some judging events scheduled for today, the Fair officially begins Tuesday, and runs through Sunday. Find a pdf link to the full schedule, HERE.

The Adair County Fair in Greenfield is set to begin its full slate of activities on Wednesday. For the complete schedule, click HERE. And, The Pottawattamie County Fair in Avoca begins its complete schedule, on Thursday. Here’s the schedule (Click to enlarge):

DES MOINES – As part of an effort to develop a statewide drought preparedness plan, the Iowa DNR and partners will host three of four public stakeholder meetings this week, and a virtual meeting in August to gather ideas and input. DNR’s coordinator of hydrology resources Tim Hall says  “Iowa has been through significant droughts in 1988, 2012 and 2021. While the state responded well to those events, a statewide drought plan would allow for better coordination between agencies, better communication, and improved response.”

A number of state agencies have come together to develop such a drought plan for Iowa, including the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. An important part of drought planning efforts is the collection of ideas and experiences from Iowans. To gather information, the agencies will host a series of public stakeholder meetings. A meeting was held July 6th, in Iowa Falls, and another is set for July 21st, in Cedar Rapids.

An Online-only meeting will be held 9-a.m. Aug. 3rd. Details on the virtual session will be released closer to the meeting date. In western Iowa, the drought plan meetings will be held in:

• Sioux City:
  July 20, 9 a.m.
  Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, 101 Pierce St.
  Register for Sioux City Drought Planning Meeting

• Creston:
  July 22, 9 a.m.
  Southwestern Community College, 1501 West Townline St.
  Register for Creston Drought Planning Meeting

Monthly reports on drought conditions in Iowa can be found in the Water Summary Update.

Palo, IOWA (Iowa DPS Press Release):  Officials with the Iowa Department of Public report that on Friday, July 15, 2022, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a welfare check at the Jodie Bevans residence, 3397 64th Street Palo, IA. Upon arrival, law enforcement officials located Bevans (58) inside her residence, deceased. Based on the condition of the scene and the suspicious nature of her death, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Criminalistics Laboratory were called to assist with the investigation.

On Sunday, July 17, 2022 the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy. Autopsy results are pending and the Cause of Death and Manner of Death is yet to be determined. The incident is being investigated by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Criminalistics Laboratory, Benton County Medical Examiner’s Office and the Benton County Attorney’s Office.

The investigation is ongoing and no additional information will be released at this time.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v Wade is “only the beginning” of a policy agenda. “For nearly five decades we fought for this moment and none of it was easy,” Reynolds says, “…but with Dodds…the Lord reminded us…to the one that knocks, it will be opened.” Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says over the past 40 years as a member of the Judiciary Comittee, he’s helped shape the Supreme Court’s six-to-three conservative majority. “Judicial confirmations do matter and elections matter,” Grassley said, “and 2016 made a big, big difference.” Grassley says unelected judges shouldn’t be deciding when life begins.

“I cast my first pro-life vote in 1972, a year before Roe v Wade,” Grassley said. “There was a big attempt to repeal Iowa’s law banning abortions and it failed in the Iowa House of Representatives on a 44 to 44 vote.” Grassley was elected to the U.S. House in 1974. A Des Moines Register “Iowa Poll” released this weekend shows Grassley leading Democratic challenger Mike Franken by eight points, suggesting may be the closest race Grassley has faced since his first senate race in 1980. Grassley and Reynolds spoke late Friday at an annual event hosted by The Family Leader. It’s a Christian evangelical organization that lobbied for the six-week abortion ban Governor Reynolds signed into law four years ago that is in limbo in Iowa courts.

“It helped kick off a wave of pro-life legislation across this country that ultimately led to the fall of Roe,” Reynolds said, to cheers and applause, “and when that injunction is lifted the will of the people, the decision to protect life, will be restored in Iowa.” Reynolds did not outline new state policies on abortion she’d pursue if she’s reelected governor this November, but the governor called on the crowd to support women with unplanned pregnancies. “Our job is far from done,” Reynolds says. “…Let’s also resolve together to continue to devote that same energy to helping these mothers and their babies as we did in reversing Roe.” Reynolds also pledged to keep pushing to send state money to parents enrolling their children in private schools.

“When it comes to education, one size really doesn’t fit all,” Reynolds says. “Some families may want an education for their children that conforms to their faith and to their moral convictions.” The keynote speaker at the day-long Family Leadership Summit was FOX News host Tucker Carlon. Carlson, who has said he’s NOT running for president, urged the crowd to critically assess the G-O-P candidates who will be begging for your votes in the 2024 Iowa Caucuses. “It’s easy to let your own side slide when the other side is a literally unacceptable option,” Carlson said.

Carlson says there’s a “pretty much open field” of candidates competing for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination. He suggests Iowa voters ask candidates questions focused on domestic issues like the economy and education.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa Department of Public Safety Special Agent In Charge is the first chief of the new School Safety Bureau Governor Reynolds announced in June. Special Agent Don Schnitker says the goal of the Governor’s School Safety Bureau is to be a new resource.  “We’re not mandating the schools changed their protocols, we’re not telling local law enforcement have to do anything different than they’ve been doing in the past,” Schnitker. “We’re just here to provide them better resources, in our law enforcement community in our schools are prepared. I think our schools in Iowa are safe. But we’re in a position now to provide services that I think can help them do it better.”

The governor has allocated 100 million dollars to the program. Schnitker has been in law enforcement 21 years — including the last 17 years as part of the D-C-I’s Major Crime Unit. He knows from experience that these issues are not going away. “We can, might not be able to prevent everything, but I think we can train for the worst and hope for the best. And the better prepared we are to respond, the better hardened our schools are to deter the threat, the better our teachers and our local partners are trained on recognizing concerning behavior early on will help prevent these,” according to Schnitker. His first step is hiring the team that he’ll lead.

Don Schnitker

“A team of analysts to analyze some of our data, we’re gonna get a full-time training specialist to help provide that training to schools and our local partners. We’re excited about a new, anonymous reporting tool — it’ll probably be an app that some of our students can use, and parents can use to report concerning behavior,” he explains. One of the first things they plan to do is provide training. “We’re going to be working with Homeland Security and the Department of Education on vulnerability assessments. For our bureau, we’re hiring training a specialist specifically that will help train our first responders and teachers in the alert training,” he says. “That’s the training program, we think, nationally is, is the best training program out there. It teaches law enforcement how to respond to active shooter incidents.”

He says that training isn’t just tailored to law enforcement — it can also better prepare educators. “Whether that being secure in their rooms better or evading the threat. Those are kind of the resources we want to get out so that if something like this happens, you know, the teachers in the local community has a plan,” he says. One other resource is a dedicated emergency radio that will be offered to any district that wants one. “I think that radio will be a good tool for schools to have that resource available that if they have a concern or there’s a threat on the property, they can get that communication which is so vital to local law enforcement immediately, Schnitker says.

Schnitker says all students should know that Iowa schools are very safe and this isn’t a response or a fear that something’s going to happen. He compares it to wearing your seatbelt in the car — you don’t expect to get into an accident — but you are prepared and safer with a seatbelt if it does. Schnitker is working to get many of these things in place and ready for the start of the school year this fall.

(Radio Iowa) – Officials say construction of a large wind farm in central Iowa is on schedule to be finished by November. James Stovall, site manager for Apex Clean Energy, says the Great Pathfinder wind project will stretch into both Boone and Hamilton counties. “All of our public roads are completed,” Stovall says. “We’ve cement-stabilized the roads in both counties which will give you a good sub-base going forward to be able to maintain those roads and you’ll have some really nice roads to to use whenever we’re finished.”

Stovall says trenching operations for the turbines began last week, while deliveries of the turbines and blades will begin early next month and conclude by October. “We’re just over halfway done on our turbine foundations,” Stovall says. “We’re almost 100% complete on our excavations for those foundations and we anticipate being finished with all the concrete foundation work probably within the first week of August.”

Apex says up to 200 people are working on the project site in both counties. When complete, the turbines will have a capacity of 224 megawatts, enough to power 56-thousand homes.