ANKENY, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — An Ankeny firefighter faces first-degree theft charges for allegedly embezzling more than $72,000 from the Ankeny Professional Firefighters Local 4814 union. According to court documents, Zach Farrell was the union’s treasurer from 2020 to May 2024. A month later, in June, an investigation began.

The City of Ankeny says Farrell is a member of the Ankeny Fire Department and he is currently on administrative leave. The investigation started mid-June when union leaders reported a theft.

According to court records, union leaders say Farrell began acting “weird” a few months ago, when they were considering moving the union’s bank accounts from one bank to another. A search warrant shows the leaders realized Farrell was the only person with access to the accounts and despite calling him to gain access, those calls were not returned.

However, court records show the union leaders did eventually gain access to the accounts, looked through bank statements from the last five years, and saw transactions that were not related to the union: payments to personal credit cards, MidAmerican Energy bills, and cash withdrawals in Farrell’s name.

According to a criminal complaint, Farrell did admit to investigators that he used union funds to make “personal expenditures” not related to the union.

(UPDATE: Officials with the Ottumwa Community School District identified the 8-year-old boy who died Tuesday after being hit by a truck. Jaxxon Cain had just finished second grade at Douma Elementary School in Ottumwa, the school district posted on Facebook.)

(Ottumwa, Iowa) — An accident Tuesday afternoon in southeast Iowa claimed the life of a child from Ottumwa. The Iowa State Patrol says the 8-year-old died after being accidentally backed over by a pickup truck.  The incident happened shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, in the east alley of the 200 block of North Hancock and Dewey Street in Ottumwa.

The unidentified child was riding a bicycle in an alley, and was in the pickup truck driver’s blind spot, when the accident occurred.

No charges have been filed and the incident remains under investigation by the Ottumwa Police Department and Iowa State Patrol.

(Fort Dodge, Iowa) – A crash late Tuesday night in Fort Dodge resulted in the death of one teenager and injuries to two others. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at around 11-p.m. in Loomis Park. A car driven by 16-year-old Leah Claire Lynch, of Ft. Dodge, was traveling through the park when the vehicle went out of control and struck a tree. Despite having worn her seat belt, Leah Lynch died at the scene.

Her passengers, 16-year-old Amyrra Marie Lumsden and 16-year-old Jessie Bibi Leyja, both of Ft. Dodge, were injured in the crash. Lumsden was flown by Life Flight to Mercy One in Des Moines. Leyja was treated at the scene and released. Both teens were wearing their seat belts.

The crash remains under investigation. The Patrol was assisted at the crash site by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police and EMS.

(Radio Iowa) – The power went out in most of Estherville on Saturday and City Administrator Penny Clayton says a temporary fix to get electricity flowing again is now permanent. “We worked with Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative to install an emergency tie in…so that we could backfeed power into our system from theirs,” Clayton says. “That will stay in place and will be available when we need an emergency tie in with them or they need one with us.”

The Iowa Lakes Electric Coop has 13-thousand customers, while the Electric Department for the City of Estherville serves 32-hundred accounts. Saturday’s power outage in Estherville was unrelated to flooding in northwest Iowa. Estherville’s city administrator says officials are evaluating how city-owned infrastructure withstood the floodwaters.

“As we transition from the response phase into the recovery phase, we’re looking at any and all things that we can do to protect city infrastructure,” she says, “so that in the event that we have these type of floodwaters again, we can respond better or just have more safeguards in place.” A long period of heavy rainfall pushed the crest of the West Fork of the Des Moines River in Estherville past 18 feet on Sunday, June 23rd. That’s well over flood stage. Clayton says although the river level is falling, the city will keep its flood protection measures in place.

“If we were to receive torrential amounts of rain, the river could come up fairly quickly again,” Clayton says, “so we’re keeping it in place until we feel we’re out of the woods.”

On Monday, “disaster survivor assistance teams” from FEMA began going door to door in Estherville to ensure flood victims are registered with the agency.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Coca-Cola Days 2024 will be held September 27th & 28th in Atlantic. The event is the second largest collectors’ show in the United States and includes a tailgate barbecue open to the public, a Show, Swap & Sell, Coca-Cola themed raffle and many more activities for all ages. This year’s featured theme is, “Celebrate Together” and will be held at the Cass County Community Center.

T-Shirts for the 2024 Coca-Cola Days celebration are now available for $22 online at https://cocacoladays2024.itemorder.com/shop/sale/. The t-shirts are a District Tee with a soft, polyester and cotton blend. T-Shirts can be picked up on the day of the event, or at the Chamber following Coca-Cola Days. For an additional fee, your purchase can be shipped right to your door!

For more information on Coca-Cola Days, please visit www.atlanticiowa.com, call the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 712-243-3017, email chamber@atlanticiowa.com, or pick up a brochure at the Chamber office. Coca-Cola Days is sponsored by Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

Left to Right: Kathie Hockenberry, Dolly Bergmann, Kurt Roberts, Kelsey Beschorner

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Today, Google announced plans to invest $1 billion in Iowa this year at an event at the company’s Council Bluffs data center campus. This 2024 investment will support its two sites in Council Bluffs as the company expands its technical infrastructure in southwest Iowa. Google is also announcing $1.3 million in support for a Missouri River Basin grade stabilization project in collaboration with the Great Outdoors Foundation and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Today’s announcements build on Google’s long-standing commitment to Iowa, including the more than $5.5 billion Google has already invested in the state since 2007 — along with more than $1.8 billion of economic activity for tens of thousands of Iowa businesses, publishers, nonprofits, creators and developers. Click here for photos from the event.

Google’s data centers are the backbone of the digital services — like Google Cloud, Search, Maps and Workspace — that people and organizations use to power their daily lives. Data centers are the engines behind the growing digital economy. Google’s continued investment in this technical infrastructure plays an essential role in supporting the company’s AI innovations and customer base.

The Iowa cloud region is part of Google Cloud’s global network of 40 regions that delivers high-performance and low-latency services to large enterprises, startups, and public sector organizations, including Hy-Vee, Inc., Casey’s, and Corteva. Customers benefit from key controls that allow them to maintain the highest security, data residency and compliance standards, including specific data storage requirements.

“Today’s announcement underscores our commitment to Council Bluffs and the state of Iowa,” said Joe Kava, Vice President, Global Data Centers at Google. “As we continue to develop and deploy AI solutions across our products, particularly within Google Cloud, our infrastructure is what brings these innovations to people locally and globally. For more than 15 years, the collaborative community here in Council Bluffs has been our partner in delivering the latest digital technology to the world. We look forward to continuing our work together to keep Iowa a digital leader for years to come.”

“Today, we’re seeing once again just how attractive advantages like low taxes, affordable cost of doing business, and a population known for its strong work ethic are to one of the world’s most prominent companies,” Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said. “It’s my pleasure to join the Google team to celebrate its historic $1 billion investment in its data center… and $1.3 million contribution for water quality projects in Iowa… as well as to express my appreciation for the strong partnership that has made these exciting announcements possible.”

“I applaud Google’s planned investment of more than $1 billion in its data center campus in Council Bluffs. This decision will create jobs, grow our economy, and support our communities,” U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra said. “From financing expansions and workforce development to supporting community projects, I appreciate Google’s long-time commitment to the families of Council Bluffs. I look forward to continue working with Google to promote economic growth, strengthen our workforce, and keep Iowa a leader in digital technology and infrastructure.”

“Google has called Council Bluffs home since breaking ground in 2007, and I’ve been fortunate to have a front-row seat to witness its commitment to our community,” Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh said. “Whether it’s supporting our schools, local nonprofits, or the entire community through building out the BLink network, Google has worked to bring economic opportunity to all who live here. Today’s continued and monumental investment announcement underscores its dedication to Council Bluffs is as strong as ever, and I look forward to continued collaboration.”

“Our partnership with Google empowers Hy-Vee to connect with our customers in a way that’s relevant to each unique community we serve.  Google Cloud provides a flexible, scalable foundation that enables us to deliver customized digital experiences while implementing advanced tools to help protect customer data. This collaboration is key to our mission of making lives easier, healthier and happier,” said Brian Young, Chief Information Officer, Hy-Vee, Inc.

As a pioneer in computing infrastructure, Google’s data centers are among the most efficient in the world. Google is pursuing net-zero emissions across its operations and value chain, supported by an ambitious clean energy goal to run on carbon-free energy every hour of every day on every grid where it operates. An important piece of this clean energy goal is Google’s climate-conscious approach to cooling data centers, which prioritizes minimizing net climate impact and using natural resources responsibly — both today and in the future.

Beyond its operations, Google is committed to improving local watershed health where its office campuses and data centers are located and replenish 120% of the water it consumes, on average. As part of its commitment in Iowa, Google is announcing a $1.3 million grant to the Great Outdoors Foundation‘s grade stabilization project in southwest Iowa. This project will reduce surface runoff and erosion and improve flood protection, surface and groundwater quality, and the overall aquatic habitat. The Great Outdoors Foundation will implement the project at 47 sites in partnership with the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), various Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Drake University.

​​”Google’s investment in our Conservation Acceleration Fund exemplifies the efficacy and potency of public-private partnerships,” said Hannah Inman, Chief Executive Officer, Great Outdoors Foundation. “Of course, this will have a tremendous impact on the watersheds in the immediate footprint of the initiative, but more than that, it will impact the quality of water flowing into the Missouri River, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico, all critical to vibrant communities across our nation. Iowa has the potential to lead the way in protecting our natural resources now, and for generations to come.”

Google creates economic opportunities across central Iowa. To help Iowans access the opportunities created by technology, Google has helped train over 100,000 residents in digital skills through ongoing partnerships with local organizations. Google has created jobs in a variety of full time and external supplier roles, including computer technicians, engineers and various food service, maintenance and security roles.