(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, today (Wednesday), arrested a man on an assault charge. 37-year-old Tyce Samual Watts, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 1:25-p.m. in the 100 block of West Corning Street, for Domestic Abuse Assault – Impeding Air/Blood Flow, Causing Bodily Injury, a Class-D Felony.

Watts was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond, pending an appearance before a magistrate.

(Sioux City, Iowa) – A man who was found with a firearm after being a convicted felon, was sentenced February 29, 2024, to 10 years in federal prison. 34-year-old Kevin DeWolf, of Denison, received the prison term after a September 21, 2023, guilty plea to possession of a firearm by a felon. Shortly after being indicted for the firearm charge, DeWolf set a vehicle on fire in Crawford County, attempting to fraudulently collect the insurance proceeds.

DeWolf was previously convicted of manufacture, deliver, or possess with intent to manufacture or deliver controlled substance, in the Iowa District Court for Crawford County, Iowa on or about July 15, 2022. DeWolf also has a prior assault conviction.

DeWolf was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand and was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 3-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. DeWolf is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ron Timmons.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa school district at the center of an assault investigation involving its high school wrestling team, is losing two administrators. The Hinton School Board accepted the resignations last night (Tuesday night) of middle and high school principal Phil Goetstouwers and athletic director Brian DeJong, who is also an elementary school principal. No reasons were given for the resignations that are effective at the end of the school year.

The Coralville Police Department launched an investigation after wrestlers said older teammates tasered them at a hotel during a wrestling tournament last month. A video circulating on social media showed a wrestler being held down on a bed during the attack. A police spokesperson says additional information will likely not be released because all involved are juveniles.

Several parents attended the meeting on Tuesday night. (IPR photo by Sheila Brummer)

The public wasn’t allowed to speak at the special meeting, but afterward, one woman who identified herself by only her initials, D-H, says her son was one of seven freshmen targeted.  “There’s still a lot of people who need to be held accountable where we don’t have answers,” she says. The woman says more information will be coming out. “A lot of things have been unraveling more and more. It’s going to hit the Hinton community hard. It’s going to be getting worse before it gets better,” She says.

Hinton’s head wrestling coach is still on administrative leave. Parents say he is being allowed to teach math.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County (IA) Auditor’s Office reports a candidate filing for the June 4th Republican Primary took place, today (Wednesday). Fifth District Board of Supervisor Bernard Pettinger submitted his nomination papers.

On Monday, Republicans Kathy Somers, incumbent Cass County Auditor, filed for re-election, and Chief Deputy John Westering, filed to run for Cass County Sheriff.

Candidates for County Office have until 5-p.m. March 22, 2024, to file their nomination papers.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld the life sentence of a Dickinson County man in the shooting death of women outside a Milford medical staffing office in 2022. Christian Goyne-Yarns of Sprit Lake was found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Shelby Woizeschke in the parking lot of her workplace.

Woizeschke was the mother of his two children, but they were separated. Goyne-Yarns appealed, saying there was not enough evidence to support his conviction or to show he planned the shooting ahead of time.

The Court of Appeals ruling says there was some evidence missing from the case, including the gun, but Woizeschke’s 9-1-1 call identifying Goyne-Yarns as the shooter and corroborating surveillance video was substantial evidence to uphold the conviction.

(Radio Iowa) – Researchers at Iowa State University are studying the genetics of three types of turtles with the ultimate goal of helping people survive life-threatening incidents, like heart attacks. Nicole Valenzuela, an ISU professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, says they’re growing what are known as organoids from turtle livers.

“Organoids are a simplified version of an organ that can be grown in a petri dish,” Valenzuela says, “so that we can do experiments without using live animals.” These are the world’s first organoids developed for turtles and only the second for any reptile. When a person has a heart attack or a stroke, they can suffer permanent injuries caused by a lack of oxygen to their organs.

Valenzuela says, “By understanding the remarkable ability of painted turtles to survive lack of oxygen for months, we could develop therapies that bio-mimic that capacity to then help these patients.” Many turtles also have the ability to withstand the extreme cold for long periods of time, something else Valenzuela and her research team are studying with human applications in mind.

“If we understand how these animals are able to survive freezing and not suffer damage to the DNA or their cells,” Valenzuela says, “that also could help develop better technologies that can be used during organ transplantation, the preservation of the organ, the tissue itself.”

ISU research scientist Itzel Sifuentes-Romero and Prof. Nicole Valenzuela (ISU photo)

The research also holds promise for conservation, she says, as the use of organoids would enable the study of endangered species which couldn’t otherwise be investigated.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Firefighters from the Atlantic Fire Department were dispatched to a grass/brush fire early this (Wednesday) afternoon. The call went out at around 12:21-p.m., to the area of 620th and Memphis Road, south of town. Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon says embers from an old brush pile ignited the blaze.

The fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes. The flames consumed about 10 acres.

No injuries were reported (Photo courtesy Mike Kennon)

HAMBURG, Iowa – March 6, 2024 – If you drive on U.S. 275 and Iowa 333 near Hamburg, the Iowa DOT says you need to be aware of an intersection change that could affect your trip. Beginning on Friday, March 15, the current 3-way stop will be changed to a 4-way stop. This change will improve operations as well as safety at this location. Motorists will be alerted to this change by digital message signs in the next few days.

Help keep everyone on the road safer. Drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, you should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

The latest traveler information is available anytime through the 511 system. Visit 511ia.org; call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide); stay connected with 511 on Facebook or Twitter (find links at https://iowadot.gov/511/511-social-media-sites); or download the free app to your mobile device.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate passed a bill along party lines that would authorize law enforcement in the state to arrest immigrants who are here illegally and empower Iowa judges to order deportations. Under the bill it would become a state crime for a person to enter the state if they were already deported or refused entry into the U-S. Republican Senator Jeff Reichman, of Montrose, says the state must step in because the Biden administration has allowed record numbers of illegal border crossings. “They refuse to enforce the laws,” he says.

Democrats opposed the bill. They say immigration is a federal issue and it would be unconstitutional for the state to get involved with arresting and removing people from the country. Democratic Senator Janice Weiner of Iowa City says it would be unconstitutional for the state to take over enforcement of immigration laws. She says if G-O-P Senators want to change border policies they should lobby the state’s federal delegation to support the bipartisan deal that stalled in Congress.

“Get them to bring the compromise to the floor and vote for it,” she says. Republican supporters say lax border enforcement is a threat to Iowa. They blame it for the high levels of fentanyl and other drugs confiscated in traffic stops on Iowa interstates. The bill is similar to a Texas law the U-S Supreme Court has put on hold.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County officially has a new Recorder. Auditor Mandy Berg issued the Oath of Office to Kelly Mitchell. She succeeds long-time Adair County Recorder Janelle Schneider, who announced her intention to retire, in November 2023.  Her appointment is to fill the vacancy until and unless she is elected in November.

The Board approved Township Clerk wages for two individuals, and acknowledged the receipt of three Manure Management Plan (MMP) updates. They also acted to approve Homestead and Military Disallowances. The Adair County Supervisors set their meeting on March 27^th at 9-a.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on the proposed FY 25 Property Tax Levy. They then heard from Brenda Dudley, with Midwest Partnership, with regard to the Bonnie & Clyde Fun Run on April 20^th. 2024 marks the 90^th Anniversary of the duo’s infamous bank robbery in Stuart. Their actions served as the inspiration for a t-shirt memorializing the event.

Dudley said this year, in addition to the 5-mile run, they are adding a bike ride.

During their meeting on Tuesday, the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors agreed to allow the use of White Pole Road for the event and manage the traffic flow. Dudley said they’ve always had good cooperation for the event from area law enforcement, fire departments and other entities. It’s a good opportunity, she said, to bring visitors and shoppers to the area.

In other business, the Adair County Board of Supervisors authorized Board Chair Jerry Walker to sign: The contract and performance bond for the N-26 Lincoln Township Reinforced Concrete Box Culvert (RCB) Project, and N-19 Lincoln Township Bridge Project (Gus Construction in Anita – contractor for both projects), as well as a Right-Of-way contract for the N-17 Richland Township RCB Project ($2,266.56).

Sawyer Hansen, Assistant to Adair County Engineer Nick Kauffman, was on-hand at the meeting to present those contracts, and report on Adair County Secondary Roads maintenance projects and activities.

Work on the N-24 Prussia and N-26 Lincoln Projects are expected to start as early as next week, weather permitting.