Johnston, IA — The Iowa National Guard, Friday, announced the opening of its newest readiness center in West Des Moines on National Guard Road beginning in 2025. This space will encompass Service Members with expertise in infantry and logistics. It will also be a shared community space with the West Des Moines Fire Department, enhancing the emergency response to the local area while allowing Iowa Guard members to serve their state close to home.

When fully operational, the new facility will house Bravo Company, 1st Battalion 168th Infantry, and the 2168th (21-68th) Transportation Company, totaling 229 Soldiers. With the addition of the new readiness center the Iowa National Guard has made the difficult decision to close the Shenandoah Armory located in Page County. Plans are now in motion to transfer and consolidate Bravo Company, 1-168 Infantry Battalion- all 132 authorized positions – from their current locations in Shenandoah and Camp Dodge to the West Des Moines Readiness Center upon its completion in 2025. Joining them will be 97 Service Members of the 2168th Transportation Company from Sheldon and Sioux City.

Built in 1956, the Shenandoah facility is a landmark in the community, and officials with the Guard say the organization will work closely with city leaders to ensure that the process is seamless and respects the city-military partnership that warmly welcomed the Guard’s presence in the community for over 145 years. Of note, this reorganization will not impact the facilities in Sioux City and Sheldon.

The closure process includes an official sequence of events and timeline that is required by the Iowa Department of Public Defense and State Armory Board with full divestiture by Spring of 2025. The Adjutant General, Major General Stephen Osborn; State Quartermaster, Colonel Mike Harris; and Director of Construction, Facilities and Management, Colonel John Perkins will guide the city and state through key milestones that include the sale of state property.

As the National Guard adapts to modern global threats and conditions, realignment of resources and assets are required to meet them head on. This closure does not in any way reduce the Iowa National Guard’s state of readiness or equate to a loss of force structure

(Radio Iowa) – An eastern Iowa business is using a new way to recycle wind turbine parts once they’re no longer in service. REGEN (Ree-gen) Fiber in Fairfax is owned by Travero, a subsidiary of Alliant Energy. Company president Lisha Coffey tells K-C-R-G T-V their process is more sustainable.

Their process grinds the old blades into different materials that can be reused.

That’s why they are aiming to make this the new normal for other manufacturers in the future.

He says the material from the blades reduces plastic shrinkage, which is concrete’s inherent ability to start pulling itself apart. It gives the concrete more toughness and textural durability.

(Radio Iowa) – Parents in the Sioux City Community School District say their children won’t have the option to attend summer school this year — due to funding cuts. Bailey Gertsma says her seven-year-old son definitely benefited from summer school for the past couple of years.

The school district says COVID-19 relief funding ran out to pay for summer school, which served 350 students last year. The district is still offering summer programming for E-L-L students and at-risk high schoolers. Gertsma says summer school gave her boy the individual attention he needed, and it helped build his confidence level.

The Iowa Department of Education doesn’t have information on other districts that have eliminated or modified summer school, because schools are not required to report that to the state. The department has launched a grant program to support districts offering evidence-based reading programming, with up to two-million dollars available for districts statewide.

Recovery specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will provide information on available services, explain assistance programs and help survivors complete or check the status of their applications. In coming days, locations and hours in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa are changing. Read below for a complete list.

Remember: Help is available online and by phone.

• Visiting DisasterAssistance.gov
• Calling FEMA directly at 800-621-FEMA (3362)
• Using the FEMA app

Here are the active FEMA Disaster Recovery Center locations in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska:

Iowa – FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers

 Montgomery County

Southwest Valley Middle School

406 E. 3rd Street

Villisca, IA 50864

Monday, June 10 – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Then, open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until further notice

Harrison County

Willow Lake Nature Center

2725 Easton Park Trail

Woodbine, IA 51579

Monday, June 10 – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesday, June 11 to Thursday, June 13 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Shelby County

Shelby County Chamber of Commerce

1901 Hawkeye Avenue, Suite 101

Open through Sunday, June 9 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday, June 14 – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 15 to Monday, June 17 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pottawattamie County

South Parking Lot Across from Fire Station

207 Main St

Minden, IA 51553

Open through Sunday, June 9 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesday, June 18 – 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Wednesday, June 19 to Friday, June 21 – 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Adair County

Nodaway Valley Elementary School

324 NW 2nd St

Greenfield, IA 50849

Open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily until further notice

If you need help, FEMA staff will be on hand at the Disaster Recovery Center.

Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, can give FEMA the number for that service. For an accessible video on three ways to apply for FEMA assistance, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU7wzRjByhI.

Disaster Recovery Centers are physically accessible to people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. They are equipped with assistance and adaptive technology such as amplified phones, caption phones, video phones, wheelchair ramps and other resources to help ensure all applicants can access resources.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office issued a statement with regard a verdict in the case of a woman who – while dying from a fentanyl overdose, was sexually assaulted at a motel in Council Bluffs late last year. The report said 49-year-old Jesse William Smith, of Denver, Colorado,  was convicted of Sex Abuse in the 3rd Degree. The verdict was handed-down Thursday by a jury in Pottawattamie County District Court. It took them about two-hours to render their verdict.

Immediately following the ruling, Smith’s trial proceeded to an enhanced punishment phase, where District Court Judge Michael Hooper found Smith to be the same individual as had been previously convicted of multiple felony sex offenses in Colorado. The combination of the jury’s verdict and the Judge’s enhanced punishment determination, means that Smith will be sentenced to a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. His sentencing hearing was set for 9-a.m. on August 1st.

The investigation of Jesse William Smith began when a housekeeper at the Super 8 Motel in Council Bluffs was found deceased in a room during her regular work shift on Sept. 7, 2023. It was determined the housekeeper, Natalia Manriquez Sepulveda (a native of Chile’), has died from an accidental fentanyl overdose, and while she was dying, Smith sexually assaulted her and then locked the door to the room behind him, and left the motel. Sepulveda was found dead several hours later.

Smith was arrested by Council Bluffs Police Department Detectives on Sept. 13, 2023, when he was found hiding in a Council Bluffs home. It was determined that while Smith had nothing to do with the overdose, he made a decision to sexually assault Natalia Sepulveda while she was incapacitated and dying. The Pott. County Attorney’s Office charged Smith with felony sex abuse and asked for the penalty to be enhanced to life in prison, due to Smith’s prior criminal record from Colorado.

Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said:

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — Red Lobster wants to close several dozen more restaurants following its bankruptcy, and it has identified which ones are in danger of shutting down if the court approves its plan — including one Iowa location. The chain, which brought affordable shrimp and lobster to middle-class America and grew to become the largest seafood restaurant chain in the world, filed for bankruptcy last month.

A few weeks prior to its bankruptcy, it abruptly closed around 50 locations across the United States, including locations in Council Bluffs and Waterloo, both of which are listed as “temporarily closed” on Red Lobster’s website. The new list of locations in danger of closing, which includes the Ames Red Lobster, was revealed in court filings last week, and all could be shuttered if they can’t renegotiate their leases.

Iowa locations currently listed as open on Red Lobster’s website:

• Ames: 1100 Buckeye Avenue
• Cedar Rapids: 163 Collins Road NE
• Coralville: 26712 2nd Street
• Davenport: 3420 East Kimberly Road
• Sioux City: 4290 Sergeant Road
• West Des Moines: 3838 Westown Parkway

Iowa locations currently listed as temporarily closed on Red Lobster’s website:

• Council Bluffs: 3040 Dial Drive
• Waterloo: 941 East San Marnan Drive

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor/Commissioner of Election Kathy Somers, reports that on Thursday, June 6, 2024, she oversaw the post-election audit of the Cass County Primary Election. The audited number of votes matched the election night ballot count 100%.

Post-election audits are mandatory in all Iowa counties. Following election day, the Secretary of State’s office selects one precinct, by lot, to be audited. The Atlantic 4 precinct was selected, and the post-election audit board, consisting of representatives of both the Republican and Democratic parties, was instructed to hand-count the race for U.S. House of Representatives. Each step of the audit process was a successful match.

Somers said “I want to thank everyone involved in the election-day process, including precinct election officials, other support volunteers, and the auditor’s office staff members who worked diligently to ensure Cass County residents were allowed to vote securely, and in accordance with state laws.”