DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds has issued an extension of a proclamation that authorizes the use and deployment of all available state resources, supplies, equipment, and materials to continue to assist Dallas County and the Perry Community in their response to and recovery from the tragic January 4th shooting at Perry High School. The proclamation extension is effective immediately and continues through March 6, 2024. 

The Department of Public Safety, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and other state agencies have been supporting the community since the shooting on January 4th. The proclamation activates the emergency authorities of all state agencies, prompts enhanced coordination processes at the State Emergency Operations Center, and removes any administrative barriers to providing state resources and assistance in the days and weeks ahead.  

You can view the full proclamation here. 

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Court of Appeals denies the appeal of a woman convicted of murder in Marion County. Michelle Boat was convicted of first-degree murder for stabbing Tracy Mondabough to death as Mondabough sat in a truck outside her Pella home in May of 2020. Mondabough was seeing Boat’s estranged husband.

Boat’s appeal said she should have been allowed to remove a juror who had been a witness at the murder trial of the woman’s ex-husband. The Appeals Court ruling says the juror genuinely said she had no fixed opinion on the merits of the case and she could be impartial.

The ruling also denied Boat’s claim that improper instructions were given to the jury.

The Iowa Judicial Building. (RI photo)

Here’s the ruling: StatevBoat PDF

Des Moines – The State of Iowa entered into a settlement with TradeStation Crypto, Inc. (TradeStation) to resolve a multi-state securities investigation into TradeStation’s crypto interest-earning program. “Whatever Iowans may be looking to invest in, it’s always important for them to be vigilant and protect their assets,” Commissioner Doug Ommen said. “Iowans can always double-check before investing to make sure an investment is properly registered with the Iowa Insurance Division by calling 877-955-1212.”

TradeStation, a Florida corporation formed in 2018, provides crypto-asset-related financial services to retail and institutional customers in the United States, including investing and trading services. From approximately August 2020 until June 2022, TradeStation offered a crypto interest-earning program to Iowa investors. Under this program, investors passively earned interest on crypto assets by loaning them to TradeStation. TradeStation maintained total discretion over the revenue-generating activities utilized to earn returns for investors. The company offered and promoted their crypto interest-earning program in Iowa and the United States at large via its website and various platforms.

The $1.5 million multistate settlement, on behalf of 51 United States jurisdictions, is the result of a North American Securities Administrators Association task force of eight state securities regulators from Alabama, California, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin. The task force determined that during the offering period, TradeStation engaged in the unregistered offer and sale of securities via its crypto interest-earning program.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office today (Feb. 7th), issued a report on arrests made & citations issued, from January 29th through Feb. 2nd:

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic SplashPad Fundraising Committee Co-Chair Jeremy Butler, today (Wednesday), issued a statement to the media with regard to the February 6th, 2024 Atlantic City Council meeting, during which there was considerable discussion, followed by a social media backlash against City leaders, for their perceived role in delaying the project.

Butler said, “The minutes that were read from the April 5th, 2023 were correct but comments that were made were not put into context. Before that meeting the fundraising had not been kicked off. The “fiasco” that Councilman Brink was referring to was the fact that my committee had been trying to start fundraising since the fall of 2022. We were running into road blocks at every turn and that night the council made a unanimous decision to let us go and raise the money. The committee has never wavered from their primary focus which was getting the Splash Pad completed. It has been one of the things at the top of the community’s wish list for several years.

“I want to go on record saying that we have an amazing City Council that has supported this project from the beginning. They have had questions and concerns that have always been discussed and worked through with give and take from both sides. They would not be doing their jobs if they were not only looking out for the citizens of Atlantic but also being good stewards of the tax dollars that they are entrusted with. Our City Administrator has also done a very good job in supplying them with information on any impact maintenance on the splash pad could have on future budgets as well as where the funds could come from for their contribution to the initial build. This has allowed the Council to make informed decisions.

“Lastly I would like to thank SWIPCO. John McCurdy and his staff have been amazing. They were doing what they were told by the “City of Atlantic” They are now working tirelessly to put a large grant together in 10 days that should have been worked on for several months. They could have very easily and understandably said no but instead decided to buckle down and get this done.

In closing I would like to thank concerned citizens that have reached out or commented on social media. I however ask that we do not start a mob mentality. We are part of an amazing community and I urge each of you to be a part of the change that you would like to see happen. There are so many committees that need volunteers and this project proves that volunteers can get things done. Please feel free to reach out if you have a passion and I will be happy to get you connected with the right people.”

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says two men were arrested on drug charges Monday evening, in Malvern. 18-year-old Nicholas William Kerbo, and 22-year-old Matthew Dakota Kerbo, both of Malvern, were arrested at around 7:50-p.m.  They were charged with Drug Distribution Violation, Gathering Controlled Substance Used, and Attempt to Entice Minor. Bond for both men was set at $25,000, each.

And, at around 4:55-p.m., Tuesday, Mills County Deputies arrested 24-year-old Faith Leeann Clemmons, of Emerson, on a warrant for Violation of Probation. She was taken into custody at the Pottawattamie County Jail and transported to the Mills County Jail, where Clemmons’ bond was set at $10,000.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill introduced in the Iowa House would require parental permission before Iowans under the age of 18 could create a social media account on websites or smart phone apps like SnapChat. Tom Chapman, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference, says his church urges parents to actively monitor social media use by their children. “Anybody who’s been a parent recently knows that minors can easily create and use social media accounts without parental awareness or supervision,” Chapman says, “and we’d like to give parents a chance to help.”

The “Social Media Parental Authorization Act” would require platforms like Instagram or TikTok to verify a parent or guardian has granted written and digital permission for a minor to have an account. The bill cleared a House subcommittee this (Wednesday) morning. Representative Sami Scheetz, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, supported it. “I love the intent of this bill,” Scheetz said. “As somebody who grew up in the social media age I understand how damaging social media can be to the mental health of young people.”

Iowa Catholic Conference executive director Tom Chapman testifies at House subcommittee hearing on Feb. 7, 2024. (RI photo)

But Scheetz says the bill needs work because, as written, it would be hard to enforce and likely would be challenged in court. There are other bills in the legislature designed to restrict minor’s access to social media. The governor has proposed requiring people to upload an I-D like a driver’s license to prove they’re an adult before getting access to sites with pornographic content.

(Radio Iowa) – Many thousands of Iowans will be watching pro football on T-V Sunday and dozens of state troopers will be watching the highways after the big game for drivers who are putting themselves — and others — at risk. Trooper Paul Gardner, who’s based at the Iowa State Patrol office in Fort Dodge, says they’re planning to project a much more visible presence on the state’s roads than a normal Sunday. “Whether you’re rooting for the Chiefs or the 49ers, there’s going to be one way to win this Sunday: Let’s make sure everyone gets to the end zone, which is home safely,” Gardner says. “Our troopers will be out watching for impaired and drunk drivers. We highly encourage you to get a designated driver. Whether you’re hosting a party or attending a party, make sure that everyone gets home safely.”

If you plan to watch the game at a local watering hole or at a friend’s house, Gardner says it’s vital that you come up with a plan ahead of time to get yourself home. “Your most valuable player in these cases is going to be a sober, designated driver to get everyone home safely,” Gardner says. “That game plan should start now to get preparations going so that we can get people in line to be able to get people home, and that’s for parties that involve alcoholic beverages. We know that they’re going to be out there. We certainly encourage people to go out and have fun, but just please, do it responsibly.”

Gardner says last year’s Super Bowl Sunday did -not- bring a significant increase in traffic accidents or deaths in Iowa, and he hopes for a similar result this weekend. Trooper Kevin Krull, who’s based in Spencer, says for the cost of a drunk driving conviction, you could attend the Super Bowl in person.  “So if you get picked up for OWI, you could have just as well went to the game and bought a ticket to be at the Super Bowl,” Krull says, “because of the $10,000 that you’re going to spend probably on the OWI, between the insurance costs that are elevated after the fact, the fines and attorney fees.”

The key phrase Krull wants everyone to know for this weekend’s festivities is, “Fans don’t let fans drive drunk.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, received Quarterly Reports from County Veterans Affairs Director Mitchell Holmes and Conservation Director Micah Lee.
Holmes said he only had one request for emergency assistance. That came from the widow of a veteran, whose thermostat on her furnace stopped working.

Holmes said his office filed 13 claims for federal disability benefits.

For the quarter, Holmes said his office assisted 210 individual veterans. They received 150 office visits and held 12 home visits. Conservation Director Micah Lee discussed maintenance activities from the past quarter. He said at Cold Springs State Park, they are planting trees to replace the 100-year-old Oak Trees that had to be removed due to Oak blight.

He said they’re planting more diversified trees in some places.

At the Nodaway Wildlife Area…

At the West Nodaway Wildlife Area, Micah Lee says they installed Winter Rye cover crops in their food plots to control erosion. Cover crops were also put in-place at the Hitchcock House near Lewis. And, at the Outdoor Classroom near Massena, they winterized the outdoor shelter. He said also, they applied for a Fish Habitat grant.

The fish that inhabited the pond were killed-off last year, due to an invasion of the common carp and some lesser desired species. The pond was treated under the ice to kill what Lee said were “thousands” of carp. He said they don’t know where the invasive carp came from. If the grant is approved, they hope to construct another silt pond with an inlet, making it about 5-to 6-feet deep, and eventually restock the pond with desirable fish.

The Supervisors also received a Monthly report from County Mental Health/General Relief Coordinator Debbie Schuler.

She also provided a report on her January data.

Schuler and the Board discussed proposed new legislation coming out with regard to the consolidation of mental health regions into districts. If approved, the 16 current regions would shrink down to seven districts, “Making the State as the payer of last resort,” according to Schuler. She says “That’s crazy…it will be interesting to see…” [what happens]. She says “It feels like we are reinventing the wheel.”

She says there are still many unknowns as to how the whole thing will “shake out.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, during their meeting Tuesday morning, in Atlantic, heard a request from Craig Meyer, of Lewis, with regard to refurbishing some benches near the Cass County Freedom Rock site, in Lewis.

He said Weirich Welding in Lewis, which manufactured the benches, would be willing to transport the benches to Red Oak, for powder coating, which is a durable, electrostatically applied and baked-on paint, that when heated in a large, industrial over, cures to achieve a hard, smooth surface that is tougher than commercial paint. It resists rust and scratches.

Meyer said he would like to have the benches powder coated and back in-place by Memorial Day.

The Board agreed to look into the costs and put the request on the agenda for their next meeting on February 20^th, as part of the budgetary process.