(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), approved a longevity increase of 25-cents per hour for Adair County Sheriff’s Deputy William Tipling, who’s been on the force for 5-years. And, they approved a wage increase to $19.76/hour for Jailer Gwendi Rice, who has completed her six-month probationary period.

In other business, the Board passed a Resolution Naming Depositories, and acknowledged the receipt of Manure Management Plan (MMP) update for a Prestage Farms’ Eureka Township livestock facility.

Adair County Engineer Nick Kauffman requested Board Chair Jerry Walker sign a letter of support for Guthrie County’s application to receive a discretionary grant for a Multimodal project on White Pole Road. They authorized, and Walker signed, the Letter of Support. Kauffman said the project has a “Pretty good chance of being awarded” the grant.

The Adair County Supervisors also approved the sale of a used, County truck crane, to Clayton Auto Salvage in Greenfield, for their high bid of $8,500. They also approved of the Board Chair signing Contract and Performance Bonds for Reinforced Concrete Box Culvert (RCB) Projects in the W-14 Jefferson (Township) and W-11 Union (Township).

Nick Kauffman provided the Board with a weekly report on Secondary Roads Dept. maintenance and activities.

(Radio Iowa) – Officials in Iowa’s most populous county are urging residents to take more precautions in locking up their firearms, as gun-related incidents are the second-leading cause of death among youth. Between 2016 and 2020, gun injuries accounted for more than one-fifth of the deaths in Polk County residents between the ages of one and 24. Eric Haugen is a medical director of pediatrics at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. “There’s a higher incidence of depression, anxiety in our children today,” Haugen says, “and the medical health resources are simply not there. We have long waits when it comes to trying to get help for the children in our community now.”

Polk County Supervisor Angela Connolly says youth suicide by firearms is a growing concern. “The mental health status of our youth, as everyone knows, have declined,” Connolly says. “Our youth are suffering from anxiety and depression more than ever before, which puts them at risk of suicide.”

A report finds 41-percent of all youth suicides were gun-related. According to the Centers for Disease Control, firearms overtook car accidents last year as the leading cause of death for children nationally.

(Washington, D-C/National News) – The FBI, working with its state and local partners, identified and located 200 victims of sex trafficking during a nationwide enforcement campaign called Operation Cross Country. The operation also led to identification or arrest of 126 suspects of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking offenses and 68 suspects of trafficking were identified or arrested.

Through targeted operations and collaborative efforts, Operation Cross Country achieved significant milestones in recovering victims, apprehending offenders, and raising public awareness about these heinous crimes. The FBI and its partners located 59 minor victims of child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation offenses and located 59 actively missing children during its 2-week operation in July.

“Sex traffickers exploit and endanger some of the most vulnerable members of our society and cause their victims unimaginable harm,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This operation, which located 59 actively missing children, builds on the tremendous work the FBI has undertaken over many years to rescue minor victims and arrest those responsible for these unspeakable crimes. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners across the country to prevent human trafficking; increase detection, investigation, and prosecution of human trafficking crimes; and expand support and services to protect and empower survivors.”

The FBI-led nationwide initiative, in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), focused on identifying and locating victims of sex trafficking and investigating and arresting individuals and criminal enterprises involved in both child sex and human trafficking. Law enforcement agencies conducted targeted operations to identify and apprehend offenders, dismantling criminal networks, and preventing further harm to victims. Those suspects identified will be subject to additional investigation for potential charges.

“Human traffickers’ prey on the most vulnerable members of our society, and their crimes scar victims – many of them children – for life. The FBI’s commitment to combating this threat will never waver, and we will continue to send our message that these atrocities will not be tolerated,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “This operation would not be possible without the commitment and collaboration from our state and local law enforcement partners, and it demonstrates our continued focus on actively pursuing the criminals responsible for these heinous violations and connecting those impacted with dedicated victim services and resources.”

A multidisciplinary team (MDT), to include victim specialists, child/adolescent forensic interviewers, and other victim service personnel, in addition to special agents, ensures a victim-centered, culturally responsive, trauma-informed investigative response. The FBI MDT works with state and local partners to make resources available to meet the unique needs of trafficking victims.

Victim specialists provide services based on the individual needs of human trafficking victims, to include crisis intervention, emergency food and clothing, transportation to receive emergency services, and locating shelter or housing. The victim specialists also serve as conduit between the victims and the investigative team to help ensure they are receiving case updates, as appropriate.

“Behind every statistic, there is a person with dreams, aspirations, and the right to live a life free from child sex trafficking and exploitation. As a society we must work together to ensure the protection, support, and empowerment of those impacted by this heinous crime.” said NCMEC President & CEO Michelle DeLaune. “We applaud the FBI and their partner law enforcement agencies for their unwavering dedication to protecting children. Their tireless efforts in combating crimes against children sends a powerful message that child sexual exploitation will not be tolerated.”

The FBI remains steadfast in its commitment to combating child exploitation and human trafficking. Operation Cross Country is just one facet of the Bureau’s ongoing efforts to protect the most vulnerable members of society and hold offenders accountable. The FBI encourages continued vigilance, cooperation, and reporting from the public to help identify and recover victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

(Creston, Iowa) — Students at Southwestern Community College (SWCC) held a memorial vigil Tuesday night, to honor the life of Madalynn Stewart, of Maloy. The community gathered at the gymnasium in the student center to share memories of Stewart. The 19-year-old was on the school’s women’s basketball and dance teams.

Stewart died Sunday from injuries she suffered July 21st in a Union County crash. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a car driven by Stewart, failed to stop at a stop sign when it entered Highway 34 from 190th Street in Afton around 10:30 that night. The car was struck by a pickup truck, and both vehicles went into a ditch.

Stewart is the third 19-year-old to die as a result of the crash. Halsie Lynn Barnes and Ella Jo Leonard died as a result of the crash. People gathered on July 25 to honor their lives during a candlelight service. Clergy and counselors were also on-hand.

Open visitation for Madalynn Mae Stewart will be held at the Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr, on Sunday, Aug. 6, from 1-8 p.m., with family present from 5-8 p.m. Her funeral will be on Monday, Aug. 7, at 2 p.m., at the Mount Ayr High School gymnasium.

SWCC will be closed Monday so employees may attend the funeral.

(Radio Iowa) – The Dallas County Sheriff reports a teenager has died after being pulled from Moffit Lake Monday. The Sheriff says they received a 9-1-1 call just before 7 p-m that three people who were fishing at the lake were in the water and struggling to stay afloat. A passerby pulled all three out of the water.

A 14-year-old girl who was under the water the longest was given C-P-R and taken to the hospital where she later died. No names have been released.

(Radio Iowa) – The monthly survey of supply managers in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states shows both the state and regional economies took big falls during July. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says it’s a warning sign for the economy in the months ahead, as the overall Business Conditions Index indicates a significant slowdown is looming in the Midwestern manufacturing sector.

Despite some recent optimism about the U-S economy’s overall performance, the survey shows the region’s supply managers estimate there’s almost a 50-50 chance of a recession in the second half of this year. Goss expects what he’s calling “a rolling recession” to impact certain sectors of the economy, especially commercial real estate and manufacturing.

(Radio Iowa) –  The Iowa D-N-R says a sample from a road-kill deer in Marshal County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). D-N-R biometrician, Tyler Harms, says it’s the first detection there and the 16th county overall in the state with the disease. Harms says the D-N-R will increase surveillance efforts in Marshall County to try and determine how widespread the disease might be by getting more samples from hunters.

The next step for counties that have a new case of C-W-D are informational meetings to makes residents aware of what this disease is. They also talk about ways to manage this disease like proper carcass disposal, and not doing things to artificially congregate deer like bait piles or mineral blocks.

The D-N-R has scheduled two meetings to update the public on chronic wasting disease surveillance and management efforts in Jasper, Marshall, and Grundy counties. They are scheduled for 7 p-m on August 29th at the Baxter Public Library, and October 10th at 7 p-m at the Wellsburg Memorial Building.

(Omaha, NE) – Twenty-eight organizations, three business leaders and 12 high school seniors across Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota were recently selected by an independent panel of business and community leaders as 2023 Better Business Bureau (BBB) award and scholarship recipients.

The BBB Students of Integrity Scholarship program recognizes high school seniors who personify values, leadership and integrity. Annually, 12 seniors are awarded $2,000 scholarships to further their education. The 2023 Students of Integrity Scholarship recipients from the Omaha and Southwest Iowa areas include:

• Megan Wells — East Mills High School, Malvern, Iowa
• Nina Marie Kudlacz — Ralston High School, Ralston, Nebraska
• Trista Swain — Griswold High School, Griswold, Iowa

“These students, leaders and companies exemplify the highest standards of ethics,” said BBB President and CEO Jim Hegarty. “These awards embody BBB’s mission of advancing marketplace trust. Join us in celebrating these incredible award winners at our upcoming luncheon. Our communities can be proud to have such strong leaders that put integrity into action.”

(Council Bluffs, Iowa/updated)- Residents of Pottawattamie County, Tuesday, went to the polls to determine if the method of determining how their Board of Supervisors are elected will change, or not. Three plans were on the ballot. Plan One was to keep the members elected essentially At Large, meaning each member of the Board of Supervisors is allowed to reside anywhere in Pottawattamie County and the voters of the county elect all five members of the Board of Supervisors. Unofficial results show that Plan was approved by 5,224 votes.

Plan Two garnered just 545 vote. If that had passed, Pottawattamie County would have been divided into five districts of roughly equal population. Plan Three received 2, 357 votes. That would have also divided Pottawattamie County into five districts of roughly equal population, but voters would elect the one Supervisor who resides in the same district as the voter and would not vote for the other four Supervisors in the other four districts. As previously mentioned, the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors approved the special election on June 6 after private groups gathered and submitted a petition with nearly 4,000 signatures to allow county residents to choose between three options for county supervisor elections.

According to the Iowa State Association of Counties, 49 counties elect supervisors by that at-large system. About 81-hundred people voted in Pottawattamie County’s August 1st Special Election. During this spring’s legislative session, the Iowa Senate passed a bill that would have required Iowa’s five largest counties to elect supervisors by districts rather than in at-large or countywide elections. It would not have applied to Pottawattamie County, which is Iowa’s 10th largest county. House Republicans changed the bill so it applied only to Black Hawk, Johnson and Story Counties where the state universities are located, but the bill was tabled.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University quarterback Hunter Dekkers has been accused of betting on one I-S-U football game and 25 other Cyclone sporting events. Dekkers was last season’s starting quarterback for the Cyclones and expected to be the starter this coming season. The Des Moines Register was first to report that the Story County Attorney’s Office has filed a criminal complaint charging Dekkers with tampering with records by trying to conceal his identity in electronic sports wagering records.

The complaint accuses Dekker’s parents of engaging in a scheme to make it look like the bets were coming from Dekker’s mother. The document alleges Dekkers used a DraftKings account to place 366 bets and 80 percent of those wagers were made when Dekkers had not reached the legal gambling age of 21. The I-S-U football game Dekkers is accused of betting on was against Oklahoma State in 2021. Dekkers was the back-up quarterback and did not play. Under N-C-Double-A rules, college athletes caught betting on games that involve their own teams face a lifetime ban from college sports.

Two other I-S-U athletes — both sophomores — face a similar charge of tampering with records related to sports gambling. One is on the Cyclone wrestling team. The other is an offensive lineman who’s accused of placing a dozen bets on I-S-U football games. This spring, Iowa State announced approximately 15 students on the university’s football, wrestling and track teams were suspected of violating N-C-Double-A rules by betting on sports.

The University of Iowa also announced 26 students on Hawkeye football, basketball, baseball, wrestling and track teams were suspected of alleged gambling violations. A lawyer representing Dekkers released a statement saying: “Hunter Dekkers denies the criminal charge brought against him. He will plead not guilty to that charge because he is in fact not guilty of that charge.”