(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday) released information about multiple incidents of vandalism that occurred over the weekend in Treynor, Underwood, Neola and Minden. As the result of an investigation, four juveniles were charged with Criminal Mischief in the 1st Degree – Damage over $10,000, and Reckless Use of a Firearm.

The Sheriff’s Office says during the early morning hours Sunday, August 25th, Deputies were dispatched to the Treynor area for a report of a person’s window being shot out. Later that morning, Deputies were dispatched to Neola for a shots-fired call, with a possible suspect vehicle being a white truck. As Deputies were enroute, they located a Dodge Ram pickup with no headlights on, in the Underwood area.

A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle, which was occupied by four juveniles, one of whom admitted that they had shot multiple vehicles, but couldn’t remember how many. Inside the vehicle was a shotgun and a CO2 pistol.

Throughout the rest of the day, Deputies took reports of vandalism involving items being damaged by a firearm, from 42 victims throughout the County. (Photo’s courtesy Zach Ploen)

(DES MOINES) – The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) will host the 2024 HousingIowa Conference Sept. 4th-6th at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The conference is Iowa’s premier housing event, drawing nearly 1,000 housing professionals for discussions on timely housing topics in Iowa and networking with Iowa housing leaders. The event is open to anyone interested in learning more about housing in Iowa. The IFA today (Monday) announced the finalists for three Innovation in Housing Pitch Competitions aimed at addressing housing needs at every level of the housing continuum, challenging leaders to think innovatively about how to implement new approaches to alleviate housing barriers. Finalists will pitch their proposals to industry judges at the HousingIowa Conference.

Finalists:
• Housing Fund for Linn County
• Shelter House, Iowa City
• Jennie Edmundson Foundation, Council Bluffs

The Iowa Innovation in Homelessness Incubator called for forward-thinking proposals from housing and community leaders across Iowa for innovative ways to implement new approaches to alleviate homelessness in our state. The goal is to redefine the landscape of homelessness prevention and response systems and rethink how assistance for persons experiencing homelessness in Iowa is delivered. The winning pitch will receive funding of up to $100,000 to transform their concept into a pilot initiative.

More information about the conference, innovation finalists and registration are available at housingiowaconference.com

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say five people were arrested on separate charges over the past few days. There were two arrests last Friday (Aug. 23rd):

23-year-old Kristina Gale Marcum, of Creston, was arrested at her residence at around 11-a.m., on an outside agency warrant, and charged with Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon. Marcum later posted a $10,000 bond before being released from the Union County Jail; And, at around 2:25-p.m., Friday, Creston Police arrested 45-year-old Brady Gale Richert, of Creston. He was charged with Interference with Official Acts and Willful Injury/Resulting in Serious Injury. Richert was taken to the Union County Jail and held on a $10,000 bond.

Early Saturday morning, 35-year-old Bradley Anthony St Pierre, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/1st Offense. St Pierre was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on a $1,000 bond. And, Saturday evening, 36-year-old Darrell Curtis Beaman, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County Warrant of Parole Violation. Beaman was being held without bond in the Union County Jail.

Sunday afternoon, Creston Police arrested 22-year-old Christopher Gage Selvy, of Creston, for Assault, and a failure to appear on Union County Warrant for OWI/1st Offense. Selvy’s bond was set at $1,300.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man who was reportedly laying down in the dog food aisle at the Red Oak Dollar General Store, and who refused to get up and leave, was arrested Sunday night. Red Oak Police say 46-year-old Dennis Gerald Tyler was charged with Public Intoxication, following his arrest at around 8:35-p.m.  Tyler was also taken into custody on two active Taylor County warrants for Violation of Probation (Aggravated Misdemeanor), and a Controlled Substance Violation (a Class-B Felony).

Tyler was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. Red Oak Police were assisted in handling the incident, by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies.

(Radio Iowa) – The last holiday of summer is just ahead and tens of thousands of Iowans will hit the road for the Labor Day weekend. AAA-Iowa spokesman Brian Ortner says the record-breaking summer travel season will wrap up with what’s anticipated to be another exceptionally busy holiday for get-away vacations. “The Labor Day weekend is up 9% compared to last year, and the good news is that the cost of travel domestically is down 2%,” Ortner says, “so it’s great for consumers, and great to see people back out on the roads and taking that last summer trip.”

Since most Iowa kids are already back in school, regional road trips tend to be the most popular Labor Day option for families. Because of that, Ortner says other vacationers see this as an opportunity to travel the world, with the expectation of smaller crowds at popular sites. “Domestic airfares are 2% less compared to last year,” Ortner says. “Hotels are up a little bit compared to last year, about 7% but that balances out if you’re renting a car, which is 16% cheaper this Labor Day holiday compared to last year.”

The majority of vacationers over Labor Day will be traveling by motor vehicle, and while electric cars are becoming more common, most cars, trucks and SUVs still run on gasoline. Ortner does -not- expect any major jumps in gas prices in Iowa before the weekend. “Gas prices, thankfully, have remained steady, hovering around that $3.20 cent per gallon average across the state, and even with the popularity of summer road trips, gas demand is down,” Ortner says. “Daily driving habits have changed post-pandemic, tempering price spikes.”

Gas prices vary widely across Iowa. The most expensive fuel is reported in Dubuque at $3.45 a gallon, while Sioux City has the cheapest gas at $2.98.