(Radio Iowa) – In a follow-up to our previous report, the State of Iowa is ramping up public awareness efforts in response to an influx of fake prescription drugs laced with fentanyl that have shown up in the state. Public Safety Commissioner, Steven Bayens says the pills are produced mainly in Mexico. “The pill presses used by the cartels can create nearly flawless reproductions of common prescription drugs. As a result, even our own agents are now trained to treat every prescription pill they encounter, like it contains fentanyl,” Bayens says.

Bayens says the procedures for mixing what goes into the pills is not as sophisticated as the production process — and that leads to pills that are deadly. “The Drug Enforcement Administration has found that four out of every ten counterfeit pills submitted to their lab contains a lethal dose,” he says. “If we apply that data point to Iowa, more than 28,000 lethal doses of fentanyl had been seized. In the first six months alone.” Bayens says the amount of fentanyl that is lethal can fit on the lead of a pencil. Too much fentanyl creates what is called a ‘hot batch.” He says you can help by reporting the discovery of the fake pills.

Steven Bayens, Iowa Public Safety Commissioner

“The quicker we can identify a hot batch has made its way into a community. The quicker we can alert health officials, educate the public and begin enforcement action designed to stop its deadly effects,” according to Bayens.”We would also encourage citizens to call and would cut our narcotics tip hotline to report suspected drug activity. Every tip that comes into the hotline that is submitted to us by an anonymous email is distributed to one of our 17 field offices throughout the state.”

He says the pills are dangerous to handle, and you should not try to dispose of them yourself. Bayens says it’s also important for the lab to review the pills to try and determine their makeup. Anyone that finds a counterfeit pill is encouraged to call the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement anonymous tip hotline at (800) 532-0052 or dneinfo@dps.state.ia.us and in the case of an emergency, call 9-1-1. Bayens says the most common pills are designed to look like the powerful painkiller oxycontin. “They’re smaller blue pills that are marked with M 30. And that’s actually the pharmaceutical markings for oxycontin. And so the vast majority of what we’re seeing right now and the vast majority of the seizures have appeared to be oxycontin. They’re stamped blue roughly the same size and have M 30 inscribed on them,” he says.

Governor Kim Reynolds says the state is planning to target young people to try and educate them more on the issue. “The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services will be deploying an extension of its public health multimedia campaign targeting preteens to young adults, which is currently focused on suicide prevention to include new messaging about the dangers of fentanyl,” Reynolds says.

The focus on fentanyl comes after overdose deaths in Cass and Shelby counties uncovered a fentanyl distribution ring in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. For 24-hour confidential support and for more information on fentanyl and counterfeit pills, or for resources on opioid or other substance use disorders, visit www.YourLifeIowa.org.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Senator Joni Ernst objects to President Biden’s executive order for nationwide access to medication abortion and emergency contraception.  “I am outraged by the president’s actions,” Ernst says. “…I don’t believe the president should have engaged the way that he did when it comes to abortion issues.” President Biden’s move came two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 1973 Roe v Wade decision and Ernst says it’s now up to states to regulate abortion. “I know that there are a lot of heated arguments and discussions that will happen because of this decision. That’s okay,” Ernst says. “I just want to remind everybody that a decision has been made by an independent branch of the federal government. It will go back to those states – those governors, those elected representatives — for decisions to be made that will be right for those states.”

In May, the Washington Post reported that if Republicans win control of congress in this fall’s election, Ernst would lead an effort next year to ban abortions nationwide. During a conference call with Iowa reporters, Ernst was asked if she’ll introduce such a bill in the Senate. “I am adamantly pro-life and I do believe that the Supreme Court made the right decision in the Dobbs case by sending these decisions back to state and local authorities,” Ernst replied. “…I’m anxious to see what the Iowa legislature and the governor will be debating on this issue.”

Ernst says she believes presidential action on abortion-related policies — like the executive order Biden issued last Friday — are unconstitutional. Biden has called the court’s decision on abortion wrongheaded, but the president told reporters last week the only way to ensure access to abortion is by electing lawmakers who support abortion rights.

(UPDATED; Radio Iowa) – More than a dozen Iowans are helping to fight wildfires in three other states this month as part of a nationwide partnership program. Ryan Schlater, a fire specialist with the Iowa D-N-R, says six Iowans are rotating in groups of three to west Texas, where the Dempsey Fire has scorched thousands of acres of forests. Another two-person Iowa crew is fighting wildfires in Colorado. “We have six that are in Alaska on a 20-person hand crew, which is mixed in with Missouri Department of Conservation and the Mark Twain National Forest folks,” Schlater says, “and they will be there for 21 days.”

Should a wildfire break out in Iowa this week, Schlater says there’s no cause for concern that our state is being left shorthanded while these firefighters are elsewhere. “A lot of them are county conservation board employees who may take vacation. We have very few Iowa DNR folks who actually go,” Schlater says. “We service basically any Iowa citizen who’s interested and able to go on wildfires. We get them trained. We put them through a physical fitness test, and then they’re eligible to go on national fires.” The fire program that provides “mutual aid” between states has been sending Iowa’s wildland firefighters to national incidents since 2006, but Schlater says it’s rare other states sends crews to Iowa.

Via Texas Park & Wildlife at Texas.gov

“We are very blessed in Iowa here,” he says. “We have around 900 volunteer fire departments across the state. And if you think about it, we have a road pretty much every mile in most places, some places it may be more, but a road is a perfect firebreak. Also, we have good access to most of our lands where wildfires start.” The Iowans on the firefighting teams go through at least 40 hours of training before their first assignment abroad, and even then, they’ll be paired up with much more experienced individuals.

“There is risk, obviously, with with any fire,” Schlater says, “but we have a lot of safety measures in place that we try to adhere to and keep everyone safe and bring them home.” Schlater says all of the slots are filled for this year’s firefighting program, but they’re already signing up volunteers for next year. Learn more here:
www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Fire-Management 

(Radio Iowa) – Before hitting the hay tonight (Wednesday), Iowans should be sure to check out the July “supermoon,” what promises to be the biggest and brightest of the year. Peter Geiger, editor of the Farmer’s Almanac, says tonight’s gem in the sky is known as the “Buck Moon.” Geiger says, “That’s because the velvety antlers of the male deer that start to sprout in the springtime, by the time we get to July, they’re pointed and they’re hardened.”

Geiger says the moon may appear to be a bit larger tonight as this is the month in which it’s closest to the earth.  “In reality, whether it’s 2,000 miles closer or less isn’t going to make a difference in what you see,” he says, “but I think because your weather is going to be very good, you’re going to see a very bright, illuminated moon.”

Tonight’s “supermoon” is also known as the “Hay Moon” after the July hay harvest, and the “Thunder Moon” in correlation to this month’s typical storms. If clouds do block your view tonight, there will be another “supermoon” on August 11th, what’s known as the “Sturgeon Moon.”

(Radio Iowa) – Inflation in June hit a record peak above nine percent and Iowa educators expect more students will arrive at school next month without adequate supplies. Beth Hanson is an elementary school teacher in Lake Mills. “We’re seeing a lot of kids who just need that assistance,” she says. “not just monetarily, but socially and emotionally, needing all those things.” Hanson says classroom performance can be diminished if a student feels ashamed or shunned because of what they don’t have. “You do a lot of talking, you look into their situation. We a lot of times will even talk to families, see what they need,” Hanson says. “Sometimes we may not even know what they need until we start talking to the right people and I think that’s what’s important.”

Like most schools, Lake Mills offers assistance from a variety of sources — including from teachers like Hanson. “The other day I bought a pair of shoes for a little girl who had never owned a pair of sandals,” Hanson says. “…She was so excited about a pair of sandals.” Connor Kem, the principal at Lake Mills Elementary, says the district has its own assistance fund and a list of other resources for families who are struggling to make ends meet. “Now you are really thinking about gas, groceries — all of those things that are a really hierarchy of need many times just because you’ve got to get to and from,” Kem says, ” and you’ve got to have things available at home for your kiddos.”

During the last school year, nearly 41 percent of Iowa students qualified for free or reduced-price lunches at school. Some schools and teachers are using this week’s Amazon Prime Day — when many items are significantly cheaper — to buy supplies and other items for students.

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM School Board, Monday evening, acted on approving several matters. Before he provided KJAN News with a recap of the Board’s actions, shared CAM/Nodaway Valley Superintendent Paul Croghan congratulated the CAM Cougars Baseball Team for clinching the Substate final in Class 1A, Tuesday night.

The senior class for the CAM Cougars played in their 4th Substate Final of their 5 year careers on Tuesday night. For the first time those seniors tasted victory in that game with an 11-1 win over Ogden in 5 innings of play. CAM improved their record to 26-2 on the season and will head back to the state tournament for the first time since 2017. The Cougars will play in the 1A Quarterfinals on Monday in Carroll. We’ll have coverage on KJAN.

Mr. Croghan said the CAM School Board, Monday, approved a few resignations and several contract recommendations.

Croghan said they’re still missing a Special Education and Math Teacher, an Elementary position. Like other districts that are searching for help to fill their staff positions, the CAM District is finding the application pool is limited. He said the attempt to fill some of the positions isn’t because they aren’t trying, and he credits the Administrators for finding unique ways to bring those candidates to CAM.

In other business, the CAM School Board renewed the District’s agreement with Anita Daycare.

And, they approved an agreement with four other school districts, for Girls Wrestling.

The Board approved putting one of the District’s older buses up for sale, and the purchase of a Chevy Malibu through Deter Motor Company, in Atlantic, for $19,258. Their final order of business was to approve sharing agreements with Nodaway Valley, for Human Resources, Building & Grounds, SBO (School Business Official), and Superintendent.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department reports two prisoners at the jail in Council Bluffs were served with warrants, Tuesday, and one person turned themselves-in on a warrant. Authorities say 69-year-old Keith Leon Dyson, of Council Bluffs, was served with a warrant for Violation of Probation. He is being held in the Pott. County Jail on $29,000 bond associated with numerous drug charges. 27-year-old Tyler James Woodruff, of Council Bluffs, was also served with a Felony warrant for Violation of Probation on Forgery charges. Bond on the warrant was set at $10,000.

And, 38-year-old Christina Joy Raymer, of Council Bluffs, turned herself-in to the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday morning. Raymer was wanted on a warrant for Child Endangerment. Her bond was set at $2,000.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will hold a Special Meeting at 10-a.m. Friday, July 15th in their Board Room at the Courthouse, in Red Oak. During the meeting, te Board is expected to hold an interview with a finalist candidate for Montgomery County Auditor/Commissioner of Elections, in what will likely be a closed session, in accordance with the Code of Iowa. The person appointed will conduct the duties of that position until the seat appears on the November 8, 2022, General Election ballot.

Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke resigned at end of last month, to accept the school business official/board secretary’s position with the Stanton School District. Her last day in office was on June 30th.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report the arrest at around 2:50-p.m., Tuesday, of 35-year-old Jessica Renee Swietlik, of Creston. She was taken into custody for Violation of Probation, Failure to Appear, and Registration Violation. Swietlik was transported to the Adams County Jail and held without bond, pending an appearance before the judge.

And, a man from Creston reported to Police that his motorized bicycle was stolen from his porch in the 100 block of S. Sumner Avenue. The motorized bike is black, with a black tank and an orange flag. The loss was estimated at $500.

(Radio Iowa) – The ten-year anniversary of the disappearance of eight-year-old Elizabeth Collins and ten-year-old Lyric Cook-Morrissey is today (Wednesday( Iowa Department of Public Safety Special Agent. Scott Reger says they continue to look at new and old tips on the case. “Our team meets regularly, it kind of ebbs and flows as far as how often — but we meet regularly doing both of those things, evaluating the old information and evaluating the new information,” Reger says. The girls bodies were found in a Bremer County wildlife area five months after they disappeared — but no suspect has been found or charged in the case. He says the tips aren’t coming in as fast as they were early on — but they haven’t stopped either.

“The last 10 months we’ve received 117 tips into our email address that we have assigned specifically for this case. So that’s a good handle on on the volume that comes in,” according to Reger. He says the conventional thinking has always been the longer a case goes without being solved — the hard it is to find the killer. But, one factor that has changed that a little big is the development of new technologies. “Technology is always advancing. And it’s it’s advancing all over the board in terms of — think of a piece of evidence, anything you want to think about in terms of evidence — latent prints, video, cell phone, D-N-A, video enhancement, all of those things are always progressing technology wise,” he says. Reger believes that technology improvement helps turn the tide back toward investigators.

Collins and Cook-Morrissey. (photo from the Collins Foundation website.)

“Obviously, the sooner you can get on to somebody that may be responsible for something that’s always best practice, that always obviously is going to assist with leading to a successful resolution,” Reger says. “But I think the myth is, is that well, if you don’t do it in a certain amount of time, you know, I’ll use the 48 hours example. Because everybody puts that as the metric of if you don’t figure it out in 48 hours, it’s just gonna, you’ll never figure it out.” He knows it may take a lot more time before the killer is found — but he is ready to wait that out.

“We’re not going anywhere, we’re going to continue to hit this rock until it cracks. And so that continues to move us forward. The way that you feel as an investigator and anybody who’s worked this case feels the weight of wanting this to be resolved sooner rather than later,” Regar says. The Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers is offering a 100-thousand dollar reward for information in the case. You can call them at: 855-300-8477 (TIPS). Tips can also be called in to Evansdale police at (319) 232-6682, or through the Iowa Department of Public Safety email site: www.ourmissingiowagirls@dps.state.ia.us