The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of two people after an incident on Saturday afternoon. At 1:06pm officers arrested 26-year-old Dustin James Danick of Red Oak for Violating a Protection Order. At the same time and location on East Market Street Red Oak Police arrested 28-year-old Kirstin Lynn Wilwerding of Red Oak for aiding and abetting. She will also be charged with Violating a Protection Order. Both individuals were booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond each.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of an Iowa City cab driver. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that 42-year-old Curtis Cortez Jones was sentenced Friday after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in November for the 2017 death of Ricky Lillie.

Jones maintained his innocence in a statement read to the sentencing judge. Lillie’s mother said in a victim statement that she wishes Iowa had the death penalty. Jones is also charged in the fatal shooting of Iowa City bail bondsman Jonathan Wieseler. That trial is scheduled to begin on Friday at the Polk County Courthouse. Both trials were moved because of intense publicity.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa man has been turned over to immigration authorities and his sister sentenced to probation after they set up a sham marriage to keep the man in the United States. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 27-year-old Selmir Salkanovic, of Waterloo, was accused of marrying a U.S. citizen purely to obtain an upgraded immigration status after he overstayed a tourism visa.

His sister, Sanela Dedic, was accused of paying off an unidentified American woman to be the bride in the fake marriage. The siblings pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. Dedic allegedly offered to pay the woman $5,000 and gave her a Ford Taurus. She also allegedly asked the woman to fill out immigration paperwork and travel to Omaha, Nebraska, for a hearing for her brother.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A northern Iowa nature center is getting $386,000 in renovations this year. The Globe Gazette reports that the Lime Creek Nature Center announced plans to replace the center’s original main-level exhibits with “museum-quality,” ”interactive” and “durable” ones that will highlight the area’s natural resources and the unique features and history of the Lime Creek Conservation Area. It’s also designed to provide an engaging educational experience for visitors.

The nature center opened in 1984 and was one of the first in Iowa. It features displays that include mounted animals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and natural resources as well as an auditorium and library. Managers say some of the center’s current displays are outdated and deteriorating.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A panel has named a new 137-acre park near Dubuque ahead of work to add a mountain bike trail system and disc golf course. The Dubuque County Conservation Board announced this week it had named the park Proving Grounds Recreation Area, according to the Telegraph Herald . Deere & Co. donated the land for the park, and the name reflects how Deere had long used the property to test its equipment.

The park has been open for hiking and bow hunting. Crews began working on park projects since fall and have added a paved parking area, restrooms and a pavilion. Upcoming work includes building a 7½-mile mountain bike trail system and an 18-hold disc golf course.

The development costs, which are expected to total about $300,000, will be covered by the county, state grants and fundraising. The mountain-biking trail will be the third in Dubuque County, along with one in Asbury’s Cloie Creek Park and another being completed at the Interstate Power Co. Forest Preserve. Brett Errthum, president of Tri-State Mountain Bike Riders, said his group is partnering with the county and expects work on the trails to start in the spring or summer. The trail will open in phases.

Brett Blewett, a member of Dubuque Disc Golf, said the new course will be the county’s first featuring 18 holes. Two other county courses include nine holes.

w/ Chris Parks

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(Radio Iowa) — The three Iowa Democrats serving in the U.S. House took their first votes in the 116th congress, joining with other Democrats in passing legislation that would end the partial government shutdown. Third district Congresswoman Cindy Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, says she supports enhanced border security, but is opposed to President Trump’s demand for money to complete a wall along the southern border.

(as said: “The wall has not been proven to be something that’s fiscally responsible or effective,” Axne says.)

Axne along with Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer, of Dubuque — the Democrat representing Iowa’s first district — are among 102 women just elected to the House. Both voted to return Nancy Pelosi to the speaker’s chair.

(as said: “She is really somebody who understands that every single voter’s voice in this country must be heard,” Axne says, “and she stands by those philosophies and those values.”)

Dave Loebsack, of Iowa City, the other Democrat representing Iowa in congress, says the partial government shut-down is unacceptable, particularly when U-S-D-A — which he says has “nothing to do with securing the border” — is closed and farm payments aren’t being processed.

Steve King of Kiron — the only Republican who remains in Iowa’s House delegation — announced Friday, he will hold a town hall meeting in each of the fourth congressional district’s 39 counties this year. King last year said town hall meetings had become forums for “paid protesters” and he stopped scheduling them.

A Omaha man was arrested on multiple charges following an incident early Saturday morning in Red Oak. At 2:25am Red Oak Police arrested 43-year-old Jason Ryan Richmond of Omaha, NE in the 400 block of East Reed Street. Richmond was charged with four counts of Aggravated Assault, one count of Carrying Weapons, and Going Armed with Intent. Richmond was taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on $5,000 cash bond.

Red Oak Police were assisted by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office during the arrest.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts strode into Iowa Friday with all the look of a presidential candidate, igniting pent-up Democratic frustration with her brand of fiery liberalism in the premier caucus state.

“It’s time to dream big and fight hard, not just for those at the top, but for an America that works for everyone,” Warren told about 500 in western Iowa Friday evening.

Warren made her Iowa debut calling for economic fairness in front of a cheering crowd of Iowa and Nebraska Democrats at a Council Bluffs, Iowa, bowling alley. She was scheduled to continue by holding public events Saturday and Sunday in western and central Iowa theaters, community centers and bars.

Warren has been an emerging national figure for more than a decade as an advocate for consumer protection, now a senator and a regular target of President Donald Trump. But this trip offers the first glimpse of what the likely Democratic presidential candidate will look like in that role.

She appeared to relish the transition from the outset.

“This is where it begins, person-to-person, town-to-town, across Iowa and across the country,” she said, igniting cheers. “We’re going to build a grassroots movement.”

She also signaled a potential point of conflict within the Democratic primary field, suggesting billionaire candidates would not represent the party well if they used their personal wealth to help finance their campaigns. Billionaires including environmentalist Tom Steyer and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are weighing 2020 Democratic candidacies. Steyer plans to visit Iowa Wednesday.

“I think that campaigns should not be for sale,” she said. “Whether we’re talking about super PACs or self-funding as Democrats in a primary.”

For someone known for her ability to rouse crowds with her takedowns of Wall Street and Trump, Warren ignited her audience in Iowa by promising, in her trademark style, to “persist.”

Despite the friendly reception, retired teacher Carla Hawkins was far from ready to commit.

“I’m ready for something good, something better,” the Council Bluffs Democrat said. “But I still don’t know enough about Sen. Warren. And there are so many others looking into it. It’s too early for me to say.”

High school senior Maggie Bashore said she was curious, but looking for someone younger than Warren, who is 69.

“We need somebody who is focusing on our generation,” Bashore said. “We need someone who knows we’re going to be the ones taking care of the planet.”

Warren will have the chance to forge more personal connections with the state’s activists and powerbrokers, starting Saturday with about 20 Democratic activists at a private home in central Iowa and Sunday at a Des Moines cafe.

“I’d like to see how she deals with people one-on-one, that interaction between her and regular folks,” said Jan Bauer, the Story County Democratic chairwoman, who planned to attend the private event with Warren Saturday.

Though Warren announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee Monday, Friday’s event had all the trappings of a full-throttle presidential campaign.

Having recently named a team of seasoned Iowa campaign hands, Warren took the stage in the bowling alley bar to a typical campaign soundtrack of pop and classic hits.

A team of private security guards guided attendees and the dozens of media through the parking lot. Warren’s staff logged the names and contact information for those interested in more information.

“I’m here to ask every one of you to be a part of this,” Warren said. “Join us in this because this is about what we can do together.”

Iowa’s caucuses, local political meetings held statewide and run by the party, are scheduled to begin the 2020 nominating campaign in February 2020.

Warren’s visit is an effort to gain an early advantage in the state. Other Democratic presidential prospects are expected to announce their plans in the coming weeks, and have been in touch for weeks with party leaders, activists and potential staff in Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday that it must delay the release of key crop reports due to the partial government shutdown, leaving investors and farmers without vital information during an already tumultuous time for agricultural markets.
The USDA had planned to release the closely watched reports Jan. 11 but said that even if the shutdown ended immediately , the agency’s staff wouldn’t have time to release the reports as scheduled. Congressional leaders met with President Donald Trump on Friday but there were no indications the shutdown would end soon.

“The longer it goes on, the more distorted our reference points get,” said grain market analyst Todd Hultman, of Omaha, Nebraska-based agriculture market data provider DTN. “It’s a lot of guesswork.”
The reports detail the size of the 2018 harvests of corn, soybean, wheat and other crops and give an early estimate for what farmers will plant in the upcoming season. Depending on the estimates, the price of the commodities can rise or fall as they show the current supply and forecast how many acres will be devoted to different crops in the coming months.

The government shutdown has now forced the delay of such reports for two weeks, and uncertainty about the commodity supply will only grow as more time elapses, Hultman said. USDA reports provide the foundation for understanding the U.S. agricultural industry, and because they also estimate farm production in other countries, they are essential for understanding global crop markets.

Although the government is still releasing some information, such as the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report , the USDA hasn’t released key reports since Dec. 22. This includes the closely watched World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report and information about specific crops, such as winter wheat and canola seedings.

The lack of information comes amid the uncertainty of trade with China, where tariffs led to an abrupt drop in U.S. agricultural exports to the country. There were indications that China was beginning to resume at least limited purchases of U.S. crops, but because of the government shutdown it’s unclear what’s happening.

University of Illinois professor Todd Hubbs, who studies agricultural commodity markets, said he finds the report delays especially frustrating because he thinks they could confirm a belief that the U.S. soybean crop was smaller than earlier forecast. If true, that information would mean a smaller supply and could raise soybean prices, helping farmers who have struggled with low prices worsened by the trade dispute with China. Until the USDA releases its information, investors and farmers can’t be certain about where they stand, he said.