DANVILLE, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is asking the public for any information as to the cause of a suspicious fire at Geode State Park on Sunday, Feb. 18.

According to Park Ranger Andrew Kuckler, a visitor alerted staff that a tree in the park was burning. While the fire was extinguished, the tree was severely damaged and its survival is uncertain. The cause of the fire is unknown.

The tree has been certified as the largest sycamore in Iowa. While the exact age is unknown, the sycamore is estimated to be around 350 years old, based on circumference and other measurements.

Geode State Park sycamore burning on night of February 18, 2024, Danville, Iowa

“We are encouraging anyone who may have information about the fire to contact us,” said Kuckler. Callers can remain anonymous.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans and Democrats on an Iowa House committee have unanimously voted to dismiss an ethics complaint against Republican Jeff Shipley, a state representative from  southeast Iowa . Sara Hayden Parris of Johnston accused Shipley of defaming her on social media and her complaint alleged that was a violation of the House Ethics Code. Parris is president of a non-profit that distributes free books with sexual content that have been banned in some schools. Shipley has accused her of distributing obscene material and has said on social media that she should be under criminal investigation.

Representative Anne Osmundson of Volga, chair of the House Ethics Committee, led the meeting where the complaint was dismissed.  “It really seemed politically motivated,” Osmundson says. “He had not violated any of the House Code of Ethics rules.”

Rep. Jeff Shipley

In the complaint, Parris accused Shipley of committing libel against her. In a written response, Shipley said the House Ethics Committee should not be used as a forum for personal grudges.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were injured during an accident that took place last week. At around 12:35-p.m. on Feb. 15th, a 2017 GMC SUV driven by 43-year-old Eric Lee Ireland, of Scranton, was traveling south in the 3300 block of Frontier Road, when the vehicle crossed the northbound lane and entered the east ditch. The SUV struck a field entrance and went airborne, landing nose first, before it rolled over. A front seat passenger in the vehicle, 35-year-old Bridgette Nichole Perez, of Scranton – who was not wearing a seat belt – was ejected through the windshield. She landed on the ground, with the vehicle rolling over just missing her by almost a foot.

Eric Ireland was not wearing his seat belt. He landed upside down on the interior of the SUV’s roof. Perez and Ireland suffered significant injuries and were transported by Stuart and Adair EMS crews to the Guthrie County Hospital. A juvenile female, born in 2014, was in the back seat of the SUV restrained in a car seat and was not injured. Ireland told authorities he thinks he fell asleep prior to the accident. He was charged with Failure to show proof of financial liability (accident related), Failure to Maintain Control, and Failure to Use a seat belt. The SUV was a total loss, with the damage estimated to be $20,000. The crash remains under investigation.

An accident that occurred at around 1-a.m. Saturday, in Guthrie County, caused $10,000 damage, but there were no reports of injuries. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says a 2005 Chevy pickup driven by 25-year-old Dale Allen Vogel, of Adair, had crested a hill while eastbound on 350th Street when it went out of control near Dogwood Avenue, and came to rest in the north ditch. Vogel was cited for Failure to Maintain Control and Expired Registration.

And, no injuries were reported following an accident Tuesday morning (Feb. 20), in Guthrie County. Authorities say a 2007 Peterbilt semi-tractor/trailer driven by 59-year-old David Alan MacNaughton, of Des Moines, was pulling a John Deere field cultivator, when the implement struck a City of Panora power-line.The cultivator was 15-feet, 1-inch tall, and 14-feet wide. The sides were folded-up/in.

The accident happened as the semi was southbound on Highway 4, at around 8:17-a.m.  As the tractor/trailer began dragging the power-line, it pulled/detached the line from a residence and nearby transformer. The siding of the residence where the power-line was attached, came off. The accident also caused damage to a private fence on the same property. Damage to the electric line/pole was estimated at slightly more than $8,000 dollars. Damage to the Shane Andersen residence was also estimated at $8,000.

There were no citations issued.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Shared AC/GC School District Superintendent Josh Rasmussen, today (Thursday), announced Guthrie Center School Board has selected Mr. Tandem Eischeid as the new, PK-6 Principal for the Guthrie Center Elementary School.

Ramussen says Mr. Eischeid has 16 years of teaching experience and has spent the last seven years as a fourth-grade classroom teacher at Grant Ragan Elementary School in the Waukee Community School District. He holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s in administration and special education from Iowa State University.

Mr. Tandem Eischeid

Mr. Eischeid’s wife, Kelsey, is a Senior Business Analyst with an app-based wellness company headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. She also coaches CrossFit in her spare time.  Tandem Eischeid will replace the current principal, Mrs. Diane Flanery, who is retiring at the end of this school year after 37 years in education.

See the full press release, below: