(Corrects date of 2nd trial) (Atlantic, Iowa) – Jury trials in the case of an Atlantic man charged in connection with a stabbing incident are set to take place July 12th and August 2nd, in Cass County District Court. According to online documents, 30-year-old Anthony Asay faces felony charges of Attempted Murder, Arson in the 1st Degree and Willful Injury causing bodily injury, as well as serious misdemeanor charges of Assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, and Possession of Marijuana/1st offense.

Last Thursday a judge approved a motion by the Defense to have separate jury trials on the charges. A jury trial for Asay on the charges of Attempted Murder, Arson 1^st Degree and Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness will begin Tuesday, July 12. A jury trial for the charges of Willful Injury Causing Bodily Injury, Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness, and Possession of a Controlled Substance will be held August 2^nd.

Anthony Rey Asay (Cass County Jail photo)

Some of the charges (Arson 1^st Degree, Attempted Murder and Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness) were filed in connection with residential structure fire at 106 Cedar Street on May 4^th. The following day, Asay was arrested in connection to a stabbing on Cedar Street. As he was being taken into custody at a residence in the 1200 block of Birch Street, in Atlantic, Asay become uncooperative, and resisted Officers.

He was also charged in connection to an incident that took place on April 30th.

(Sioux City, Iowa) – Iowa Democratic Candidate for US Senate, Admiral Michael Franken, will meet with Audubon County residents in Audubon, beginning 6-p.m. Saturday July 16th, at the El Adobe Restaurant on Main Street. The event is a part of the Franken campaign’s 99 County Tour, and will offer local residents an opportunity to hear directly from Franken about why he is running to represent Iowans.

This will also be an opportunity for Franken to hear directly from you about the issues and policies that matter most in rural Iowa.

Retired Vice Admiral/Iowa Senate candidate, Mike Franken.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Two men from Nebraska were arrested last Tuesday afternoon on drug and theft charges, in Adair. According to the Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Police in Adair responded to the Kum & Go in Adair at around 3:20-p.m., for a reported Theft. The Officer viewed in-store surveillance video of the suspects, who were later identified as 56-year-old Jackie E. Richardson, and 47-year-old Lloyd Eugene Scaife, both of Omaha, allegedly stealing bottles of liquor. The store manager said the men drove in a white Tahoe to the Relax Inn Suites, located near the convenience store.

The Adair Police Officer showed employees at the motel pictures of the suspects, who were positively identified. The men were said to have been doing work on the business’ air conditioning. Both suspects were located. Inside their vehicle was a bag of marijuana on the center console. Scaife and Richardson were taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and Theft in the 5th Degree. They were each later released on a $1,300 cash or surety (C/S) bond.

On July 3rd, 24-year-old Dennis Blake Eddy, of Orient, was arrested in Orient at around 2:24-a.m. He was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, with a Breath Alcohol Content reading of .114%. Eddy was arrested following an investigation into an accident on S. School Street, in Orient. He was also cited for Failure to Maintain Control, and later released on a $1,000 C/S bond.

And, on July 7th, 30-year-old Shane SIM Black, of Lacona, Iowa, was arrested by an outside agency, on an Adair County felony warrant for Violation of Probation. He was released the following day on a $5,000 c/s bond.

The fall semester won’t start for several weeks at the state’s colleges and universities, but now is a key time in the financial planning process. The C-E-O of Iowa Student Loan, Steve McCullough, says parents and students need to do some research when it comes to student loans.

He says there are federal student loans, private loans, and the loans offered through the Iowa program.

He says the state loan could save a family one-thousand dollars over the life of a 10-thousand dollar loan. McCullough says their website at studentloan.org can help you see your options.

There’s been a lot of talk from the Biden Administration about forgiving student loans. McCullough says the shouldn’t be a factor in any student loan decision right now.

McCullough says there are things students can do to reduce the amount they need to borrow.

He says if you base your decisions on the facts at the time and really take the time to do your research and understand that interest rates and the other factors you can make a difference in how much you end up paying in the long run.

Iowa’s attorney general says a 24-hour waiting period for abortions went into effect statewide Friday. On June 17th, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled a 24 hour waiting period for an abortion was constitutional. Iowa abortion providers began scheduling two appointments, at least a day apart — the first to certify the patient had an ultrasound and was given the option to see the image and the second for abortion. This week, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected the governor’s request to reopen the case so the court could consider a new legal standard making it harder to find other abortion restrictions unconstitutional. By refusing to rehear the case, that has cleared the way for the 2020 law requiring the 24 hour waiting period for abortions to take effect.

Iowa has a labor shortage at the same time there’s an influx of refugees, so Iowa Workforce Development is now partnering with resettlement groups to place Iowa’s newest residents in jobs. Stephanie Moris, director of the Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa, says before a business hires a refugee, resources should be in place, as more businesses are open to hiring non-English speakers.

Moris says employers need to be innovative when it comes to addressing barriers like language and transportation for refugees. That’s why IowaWorks developed the three-part series on how to tackle such issues. They’re now available online for businesses across Iowa to access. Edgar Ramirez helped lead the webinar series and says he sometimes sees businesses hire refugees without forethought.

Ramirez says he wants the state to focus on building more infrastructure for refugees. He’s helping to organize job fairs across Iowa that will specifically spotlight the refugee community in the coming months.