(Radio Iowa) – In an update to our earlier report, the state’s first Safe Haven Baby Box is now available on the north side of the Fort Dodge Fire Department. The box was christened Thursday with a blessing and ribbon cutting ceremony. The founder and C-E-O of the company that makes the boxes, Monica Kelsey, is a retired firefighter medic, ex military and says she has always been on the frontlines of trying to protect something.

Kelsey says she was abandoned by her 17 year old mother who had been sexually assaulted in 1972 and sees the mission of bringing baby box’s to communities across the country as a calling.

Monica Kelsey (Ft.Dodge FD photo)

The box comes to Fort Dodge after a case where a mother and father drowned their newborn in the bathtub. The next closest baby box to Fort Dodge is in St. Louis, Missouri.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Local community members are invited to attend a free Mental Wellness Fair on Tuesday, October 17th at the Atlantic High School (1201 E. 14th Street, Atlantic, IA). The event takes place from 4-until 7-p.m., and is being co-organized by Cass Health Senior Life Solutions and Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services, and is open to anyone who wants to learn more about community resources and building a supportive community atmosphere.

Participants will be able to explore a resource fair and meet representatives from local community organizations serving Cass County, including Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services, Cass Health Senior Life Solutions, Family Connections Inc, Cass County Public Health, Family Crisis Centers, Healthy Cass County and Cass County ISU Extension.

Throughout the night, a series of short presentations will be taking place in the high school media center, including education from Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services on Stress Management, Sleep Hygiene, and Coping Skills, a Connections Matter presentation by Nancy Gibson, Cass County Public Health Parents As Teachers Coordinator, and a Talk Saves Lives presentation by Joani Wolfe from the Iowa Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The evening will be offered as a come-and-go event, and the public is invited to stop by at their convenience to learn all about local resources and make connections. Mental health was identified as the top health need in Cass County in the 2021 Cass County Community Health Needs Assessment, and these local presenters and partners are excited to share the many resources and programs they offer to address this important topic. With questions on the Mental Wellness Fair, please contact Karmen Roland, Senior Life Solutions Program Director at (712) 250-8215 or Amanda McCall, ZION Integrated Behavioral Health Services, Inc. at (712)-254-3415.

Healthy Cass County is a community-focused volunteer network formed to promote the health and well-being of Cass County residents. For information on community wellness events or resources, follow Healthy Cass County on Facebook @HealthyCassCounty.

(Atlantic, Iowa)- A reminder from Cass County Assessor Mary Anstey: The Family Farm sign-up deadline is November 1, 2023. If you have purchased a farm or made any changes of ownership, you need to complete a new application. If you have are any questions, call the Assessor’s office at 712-243-2005. Hours are Monday through Friday, from 8-a.m. until 4:30-p.m.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood report a man from Nebraska was arrested Thursday, on drug charges. Authorities say 54-year-old David Hert, of Valley, NE, was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. His total cash or surety bond was set at $1,300.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott says U-S special forces should be sent to Israel to rescue Americans being held hostage by Hamas. “If you take an American, it should cost you your life,” Scott says. “…I’m willing to send an American to bring an American back.” Scott, a South Carolina senator, campaigned in Newton yesterday (Thursday). Scott told the crowd he’s been to Israel four times. “The one thing I can tell you is they have the fire power and the manpower to wipe Hamas off the face of the earth,” Scott said, “and I hope they do. The wrath of God with a feeling.”

Scott describes Israel’s Iron Dome defense system as a partnership between the U-S and Israel that’s working effectively, but must be restocked. “We should be in a position where our resources and our military weaponry is available and accessible to refill and replenish Israel as the need arises over the next several months, I assume,” Scott says.

Scott says the U-S must always be prepared for conflicts on three continents at once. America’s support of Ukraine is degrading the Russian military, according to Scott, and he says another priority should be shoring up the U-S/Mexico border.

(Madison, Wisconsin) – Alliant Energy has filed a request with the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) to adjust Iowa customers’ electric and natural gas rates, beginning in late 2024. The company is requesting a 7.7% (approximately $10 per month) increase to the average residential electric customer’s total bill beginning in October 2024 and a second phase increase of 5.7% (approximately $7 per month) to take effect beginning in October 2025. For natural gas customers, they are requesting a 5% increase (approximately $3 per month) to the average residential gas customer’s total bill in October 2024. The proposal and has to go through a lengthy process before it goes into effect. Company officials say this should give customers time to prepare for the changes.

The IUB will review the request within 10 months and establish final rates, which could be different from the proposed rates. They will also determine if and when any changes in final rates become effective.

Alliant says customers do have the right to file written comments and objections with the IUB that include any facts that would assist the Board in reviewing the proposed rate adjustment. Customers also have the right to request a public hearing regarding the proposed new rates. Comments, objections, or hearing requests can be submitted to the Iowa Utilities Board online, by email at customer@iub.iowa.gov or by mail at Iowa Utilities Board, 1375 E. Court Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50319-0069. All comments are a matter of public record and available to the Office of Consumer Advocate, who represents the public interest in rate cases before the IUB.

(Red Oak, Iowa [8-a.m. News]) – Police in Red Oak have arrested a man for discharging a firearm within the city limits. According to Police Chief Justin Rhamy, 46-year-old Anthony Dean Morris, of Red Oak, faces charges that include Reckless Use of a Firearm – a Simple Misdemeanor, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm – A Class-D Felony offense.

His arrest followed a 9-1-1 call at around 4:50-a.m. today (Friday) to the Montgomery County Communications Center. The caller reported hearing shots-fired in the 1800 block of E. Summit Street, at the Woodlands Apartments in Red Oak. Officers arrived on the scene and found three spent .9mm shell casings on the ground outside the apartment complex. Upon further investigation, Officers arrested Anthony Morris and transported him to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on the aforementioned charges.

Red Oak Police say Morris and a friend were “messing around” with his Hawg .9mm handgun, and chambered a round into the barrel of the weapon. Morris, they said, wanted to unload the firearm, but was apparently unfamiliar with removing the handgun magazine and using the slide release to eject the chambered round out of the barrel. He then “Made the unwise decision” to take the gun outside of the apartment complex and fire the weapon into the air until it was empty (three rounds).

Morris then returned to his apartment with the empty handgun. Officers later encountered Morris and the weapon, which was seized by Police.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The conservative student group at the University of Iowa called “Young Americans for Freedom”, or YAF, says it’s facing backlash for hosting a controversial speaker on campus next Monday. According to KCRG-TV, the group is no stranger to hosting controversial speakers, including Chloe Cole, who transitioned to a male before de-transitioning back to being female. Since announcing Cole’s visit, YAF claims that almost all of their promotional material has been destroyed.

According to the University’s policies on free speech, all student groups have a right to invite speakers to campus, as well as hang flyers and chalk campus sidewalks. It is prohibited for other students to vandalize or remove those messages. And YAF’s experience aligns with a recent Associated Press and University of Chicago study, that found 47% of adults believe liberals have “a lot” of freedom to express their views, whereas only 20% say the same for conservatives.

But University Democrats argue that’s due to the nature of college campuses. Both groups believe that free speech is important, but University Democrats argue student safety and well-being should be prioritized.

Despite the controversy, YAF still plans to host Cole on Monday, though they said they wouldn’t be surprised if the event draws protests, similar to when activist and Conservative commentator Matt Walsh visited campus back in April.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The State of Iowa released new information Thursday about the number of students who received approval for an education savings account voucher. Nearly 19,000 Iowa students received state approval for a private school voucher. Here’s a breakdown of the new information:

• 29,612 ESA applications were submitted
• 18,893 applications were approved
• 5,927 were denied because of residency or income requirements
• 4,792 applications were closed because they were duplicates or the applicant wanted to close it

The state also released data related to how many approved applications each county in the state of Iowa had. Polk County had the most approved applications in the state, with 3,179. Sioux, Scott and Linn counties each had more than 1,000 applications. Pottawattamie County had 403 approved applications. Decatur, Louisa and Ringgold counties had zero approved applications.

Democratic House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst told KCRG_TV she’s concerned that the number of approved vouchers is already over budget. “So, we had planned and we had been told that the program would cost $107 million dollars. We’re now at $144 million dollars that this program will cost and so those are taxpayer dollars that are leaving public education and going to private schools,” Konfrst said.

Konfrst says she’s worried about the effects of the program on rural schools. “We don’t know what happens when a school closes in a community. I worry about these communities as the state sends more dollars to private school and fewer to public school,” Konfrst said. Konfrst says school vouchers are an opportunity for the Democratic Party to make gains in the next election.

“School vouchers are unpopular with Democrats, they’re unpopular with Republicans, and they’re unpopular with ‘no party’ voters. Iowans can smell when something isn’t right and they know it’s not right to send $144 million dollars of our tax dollars to private schools,” Konfrst said.

Right now, only the number of approved vouchers has been released. We don’t yet have the total number of students who were approved for a voucher that then decided to leave public school. Districts have until October 15th to report that to the state. In a statement, Governor Reynolds says, “These numbers reflect that Iowans were hungry for educational freedom. Empowering parents wasn’t just a campaign slogan or empty rhetoric. It was a promise, and I am excited to say we are delivering.”

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — A man was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly admitting to intentionally setting a home on fire with several people inside. According to complaint documents filed by the Sioux City Police Department, Secoyah Papakee Roberts, 24, started the fire at a multi-family residence on the 1500 block of Jackson Street at 6:06 a.m.

The documents state that 12 people lived there, and 10 of them were home at the time. Papakee Roberts allegedly purposely set the fire in close proximity to the stairway that leads to second-floor bedrooms. Papakee Roberts was charged with charged with first-degree arson and criminal mischief on a $35,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 23.

Six of the residents were trapped upstairs and had to be evacuated from the residence through the windows with the assistance of firefighters’ ladders. The documents noted that Papakee Roberts admitted to being responsible for the fire, and he believed that there were people inside.

The home sustained damage in excess of $10,000 and will require “multiple hours worth of work and material to restore the residence to its pre-fire condition,” court documents stated.