(Radio Iowa) – A 48-year-old Sioux City man is pleading guilty to embezzling at least 22-thousand dollars from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. Jason Ehlers was General Manager of BluStone Homes, also known as HoChunk Real Estate, which is owned by the tribe. He signed a plea agreement, admitting he stole construction supplies, drew up fake invoices and engaged in fradulent rebate schemes. Ehlers will be sentenced later. He could be fined up to 250-thousand dollars and sentenced to up to five years in prison on the charge.

(Radio Iowa) – Farmers have seen a boost in corn and soybean prices since harvest finished and an Iowa State University Extension specialist says indications are the upward trends will continue. Chad Hart says a couple of things have impacted prices. “We saw sort of the combination of the drought and the derecho lowering supplies here for corn and soybeans — along with a definite surge in international sales for both commodities — that has led to a significant price rise here in the past few months,” Hart says.

Hart says farmers may want to consider locking in a price on the futures exchange and begin selling a portion of the yet to be planted 2021 crop. Hart says the big debate is if there will be an additional increase in prices in the next couple of months and he believes the potential is there. He says it is a good time to lock in some prices — but if you want to wait and see how the market develops you could at least put in some price floors utilizing some options that allow you to take advantage if there is an increase this spring.

Hart says soybeans have the biggest potential for increase, but says we haven’t seen the last increases for corn. “Looking forward I think we could see corn continue to rally here as well,” according to Hart. “What has been fascinating about the corn market is that it has been beyond just China — and you are also seeing growth in places like Mexico, Japan, South Korea that is helping push that market along.”

Hart says it’s not just soybeans that the Chinese are purchasing. He says they have an interest in acquiring many other types of commodities. He says they have tripled their purchases compared to last year with corn purchases up 18-thousand percent this year compared to last year. He says they are very active too in the wheat, pork, beef, and broiler markets. Hart says given the current predictions, U-S farmers may find themselves with low inventory supplies with corn and soybeans later in the year.

A traffic stop at around 11:15-p.m. Tuesday resulted in a man’s arrest on drug and other charges. Red Oak Police say 51-year old Dennis Lee Binns, Jr., of Red Oak, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine, and Driving While Suspended. Binns was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

PRNewswire — Officials with Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, LLC (“SIRE”), Tuesday, announced the resignation Hubert M. Houser as a member of SIRE’s board of directors and chair of the Board’s Nominating Committee, effective immediately.

Houser served as a member of the Board since 2005. He is a lifelong owner of farm, cow-calf and poultry operation located near Carson.  Houser also served in the Iowa Legislature from 1992 to 2015, first in the House of Representatives and then in the Senate (from 2002 to 2015).  He served on the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors from 1978 to 1992. Prior to joining the Company, Houser served as a director of the Riverbend Industrial Park and was a founder of the Iowa Western Development Association and Golden Hills RC&D.

Karol King, Chairman of SIRE’s Board of Directors said: “Hubert Houser is one of the key founders of SIRE, having worked for years to attract additional industry, in particular value-added ag business, to Pottawattamie County and southwest Iowa. Hubert’s leadership and vision included strategic steps to assemble sufficient real estate for SIRE, in advance of the Company’s formation. The respect for Hubert’s long history of public service and his experience with public entities and private business were key to SIRE over and over through the years.”

Until his resignation, Mr. Houser served as the chair of the Board’s Nominating Committee. The Board has appointed Theodore Bauer to serve as the chair of the Nominating Committee.

SIRE is located on 275 acres in Council Bluffs, and operates a 140 million gallon per year ethanol plant. SIRE began producing ethanol in February 2009 and sells its ethanol, distillers grains, corn syrup, and corn oil in the continental United States, Mexico and the Pacific Rim.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden has selected Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as his housing and urban development secretary and former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reprise that role in his administration. That’s according to four people familiar with one or both of the decisions who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to avoid preempting the president-elect’s announcement. Fudge, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was just elected to a seventh term representing a majority Black district that includes parts of Cleveland and Akron. Vilsack spent eight years as head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Obama administration and served two terms as Iowa governor.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has started tracking the COVID-19 deaths of people who were diagnosed with the virus but not tested, a change that could add hundreds more deaths to the state’s count. Iowa Department of Public Health Interim Director Kelly Garcia said Tuesday that Iowa now accepts clinical diagnoses from doctors and not just positive virus tests when attributing a death to coronavirus. The change removed 433 deaths from the system but added 610, providing an initial net gain of 177 deaths and raising the state’s toll to 2,898. Some of the removed cases could be added back in once the proper coding methodology is applied.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines have arrested a man in the shooting of a 15-year-old girl near the Iowa State Capitol over the weekend. Police say in a news release that 25-year-old Michael McKinney was arrested Sunday night hours after the shooting that occurred during a rally for President Donald Trump at the Capitol. Police believe McKinney fired the shot into a vehicle driving through a parking lot near the statehouse, hitting and injuring the teen inside the vehicle. Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek has said he can’t confirm a connection between the shooting and the rally. He said the shooting appeared to be traffic-related. McKinney is charged with attempted murder and is being held in the Polk County Jail on $500,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say one person has been hospitalized for injuries received in a north Des Moines house fire. The Des Moines Register reports that the fire was reported around 7 a.m. Monday along 5th Avenue. Fire Department Lt. Rick Thomas says two people were in the home when the fire broke out, which officials say started in the attic. Firefighters entering the home were met with a smoke explosion, which happens when a buildup of unburned gasses mixing with air and an ignition source. Thomas said one person was injured and hospitalized with burns. Authorities did not release that person’s name. Officials did not immediately know the cause of the fire.

Grants are awarded based upon the benefit to low- and moderate-income persons, financial need, project impact and readiness and commitment of local resources to the project.

• The City of Bedford received a CDBG award amounting to $500,000 for Water Main Replacement.
• The City of Casey received a $300,000 CDBG for Sanitary Sewer Improvements
• The City of Coon Rapids received a $500,000 CDBG, also for Sanitary Sewer Improvements.
• Villisca’s $500,000 CDBG will be used for Water System Improvements.
• and the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) in Stanton, received a CDBG for $254,000, intended for exterior improvements to six housing units.

Healthy Cass County and Cass County ISU Extension have updated the Cass County Urgent Need Resource Guide. The guide can be found on the Cass County ISU Extension website (http://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/).

Cass County Director of Public Health Beth Olsen says “It is critical that everyone know about all the excellent resources available to Cass County during this time. This guide has been updated to include resources related to food security, COVID-19, mental health, and more.”

The organizations collaborating on the document are asking for assistance in making sure the document reaches everyone in Cass County. Healthy Cass County is a community-focused volunteer network formed to promote the health and well-being of Cass County residents.

Follow Healthy Cass County on Facebook @HealthyCassCounty (https://www.facebook.com/HealthyCassCounty/). Reach out to Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh at bhoegh@iastate.edu or call 712-249-5870 more information.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden has selected Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as his housing and urban development secretary and former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to reprise that role in his administration. That’s according to four people familiar with one or both of the decisions who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to avoid preempting the president-elect’s announcement.

Fudge, a former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, was just elected to a seventh term representing a majority Black district that includes parts of Cleveland and Akron. Vilsack spent eight years as head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Obama administration and served two terms as Iowa governor.

Slippery road conditions contributed to a fatal collision Tuesday morning, in Union County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 18-year old Alexis L. Rounds, of Creston died, after the 1998 Jeep Wrangler she was driving went out of control on Highway 34, about one-mile west of Creston.

The SUV spun across the center line and into the eastbound lane, directly into the path of a 2009 Peterbilt semi, driven by 64-year old Gregory A. Powell, of Diagonal. The semi hit the Jeep, over-riding it before both vehicles came to rest against a guardrail. Both vehicles were then consumed by fire. The accident happened at around 5:44-a.m.

Rounds died at the scene. Powell was uninjured in the crash.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon reports Severe Weather Sirens will be test throughout Cass County today (Tuesday). There is no severe weather expected. Disregard any sirens you may hear. Thank you.