The Iowa State Patrol today (Sunday) is remembering two Patrol Troopers who died in Cass County on this date, 30-years ago. It was on Friday evening, June 30, 1989, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Iowa State Patrol requesting help with locating an elderly man who had wandered away from a nursing home. Trooper/Pilot Lance Dietsch, of Council Bluffs, and Trooper Stanley E. Gerling, of Atlantic, responded in a Maule Patrol aircraft. The search was about to be terminated when the two troopers spotted the man in a soybean field.

The airplane turned sharply and plunged into the ground, nose first. The crash killed both troopers. Troopers Dietsch and Gerling were the first aircraft fatalities since the addition of the Patrol Airwing in 1956. Dietsch was 30-years old, and a six-year veteran of the Iowa State Patrol. Gerling was 34-years old, and in his first year of service to the Patrol.

On October 8th, 2012, two bridges in Cass County were dedicated in their names. They are located west and northeast of Lewis along Highway 6, as it traverses Indian Creek, and Turkey Creek.

Trooper Stanley E. Gerling

Trooper Lance G. Dietsch

The Cass County Extension Service in Atlantic is hosting a free, Food Preservation Class on July 8th. The course covers Overview of Preservation Methods and Resources. Pre-Registration is required by July 5th, to allow time for materials preparation. Food Preservation 101 is a two-hour overview of general food preservation principles. The class includes current recommendations for canning, freezing and drying, display of equipment and utensils and sources for safe and tested food preservation information.  The program will be held on Monday, July 8th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Cass County Extension office (805 W. 10th Street in Atlantic). There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is required. Call 712-243-1132 for more information, and to register for the class, or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass to register online.

ISU Extension also offers a library of publications with recipes and instructions for preserving a wide variety of foods, from fruits and vegetables to pickles and meats. These publications are available as free downloads on the ISU Extension Store at https://store.extension.iastate.edu/, or can be picked up at your local ISU Extension Office.

WASHINGTON – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, will be making a stop in Union County this Wednesday, as part of her 99 County Tour for 2019. In Union County, Senator Ernst will attend the Veteran’s Appreciation Breakfast as part of the Creston Sesquicentennial Celebration. The event takes place at the Creston Station (100 W. Adams St.), beginning at 7:15-a.m. Wednesday, July 3rd. The public is welcome to attend.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Residents of Nebraska and Iowa probably don’t need an advisory to inform them: It’s hot outside. But the National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for both states, warning residents who venture outside to take it easy and stay hydrated in the oppressive heat.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified a man shot to death this week in the Kirkwood Glen neighborhood of Des Moines. Police say in a news release that the victim is 41-year-old Earl Marcello Caldwell, of Des Moines. The shooting happened Friday afternoon, when officers and medics were called to the area for a report of a shooting and found Caldwell suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to an area hospital, where he died.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has sided with the state’s parole board in the case of an inmate who says the board doesn’t give juvenile offenders a fair shot at parole. The decision Friday comes in the case of 33-year-old Julio Bonilla, who was 16 when he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a teenage girl.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — It’s been called the largest speed trap in the Midwest, and it will be back in business next week after a two-year hiatus. The City of Cedar Rapids says traffic cameras that enforce its 55 mile per hour speed limit at four locations on Interstate 380 will begin issuing tickets to drivers again Monday. Several additional cameras that enforce red-light running and speed violations throughout the city will also be issuing citations