(Creston, Iowa) – Two men were arrested on separate charges Wednesday night, in Creston. According to the Police Department, 35-year-old Brandon Whitfield, of Creston, was arrested at around 9:15-p.m. at his residence, on a Union County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault. Whitfield was transported to the Union County Jail where he was waiting to be seen by Magistrate.

And, at around 10:15-p.m., Wednesday, 43-year-old Jason Ford, of Creston, was arrested at a Creston apartment complex, and charged with the Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Ford was cited at the scene and released on a summons to appear in court.

(Radio Iowa) – As tomatoes start to ripen in gardens, salsa is one of the favorite things Iowans like to make with them. An Iowa State University Extension food specialist says Renee Sweers (like cheers) says if you want to save some salsa for later canning is an option. But she says there are a lot of variables that include the variety, tomato, the weather, the soil, and whether that tomato actually has a high enough acid content.  “There’s sort of a notion that you can make salsa any way you want to and can it. Of course, that’s not really true,” she says. Sweers says you should use lemon juice, or powdered citric acid you are purchasing with your canning supplies. And she says to use a recipe that is one that you trust.

“Take that salsa recipe and kind of compare it to the various salsa recipes from the tested sources and then follow the one from the tested source that is most similar to kind of their fan-favorite recipe,” she says. Sweers says without taking these steps you could end up wasting the effort. If you don’t want to get that detailed, you can just make a batch and enjoy. salsa. “Of course, they could also make salsa and just refrigerate it and eat it within a week or so. Fresh salsa just like you know cooking, you don’t have to have a tested recipes if you are just gonna make fresh salsa you can put that together any way you want to,” according to Sweers. A third option is to freeze the salsa.

ISU Extension photo

“Sometimes that appeals to people because they maybe feel it doesn’t take as much time — or doesn’t seem as complicated,” she says. Storage can be an issue if you want to make a big batch. “You’ve got to have the freezer space as opposed to the canned item which is sitting there on the shelf,” she says. And the taste of the frozen salsa will be different than the canned option, and she says you may have to drain some water off when you thaw it out.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a Cass County (IA) man was arrested at around 6:10-p.m. Wednesday, east of Elliott. Authorities say after a traffic stop was conducted, it was determined the driver of the vehicle, 25-year-old Caleb Schaaf, of Griswold, was wanted on a Warren County warrant for Eluding. Schaaf was arrested and held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

And, at around 6:30-p.m., Wednesday, 25-year-old Daisy Walker, of Red Oak, was arrested in Red Oak, on a Montgomery County warrant for Theft in the 3rd Degree. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The Clay County Sheriff says a woman died earlier this week near the driveway to her home after being attacked by her Great Dane dogs. The Clay County Communications Center originally received a 9-1-1 call Monday afternoon from a person believing he had come across a motorcycle crash on a county road near Rossie , about 12 miles south of Spencer.

The caller told dispatchers he could see a person in a nearby ditch but was unable to get close because of a group of large dogs near the person. Deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office determined it was not a crash and the person in the ditch — identified as 43-year-old Mindy Kiepe — had died from injuries caused by the five dogs that were all determined to be hers.

All five of the animals were euthanized following the investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – Christina Bohannan of Iowa City, the Democratic candidate in Iowa’s new first congressional district, says political extremism is a grave threat to the country. “I’ve always believed in a two-party system. I always believe that debate and compromise make us better and stronger, but what we have right now is not debate and compromise,” Bohannan says. “What we have right now is extremism and chaos.”

Bohannan is challenging Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who is seeking a second term in the U.S. House. During a speech on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair, Bohannan criticized Miller-Meeks for voting against bills providing more federal funding for infrastructure projects and subsidies to spur domestic U.S. production of computer chips.

“Those were bipartisan bills, OK? They are going to build roads and bridges, they’re going to solve supply chain problems and they’re going to create good jobs for years to come,” Bohannan said. “Even Chuck Grassley supported these bills because he knows how good they’re going to be for Iowa.” Bohannan was elected to the state legislature in 2020 after defeating a long-time incumbent from Iowa City in a Democratic Primary. Bohannan says that shows she’s willing to stand up to her own party when necessary.

“We all agree on a lot of what we need to do,” Bohannan says. “The problem is that politics are getting in our way.” A spokesman for the Iowa Republican Party says Miller-Meeks stands up for Iowans against the Biden Administration’s reckless agenda and her re-election puts the G-O-P one step closer to firing Nancy Pelosi.