(Radio Iowa) — Gun issues were the dominant topic at Republican Senator Joni Ernst’s town hall meeting early Saturday morning in Johnston. Ellie Holland, a teacher in Johnston, was emotional as she told Ernst about going through active shooter training in her school last week.

“So my question for you today senator is when can I plan to get back to trainings that simply teach children to read and write?” Holland said and about half the crowd cheered. Ernst answered Holland by emphasizing the need to improve mental health care.

“We need to make sure that those that are showing signs of instability are able to received treatment,” Ernst said. “And I would say that across the United States we are short counselors, we are short psychiatrists, we are short psychologists.” A man in the crowd then yelled: “We’re short congresspeople to take action.”

The hour-long forum often featured Ernst speaking as critics in the crowd reacted or Ernst supporters in the audience cheering and applauding, including one person who occasionally rang a cowbell. Dawn Corrigan of Des Moines thanked Ernst for supporting the National Rifle Association and the right to own a gun.

“Let’s punish people for crimes and when some commits a crime, don’t come and take away my right for it,” she said, to cheers. Ernst said Republican senators would review various proposals, but Ernst expressed concerns about ensuring so-called “red flag” laws that let courts order authorities temporarily seize guns include due process rights, to protect the wrongly accused.

“What we do have to make sure is those that are law-abiding citizens are still able to purchase weapons. It’s our second amendment right,” Ernst said, to cheers from half the crowd. “And that those that should not be able to gain access to weapons should not have the right, then, to purchase those weapons.” Ernst made it clear she opposes a ban on the kind of rapid-fire guns used in El Paso and Dayton.

“Any weapon out there can be used to harm another person,” Ernst told the crowd. “So deciding on definition, who decides what is considered an assault weapon?” Ernst told reporters there’s no law that will “magically” prevent irrational people with “evil intent” from committing murder.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Fair set a new attendance record, as pleasant weather gave a boost to the usual attractions of food, animals, carnival rides and performances.

Fair officials say Monday that an unofficial 1,170,375 people visited the fair during its 11-day run on the eastside of Des Moines. That topped the previous record, set last year, by about 40,000 people.

The busiest day was Saturday, Aug. 10, when 122,111 visited the fair. Attendance exceeded 100,000 on nine of the fair’s 11 days.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports five recent arrests and one, injury accident. On Sunday (8/18), Deputies arrested 28-year old Christopher David Snyder, of Tabor, on a warrant for Failure to Appear on a Public Intoxication charge. Snyder was arrested at the Fremont County Jail and held on $300 bond. And, 19-year old River Jordan Studey, of Glenwood, was arrested following a traffic stop in Mills County, at around 3-a.m., Sunday. Studey was arrested for OWI/1st offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Driving Under Suspension. Bond was set at $2,000.

On Aug. 15th, 29-year old Kimberly Jo Frazier, of Glenwood, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on warrants for: Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp; Possession of a Controlled Substance; Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug, and Failure to Appear. Bond was set at $7,300. Also arrested Aug. 15th, was 28-year old Angel Marie Shlee, of Council Bluffs. She was arrested at the Pott. County Jail on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Bond was set at $5,000.

And, on Aug. 14th, 52-year old Steven Ray Goodman, of Shepherdsville, KY, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a Probation Violation warrant. Bond was set at $2,500.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports also, 69-year old John Kinman, of Gretna, NE., was injured during a motorcycle accident Saturday afternoon. Kinman was driving a 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle eastbound on Barrus Road, with a group of other riders. The group began to slow down for the stop sign at Barrus and 230th Street.

Kinman saw their brake lights, and over-braked, causing his motorcycle to go out of control and fall over. The accident happened at around 4-p.m. Kinman was transported to the UNMC in Omaha, for treatment of his injuries.

A meeting between the City of Atlantic’s Planning and Zoning Commission and the Construction Manager for Scooter’s Coffee, will not take place as planned Tuesday evening.

City Administrator/Zoning Commissioner John Lund said Monday, that Dan Forslund, the project manager for Scooter’s Coffee, has informed Lund that the Scooter’s team is still working on traffic circulation modeling and addressing issues of ingress/egress with the neighbors.The matter of traffic flow was one of the reasons the Commission tabled action on approving the site plan, during their meeting on Aug. 13th.

They requested that the Commission continue the review of the site plans on Tuesday, August 27^th, not tomorrow (Tuesday, Aug. 20th). Lund says “Accordingly, the Commission will not meet tomorrow (8/20). But a week from tomorrow (8/27).”

BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — Police say a clerk died after being shot during a robbery at an eastern Iowa convenience store. The robbery occurred around 5:40 p.m. Saturday at a Big 10 Mart in Bettendorf.

On Monday, Bettendorf police identified the clerk as 28-year-old Brittany M. Wilson, of Donahue, a small community about 15 miles northwest of Bettendorf.

No arrests have been reported.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Saturday of 46-year-old Michael Duanne Wentz of Omaha, NE at the Page County Sheriff’s Office. Wentz was arrested on a Page County warrant for Failure to appear for Probation Revocation Hearing.

Wentz was booked into the Page County Jail as he was unable to post the $7500 cash only bond. Wentz is currently being held in the Page County Jail pending further court proceedings.