Police in Red Oak report the arrest of a Louisiana man on an alcohol charge, Sunday night. 18-year old Caleb Ross Patten, of Harrisonburg, LA., was arrested for Possession of alcohol under the legal age, at around 8:10-p.m.  Patten was later released on $360 bond, with his case set to appear in court.

The latest data shows there are more than 639-thousand registered Republican voters in Iowa and nearly 611-thousand Democrats. A new national survey indicates those partisans have a pretty negative view of people who’re in the opposing party. Carroll Doherty is political research director for the Pew Research Center.

“We knew that people had grown to increasingly dislike the opposing party. The question we had was: ‘Is it getting personal?'” Doherty says. “And, to a degree, it is.”
The Pew Center’s new research shows 70 percent of Democrats consider Republicans “closed minded” — while 46 percent of Republicans think Democrats are “lazier” than Republicans. Doherty says fear of what the other party might do with power is a big motivator.

“The bottom line is that negativity is kind of more powerful than positive feelings and negativity is driving a lot of political engagement these days,” Doherty says. “And the people who are the most negative are the most highly engaged, so there’s a real connection there.”

So-called “independent” voters are the largest segment of Iowa adults who are registered to cast a ballot in November. More than 670-thousand Iowans have checked “no party” on their registration, but Doherty says most of those independents tend to favor candidates of one party over the other. “They are more or less closet partisans and they feel very negatively about the opposing party,” Doherty says. “In other words, if they lean towards a party as most independents do — either lean towards the Republican or the Democratic Party — they don’t want to affiliate because they don’t have a particularly fond view of that party, but they also dislike the other side even more.”

The center’s latest survey found 47 percent of Republicans consider Democrats to be “more immoral” — and 55 percent of Democrats say the Republican Party makes them “afraid.” The Pew Research Center survey released last month found 68 percent of Democrats give Trump a “zero” rating — the very end of the negative scale, while 59 percent of Republicans rate Clinton a zero.

(Radio Iowa)

You might see a sign posted by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources at your favorite state park beach this summer.  Testing coordinator Mary Skopec says they will post of sign if their weekly tests show issues with blue-green algae and bacteria. “And if it is a bacterial impairment, normally what I have been telling people is very young children so babies, small toddlers, people with compromised immune systems  — people who are on chemotherapy drugs for example — should really avoid being in that water,” Skopec says.

Even if you are healthy, you should take some precautions if the beach is posted for a high level of bacteria. She says anyone with an open cut should avoid the water and everyone should avoid swallowing the water.  The recommendation involving algae is stronger. “When that advisory is due to the blue-green toxin, really people should stay out of that water because even contact with it for a healthy person can cause a pretty nasty skin rash,” Skopec says. “We can’t tell for sure always if everyone is going to get sick. The levels of toxin vary quite rapidly from day-to-day.”

She says the blue-green algae can also cause pets to get sick. Skopec says with the toxin advisory for the algae they recommend that people stay out of the water until it is clear and the advisory goes away. You can go online to see the results of the weekly testing. Go to www.iowadnr.gov/beaches to find the advisories. You can also call the hotline at: 515-725-3434.

Skopec says the levels of bacteria can change quickly if there is rain.  The blue-green algae tend to flourish when it is sunny and hot.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer, Sunday, released a report on arrests dating back to mid-June. On June 18th, 60-year old Cleo Ray Barrett, of Audubon, was arrested for Possession of Methamphetamine – 2nd offense. Barrett was transported to the Audubon County Jail and posted bond the next day. He is currently awaiting further court proceedings.

On June 20th, 59-year old Karla Jo Andersen, of Audubon, was arrested on an active warrant out of Woodbury County for Probation Violation. Andersen was transported to the Audubon County Jail and later released to Woodbury County authorities. A hearing on the matter was set for July 26th in Woodbury County. Andersen’s bond was set at $5,000.

On June 23rd, Audubon Police arrested 30-year old Ryan Michael Schleis, of Audubon, on an active warrant out of Polk County for failure to appear at a Probation Hearing. Schleis was transported to the Audubon County Jail and later released to Polk County Authorities.His next hearing was set for July 20th.

On June 27th, 37-year old Jason Arthur Malloy, of Audubon, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct. Malloy was transported to the Audubon County Jail to appear before a magistrate. On June 28th, 30-year old Spencer Gordon Heuton, of Audubon, was arrested by Audubon Police for Disorderly Conduct and Public Intoxication – 3rd or more offenses. Heuton was transported to the Audubon County Jail to appear before a magistrate. And, on June 29th, 30-year old Amanda Rae Campbell, of Audubon, was arrested for Driving While Revoked, No Insurance, and Failure to File SR-22. Campbell was cited and released on promise to appear.

The broken water line in Audubon has been repaired and the system is refilling the water tower. Residents no longer have to conserve water usage. The line split late Saturday afternoon. Crews worked to patch the line Saturday night and made final repairs this morning.

Police in Red Oak conducting a traffic stop early this (Sunday) morning ended-up taking the driver of the vehicle into custody. 29-year old Carlos LaThrelle Overstreet, of Essex, was arrested at around 1:30-a.m. for Driving While Suspended, and failure to hold SR-22 Insurance. Overstreet was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

And, Red Oak Police arrested 30-year old Kaila Nicole Fate, of Red Oak, at around 1:15-a.m., at the intersection of E. Washington and N. 4th Streets in Red Oak, for Open container of alcohol, as a passenger in a vehicle. Fate was cited for the offense, and then released from the scene.

Two Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies were involved in a pursuit early this (Sunday) morning that resulted in damage to a sheriff’s vehicle and an arrest. Deputy Kyle Quist told KJAN News that just before 1:20-a.m., Sheriff’s Deputies in Pottawattamie County were pursuing a 1999 Ford Explorer that was making its way toward Cass County on Highway 92 near 480th.

The pursuit continued into Cass County, with speeds reaching 80-to 90-miles per hour through Griswold. The chase went east to Highway 71, where Deputy Ben Bartholomew was waiting with “stop sticks” deployed. The SUV hit the sticks at around 1:30-a.m. and entered a field, came back out of a ditch and rammed into the rear of Bartholomew’s cruiser.

The SUV continued into the intersection at Lyman, where Pott. County Deputies performed a PIT maneuver on the vehicle. The vehicle continued and eventually struck Deputy Bartholomew’s cruiser on the front and nearly struck Quist’s SUV. The suspect continued to drive south on Highway 71 for a couple of miles before the vehicle became disabled.

The suspect, 37-year old Joseph Lee Ray Bartlett, of Council Bluffs, was then taken into custody. Bartlett was transported to the Pottawattamie County Jail, where he faces multiple charges in that county, as well as Cass County. In Cass County, the charges will include assault on an officer, using a vehicle as a weapon. Quist said Bartlett was also wanted on warrants out of Montgomery County for felony Burglary and Theft.

Deputy Bartholomew’s vehicle was still functional after the impacts. He told KJAN News the push bumper on the front of the car prevented more serious damage to the radiator, engine and suspension. The rear quarter panel also sustained some damage. No injuries were reported following the incident.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office late Saturday night released more information about a fatal house fire that took place in Casey Friday afternoon. Officials say 53-year old Melody Bole, of Casey, died in the blaze. Her husband, Duane Nelson, suffered significant burns to his upper body and arms, and was transported to Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines and subsequently transferred to Iowa City, where he was released from care, Saturday. In addition, two dogs survived the fire while two other dogs perished.

The incident began at 3:21- p.m. Friday, when the Guthrie County Dispatch Center took multiple reports of house fire with possible human entrapment at 205 W. 1st St. in Casey. Fire departments from Adair, Casey and Menlo were dispatched to the scene along with Adair and Stuart Rescue.

When the fire was reported, a concrete crew was working on a cement project in the back yard of the same property. Members of the concrete crew attempted a rescue but were unable to reach the trapped party. A member of the concrete crew was a Casey volunteer fire fighter and was able to get equipment to the scene rapidly.

Duane Nelson entered the residence in an effort to find his wife but was unsuccessful. When law enforcement arrived on scene, heavy smoke was coming from the residence. After a majority of the fire was rapidly extinguished by fire personnel, the body of Melody Bole was found inside the residence.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office requested the assistance of the State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Guthrie County Medical Examiner. The investigation is now being handled by the State Fire Marshall’s Office. The results of an autopsy are pending at this time.

Residents of Audubon are being asked to conserve water until at least noon, Sunday. Ed Mahlstadt, with the City of Audubon Public Works said crews are still working on replacing a water line that has a long split in it. The 32-inch split is in the line that comes down from the water tower and circles back toward the water plant.

Crews have temporarily patched the split, but the water flow has been shut off to the water tower. Until a permanent repair is made, residents are asked to conserve water where possible. Mahlstadt said the water is safe, they just need people to continue use water sparingly until the repair is made.