(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report a woman was arrested at her home Wednesday morning. 51-year-old Crystal Alaine Conley, of Creston, was charged with Attempted Burglary in the 3rd Degree. She was taken to Union County Jail and posted bond.

Wednesday night, 18-year-old Rowan Davis Pope, of Creston, was arrested at a residence in the 900 block of N. Division Street. He was charged with Violation of Probation.  Pope was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, until seen by a Judge.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans heard dire warnings last month about the possibility of rainbow fentanyl showing up in kids’ trick-or-treat bags, but Emily Murray, spokeswoman for the regional U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency office in Omaha, says they had no reports of the drug appearing anywhere in the five-state area. “DEA agents have yet to see or seize rainbow fentanyl, I think that’s important to know,” Murray says. “We’re not naive enough to think that it’s not out there but DEA agents have not seized it. State and locals were reaching out, working with them to kind of see what they’re seeing, but Halloween has come and gone and we have not seen the rainbow fentanyl.”

Murray says the rainbow fentanyl comes in a wide array of colors and is the same, dangerous drug as regular fentanyl. “The fake pills that you’re seeing that are blue and made to look like oxycodone or Xanax or Adderall, any of those prescription medications, now it’s just that they’re coming across in rainbow colors,” Murray says. “They might be targeting a younger audience with that, but it’s also a marketing ploy, too, when you’ve got something that looks a little bit different. It’s new. It’s exciting because it’s a bright color.” Iowans need to know, Murray says, that while fentanyl can be a killer, so can many other pharmaceuticals.

“The only prescription medication that they should be taking is the one that’s prescribed specifically for them,” she says. “We don’t want anyone to take a legitimate prescription medication that’s not coming from their doctor and filled at a pharmacy. Always be cautious. It’s the same messaging that we tell students or tell kids you know, don’t take something when you don’t know where it’s coming from.” A state report says 258 Iowans died of opioid overdoses last year. Murray says meth is still the number-one illegal drug being seized in the region.

(Radio Iowa) – Sioux City officials are breaking ground on what will be a new flight school serving as Morningside University’s training center for pilots and other aviation professionals. Assistant City Manager Mike Collett sees the program as a major opportunity for economic growth in the community.

“One of the first questions asked of our economic development department when they have a lead is, ‘Do you have an airport?’ and a lot of these businesses have to be supported with air facilities that we offer,” Collett says. “The fact that we’re now able to train pilots and mechanics, both combined, is a big deal.” Morningside is partnering with Omaha-based Oracle Aviation to launch the flight school. The new department will include a professional flight program for aspiring pilots and aviation management for those interested in airline operations.

Morningside University President Albert Mosley says these curriculums will help students find jobs in a growing industry.  “Nationally, the need for pilots and aviation management professionals is at a historic high,” Mosley says. “That is also true here in Siouxland, we all know that firsthand.” The school is projected to begin accepting students as early as next fall. Morningside officials hope it can help curb pilot shortages felt in Sioux City and around the nation.

Earlier this year, Sioux City Gateway Airport’s commercial carrier pared down its flight schedule due to a pilot shortage. City and community partners estimate the new facility’s construction will require a ten-point-seven million dollar investment.

(reporting by Kendall Crawford, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Residents of the small western Iowa town of Ricketts were briefly evacuated early Wednesday afternoon as a large field fire started spreading in the area. According to Crawford County Emergency Management, a field of standing corn ignited and strong winds pushed the fire toward Ricketts, a town of about 100 residents.

Firefighters from departments in Crawford, Ida and Woodbury Counties were able to stop the fire before it reached the community and residents were allowed back into Ricketts at about 3 p.m. Officials say the fire did burn a three-to-four mile area before it was contained, though.

The wind carried smoke from the fire more than 50 miles to the north.

(Radio Iowa) – Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak at a rally tonight (Thursday) in Sioux City. Trump’s political action committee says the event is meant to boost two candidates that Trump previously endorsed — Senator Chuck Grassley and Governor Kim Reynolds.

“We’re excited to have him back in the state,” Reynolds said last week during a campaign stop in Sioux City. “We’re excited to continue to energize Republicans to continue to get out and vote.” The rally site is in Iowa’s fourth congressional district, where Republican voters outnumber Democrats by 95-thousand. University of Iowa political science professor Tim Hagle) says during a midterm election — when there’s no presidential race on the ballot — both political parties have to find ways to maximize turnout among their voters.

“One of the other things that we know about Trump voters in Iowa is that a lot of them were independents,” Hagle says. “They often even have a bigger drop in turnout in a midterm election, so it may be a way to energize those folks.” Trump will join a long list of potential 2024 presidential candidates who’ve campaigned here for Iowa Republicans on the 2022 ballot.

“There have been hints — fairly strong ones — that he’s going to run at some point, but other people are thinking that he’s not going to, so who knows,” Hagle says. “At the very least, Trump being Trump, he likes stay in the conversation and so showing up in Iowa….certainly helps him to do so.” Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn says Grassley and Reynolds will be standing with a traitor who wanted to overthrow our government and continues to support attacks on our democracy.

Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann says Iowans are ready for President Trump’s message of pushing back against Democrats’ woke ideology and President Biden’s agenda. Trump’s rally will be held at the Sioux City airport and some people camped out overnight to be ready when the parking lot opens at 8 a.m. Tickets are required for entry into the venue and doors will open at 2 p.m.

November 2, 2022 (DES MOINES, IA) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) today awarded $934,430 in Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants to 10 communities around the state.In our area, the communities include: Coon Rapids; Manning; and Woodbine. The grants will benefit local improvement projects, such as historic building rehabilitation and upper story renovations.

The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs. The funding will be distributed in the form of matching grants to the selected Main Street programs. The estimated total project cost of these 10 projects is over $2.8 million.

Click on the image to view the Community/Grant Amount/Local Match and Total Project Cost.

“Each project must provide at least a dollar-for-dollar cash-match,” said Michael Wagler, state coordinator for the Main Street Iowa program. “In total, these projects will actually leverage significantly more than the state’s investment into bricks and mortar rehabilitation. This investment will have a significant economic impact within each district.”

“The Main Street Iowa Challenge grants have been instrumental in revitalizing Iowa’s historic main streets,” said Debi Durham, executive director of IEDA and the Iowa Finance Authority. “Reinvesting in our traditional commercial districts is good business. It’s good for our economy and good for our state. These projects will bring new businesses and new residents to our downtown districts.”

Since the first Challenge Grants were awarded in 2002, about $13.7 million in funds have leveraged more than $67 million in private investment. Over the life of the program, 216 projects in 56 Main Street Iowa commercial districts across the state have received funding.