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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Friday evening of a Clarinda man following a traffic stop. At 7:15 p.m. Deputies conducted a traffic stop at Highway 48 and 270th Street. As a result of that stop they arrested 29-year-old Ryan Joel Kaleb Christie of Clarinda for Driving Under Suspension. Christie was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond.
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has given final approval to a bill that immediately removes the time limit for filing criminal charges against people accused of sexually abusing a child. During House debate, Friday, Representative Cherielynn Westrich of Ottumwa spoke publicly for the first time about the abuse she suffered as a child.
“It was only as an adult that I was finally able to come to terms and to talk openly about this. I even had to write down my statement because it’s emotional and it’s hard to face,” Westrich says. “…I think we need to support those victims who find the courage to speak out, who find the courage to come forward no matter how long it takes them.” Westrich says this law change gives victims a chance to get justice.
Cherielynn Westrich
“As a small child, I was sexually abused by a babysitter. It was something that I felt a lot of shame for. I was very confused. I was afraid to speak out, but I told my parents, but I wasn’t believed — at that time,” Westrich says. “They’ve since come back and apologized. My mother has cried many nights that she didn’t believe me.” Westrich says as a teenager, she was part of a group who were supporting a friend who had been sexually abused and the memories of her own abuse returned. And her siblings remembered being the babysitter locking them out of the house so he could be alone with her.
Westrich asked her colleagues to think about all the victims of child sex abuse. “One in five girls and one in 20 little boys are sexually abused,” she said. “How many perpetrators is that, that get away with it? That’s a lot of perpetrators. That’s a lot of children that are being hurt.” The legislator who spoke next thanked Westrich for having the courage to tell her story in a public forum and then expressed the hope it would inspire other victims to come forward and press charges.
Under current state law, child sex abuse victims must contact authorities before their 33rd birthday to file criminal charges or sue their abuser. The bill only deals with the statute of limitations for criminal charges. While the bill passed on an 84-to-two vote, critics argued it’s time to lift the time limit on civil lawsuits as well, so victims can sue institutions that knew about child sex abusers, but did not act to prevent them from targeting other children.
Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report the arrest Friday evening, of 29-year-old Kaleb Christie, of Clarinda. He was taken into custody following a traffic stop on Highway 48 at 270th Street, and charged with Driving Under Suspension. Christie was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.
The driver of a semi tractor-trailer complained of shoulder pain, after the rig he was driving rolled over into the north ditch, off Interstate 80, early this (Saturday) morning. Dispatch reports had Anita Rescue called to the scene at the westbound 66-mile marker, at around 1:55-a.m. A Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy was the first to arrive at the crash site.
No other details are currently available.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – May 7, 2021 – Council Bluffs interstate travelers will soon notice construction activities on the Interstate 80/I-29 dual, divided freeway are nearing completion. There will be planned, temporary, and overnight closures occurring throughout next week to complete the project. All dates and events may change due to weather.
I-29 Southbound/I-80 Eastbound Local Closed Overnight Sunday and Monday
I-80 Eastbound Express Closed Overnight Tuesday and Wednesday
The full eastbound I-80 Express system will be closed from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., on both Tuesday, May 11, and Wednesday, May 12. Travelers can use southbound I-29/eastbound I-80 Local to get to their destinations.
Dual, Divided Freeway Opening
The full I-80/I-29 dual, divided freeway system will be open to traffic on Thursday morning, May 13, weather permitting. One of the many benefits this system will offer is redundancy and allows traffic to keep moving in both directions, even if lanes are blocked because of a crash or maintenance. Travelers should be aware that traffic merging from the South Expressway will now have a separate ramp to allow trucks to accelerate to highway speeds. Travelers may encounter additional lane closures as contractors finish their work in the area.
Know Before You Go!
Iowa DOT encourages motorists to plan ahead, avoid distractions, follow signs and use caution while becoming accustomed to new traffic patterns. For notifications, please visit 511ia.org and sign up for real time traffic alerts. Additional information can be found at www.CouncilBluffsInterstate.IowaDOT.gov. If you have questions or comments about construction impacts, please call us at 712-216-3339 or email us at info@CouncilBluffsInterstate.com.
The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.
The latest traveler information is available anytime through our 511 system. Visit 511ia.org; call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide); stay connected with 511 on Facebook or Twitter (find links at https://iowadot.gov/511/511-social-media-sites); or download the free app to your mobile device.
(Radio Iowa) – You may have heard the buzz about the mass return of the insect known as the cicada (suh-kay-duh) after 17 years in the ground. Iowa State Entomologist, Donald Lewis, says the emergence will be from Indiana to the east coast. Iowa has to wait until 2031 for the periodical cicada to return.”Back in 2014, the periodical cicadas emerged in the southeast portion of the state of Iowa, from about Ledges State Park southeastward toward corner of the state. So they have been in the ground for only seven years — and we have another decade to wait,” Lewis says.
Thousand of periodical cicadas emerge at one time and cover trees and other objects. Lewis says there is an annual cicada that we will soon see here. “It’s the one that appears about the middle of July and is present until frost. It makes the familiar Zuh-zuh-zuh-zuh sound up in the trees, and then disappears in the fall of the year,” he explains. He says you may also find the old shell of the cicada around the yard. “When the nymphs come out of the ground after feeding on tree sap for their prescribed period, they cling to tree bark, or the side of the shed or a fence post and they shed their skin. They shed their exoskeleton and a crack forms down their back. And the insect pulls itself out of its own shell,” Lewis says.
They then fly around until it is time to go back underground. There are not as many of the annual cicadas. Lewis says the purpose of the insects isn’t exactly known. “Cicadas are probably a link in the food chain, but it’s not a terribly obvious one to us,” according to Lewis. “We are talking about big insects. The annual cicadas are at least an inch in length and about as big around as your thumb.” He says the periodical cicadas are about three-quarters of an inch long. Lewis says a raccoon or bear or some other animal may eat cicadas — but they are too big for most predators to eat. While they may seem imposing — Lewis says cicadas are harmless to humans.
“They’re not a pest to crops, they don’t feed on the garden vegetables and the fruits in the back yard. They can’t bite and they don’t sting — so their impact on people is fairly minimal,” Lewis says. If you want to see the mass emergence of the 17-year cicada, you’ll have to head east to Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and some coastal states. The nymphs surface during late May and June.
(Radio Iowa) – A flower garden at the Anamosa State Penitentiary was dedicated on Thursday in memory of nurse Lorena Schulte (SHULL-tee) and corrections officer Robert McFarland. They were brutally murdered during an escape attempt at the eastern Iowa prison on March 23rd. Beth Skinner, director of the Iowa Department of Corrections, addressed the Board of Corrections this (Friday) morning via Zoom for the first time since the killings. “These two individuals will never be forgotten, and neither will their families,” Skinner says. “Additionally, I want to thank all DOC staff who have stepped up in a very difficult time.”
Two inmates are charged in the murders of Schulte and McFarland. Skinner says donations of cash and items are pouring in from all over the country to honor the two slain staffers, and emails and letters are arriving daily. “I believe I have read over 500 letters from individuals, from agencies across the country,” Skinner says. “The support has been extraordinary. I want to thank everyone for the ongoing support, for the families, for our staff. Words can’t convey the level of gratitude we have.”
The killings caused “a major ripple effect” across the prison system, Skinner says, and a variety of changes are being implemented to prevent it from happening again. A new position is being created, a security operations director, who will oversee all nine Iowa prisons. Skinner says she’s hired Brian Foster for the position and he will start May 24th. “He works for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections,” Skinner says. “He has been a warden in three different prisons and he is currently the security chief for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, which basically is doing the job that we want to do here in Iowa.”
An independent team of investigators is doing an assessment of the Anamosa prison while all nine prisons are subject of a thorough external review. Skinner says she’s also been leading what she calls feedback forums. “I spent about two weeks on the road. I went to every single prison, all nine prisons, in order for staff to voice their concerns to me directly,” Skinner says. “Next week, I have scheduled calls with every single warden and their administration to talk about the feedback that I have received and how we can work together and be more solution-focused.”
In addition to new equipment, including fixed and body-worn cameras, she says suggestions are being made for better ways to communicate “from the bottom up and from the top down.” Skinner says she’ll be visiting all nine prisons every three months to gauge the progress.
Congratulations to the following Atlantic students for their honors and awards at the Hawkeye Ten Art Virtual Art Show.
1st Place Isabellah Peterson, “Lady in Green Dress”
2nd Place Alexis Peterson, “The First Brick”
Honorable Mentions go to…
Lillian Stufflebeam, “Self Portrait?”
Kylie Pulido, “Circus”
Jakob Whetstone, “Old Beatle”
Rio Johnson – “Ratatouille”
Chloe Gardner – ” Blue Lidded Pot”
Jaret Seufert – 2 awards – “Grogu” and “Reconstruction”
Isabellah Peterson – 4 awards – “Fairies Dream” “The New Gatsby” “Buddha” and “St Peter’s”
And the All-Conference Art Awards go to Isabellah Peterson and Jaret Seufert.
Check out the Virtual Art Show HERE
Three people were arrested on separate charges Thursday, in Pottawattamie County. The Sheriff’s Office on Friday (Today), said 38-year-old Marlen Martinez-Solares, of Omaha, was arrested at around 8-p.m. Thursday, following a traffic stop at Highway 6 and Hackberry Road. She was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, with bond set at $1,000. In addition, Martinez-Solares was cited for Failure to Maintain Control of a Motor Vehicle, Littering upon a Highway, and Open Container – Driver.
Thursday afternoon, 47-year-old Jerry Lee Dawson was arrested at the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office, after he turned himself-in on a warrant for Violation of Probation. After the warrant was confirmed, Dawson was transported to the Pott. County Jail and turned over to Corrections staff.
And, at around 9:25-a.m. Thursday, 36-year-old Daniel Jason Kennedy, of Council Bluffs, an inmate at the Pott. County Jail, was presented with a warrant for Criminal Trespass/2nd offense. Once he acknowledged the warrant, Kennedy was returned to the custody of jail staff.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office on Friday (today), reported five arrests from April 30th to May 5th. On Wednesday (5/5), Deputies arrested 53-year-old Charles Jonathan DeJong, of Manning, on two Cass County warrants for Failure to Appear. DeJong was transported from the Carroll County Jail to the Cass County Jail and later released on his own recognizance.
On May 2nd, 59-year-old Myron L. Flathers, of Bridgewater, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for violation of probation. Flathers was transported to Cass County Jail. Upon arrival at the jail, he was found to be in possession of drug contraband. He subsequently was assessed with an additional charge of possessing contraband, and was being held on $7,000 bond.
On May 1st, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 29-year-old Shialea Kay Cozad, for driving while barred. Cozad was transported to Cass County Jail as was later released on her own recognizance. That same day, 31-year-old Marshall Brandon Fischer, of Atlantic, was arrested on charges of driving while barred and assault with bodily injury. Fischer was transported to Cass County Jail and also later released on his own recognizance.
And, on April 30th, Cass County Deputies arrested 29-year-old Nathan Drew Simington, of Griswold, for OWI/1st offense. Simington was cited and released.
The Sheriff’s Office reports also, that a little before 4-a.m. Sunday, May 2nd, deputies responded to an accident on eastbound I-80 at mile marker 57 (the Olive Street exit). Authorities say Loren Griffin, of Exira, was driving a 2016 Dodge Ram when he fell asleep at the wheel. The pickup truck ran over 50 yards of cable barrier and support posts, until it came to rest on the north side of the eastbound lanes. Griffin was not injured. His vehicle sustained an estimated $20,000 damage.