Iowa native Jason Momoa, who’s a villain in the latest Fast and Furious movie and has a recurring role as Aquaman, was back in his hometown of Norwalk yesterday (Monday). Hundreds of fans waited at the Fareway in Norwalk — and at a HyVee in Urbandale — to meet Momoa, buy the new brand of vodka he and a friend are producing and have the bottle autographed. Meili vodka is made in Montana and sold in a bottle made entirely of recycled glass.

Research shows celebrities can affect consumer behavior. Reality T-V star Kendall Jenner launched a tequila brand in 2021. Soccer star David Beckman promotes a whisky. And actor Danny Devito has put his name on the top selling limoncello in the U-S.

It’s “National School Bus Safety Week,” and despite reminders every year, there are still drivers who pass buses that have their lights flashing and stop arms out. State Trooper Paul Gardner says many of the school bus problems are caused by poor driving habits where people are distracted, speeding, and not paying attention to their surroundings. Trooper Gardner says bus safety is simple is you are staying alert and watching for the school buses.

He says more and more districts are using cameras that catch violators and that could lead to a minimum fine for a first offense of 345 dollars.

Rains kept some farmers out of the fields at a key time last week as they tried to get the harvest completed. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig (like egg) says when rain comes during the harvest it can throw a wrench into progress — so it’s much needed but ill timed. Naig says the timing of the rain is something that was key for those farmers seeing good yields.
Naig says he’s generally hearing some pretty good reports out of large swaths of the state for yields.

The latest U-S-D-A crop report shows the harvest moved from 30 to 42 percent completed for corn last week, and from 52 to 74 percent completed for soybeans.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report the arrest at around 11-p.m. Monday, of 21-year-old Khan Khor Chol, of Bellevue, NE. The woman was arrested for Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a woman from Omaha was arrested Monday afternoon. 28-year-old Tashina M. Frazier was arrested on an active Red Oak Police Department Felony warrant for Forgery. Frazier was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 cash bond.

And, Deputies in Montgomery County arrested 32-year-old Travis Bomer, of Stanton, Monday night in Stanton, for Violation of a Protection Order. He was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

CARROLL COUNTY, Iowa — More than 100 dogs were rescued from a “terrible case of hoarding” in central Iowa, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. In a news release, the sheriff’s office said deputies on Friday investigated a possible case of animal neglect in rural Carroll County, west of Lanesboro. They found more than 100 dogs “living in various states of filth,” the release said.

A veterinarian who accompanied deputies to the property certified that the dogs were “not being cared for properly under standard animal husbandry practices,” according to the news release, which went on to say the dogs were being fed, but “their living conditions were beyond bad.”

The property owner voluntarily gave the dogs up. The dogs were taken to Des Moines, where the Animal Rescue League of Iowa is providing care. The sheriff’s office also said they found about 50 goats, several miniature horses, a miniature donkey and a cow on the property.

Carroll County Sheriff Ken Pingrey says the investigation is ongoing, but he expects charges to be filed in the case.

(Radio Iowa) – Former President Donald Trump says he wants to start 2024 with what he calls an “epic landslide” in the Iowa Caucuses. “You’ve got to get out and vote. We want to send it off with a bang,” Trump said. “We’re going to win Iowa, but we want to win by a big number.” Trump, who spoke to crowds at two central Iowa sites yesterday (Monday), finished second in the 2016 Iowa Caucuses, but Trump has a larger campaign apparatus in Iowa this time around. He also picked up the endorsement of Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird yesterday (Monday).

“One of the most popular and successful politicians in this state,” Trump said. Bird is in her first term as attorney general after defeating Tom Miller, a Democrat who was the nation’s longest serving attorney general last year. This summer, Trump complained that Governor Kim Reynolds hadn’t endorsed him. Last week on social media Trump suggested it was very sad the governor’s job approval numbers go down after Reynolds has made appearances with his rival Ron DeSantis. Trump addressed his own legal situation during his remarks in Iowa yesterday (Monday). Trump suggested he would not be silenced by the judge overseeing his election interference case. The judge’s gag order forbids Trump from making statements about potential witnesses or criticizing prosecutors.

“What they don’t understand is that I am willing to go to jail if that’s what it takes for our country to win and become a democracy again,” Trump said, to cheers. Trump also pledges cut off U-S aid to Palestine and impose crushing sanctions on Iran. Trump says he’d reinstate a ban to prevent immigrants and travelers from some Muslim-majority countries from entering the U-S.

“If you’re coming from somewhere full of people who want to kill Americans, we will not let you in,” Trump said. “We worked very hard on that.” Trump’s travel ban, which was redrafted after court challenges, took effect in 2018. It barred travelers from five mainly Muslim countries. President Biden reversed the ban during his first week in office.

“In my second term we’re going to expand each and every one of those bans because we have no choice. Some very rough people come out of those areas. They want to blow up our country. We aren’t bringing in anyone from Gaza, Syria, Somalia, Yemen or Libya or anywhere else that threatens our security.” While campaigning in Iowa this past weekend, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the U-S should not accept refugees from Gaza. DeSantis says they’re not all part of the Hamas terror group, but they are all anti-Semitic.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has endorsed former President Trump.

Bird made the announcement just before introducing Trump to a crowd in Adel this (Monday) afternoon.

Bird says Trump has been a fighter for Iowa since day one and has delivered on his promises. Bird, the former chief of staff for Congressman Steve King and an aide to Governors Terry Branstad and Kim Reynolds, defeated the Democrat who was Iowa’s long-time attorney general nearly a year ago. Bird joined Trump on his flight into Iowa today (Monday) to let him know of her endorsement. The two appeared together on stage at the fairgrounds in Dallas County, where Bird grew up.

Bird is the second statewide elected official to endorse a presidential candidate. State Treasurer Roby Smith endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy in August.

An Osage man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the 2021 death of a Mason City woman. Twenty-three-year-old Nathan Gilmore was charged last August with first-degree murder in the death of 29-year-old Angela Bradbury. Police accused Gilmore of picking Bradbury up near the Cerro Gordo County Jail on in April of 2021 and later murdering her. District Judge Gregg Rosenbladt says that during a pre-sentence investigation, Gilmore admitted murdering Bradbury and showed no remorse.

Gilmore allegedly placed Bradbury’s skull on a stick in the Greenbelt River Trail Park in rural Mitchell County in July of 2021. Investigators say they discovered drawing with satanic graphics, blood splatter, and a series of numbers during a search of Gilmore’s residence they say linked him to Bradbury’s murder Bradbury’s father Tim and sister Alyssa made victim impact statements during the sentencing hearing. Tim Bradbury admonished Gilmore for his actions.

Tim Bradbury told Gilmore he could not understand the sadistic way that he murdered his daughter and then decapitated her.

Tim Bradbury told Gilmore his life is over as he will spend most of the rest of his life in a prison cell.

Gilmore’s plea to the lesser charge of second-degree murder allowed him to escape a mandatory life sentence for first-degree murder. The 50-year prison term requires him to serve 35 years before he’d be eligible for parole.

(Radio Iowa) – The annual report from United Health Care says Iowa dropped one spot to 16th in the nation for women and children’s health. United Healthcare medical director Lisa Saul says Iowa has a high percentage of women who receive early prenatal care, and it’s also notable that Iowa ranks well nationally when it comes to low infant birth weights. “Whether it’s, it’s better nutrition, whether it is different pregnancy monitoring practices, I think that’s a really important statistic, and one that bodes well for the overall health of children at that early stage of their life,” she says. Another strong point for the state is the low percentage of households that don’t get enough food.

“Whether it is talking about school lunch programs, and overall poverty rates, which impact food insecurity, and that that percentage is low is also a very good sign,” she says. The report found Iowa struggles with substance use among women including high rates of smoking during pregnancy and excessive drinking in general. It’s the organization’s seventh annual report.

(By Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)