(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest at around 6-p.m. Monday, of 32-year-old Brandon James Case, from Creston. Case was arrested at the Creston McDonald’s restaurant, for Failure to Appear on a Union County warrant for Driving While Barred. He was being held in the Union County Jail without bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak were called a little after 7-p.m. Monday, to the Pizza Ranch in Red Oak, for a reported physical assault. Upon arrival and further investigation, Police arrested 35-year-old Madison Marie Jones, of Red Oak, on charges that include Assault with Intent to Inflict Serious Injury (an Aggravated Misdemeanor), Disorderly Conduct – Fighting/Violent Behavior (Simple Misdemeanor), and Child Endangerment (Aggravated Misdemeanor).

Jones was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The number of active burn bans in Iowa has dropped down to 57 counties (as of 5:30-p.m. Monday). State Fire Marshal Dan Wood says five counties ended their bans thanks to recent storms. “We’ve experienced a little bit of rain, but, you know, we’ve got a lot, lot of rain to go to catch up, to get everything, you know, sufficiently moist, where it’s not going to catch on fire as easy.” he says. Bremer County reported a grass fire along Highway 218 near Janesville Monday morning that was believed to be caused by a discarded cigarette. Wood says the dry conditions make a fire possible almost anywhere in counties with bans. A grass fire was also reported Monday afternoon near mile marker 51 off westbound I-80 in Cass County. Marne and Atlantic Fire responded and quickly had the flames extinguished.

Counties w/an active burn ban are shown with a flame. Recently rescinded burn bans are shown in blue.

“With this being a rural state, and you know, our crops dry out at this time of year, every year, so that doesn’t help any either. And getting those out gives a lot of relief, but we still got to be mindful of there’s a lot of dry grass, a lot of dry crops and stubble out there. So everybody needs to be careful,” Wood says. He thinks most people have been avoiding open burning in the counties under a ban. “I think so. Haven’t heard too much of people, you know, going against the bans, a few here and there, but not much. I think people are pretty mindful once they get put on,” Wood says.

Johnson, Linn, Iowa, Hancock and Cass County recently lifted their burn bans after some rain.

(Estherville, Iowa) – Iowa Lakes Community College is using an almost $500,000 Federal Aviation Administration grant, received this spring, to take its aviation education offerings to new heights. The community college, with five locations throughout northwest Iowa, received $493,657 through the FAA Pilot Workforce Development Grant Program, allowing the college to launch a course in drone piloting for high school students and expand its aviation and airport management program, according to a news release.

“We are thrilled to receive this grant from the FAA’s Pilot Workforce Development Grant Program,” said Tim Busch, director of the aviation program and chief flight instructor, in the release. “The funding will enable us to enhance our top-ranked aviation program, currently recognized as the number one program among community colleges and third nationwide.”

High school students from Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth and Palo Alto counties will be able to enroll in the remote pilot course, according to the release, which will start with its first class in early 2025. The program will teach students about flying unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, and earn them up to four college credits. This will also help them more easily transfer into the college’s aviation and airport management program.

Executive Dean Kyle Norris said in a previous interview that programming like the course being offered to students next year will help the college connect with more young people. He said he hopes to show them there is more to the aviation industry than flying commercial planes.

Those interested in joining a prospective student list can email FAA Grant Coordinator Emily Mullaly at emullaly@iowalakes.edu, the release stated.

In addition to the new course, the community college will also use grant dollars to expand the drone program and implement the first “rotary wing curriculum” offered in Iowa, according to the release.

“Our focus is on creating new learning opportunities for high school students, and we are excited to expand our drone and rotary wing programs while building a connection with area high school students and the aviation industry,” Busch said in the release.

(State News) – The Iowa corn harvest reached 84% this week, up from 68% last week, and soybean harvest is nearly complete, at 96%, as the state nears the end of one of its driest Octobers. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the crop progress and condition report for Oct. 21 through Oct. 27 showed a continued decline in soil moisture conditions. Topsoil rated 75% short to very short, and subsoil moisture condition rated 80% short to very short.

The state climatologist Justin Glisan reported precipitation totals for the week were higher than the past four weeks combined, yet still below the state’s average for this time of year.

Eastern and central counties saw storms this week, with Johnson County logging almost two inches of rain and 30 monitoring locations with totals above one inch.

The National Weather service forecasts more precipitation for the state next week and normal precipitation through November.

“Continued warm temperatures and dry conditions last week allowed for harvest to push forward at a brisk pace,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a statement about the crop condition report. “Following what is likely to be one of the driest Octobers on record, weather outlooks for early November are indicating more chances for rainfall.”

A crop update report from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach noted the dry conditions have caused “excessively dry grain,” difficulty with tillage and an inability to apply anhydrous ammonia to fields.

NEWTON, Iowa — A motorcyclist was hospitalized after a multi-vehicle crash in Newton on Sunday.  According to an Iowa State Patrol crash report, at around 5 p.m. a Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle, driven by 23-year-old Harley M. S. Howe, and a Cadillac CT4, driven by 40-year-old Ryan J. Smith, were traveling eastbound through the intersection of 1st Avenue East and East 17th Street when a Ford Explorer, driven by 67-year-old Randall W. Gunsaulus, pulled out of a business driveway. Despite evasive maneuvers, both the motorcycle and the Cadillac collided with the Ford Explorer.

According to the crash report, Howe was ejected from the motorcycle and was not wearing a helmet. Howe was transported to a Des Moines hospital via air ambulance. No other injuries were reported.

The crash remained under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI — Lovers of the Iowa State Fair can bid on hundreds of state fair surplus items through Nov. 7. Daugherty Auction & Real Estate Services is handling the auction, which includes various items from used vehicles, machinery and lawnmowers, signage and advertising, benches, bricks and other pavers, artwork, antiques, lumber and much more.

As of the latest check, an 8-by-20-foot enclosed trailer has the highest bid at $1,800. A Bobcat skid loader is next at $2,800.

Bidding closes at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, and winning bidders can pick up their items between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov. 9.

The 2024 state fair was the biggest ever, drawing a record 1,182,682 people through the gates over its 11 days.

Officials last month announced “Fair Sweet Fair” as the theme for the 2025 state fair, which is scheduled to run Aug. 7-17.

(Radio Iowa) – A proposed constitutional amendment on this year’s Iowa ballot would clarify the line of succession at the top of state government. Seven years ago, Kim Reynolds became governor when Terry Branstad resigned, but Iowa’s attorney general at the time said his reading of the constitution indicated Reynolds was becoming acting governor and didn’t have the power to select a new lieutenant governor.

State Treasurer Roby Smith was a state senator the following year, touting the proposal to give Iowa governors in similar situations authority to name a new lieutenant governor.  “When you buy insurance, you hope you never have to use it,” Smith said. “This is something that’s insurance that we’re putting in the state constitution. I hope we never have to use it, but it’s there…if we need it or the next generation needs it.”

Mary Wolfe of Clinton was a member of the Iowa House who raised concerns in 2022 about the proposed amendment that Iowa voters are seeing on their 2024 ballots. “We do need to do something, I agree,” Wolfe said. “That mess we went through last time this happened was not good, did not reflect well on anyone.” But Wolfe and other Democrats say the proposed amendment is flawed. They say the House and Senate should vote to confirm a lieutenant governor picked by a new governor who takes over in the middle of an elected governor’s term.

Bill Brauch is chairman of Polk County Democrats. “If the president resigns and the vice president takes over, if they name a new vice president that individual has to be approved by both houses of congress,” Brauch says, “but here, in this amendment, there’s no check on the governor.” Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann supports the amendment. “There is going to be a Democratic governor at some point and they’re going to benefit from this, too,” Kaufmann said. “…This is a no brainer.”

Election Day is NEXT Tuesday (November 5th).

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today (Monday) confirmed the death of a middle-aged eastern Iowa resident from Lassa fever. The individual had recently returned from travel to West Africa, where it is believed they contracted the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to confirm the diagnosis of Lassa fever. Initial testing was done at the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory on Monday.

“This is a difficult time for the family of this individual and I want to express our deepest condolences,” said Dr. Robert Kruse, State Medical Director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. “I want to assure Iowans that the risk of transmission is incredibly low in our state. We continue to investigate and monitor this situation and are implementing the necessary public health protocols.”

Iowa HHS is working closely with the University of Iowa Health Care, where the individual was receiving care, the CDC and local public health partners to identify anyone who may have been in close contact with the patient, out of an abundance of caution, for monitoring.

Lassa fever is not spread through casual human contact like hugging, shaking hands or sitting near someone or through the air. Though very rare, the virus can be transmitted from human to human contact through blood or bodily fluids. Lassa fever is carried by rodents in West Africa and is transmitted to humans who may come in contact with urine or feces of the infected rodents.

There have been eight travel-associated cases of Lassa fever in the U.S. in the past 55 years. Approximately, 80% of those that contract Lassa fever have mild or no symptoms at all.

More information about Lassa fever is available on the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/lassa/.

(Radio Iowa) – Planned Parenthood officials say they do not yet know on how many Iowans have sought abortions out of state after Iowa’s ban on most abortions after the sixth week of a pregnancy took effect July 29th. Dr. Sarah Traxler is medical director for Planned Parenthood of North Central States, which includes Iowa.

“Quite a few of my patients in Minnesota and Nebraska are from Iowa,” she says. “We do anticipate partner organizations that really focus on the data of abortion care will be releasing data soon so that we can actually measure the impact of this ban in Iowa.” Iowa is among four states that ban most abortions after the sixth week of a pregnancy. The Iowa law has exceptions for rape, incest, fetal abnormality or life of the mother.

Holly Thomas, a patient navigator for Planned Parenthood, says she has personally helped 750 women in the past three months and the majority were from Iowa. “I recently worked with a patient who needed to be seen out of state. She chose to go to a nearby state, but didn’t have any transportation,” Thomas said. “We worked with volunteer pilots who were able to fly her to the location and once there, we provided her with a hotel room and gift cards for food and ride shares to get her to the airport.”

Planned Parenthood closed and consolidated some clinics in Iowa in the past year and has expanded its clinic in Omaha, Nebraska, where abortion is allowed up to the 12th week of a pregnancy. Nebraska voters are being presented with two competing ballot initiatives on abortion this election. Maggie DeWitte, executive director of Pulse Life Advocates of Iowa, is a spokesperson for the Iowa Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders. “I just feel very grateful and blessed that we live in a state where we are now moving forward with more protection for women and families in Iowa,” DeWitte says.

DeWitte says it took six years to get the Iowa abortion restrictions enforced that Governor Reynolds initially approved in 2018.