Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports that on September 6th, Fremont County Deputies with the assistance of the Shenandoah Police Department conducted a narcotics investigation in the 2700 block of Highway 59 in Fremont County.  Deputies arrested 36 year old Fredreck George Steven Billings II of Shenandoah on charges of Delivery of Methamphetamine, less than 5 grams, Class C Felony; Drug Gathering, Class D Felony; Keeping a Premises of Vehicle for Controlled Substances, Aggravated Misdemeanor; Possession of Marijuana, Serious Misdemeanor
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Simple Misdemeanor.

Also, 47 year old Catina Jo Blank, age 47 of Shenandoah was charged with Delivery of Methamphetamine, less than 5 grams, Class C Felony; Drug Gathering, Class D Felony; Keeping a Premises of Vehicle for Controlled Substances, Aggravated Misdemeanor; Possession of Marijuana, Serious Misdemeanor; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Simple Misdemeanor.

And, 25 year old Chelsea Jenon Blank of Shenandoah was charged with Drug Gathering, Class D Felony; Keeping a Premises of Vehicle for Controlled Substances, Aggravated Misdemeanor; Possession of Marijuana, Serious Misdemeanor; Possession of Methamphetamine, Serious Misdemeanor.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports that on September 5th, deputies were called to Farragut for a report of an intoxicated male causing a disturbance.  Deputies arrived and made contact with 34 year old Mark Anthony Hardin of St Joseph, Missouri.  Hardin entered a boat on Hartford Ave and refused to exit the vessel.  After a short standoff, Hardin exited the boat and began resisting arrest by deputies.  Hardin was charged with Interference with Official Acts, Public Intoxication, and Unlawful Possession of a Schedule III controlled substance.

Cass Health’s Senior Life Solutions team is hosting a free community walk in support of National Suicide Prevention Month on Saturday, September 23, 2023 beginning at 6:30 pm at the Rotary Shelter at Schildberg Recreation Area.  The event is being co-hosted by Healthy Cass County, Cass County Iowa State University Extension, and Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services.

The event will kick-off at 6:30 pm with a local speaker who will share their story on how suicide has touched their lives.  The walk portion of the evening will begin around 7:00 pm.  Participants will walk the trail loop at the Schildberg Recreation Area.  Information about mental health services and community resources as well as light refreshments will be available at the Rotary Shelter.

Karmen Roland, RN, Program Director of Senior Life Solutions said “Suicide Prevention Month is a chance to take time to stop and assess yourself and those around you to ensure those who need help have access to it and aren’t living at risk.  By raising awareness and educating people about the signs that can indicate someone is having suicidal thoughts or are possibly in danger of attempting suicide, we can help to prevent suicide from happening.”

If you or someone you know is in an emergency, call 911 immediately.  If you are in crisis or are experiencing difficult or suicidal thoughts, call, text, or chat the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.

For more information about the walk, call 712-250-8100.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is joining several Senate colleagues in asking the U-S Department of Education to determine how much money adversarial foreign governments are donating to American schools, including some in Iowa.

Espionage by foreign actors is a “constant threat,” according to Grassley, which can take on various forms, including trying to inject propaganda into our schools.

Grassley, a Republican, says there’s also evidence the Chinese have pumped money into the University of Iowa through what’s called the Confucius Institute.

He says the U-S must “thwart efforts by authoritarian regimes to peddle propaganda in our schools” as well as other threats to national security. Iowa’s other U-S Senator Joni Ernst is among the 18 senators who signed the letter requesting the nationwide audit.

Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum says carbon capture technology can spark what he calls “the golden age of agriculture.”

Burgum is the governor of North Dakota and the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline would ship carbon from Midwest ethanol plants to underground storage in Burgum’s state.

Burgum says the Biden Administration is hurting the U-S economy with a crazy level of spending in support of the electric vehicle industry.

Experts say over seven billion barrels of oil could be pumped from the Bakken (BAWK-en) oil fields in Burgum’s home state and Burgum says it’s time for the U-S to focus on liquid fuels.

Burgum campaigned in southwest Iowa yesterday (Tuesday) and toured the Great Plains plant in Shenandoah. The company is involved in a joint venture with United Airlines and a pipeline operator to develop an ethanol-based aviation fuel. Burgum’s campaign is hosting events in Harlan and Denison today (Wednesday).

Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office report that on Tuesday, September 5th at about 6:00 pm they conducted a traffic stop in the 2500 block of highway 48.  Deputies arrested 42 year old Daniel Charles Thomas of Red Oak for driving while barred, an aggravated misdemeanor.  Was booked at the Montgomery County Jail and held on $2,000 bond.

The owners of the Nelson-Boylan-LeRette Funeral Chapel in Red Oak are determined to continue serving the area as they recover from a devastating fire that destroyed their building on the morning of September first.

State and local fire investigators said faulty wiring in the basement caused the fire that gutted the building’s interior.  The building was deemed a total loss.

Dawn LeRette, who along with her husband, Brian, have owned the funeral home since 2001, say they are currently operating out of another building on their property.

Dawn says the LeRette family plans to continue to build on the more than 100 years of traditions since the business was first established in 1914.  They want to let people in the Montgomery County and surrounding area know that they are ready and able to provide funeral care at this time as they move forward.

Red Oak Police report that on Tuesday, September 5th just after 7:00 pm, officers arrested 40 year old Joseph Aaron Nelson of Red Oak on an active Montgomery County warrant for harrassment in the third degree.  Nelson was booked and held on $300 bond.

A new Iowa State University podcast tries to answer some of the questions about a subject that is vital to some, and stinks for others. Dan Andersen
the creator of the “Talk’in Crap” podcast, says it is an interesting time in the world of manure.

Anderson is an associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at I-S-U. He chose the “Talk’in Crap” title intentionally and says you have to have a sense of humor about the subject, while also talking about the serious side.

Andersen says manure is more than a byproduct of animal production.

Andersen says the water quality perspective is also important and manure’s role in that needs to be discussed as well.

Anderson says the use of new technology has help improved the use of the world’s oldest fertilizer.

He says they don’t want to see any spills that impact water quality, but there are still spills and fish killed every year from manure. Andersen says at least there are signs of progress in the right direction. The smell of manure is probably the thing that most non-farmers. Andersen says work continues to find ways to deal with that too.

Andersen says those covers often don’t fit with the deep pit production model that we tend to have fore manure here in Iowa. You can listen to the “Talk’in Crap” podcast on the Iowa State University Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu.

A University of Iowa medical school graduate who’s now a national spokesman for the American Lung Association is urging Iowans to get an array of vaccinations this fall to protect themselves from the flu, R-S-V, and a resurgence of COVID-19. Pulmonologist Dr. Jamie Rutland says flu cases spiked in Iowa last year, compared to previous pandemic years, as most people were no longer masking or keeping six feet away from others. How severe will the flu season ahead be?

Flu vaccines are already available in Iowa, so he’s hoping people will get their shots now so their immune systems are ready. That goes double for people who are compromised by things like heart disease, lung disease or diabetes.

Rutland, who practices in his native southern California, says R-S-V is another big concern, especially as flu season approaches, and two R-S-V vaccines are now available, primarily for people 60 and over.

He says it’s especially important for people who are at least 60 years old to get vaccinated for R-S-V. The C-D-C says COVID cases are rising again nationwide and Rutland says for most people, a COVID booster is highly recommended this fall.

The C-D-C estimates there were as many as 54-million flu cases nationwide last year and between 19- and 58-thousand deaths due to the flu. Iowa health officials report 366 flu deaths statewide in 2021.

An executive with Summit Carbon Solutions says the proposed pipeline route the company has presented to state regulators is final — unless the Iowa Utilities Board orders more negotiations as a condition of granting a construction permit. James Powell, Summit’s chief operating officer, is in charge of design, construction and operation of the pipeline.

Powell says it’s too late to adjust the route through Charles City, for example.

Summit has changed the pipeline route around Bismarck in its new permit application after
North Dakota regulators rejected the company’s initial application.

Powell testified Tuesday during a hearing the Iowa Utilities Board convened in August to examine Summit’s pipeline permit application. Testimony in the past two weeks came from landowners who don’t want the pipeline on their property, some of whom suggested adjusting the route to provide access to farm fields or to keep their land enrolled in federal conservative programs.