(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Police Department have released a report on arrests taking place from April 27th through May 5th. Beginning with the latest arrest:

• On Thursday (May 5), 38-year-old Stephen Foote, of Atlantic, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. He remains in the Cass County Jail.
• On Wednesday (May 4), 45-year-old Adam Vanderpool, of Surprise, AZ, was arrested in Atlantic for OWI/1s offense.
• On Monday (May 2), 36-year-old Eric Mark, of Atlantic, was arrested for Interference with Official Acts and Public Intoxication.
• And, on Sunday (May 1), there were two arrests in Atlantic:
  • 26-year-old Sequoia Harrison, of Atlantic, was arrested for Burglary in the 2nd Degree, Domestic Abuse Assault, Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree, and Assault Causing Bodily Injury. She remains held in the Cass County Jail.
  • 21-year-old Curclund Vanaernam, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.

On April 30th, 32-year-old Vincent Vasquez, of Atlantic, was arrested on Cass County warrants for Possession of Controlled Substance, Gathering where Controlled Substances are used, and Keeping a premises or vehicle for controlled substance. On April 28th, 18-year-old Ashtyn McCarthy, of Walnut, was cited into court for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting), and then released. And, 36-year-old David Theisen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Driving While License is barred.

And, there were two arrests in Atlantic on April 27th:

• 48-year-old Dan Christensen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Interference with Official Acts and Consumption of Alcohol in a Public Place.
• 30-year-old Rebecca Klinghammer, of Griswold, was arrested for Interference with Official Acts , Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations, and Driving While Barred. And, A-PD reports 30-year-old Nigel Newbury of Atlantic, was cited into court for Unlawful Passing of a School Bus.

(Lewis, Iowa) – If you have ever wondered how the pioneers made their own rope or dipped their own candles, and/or thought about trying your hand at spinning wool, then you should come to the Hitchcock Pioneer Skills Festival, going on this Saturday, May 7th, from 1-until 4-p.m., at the Hitchcock House, rain or shine! The house, which was used as a stop on the underground railroad for people escaping from slavery, is located six-miles south of Atlantic and 1.5-miles west of Lewis.

George B. Hitchcock House (2018 photo)

Sharon Guffey-Lewis, a retired Congregational minister, is Chairman of the Hitchcock House Board of Directors. She says the festivities will begin at 1:00 p.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. You will have an opportunity to visit the historic Hitchcock House and see many of the skills and crafts that people of the late 1800’s used in daily living.

She says they were excited to open their season for tours on May 1st.

The National Historic Landmark Hitchcock House, is a two-story home built in 1856. It features thick sandstone walls, window seats, native hard wood trim and a secret room that hid runaway slaves. The secret room is located in the basement where there is also a stone fireplace where the slaves could cook food and keep warm. It’s believed the famous John Brown preached around the fireplace.

Families are encouraged to come and share the day together as they might have in the 1800’s. There is a $5 fee/adult for a tour of the Hitchcock House. There are many other activities, special guests and musical attractions scheduled through this summer at the Hitchcock House. All those other activities, including those in the barn, are free of charge, with donations gladly accepted.

For more information, call 712-769-2323, or find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeBHitchcockHouse

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Sheriff’s Officials in Pottawattamie County report a woman from Nebraska who was allegedly involved in a shots-fired incident in Sarpy County, NE., Thursday night, and fled from Omaha Police, was arrested in Council Bluffs after a short pursuit. Authorities say 35-year-old Veronika S. Garner, of Omaha, was driving a 2008 Jeep Cherokee when she was stopped near S. 8th Street and 5th Avenue, and taken into custody at around 10:30-p.m.

She faces charges in Pott. County that include Eluding and Interference with Official Acts. She was being held in the Pott. County Jail on a total of $1,300 bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall reports persons needing to conduct business with her office need to know that the Treasurer’s Office will close every week day for lunch, from 12:30-until 1:30-p.m., beginning Monday, May 9th, and until further notice. Please consider this when you need to take care of your driver’s license, tags, taxes and other matters.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill co-sponsored by Senator Chuck Grassley would lay the groundwork for anti-trust lawsuits against members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries — or OPEC. “OPEC and partner countries like Russia being the biggest, they blatantly collude to control the oil supply,” Grassley says, “and that of course boosts prices, even in the United States.”

The bill would revoke the immunity countries in OPEC have had from lawsuits in the United States. The U.S. Attorney General could then sue Saudi Arabia and the other 12 countries that are OPEC members in federal court.  “To hold OPEC accountable for its anti-competitive behavior that artificially inflates oil prices,” Grassley says.

The bill is co-sponsored by a Republican senator from Utah and Democratic senators from Vermont and Minnesota. The bill cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday (Thursday). Federal anti-trust laws give courts authority to determine when American businesses have acted illegally, but it’s unclear how a U.S. court would be able to enforce a guilty verdict against a foreign country. The Reuters news service is reporting that the American Petroleum Institute opposes the bill — warning it could have unintended consequences and is unlikely to have much impact on OPEC operations.

(Lee’s Summit, MO.) – With the Mother’s Day weekend ahead of us, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) points out it is a time of the year with increased traffic on the roadways. The Iowa State Patrol is participating in a special traffic safety initiative this weekend, to focus on unsafe drivers that include speeders and those who fail to move-over for emergency vehicles. The Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) takes place now (May 6th) through Sunday.

ISP Col. Nathan Fulk

On Thursday, authorities from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas, gathered for a NHTSA Region 7 Mother’s Day Weekend Press Conference in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, to discuss each state’s part in making sure people make it to their destination for Mother’s Day, and safely returning home. Iowa State Patrol Col. Nathan Fulk spoke about some sobering Iowa traffic statistics.

He said the agencies represented at the press conference have a priority of reducing serious injury, fatal crashes on the roadways (and) not just for this upcoming Mother’s Day weekend, but on a more permanent basis.

Iowa’s “Move Over” law is when a motorist encounters any vehicle with flashing lights on the side of the road, they must either move over safely or slow down. Slowing downs doesn’t mean just tapping your brakes, it means reducing your speed by at least 20 miles per hour. If the lane next to you is clear, you must signal to move over, and proceed to change lanes until you are past any vehicle parked, or slowly moving, on the shoulder.

(Radio Iowa) – By most accounts, it’s been a miserable spring in Iowa, with chilly temperatures, plentiful rain and even a few late season snow storms, but forecasters say a big change is coming in a few days. After another cool, drizzly day today (Friday), National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Small says we’ll be skipping from wearing coats and gloves directly to shorts and t-shirts. “We’ll gradually warm through the weekend and really flip the switch into summer,” Small says. “As we start next week, we’ll see highs widespread across Iowa in the 80s and we’ll see dew points up into the 60s, at least, with people probably turning on their air conditioners because it will be definitely warm and humid.”

By Tuesday and Wednesday, high temps across Iowa’s southern half may be climbing into the mid and upper 80s to near 90. Small says it’s a big change in a short time. “The extended outlooks are for more above normal temperatures,” Small says. “Normal highs right now are, depending on what part of the state you’re in, they’re right around 70 degrees, so highs in the 80s are definitely above normal.”

Small warns the arrival of this warming trend may include a higher risk of hazardous weather. “When we turn on the heat and humidity, that does introduce some storm chances,” Small says. “We could have some stronger thunderstorms on Sunday or Monday. Right now, there’s an outlook for a slight risk of severe weather on Monday to keep an eye on as we start the next work week.”

We may experience that Iowa weather phenomenon next week of running both the heater and the air conditioner on the same day.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report the arrest at around 1:40-a.m. today (Friday), of 22-year-old Jonah Lee Kirsch, from Des Moines. Kirsch was taken into custody in the 100 block of E> Maple Street, in Red Oak, for Driving While Barred. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a policeman during the riot at the U.S. Capitol last year on January 6th. Thirty-eight-year-old Kyle Young of Redfield pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting or impeding officers and faces a maximum sentence of eight years in federal prison.

Court documents indicate Young aimed a strobe light at a police line and was part of a group that spearheaded the beating of D-C Metro Officer Michael Fanone on the Capitol steps. Fanone suffered a heart attack after being repeatedly shocked with his own taser.

Fanone identified Young in a line up as an attacker who threatened to kill him with his own police gun.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is not revealing details, but Reynolds says she may agree to adjustments in her plan to provide state scholarships to some parents who enroll their child in private or religious schools. All but one Republican in the state senate has endorsed the idea of providing 10-thousand of these scholarships for private schooling, but it currently lacks the votes to pass the Republican led Iowa House.

“We need to provide opportunities for all families to make sure that their child has every opportunity to learn in an environment where they can thrive…but I need to talk and look at compromises, too, and so we’re working through that process right now and I think we’re making progress,” Reynolds says. “I feel good about it. We still have a lot of work to do, but I feel like we’re moving in the right direction.” Reynolds says she has meetings every single day as she tries round up votes.

“I continue to meet with families, I continue to meet with educators. I continue to meet with superintendents,” Reynolds says, “and, of course, legislators who are a big part of that.” Reynolds says as she meets with superintendents who oppose state scholarships for private schooling, she’s been expressing support for public schools AND explaining how other states are spending tax dollars on charter schools as well as private and religious schools.

“That’s been helpful, too,” Reynolds says. “You know, I don’t have any illusions, as I said earlier, that I’ve changed their minds, but I feel good to be able to have the opportunity to actually sit down at a table and have that conversation,” Reynolds says, “and talk about things that maybe we can do next year to provide them some flexibility, to look at the education formula. It is antiquated and to really walk through flexibility and different chapters that may be helpful for them as well.”

A formula originally established in state law in the 1970s is used to distribute state tax dollars to public schools on a per pupil basis. Reynolds had a private meeting with parents in Marion this week to talk about a Linn-Mar School District policy for transgender students. Reynolds says those parents feel trapped in the public school system and her idea for state-funded scholarships for private schools would help them.

“I think parents need an option if they feel that their child is not being educated in a safe environment or they feel that their values aren’t being represented at school,” she said, “or they feel that the school district is not focused on a quality education.” Linn-Mar officials say the transgender support plan the school board adopted last week aligns with federal requirements the district has been following for years. Reynolds says the district is “way off track” and — after meeting with upset Linn-Mar parents — she’d consider legislation that would require all Iowa students to use the bathroom in their school that matches the gender listed on their birth certificate.

“You think back to when you were in high school, some of the things you did,” Reynolds says. “Think about a girl going into a restroom and having boys peering over the top taking photos. Talk about how uncomfortable that would be — and that’s what some of their kids are experiencing.” Reynolds made her comments during a brief question and answer session with reporters in her statehouse office.