(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa art gallery is one of just three national stops for a traveling exhibit of over 40 paintings by international artists. The American Watercolor Society debuted the works in New York City in April before they were shipped to the Le Mars Arts Center. Nancy Thoma, president of the Arts Council in Le Mars, says it’s an amazing array. “There’s something for everyone in this exhibit. You don’t have to be an art lover or even an art appreciator to come in there and know that there was some major talent that produced some of these pieces,” she says. “You just wonder: ‘How did they do that?'”

The artworks will be on display in Le Mars through July 14th before being shipped to a museum in California. The traveling exhibit’s final stop will be early next year in Florida. Draven Haegs is the recently hired director of the Le Mars Arts Center. “To be perfectly honest, it’s a little bit daunting coming in and my first exhibit is this massive, prestigious organization that I studied a bit in college, so it’s an interesting exhibit to be a part of,” he says, “but it’s also one that I’m also so ecstatic to be a part of.”

The American Watercolor Society was founded in 1866. Famed artists Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth were members of the group, which holds an annual exhibition. The traveling exhibit’s opening this week in Le Mars is happening during the community’s annual “Ice Cream Days” celebration.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – [UPDATED) Officials with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the circumstances surrounding an incident of homicide that occurred in Runnells, early this (Friday) morning. A little after 1-a.m., the Polk County Communications Center received a 911 call about a shooting at 4532 SE 116th Street, in Runnells. Deputies arrived on the scene and made entrance into the residence, where they located a man who was deceased.

The man has been identified as 50-year-old Richard David Selby, of Runnells. A suspect was identified during the investigation. 35-year-oldm Jacob Cole Harbold,of Des Moines, was booked into the Polk County Jail Friday morning on a first-degree murder charge.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – One in four Iowa students was chronically absent from school during the 2021-22 school year, according to a new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, officials hope a tiered approach to the problem will encourage school-wide attendance and remove any barriers to attendance. They also hope additional investments in Iowa schools will counter the growing trend.

Executive Director of Student Services at Dubuque Community School District Shirley Horstman, said her district uses a three-tiered approach to improve attendance school-wide:

• The first tier is aimed at all students and encourages schools to lay out a clear school schedule, recognize good attendance and establish the benefits of attendance.
• The second tier is for students absent for 5% to 10% of the school year. Schools will reach out to the parents of those students and look for ways to remove any obstacles to regular class attendance.  If it’s a transportation issue, the school may help the parents set up a local carpool, teach students how to use city buses or recommend having an older sibling walk them to school, according to Horstman.
• The third tier is for chronically absent students who miss more than 10% of school days. For those students, schools will set up a more formal conversation with parents and create an attendance agreement outlining joint efforts to improve attendance.

Missing that much school puts students at an educational disadvantage, said Anne Discher, executive director of Common Good Iowa, which helped with the report. “Once you get behind, it’s hard to get caught up,” she said. Discher said chronic absenteeism rates have grown across the nation since the pandemic. Iowa’s rate of chronic absenteeism of 26% is better than the national average of 30%, but both rates are still higher than the pre-pandemic national average of 16%.

Fourth-grade students who never missed a day of school scored proficient or above proficient in reading 40% of the time compared to 14% for students who missed ten or more days, according to the report. It’s not just grades that are impacted by constant absences, Discher said. A 2012 John Hopkins University study tracking Rhode Island students for seven years found that chronically absent students were more than twice as likely to get suspended or repeat a grade.

The increasing absenteeism rates negatively affect those who regularly attend class as well. Students in high-absence classrooms are more likely to have lower test scores, according to the report. Students who experience instabilities at home such as divorce, domestic violence or substance abuse are more likely to be chronically absent, according to the report. Students facing such issues are also more likely to repeat a grade and be indifferent to succeeding academically.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports six people were arrested in recent days. A little before 5-p.m., Thursday, 53-year-old Michael Dean Williams, of Creston, was arrested in the 700 block of W. Jefferson Street, on a warrant for Harassment in the 1st Degree – Threaten Forcible Felony, and Domestic Abuse Assault – Strangulation with Bodily Injury. Williams was being held in the Union County Jail on a $7,000 bond.

Just before 6-p.m. Thursday, 41-year-old Kristin Jan Gross and 21-year-old Huntor James Gross, both of Creston, were arrested in the 600 block of N. Poplar Street, in Creston. Authorities say Kristin Gross was arrested for Disorderly Conduct (by loud or raucous noise). She was later released on a $300 bond. Huntor Gross was arrested for Harassment in the 2nd Degree – Threaten Bodily Injury. He was later released on a $1,000 bond.

At around 7:40-p.m., Thursday, Creston Police arrested 32-year-old Brandon James Case, of Creston, for Driving While Barred. He was later released on a $2,000 bond. Wednesday morning, Creston Police arrested 35-year-old Jessica Lynn Wilker, of Creston, for allowing an Animal to run At Large. She was cited at the scene and released on a Promise to Appear in Court.

And, at around 1:25-p.m. Tuesday, 40-year-old Abel Olivera Martinez, of Creston, was arrested for Violation of a Protective Order. He was later released on a Promise to Appear in Court.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says a man was arrested Thursday evening on drug charges. 58-year-old Timothy Jay Blank was taken into custody after the Adams County Sheriff’s Office received a call at around 5:50-p.m., about a man who was intoxicated. When deputies arrived on the scene, they found Timothy Blank was visibly under the influence of a controlled substance.

Newly acquired Adams County K9 “Midge” was deployed and alerted positively on Blank’s vehicle. He was subsequently arrested for Public Intoxication and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine – 2nd Offense.

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents has given Iowa State University the approval to move ahead with a lease for an anchor tenant in its CyTown development project near Jack Trice Stadium. I-S-U attorney Michael Norton says the lease agreement is with McFarland Clinic. “McFarland is committed to building a comprehensive medical clinic in the CyTown development area. The services provided the clinic will include sports medicine, urgent care, family practice and pain management, physical therapy, occupational medicine, and imaging and lab services,” Norton says. He says it is a long-term agreement.

“The terms of the agreement include a 30 year ground lease with four five-year extension rights the initial ground lease will be 50-thousand per year escalating five-thousand per year through the life of the contract,” he says. Norton says I-S-U will not be involved in the construction. “McFarland will build the facility at their own cost and then convey ownership of the building to the university upon completion, and the building will then be leased back with the cost of construction being essentially prepaid lease for the use of the building over the term of the agreement,” Norton says.

I-S-U is tax exempt, and the agreement includes a provision to with the City of Ames dealing with the tax issue. “Under the agreement with the city I-S-U will agree to charge all tenants of the CyTown development, an amount equal to what they would pay if the development was developed on privately owned land as payments in lieu of tax,” Norton says. “This ensures that tenants are not given an unfair competitive advantage to locating their business in the CyTown development area.”

The area develop approximately between Jack Trice Stadium and the Iowa State Center is 40 acres and the University continues working to secure other tenants.