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Former Harlan CSD teacher/coach agrees to a plea bargain in his sexual exploitation/depiction case

News

April 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Harlan, Iowa — A former Harlan Community School District sixth grade social studies teacher charged with sexual exploitation of a minor and with the purchase/possession of a depiction of a minor in a sexual act, has plead guilty to lesser charges. 32-year-old Eric Robert Croghan, of Harlan, also served as the 7th Grade Boys’ Basketball Coach and Middle School Girls Cross Country Coach. He entered his voluntary/negotiated plea March 29, 2024, to charges that include Nonfelonius Misconduct in Office (A Serious Misdemeanor) and Purchase/Possession Depiction of a Minor in Sex Act 1st Offense (An Aggravated Misdemeanor). He was sentenced to time served, and received a suspended prison sentence, along with two-years probation. Eric Croghan was also placed on Iowa’s Sex Offender Registry April 1st, and must pay fines amounting to $1,285, and a Civil Penalty of $260.

The original charges against Eric Croghan were filed May 8, 2023. According to court documents, a search warrant had been issued February 20, 2023 on Croghan’s person, property, and vehicles. The warrant stemmed from online contact Croghan had in December 2022 via private message on Kik Messenger with an Online Covert Employee (OCE) who was a member of the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force in Jacksonville, FL.

Eric Robert Croghan (IA Sex Offender Registry photo)

Harlan Community School District officials initially placed Croghan on administrative leave in 2023, but then he submitted his resignation for all teaching and coaching positions within the district. The school board approved his resignation.

Atlantic Area Chamber Ambassadors Welcome Holy Grail Antiques

News

April 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – On Thursday, April 25th, 2024, the Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were on hand to celebrate the opening of a new business, Holy Grail Antiques, with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Ambassadors had the opportunity to meet with the owners and view the unique retail space located in an old church.

Alan Guttenfelder, part-owner of Holy Grail Antiques, began collecting antiques in college around 1996. Alan’s passion for antiques grew throughout the years, and from 2007-2011, he owned and operated a store in St. Paul Minnesota. In 2013, Alan moved back to Iowa to care for his mother and became a vendor in various area shops. Alan always had dreams of opening another store in Atlantic, and in 2023 the Templeman Family showed Alan the church, and he fell in love with the stain glass windows and endless possibilities.

Fast forward to today, Alan and his nine vendors feature multiple styles of antiques from farmhouse to high-end, mid-century modern in both levels of the church. Alan looks forward to being a part of the Atlantic business community and is especially excited for Christmas in Atlantic as he enjoys large municipal Christmas décor and a lot of lights. Holy Grail is currently open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30 AM – 5 PM. Alan and his team continue to renovate the basement of the church in hopes of one day hosting parties and book clubs on occasion.

Pictured from Left to Right (Front Rows): Rebecca Clarken, Cheryl True, Tom Cristo, Cathy Lamer, Alan Guttenfelder, Diane Martens, Tracy Hansen, David Swain, Lana Westphalen, Kelsey Beschorner
Pictured from Left to Right (Back Rows): BJ Hart, Jeff Christensen, Angie Johnson, Mel Newton, Dolly Bergmann, Anne Quist, Krysta Hanson, Emily Kennedy, Bill Saluk, Jennifer McEntaffer, Jim Kickland, Kathie Hockenberry, Chris Parks, Julie Waters, Colt Doherty, Megan Sramek, Sue Liston, Rod Hansen;

Holy Grail Antiques is located at 801 Chestnut Street in Atlantic. For more information visit their Facebook page or call 612-743-777.

Kloewer wins Iowa FFA Proficiency Award

Ag/Outdoor, News

April 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic FFA Reporter Maddy Anderson says Mia Kloewer with the Atlantic FFA Chapter, was the first place winner in the area of Specialty Animal Production, sponsored through the Iowa FFA Foundation Gold Standard Partners, Mia Kloewer is part of the Atlantic FFA chapter. Mia worked in the school’s greenhouse caring for the fish and plants. Upon graduation, Mia would like to open her own greenhouse.

Mia began her Supervised Agricultural Experience project while participating in Horticulture at AHS. “During a class field trip, my interest peaked in plant science and greenhouses because once I walked into the greenhouse that we went to I knew that is what I wanted to do with my life outside high school”, said Kloewer. As part of Mia’s SAE program she began her project in the horticulture class and one of her responsibilities was to take care of the fish in the high school greenhouse. As the semester ended, Mia would also take responsibility to begin taking care of the fish on weekends. That duty transitioned to being part of the team of students that took care of the fish during the summer.

While Mia, responsibility in the greenhouse increased as the summer continued. She began with just feeding the fish to learning how to cleaning the tank and filters. While Mia was taking care of the fish, she also would help water the plants in the greenhouse. Mia said, “I always knew I wanted a career in Agriculture, taking care of fish has helped me explore this career choice because ever since I took horticulture class. This experience has taught me that I wanted to be more involved in the plants and agronomy side of things and less involved in the livestock side of things.”

Anderson says 100% of FFA members have proficiencies as part of the agricultural program and the FFA. These proficiencies range in the areas of Agricultural Communications to Service Learning and from Diversified Agricultural Production to Swine Production. Proficiency Award winners have excelled in their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Programs. These awards encourage members to develop specialized skills that will apply toward a future career. State winners will advance to the National FFA competition where they will compete against winners from the other State FFA Associations.

The four national finalists that are selected from each area will be recognized at the National FFA Convention and Expo in October. The Iowa FFA Proficiency Awards program is possible with support from the many partners of the Iowa FFA Foundation. The specific partner for each area is identified in our summary of results. Listed below are the results from the 2024 Iowa Proficiency Awards program.

Atlantic FFA members earn their Iowa FFA Degree

Ag/Outdoor, News

April 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic FFA Sponsor Eric Miller reports several Atlantic FFA members have earned their Iowa FFA Degree:
Miller says “This year a record 8 Atlantic FFA members earned their Iowa FFA Degree at the 96th Iowa FFA Leadership Conference on April 16, 2024 at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
The Iowa FFA Degree is the highest degree that can be bestowed upon an FFA member by the Iowa FFA Association each year. Less than 4% of the FFA members in Iowa receive the degree each year.
“To receive the Iowa FFA Degree, FFA members must meet the following standards:
1) Have been an active FFA member for at least 24 months
2) Have completed at least two years of systematic instruction in agricultural education
3) Have earned and productively invested at least $1,500 or worked at least 375 hours in a supervised agricultural experience program
4) Have a satisfactory scholastic record
5) Have demonstrated leadership abilities from a specific
list of activities
6) Have completed 25 hours of community service
7) Have participated in at least five different FFA activities above the local level.
“This year Parker Brock, Colton Becker, Charli Goff, Callee Pellett, Claire Pellett, Roth Den Beste, and Wyatt Simons have earned this prestigious award,” Miller said. Colton Becker began his SAE project by working on his family farm. “My current job description is Draft Horse Manager, Show Cattle Supervisor, Seed Assistant, and regular work on the family farm. A little about all those things, I buy and sell and show draft horses all year around. I do all the work from training to shoeing to showing and showcasing for sales” stated Becker. Along with all of those responsibilities, Colton also supervises the family show cattle operation. That includes the daily work like chores, washing, clipping, and advertising for the family sale. Becker also has another SAE working as a hired hand on the family row crop operation. He spends most of his time custom planting or custom vertical tilling. After high school, Becker plans to continue working for the family’s operation. He plans on continuing to sell cattle and draft horses, along with assisting the seed operation and the family farm.
Parker Brock began his SAE project by working on his parent’s farm as the caretaker of several rabbits that he would show at county and state fairs. “I feed, water, and breed the rabbits to sell at auctions or sales to make a profit,” Brock stated. Brock started his project about 5 years ago when he saw rabbits at the Cass County Fair and the people showing them. This piqued his interest so he decided he wanted to try to raise his own rabbits. Brock said “ Raising rabbits on my family’s farm is an integral part of Iowa’s agricultural community and the overall agriculture economy throughout the United States. Rabbits can be raised as breeding stock, pets, certain types of food, and more. Rabbits are a good animal to start a farm with, they have some of the lowest farm costs than other livestock animals. This makes rabbits an ideal livestock animal to raise for small farmers such as myself, and a straightforward animal to raise in the agricultural economy. Skills like analyzing the nutritional needs of rabbits and livestock are important to raising successful and healthy rabbits and that’s with every livestock animal.”
Roth Den Beste started his SAE project by working for Dean Bronley and his lawn-mowing business in the spring of 2021. Den Beste would start the day preparing, cleaning and fueling the mowers. “When I got the first yard I would begin by picking up sticks and weed-eating. Then I would use the mower to finish the lawn” said Den Beste. In the past 3 years Den Beste’s responsibilities have increased and so has the business to now mow approximately 50 yards in a week.
Charli Goff has had several jobs while working towards her Iowa FFA Degree. She began working at Fareway where she provided customer service to customers by assisting in carrying out groceries and stocking the shelves with fresh produce. Her second job was working at the Heritage House as a dietary aid to provide safe and nutritious meals for residents. After residents finished eating, she cleaned and sanitized dishes and counter surfaces. In 2023 Goff worked two jobs, first at Scooters where she provided safe and nutritious drinks and food to customers, and the Wickman Center as a dietary aid. “I had to make sure that safe food handling practices were being used and that dishes and counters were properly sanitized,” said Goff. Throughout my SAE projects, I played a part in providing nutritious food for people of all ages from children to senior citizens.”
Callee Pellett began working for Pelcorp LLC. for the last 5 years. Pellett’s role in the company has expanded from just helping as needed to planting, fertilizing, harvesting, selling, and making crop decisions. Pellett also helped care for, wash, and repair equipment. “I am one of the primary grain cart operators during the harvest season. I also plant and transport seed to planters during the planting season, and pick up anhydrous tanks during fertilizer seasons,” said Pellett. Pellett will continue with her SAE project in the coming years. She will continue working for Pelcorp LLC while starting her own farm operations. “I plan on running my own farm operation in the future while continuing to help the family operation,” said Pellett.
Claire Pellett has 2 SAE Projects. The first is working at the family farm, Pellett Ridge Farms. Pellett said “While working for Pellett Ridge Farms, I help sort feedlot cattle and implant and vaccinate the cow herd. In the spring, I help check cows and assist with calving. I help when we wean calves and preg-check cows in the fall.” Pellett also would help with any work that needs to be done on machinery, buildings, or other items. Pellett’s second Entrepreneurship SAE is FFA show calves. “I buy calves from my father’s herd in the winter and raise them in winter and spring to show them at the county fair in late summer,” said Pellett. Pellett assists with daily feeding, and making decisions for their well-being and training. “My daily care routine for the calves in the spring and summer consists of walking, washing, grooming, feeding, and showing technique practice. I sell the calves at the fair’s sale day,” said Pellett.
Colton Rudy’s SAE Project is working for DeVore Fencingm, which is a privately owned small business providing fence installation services to customers in Western Iowa, Eastern Nebraska, and Northwestern Missouri. DeVore fencing installs Continuous, Guard Rail, Barbed, Barless, Vinyl, and Chain Link fences. “I used to work with my Dad and Brad DeVore on smaller jobs before the pandemic, learning how to install wire and woven wire fences. Working throughout the summer break for the next three years until I joined the Iowa National Guard and spent my summer at Basic Combat Training” said Rudy. While working for DeVore Fencing, Rudy learned how to install all kinds of fences for large and small animals. Along with commercial and residential Chain Link for clients establishing a property line containing their pets or businesses trying to keep wildlife off sensitive areas. As a Junior, Rudy entered the Iowa National Guard
and will complete AIT this summer with hopes of becoming a pilot someday.

Wyatt Simons began his SAE project working for Van Wall John Deere in Adair. Simons works side-by-side with current agriculture technicians, helping them with their projects to get them done in a more timely fashion. “This is to build my own experiences and ensure that I understand the basics of being a technician before furthering my education with the company. I work on everything agricultural-wise”, said Simons. This includes but is not limited to tractors, combines, forage harvesters, lawn mowers, lawn tractors, planters, sprayers, manure spreaders, skid loaders, etc. Simons will attend school next fall in the John Deere Tech program. Van Wall will continue to employ Simons and pay for most of his education. In the next two years, Simons will attend school for a few months and then return to Adair to receive hands-on educational experience. “In essence, my role is a hands-on contribution to the agricultural economy, ensuring farmers have the tools for continued production, and my skills support prosperity and the economic system,” said Simons.

Left to Right
Parker Brock, Colton Rudy, Callee Pellett, Claire Pellett, Charli Goff, Colton Becker, Wyatt Simon. Missing Roth Den Beste.

Eric Mills said each Iowa FFA Degree recipient receives a certificate and the Golden State FFA Degree Charm which is made possible with support from Pioneer-Corteva through the Iowa FFA
Foundation.

Red Oak woman cited following a non-injury accident, Thursday

News

April 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A collision in Red Oak, Thursday afternoon, caused $11,000 damage, but no injuries were reported. According to Red Oak Police, the accident happened a little after 2-p.m., at the intersection of N. 8th and E. Coolbaugh Streets. The Police report says 79-year-old Jane Roberta Waltz, of Red Oak, was driving a 2016 Chevy Equinox on E. Coolbaugh Street, and attempting to turn north onto 8th Street. When she stopped at the intersection and then pulled-out, Waltz failed to notice a 2020 Toyota Corolla traveling northbound on 8th, and driven by 52-year-old Christina Marie Gresham, of Red Oak.

The right front side of Waltz’ SUV struck the car on the left rear side, causing the Toyota to slide into a street sign and scrape a fire hydrant. Red Oak Police cited Waltz for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign and Yield the Right-Of-Way. The report also noted Waltz should have a reexamination of her driving skills, due to “poor driving skills possibly due to eyesight and age.”

Heartbeat Today 4-26-2024

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

April 26th, 2024 by Jim Field

Jim Field visits with New Produce in the Park Market Manager Maria Miller.

Play

Remains of Iowa teen missing since 2018 found in Missouri

News

April 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

[Update 5/2/24: According to the Mercer County sheriff in Missouri, the medical examiner says there is not enough evidence to determine how Husted died.]

Missouri Highway Patrol says they’ve identified human remains found this week as Sebastian Tyrese Husted from Centerville. Husted was first reported missing in Iowa in January 2018. Investigators told KCCI he got a ride to work from a co-worker to clean a hog confinement farm in Lineville. They say he made it to the hog farm, but he never returned home. Troopers in Missouri say the remains were found by a turkey farmer in Mercer County along the state line.

Local 24-Hour Rainfall Totals at 7:00 am Friday, April 26, 2024

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

April 26th, 2024 by Jim Field

  • KJAN, Atlantic  .56″
  • 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .53″
  • Massena  .18″
  • Anita  .52″
  • Elk Horn  .46″
  • Earling  .5″
  • Avoca  .75″
  • Neola  .8″
  • Corning  .25″
  • Red Oak  .9″
  • Villisca  .32″
  • Missouri Valley  .9″
  • Clarinda  .45″
  • Carroll  .17″

Grassley Greets Audubon High School Students as part of 99 County Meetings

News

April 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

AUDUBON COUNTY, IOWA – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today spoke with students at Audubon High School as part of his annual 99 county meetings. Grassley and the students discussed several topics including bipartisanship, service academy nominations, The Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act and more. “I appreciated Audubon students’ thoughtful questions and willingness to learn,” Grassley said. “Speaking face-to-face with the next generation of Iowans is one of the highlights of my work. I look forward to seeing all they accomplish in their future endeavors.”(Photos courtesy Grassley’s office)

This is Grassley’s 44th straight year holding meetings in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties. Grassley has held at least one meeting in every county, every year since he was first elected to serve in the U.S. Senate. He takes questions on any subject. Iowans set the agenda.

Iowa water conditions still not favorable for kayaks, canoes

Ag/Outdoor, News

April 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – We’re more than a month into spring and the experts say Iowans who are itching to get on the open water with their kayaks and canoes may want to wait a little longer for safety’s sake. Iowa D-N-R conservation officer Nate Carr says with rain expected today (Friday) and through much of the weekend, water levels will likely rise. “It does help with having to get out and push or pull your boat from time to time, but it also creates more hazards,” Carr says. “The quicker that water is moving, as you encounter different deadfalls and trees that have fallen in the water — creating strainers, that can be a hazard and something you have to be cognizant of.” While we’ve had some warm days in recent weeks, there were also many chilly nights and this spring weather pattern is keeping our lakes and streams on the frigid side.

“Water temperatures are still fairly cold,” Carr says, “which can make someone who’s a very confident swimmer into someone who does struggle in the water.” The D-N-R says when the temperature of the water is 60 degrees or below, you are automatically at risk for hypothermia if you become wet. Folks in kayaks and canoes need to wear the right gear, know how to read a river, and be fully prepared for immersion. “We certainly encourage people to wear life jackets anytime you’re in a boat, including canoeing, kayaking,” Carr says. “It may be ankle- or knee-deep throughout large stretches of the river, but there are holes throughout the river that can be over your head.”

Large bodies of water take time to warm up, so it may be a few more weeks before it’s safe for lesser experienced paddlers to load up their boats. In addition to life jackets, the D-N-R says let a friend or loved one know where you’re going and when you’ll be back, and bring a dry bag with extra clothing to change into should you get wet.