(Radio Iowa) – A true-crime book argues the infamous 1912 ax murders in the southwest Iowa town of Villisca were committed by a previously overlooked serial killer, and its authors will give a lecture in Ames tomorrow (Wednesday) night. Rachel McCarthy James, who co-wrote the book with her father, Bill James, says they did extensive research into dozens of similar slayings, all around the turn of the last century.

“I looked at other crimes from the same time period that had the same basic idiosyncrasies,” James says. “The same method was used, the back of the ax was used in all of these cases. They were at the same time of day, usually in the same type of place, a small town, fairly rural but near the intersection of two railroad lines.” Other things the crimes had in common included: the killer locked the door behind him, the bodies and windows were covered, and a lantern from the house was often taken and left somewhere outside.

In the Villisca murders, eight people were killed one night in a house, including six children. There was another incident in Iowa around that same time which wasn’t necessarily a “slam dunk” to be the same killer, she says. An elderly couple was murdered in a rural farmhouse in the Marshalltown area in 1910 that had many similarities to the Villisca case. James says it’s possible one man committed dozens of murders over several years in multiple states. His name was Paul Mueller and he was connected to the slaying of a family in Massachusetts in 1897.

“He was living with this family and he ended up being seen at the house on that night and he was the only one not killed in that event,” James says. “He was seen walking away from them towards the train on the night of the crime, never seen again.” In the book, the father-daughter duo claims Mueller likely committed 14 family murders with a total of 59 victims, but he may also be linked to another 25 mass killings with 94 more victims. James says she’s held the ax that was used in the Villisca murders but has never visited the house, which some claim is haunted.

“I’m not really a haunting person,” James says. “I’ve lived in a lot of ‘haunted’ places and I’ve never seen a ghost so I’ve never been a big person on haunting, which is good because I’ve devoted ten years of my life to ax murders now so there has to be some separation there.” The James’ collaborative book is called, “The Man From the Train,” while the younger James is working on her next book, “Whack Job,” which is also about ax murders. Their lecture is at 7 P-M Wednesday at Iowa State University’s Memorial Union Great Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday) reports two people were arrested on drug charges Friday evening, following a traffic stop at Levi Road/Highway 34. Authorities say 26-year-old Jaymie Ilene Rowe, of Hastings (IA), and 61-year-old Joan Marie Brouillette, of Omaha, were arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Their bonds were set at $300 each.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the City of Atlantic, Tuesday morning, issued a reminder to persons who make use of the City’s compost pile by the Schildberg Recreational Area: “The compost pile is for residents who live within the Atlantic city limits.” The City warns continued use of the site by persons outside of the city, may force the City to temporarily close the site. The City does have a camera in place to capture the license plates of vehicles entering and exiting the yard waste site, as a friendly reminder.

Two weeks ago, officials with the City of Harlan said illegal dumping at their yard waste site resulting in a temporary closure. Cameras caught the alleged culprits, but a few days after the site was cleaned-up and re-opened, another incident of illegal trash dumping took place.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meeting on Friday, beginning at 9-a.m.  During the meeting there will be two public hearing before action is taken on Resolutions pertaining to each hearing. The first is with regard to the issuance of General Obligation Capital Loan Notes not to exceed $2-million, and the authorizing of a Loan Agreement for the Notes. The hearing and Resolution are with regard to ISICS (Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System), a statewide radio platform that provides microwave-based radio communication to public safety agencies and others, border to border in the State of Iowa, to improve public safety across the state.  Additional communication antennas, etc. will be needed for system infrastructure and support.

The second hearing pertains to the vacating and closing about 500-feet of 570th Street under Interstate 80, north of Wiota, contained within a State of Iowa right of way. The State wants to eventually make I-80 three lanes in both directions. Closing the road is a part of that process. Some area landowners have complained closing the road would cut them off from their land and or animals, on either side of the Interstate.

In other business, the Board will act on Resolutions resetting the number of deputies and assistants in the Sheriff’s Office, and the entering into an agreement to abate the taxes, penalties, interest and costs on a County-held tax certificate for a parcel now owned by the City of Massena. The Board are also likely to approve the County Medical Examiner’s appointment of an additional Medical Examiner.

Reports are expected to be received as well, from County Veteran Affairs Director Mitch Holmes (The quarterly report was not available last week), and a regular report from County Mental Health/General Relief Coordinator Deb Schuler. The Supervisor’s meeting takes place in their Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse, and can be accessed live HERE.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Officials with the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, today (Tuesday, October 26), announced twelve federal search warrants were executed at various locations in the Des Moines metropolitan area. The searches at these locations were an official law enforcement action involving officers,  agents, and investigators from the Des Moines Police Department; Federal Bureau of  Investigation; Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force; Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement  Task Force East; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; Iowa Division of Intelligence and  Fusion Center; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Iowa State Patrol; Iowa  State Patrol SWAT; West Des Moines Police Department; METRO Star; and SERT.

Authorities says there is no known danger to the public and there will be no further comment on the  actions taken, at this time.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans are paying over a dollar a gallon more for gasoline now than they were a year ago, and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican, blames the Democrat in the White House. Grassley says he’s introduced a bipartisan bill to combat anti-competitive practices by foreign oil producers who control 82-percent of the world’s oil reserve, namely OPEC. “Gas prices have been at a seven-year high since Memorial Day and they keep going up,” Grassley says. “According to AAA, Americans must pay $17 more on average to fill up their vehicles compared last year.”

Grassley says, “Biden has made clear he’s not a friend of domestic oil producers,” while crude oil prices have doubled since the 2020 election. The president is “scrambling,” Grassley says, to bring relief to consumers, but is going about it the wrong way. “He should prioritize biofuels to reduce the cost at the pump,” Grassley says. “This would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, he hasn’t taken the proper moves on biofuels to keep prices down.”

Grassley says the president pleaded with OPEC to reduce prices and to increase production and in Grassley’s words, OPEC told Biden to “go pound sand.” Grassley’s legislation is called NOPEC (NO-peck), which stands for the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act. “I introduced a bipartisan bill that would allow the United States to sue OPEC and its partners for anti-trust violations that increase gas prices,” Grassley says. “When OPEC meets, that’s collusion to set world prices.”

Grassley says if the administration insists on limiting domestic oil production, the U-S should at least have the tools to hold OPEC accountable for anti-competitive products and conduct. Triple-A-Iowa reports gas prices in the state are averaging $3.15 a gallon, up from $2.02 a year ago. The national average is $3.38.