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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Nishna Valley YMCA Executive Director Dan Haynes said today (Thursday), there will be a slight delay in the opening date for the Sunnyside Pool, in Atlantic. Recreation officials have been notified by ACCO, that the essential pump has arrived and is being installed at Sunnyside Pool, with an anticipated completion of sometime next week. This has extended the opening of the pool by approximately one week. The actual opening date will be dictated by the installation process and timeline. The public will be notified as soon as the opening date is known.
While this brief setback may postpone the summer splash, Haynes says the team is diligently working to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all patrons.
In the spirit of community collaboration, the local YMCA has extended its facilities to Sunnyside Pool members during this interim period. Paid Sunnyside members are invited to enjoy the YMCA’s pool amenities at no additional cost until Sunnyside Pool is up and running.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of our community members as we work to finalize the necessary installations to ensure a fantastic swimming season.” Stay tuned for further updates regarding the exact opening date of Sunnyside Pool. For more information and updates, please visit Sunnyside Pool’s Facebook page.
(Audubon, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Audubon County today (Thursday), are asking for your help in solving crimes of theft in the County. According to authorities, early Wednesday morning (May 29th), two vehicles were stolen from a car dealership in Audubon. The vehicles were then used in ATM break-ins in Audubon and Exira.
The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office and the Audubon Police Department are investigating the crimes, in conjunction with DCI, Fusion Center and multiple other agencies with similar criminal activities. 
Anyone with information in regard to the thefts, are asked to contact the Audubon County Sheriff’s Department at 712-563-2631. Information can result in a Crimestoppers reward.
(Des Moines, Iowa) – Several groups challenging a recent decision, say a federal judge wrongly limited the authority of county and state officials to restrict the placement of carbon dioxide pipelines for public safety. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the challenges stem from December rulings in which Chief Judge Stephanie Rose, of the federal Southern District of Iowa, blocked Shelby and Story Counties from enforcing ordinances that create minimum separation distances between the pipelines and buildings that are occupied by people or animals. The ordinances were the result of lawsuits Summit Carbon Solutions filed against counties that have attempted to govern where its sprawling pipeline system can go and to require the company to provide plans that show the safety risks of a system breach.
Summit wants to build a pipeline network that would transport captured carbon dioxide from ethanol plants in five states — including 30 in Iowa — to North Dakota for underground storage. Its initial construction permit is awaiting a decision in Iowa, and the company has sued five counties in the state that enacted ordinances. Rose sided with Summit in two of the lawsuits regarding Shelby and Story counties, and the other three are paused until appeals of Rose’s decisions conclude. Summit has argued — and Rose agreed — that state law gives the Iowa Utilities Board the ultimate say on pipeline routes and that the safety-related provisions of the ordinances conflict with federal law.
The counties’ ordinances reflect public apprehensions about the pipelines, which have the potential to create a deadly plume of carbon dioxide if they rupture. Rose said minimum separation distances — or setbacks — are “within the field of safety standards” and are the territory of federal regulators. As such, neither county nor state can impose them, she reasoned. That interpretation of the law is a concern to the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, which has asked the IUB to keep Summit’s pipe at least 400 feet from homes and livestock buildings.
Chris Gruenhagen an attorney for the Iowa Farm Bureau, wrote in a court brief, in partial support of the appeals, that there are 112 homes and 36 livestock barns within 400 feet of Summit’s initial proposed route. “The district court’s ruling,” he wrote, ” … would restrict the state’s ability to judiciously review the proposed location and routing of the proposed pipeline.” Rose’s interpretation of federal law was contradicted in September by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which regulates the design, construction and operation of carbon dioxide pipelines to ensure public safety. PHMSA sent a letter to Summit that month that said state and local governments are allowed to establish minimum separation distances.
Rose decided the initial versions of the Shelby and Story ordinances were so restrictive they “will lead to a situation where the IUB may grant a permit to construct a pipeline and Summit is unable to do so.” Story County modified its ordinance after the lawsuit was filed to include lesser setbacks. It’s unclear whether the changes would alleviate Rose’s concerns because she did not address the changes in her December ruling. Rose did, however, say state law does not explicitly prevent counties from adopting the setbacks. An attorney for the counties argues there is not evidence the ordinances are overly restrictive, in part because they would allow Summit to ask for exceptions when a pipeline could not comply with the setbacks.
“In reaching these conclusions, the district court fundamentally misapplied Iowa law,” wrote Jason Craig, a Des Moines attorney who is representing the counties in federal court. It’s unclear when the appeals will conclude. They were initiated in December, consolidated in January, and Craig filed a brief with his arguments in early May. Summit’s response is due July 1st. Iowa Farm Bureau, the Pipeline Safety Trust and the Iowa Farmer’s Union have also filed briefs that argue against various determinations by the judge.
(Muscatine, Iowa) – Authorities in Muscatine say there were no reports of injuries following a chase, crash and shots-fired incident, Wednesday afternoon. According to the Muscatine Police Department, at around 3:30-p.m., Wednesday, officers with the Muscatine County Drug Task Force began the process of serving a search warrant on a residence located in the City of Muscatine. The subjects of the investigation fled the scene in a vehicle, when approached by law enforcement, and led police on a high-speed pursuit on Highway 61, around Muscatine.
The fleeing vehicle was involved in a collision at the intersection of Highway 61 and Cedar Street, at around 3:40-p.m. The suspects then fled on foot from the scene. Shortly afterward, several gunshots were fired at the scene.
Incident scene in Muscatine (Photo from the Muscatine, IA Police Department Facebook page)
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is conducting an investigation into the incident. In addition to the Muscatine County Drug Task Force, agencies involved in the incident or lending support, included:
Officials say the situation was quickly contained, and there is no active threat the community. The incident remains under investigation. Additional details will be released pending completion of the DCI investigation.
DES MOINES, Iowa — The latest U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) released today (Thursday) showed no drought conditions anywhere in the state of Iowa, marking the first time the entire state has been without drought conditions since 2020.
The USDM shows drought conditions in several stages. D1-D4 are considered drought conditions. At least part of Iowa has been in D1 or above since July 2020. Parts of the state, particularly in eastern and northeastern Iowa, are still under “abnormally dry” conditions, which do not meet the criteria for drought but could indicate areas that are either entering or recovering from drought.
In western Iowa, a good section of western Pottawattamie County, most of northern Guthrie County, and a section of northern Dallas County are shown as “Abnormally Dry, on the Drought Monitor map. 
Parts of Iowa had been in extreme drought — D3 on the scale — from June 2022 through early May of this year before consistent rainfall helped bring the state out of those conditions.
(Glenwood, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report a man was arrested Tuesday evening on a Montgomery County warrant. 24-year-old Brandon Lane Good, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 7:30-p.m. at the Mills County Sheriff Office. His bond was set at $5,000.
(Radio Iowa) – An asthma drug that’s been around 20-plus years is now FDA-approved for treating multiple food allergies, and an expert says it could be a game-changer for Iowans who live in fear of having a severe reaction. Dr. Samantha Knox, a pediatric allergist with Gundersen Health System, says food allergies can cause hives, breathing trouble or full-on anaphylaxis, so this new use for Xolair offers an extra layer of comfort. “This is a really great breakthrough treatment that can really help reduce reactions, but it is not a cure,” Knox says. “It does not resolve your allergy. There’s lots of research to be done here to see how long this lasts and for how long that it needs to be done.”
Research finds that regular injections of Xolair will allow people with certain food allergies to safely eat small amounts of those foods without triggering a reaction. “I want patients to also understand that it is in addition to the preventative measures you’re already going to take for your food allergies,” Knox says. “You’re still going to strictly avoid those foods. Read all of your labels thoroughly. Never accept a food that you’re given and you don’t know what is in it. You are always going to have your epinephrine auto injector and an anaphylaxis action plan around, so this is in addition to all the strict avoidance.”
She says this is exciting news as there’s only one other FDA-approved product for food allergies and it’s specific to peanut allergies. “I think it’s really showing us a pathway that we’ve been able to target the food allergy pathway,” Knox says, “and to help treat those patients who have multiple food allergies, who have had anaphylactic reactions, who have a poor quality of life because of the worry and the anxiety of going out into public and social situations where they might have an accidental exposure.”
Dr. Samantha Knox (Gundersen photo)
In addition to peanuts, research finds Xolair is effective with other common food allergies, including eggs, wheat and milk. Studies find about six-percent of all Americans have a food allergy, and about four in ten children who have food allergies are allergic to several types of food.
Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.
(Radio Iowa) – It’s shaping up to be a record-breaking year for tornadoes in Iowa. New figures from the National Weather Service show Iowa’s had 86 tornadoes so far this year, with 44 last month and 42 this month. The average in a year is about 50.
The weather service says Iowa’s never seen this many tornadoes by this date, and it’s also among the five deadliest tornado seasons, with six dead and some three-dozen hurt. We still have a month left in the tornado season, though twisters can strike during any month.
In 2021, Iowa had a record 63 tornadoes in a single day — in December. That was during the state’s second derecho in as many years, and that December outbreak set another record for most E-F-2 tornadoes in one day — at 21. 
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular, weekly meeting beginning 9-a.m. Friday (May 31), in their Boardroom at the Cass County Courthouse, in Atlantic. On their agenda for the meeting, is two Public Hearings, followed by action on resolutions to approve, the Amended Cass County Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget, and Declaring Emergency Medical Services (EMS) an essential service in Cass County.
The Board will then act on the appointments of Sawyer Ocheltre to Sheriff’s Deputy /K9 position (retroactive to May 1st), in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement Wage Rate Schedule of $35.10 per hour, and Cameron Ward to Sheriff’s Deputy position (retroactive to May 29), also in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement Wage Rate Schedule of $34.08 per hour.
The Cass County Supervisors will act on approving a Fiscal Year 2025 Employee Group Agreement with the Secondary Roads Department, and the re-appointment of Veteran Affairs Commission Member Christine Short to a three-year term through June 30, 2027. They will also discuss updating the Cass County Comprehensive Plan.
Other business includes:
Next Meeting: Tuesday, June 18, 2024
(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports the arrest at around 6:15-a.m. today (Thursday), of a man charged with 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse. Authorities say 21-year-old Jodie Ray Perkins, II, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Perkins’ bond was set at $10,000.
And, around 10:40-p.m. Wednesday, Creston Police arrested 32-year-old Shanda Faith Kile, of Creston, in the 500 block of Livingston Street. Kile was taken into custody on a Union County Warrant for Harassment in the 1st Degree, and Assault causing bodily injury or mental illness. Shanda Kile was subsequently released on a $3,000 bond.
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