Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer reports three arrests took place over the past couple of weeks. On Dec. 25th, 24- year-old Zeth Lee Petersen, of Audubon, was arrested for Burglary – 2^nd degree and Theft – 3^rd degree.  Petersen was transported to the Audubon County Jail and held on a $12,000 cash bond.

On Dec. 31st, 30-year-old Scott Nathaniel Belew, of Audubon, was charged with Driving Under Suspension.  Belew was released on scene on promise to appear.

And, on Tuesday, Jan. 6th, 35-year-old Payton Thomas Watzke, of Audubon, was arrested and charged with Possession of Stolen Property.  Watzke was transported to the Audubon County Jail to appear before a magistrate.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A former U.S. congressman for Iowa has announced he’s leaving the Republican Party following Wednesday’s violent assault on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. Former Rep. Jim Nussle announced on Twitter that he “will no longer claim I am a Republican,” expressing outrage over the rioting in which mobs stormed the U.S. Capitol and forced lawmakers to be rushed from the building.

Nussle also wrote that he was devastated by the actions of “too many elected Republicans (some I know and served with) and supporters.” Nussle represented Iowa congressional districts from 1991-2007. He lost Iowa’s 2006 gubernatorial race against Democrat Chet Culver.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Marc Krickbaum, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, announced he is resigning today. “Serving as United States Attorney has been the privilege of my professional life,” Mr. Krickbaum said. “I am grateful to the law enforcement and agencies we serve with, and to the people of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They have done great things,
and they have many more to come.”

Mr. Krickbaum has served as United States Attorney, the district’s chief federal prosecutor, since 2017, and before that worked for almost a decade as a career prosecutor in two United States
Attorney’s Offices. During his tenure, the U.S. Attorney’s Office brought significant prosecutions against violent street gangs and others responsible for gun crime, targeted those who sexually exploit children, and obtained significant civil settlements against those who commit health care fraud and other fraud against the government.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and four top Iowa officials cooperated in making a marketing video for a company that has received no-bid contracts during the state’s coronavirus response. The arrangement between the state and Utah-based Domo Inc. has raised allegations of favoritism and improper use of public resources. Domo features interviews with Reynolds, state medical director Caitlin Pedati, chief operations officer Paul Trombino and two others in the video.

FILE – In this Aug. 14, 2020, file photo, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks during a news conference, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Reynolds and four top Iowa officials cooperated in making a marketing video for a company that has received no-bid contracts during the state’s coronavirus response. The arrangement between the state and Utah-based Domo Inc. has raised allegations of favoritism and improper use of public resources. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

The officials paint their management of COVID-19 as a success story for Iowa and the company. Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett says Domo “wanted a testimonial on the success” of the Test Iowa program and the governor and others agreed to participate.

During a joint meeting Wednesday evening, the Griswold and Lenox Boards of Education informally agreed to renew for another year, their Shared Superintendent Agreement, but held-off on approving Superintendent Dave Henrich’s contract and salary.

That’s because they want to see what happens with State Supplemental Aid, and Health Insurance. Once the Legislature sets the State Supplemental Aid, and the new health insurance rates are released, the two School Board Presidents will gather and come to an agreement.

That agreement with then come before their respective school boards for approval.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Mason City officials have announced that the city has been awarded a $150,000 grant for its proposed Willow Creek Riverwalk. The Globe Gazette reports that the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announced the grant award earlier this week. The announcement said the effort will promote current and future downtown revitalization efforts. The project will include a prominent “hearth” gathering location, a new pathway through the mall parking lot, new “Sculptures on Parade” artwork and trail improvements. Last year, city officials budgeted the project at $1.2 million. Mayor Bill Schickel says the city is in talks with other partners to work on making the project happen.

Officials with the City of Atlantic report City Hall and Police Station in Atlantic will be open to the public once again, beginning Monday, January 11th. However, the public restrooms will remain closed.

A traffic stop just south of Shenandoah at around 12:30-a.m. Wednesday in Page County, resulted in the arrest of a woman from Hamburg. 52-year-old Juli Christine Milburn was arrested for Operating without a valid driver’s license or when disqualified. Milburn was transported to the Page County Jail where she posted $491.25 bond and was released pending further court appearances.

Cass County Landfill Director Brandi Mericle confirms the large, green recycling bins located in Cass County communities, will be pulled from those sites after March 31st. After that date, the bins can be found on the Landfill’s property. That includes collecting glass. There is still no charge for disposing of your recyclables. The decision to remove the bins, according to Mericle, boils down to simple economics.

She says they understand the change will be a huge disappointment to those who are strong in their recycling efforts. Some communities, she said, saw the writing on the wall, and began to look into other options.

Mericle says when China ceased to accept recyclable material from the U-S, that drew the profit out of the industry.

Another reason the costs have gone up, is because people are contaminating the recycling bins and using them as a trash can.

The landfill has to dispose of that junk without collecting a fee, and burying it, which is an additional cost.

(Radio Iowa) – The battle over Iowa’s so-called “bottle bill” which set the nickel deposit fee on cans and bottles with carbonated and alcoholic beverages in 1979 will again be waged in the 2021 Iowa legislature. House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, says he hears about it constantly. “The question of tackling the Bottle Bill has 100 different opinions on what that looks like,” Grassley says. Michelle Hurd, president of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, says the law is not being uniformly enforced, as some businesses that sell beverages do not accept empties and paying back the deposit fees. “Forty years ago you might not have had ‘Dollar’ stores that sell beverage that are contained in the bottle deposit law or maybe hardware stores,” Hurd says. “They’re now directly across the street from your hometown grocer, competing, and not playing by the same rules or being held to the same standard.”

The number of redemption centers which also accept empties has dwindled significantly over the years. The one-cent-per-container fee for processing the empties set 40 years ago has never changed. Troy Willard, owner of the Can Shed redemption centers in the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City areas, is a member of the Iowa Recycling Association.  “There certainly needs to be more money in the system to make it a viable financial model,” he says. “That’s the only way that redemption centers are going to make it.”

Increasing the deposit fee and applying it to water bottles and other beverage containers that aren’t subject to the deposit now are among options lawmakers have discussed. Grassley says getting the empties out of grocery stores is the pressing issue he’s hearing the most about.  “That doesn’t mean that there’s not going to be a way to redeem them,” Grassley says. “Just I think Covid really brought that to our attention, when it comes to sanitary conditions within the stores.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, Governor Reynolds suspended bottle and can redemption at grocery stores for a few months.