Officials with the Council Bluffs (IA) Police Department report that at around 2:34-p.m. Thursday (12/7/23), officers were dispatched to the Casey’s General Store, 15 North 16th Street, for a report of a vehicle break-in. An investigation revealed that a suspect broke the window of an unoccupied vehicle belonging to a company who services ATMs while the vehicle was parked in the Casey’s lot.

The suspect gained access to the vehicle and removed a bag that contained a yet to be determined amount of US Currency.

Suspect’s vehicle

The suspect was driving a silver Hyundai Tucson SUV with paper dealer plates. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the suspect vehicle.

The suspect vehicle is similar to one that has been used in a previous ATM robbery in Omaha, NE. Please see the attached photograph.

Anyone who witnessed this incident or has information that could assist in this investigation is encouraged to contact the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 712-328-4728 or on-line tips can be submitted at: https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/FormCenter/Police-Department-2/Online-CrimeStoppers-Tip-70

(Radio Iowa) – C-N-N has announced it will host a debate on January 10th in Des Moines for G-O-P presidential candidates who have at least 10 percent support in three polls — and one of the polls must be of likely Iowa Caucus-goers. Three of the candidates who debated last (Wednesday) night in Alabama are heading to Iowa to campaign. Nikki Haley, who’ll speak a

“There was no question that the fellas came out with attacks on me and I appreciated it,” Haley says. “…I mean we are surging. They know it. They see it in the polls.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy criticized Haley for accepting campaign donations from Wall Street donors, including a Democrat who founded LinkedIn. Haley says they’re just jealous of her new donors. Haley says voters are most concerned about how candidates will fix the economy.

“We have got to get congress to where they stop all this reckless spending,” Haley says. “We saw it happen with Trump with $9 trillion in four years. Now you’ve got Republicans and Democrats spending like drunken sailors and so I’ll stop the spending, stop the borrowing. We’ll eliminate the earmarks and I’ll veto any spending bill that doesn’t take us back to pre-COVID levels.”

Haley, DeSantis, Ramaswamy and Texas pastor Ryan Binkley are scheduled to be in Sioux Center Saturday for an event Congressman Randy Feenstra is hosting.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – A man who was just a teenager in high school back in 1969, is reflecting back on his experiences with Director Norman Lear and the production of “Cold Turkey,” in Greenfield. Lear died Tuesday at the age of 101. E.E. Warren Cultural Center Board Member Dan Dickinson says he was a member of the Greenfield High School Band, and performed in one of the last scene’s of the movie.

He says the experience was “pretty neat.”

Being an Extra in the film gave Dickinson some spending money and a chance to talk with the film’s stars.

Dickinson said Norman Lear was very attentive to detail, but he never saw him upset, even if things weren’t going according to plan. Lear wrote, directed and produced the movie.

He said Lear was always “Down-to-earth guy,” and always held Greenfield and Iowa close to his heart.

Dan Dickinson says the last time Lear was in Greenfield was in the late 90’s, when they had a “Cold Turkey” Reunion. He said Lear “Was a great man, and it was nice to be a small part of his career.” In 2014, the Warren Cultural Center named its theater in honor of the famed producer.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa rail line has been sold. The Canadian National Railroad announced it has reached an agreement to acquire the Waterloo-based Iowa Northern Railway. Iowa Northern has some 275 miles of track that runs from Manly to Cedar Rapids, with branch lines from Waterloo to Oelwein, and Forest City to Belmond.

Iowa Northern Railway map of its line.

The Iowa Northern website says it has 110 employees and serves 20 grain elevators, two ethanol plants, and two mineral processing facilities. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, and it must be approved by federal regulators, which is expected in 2024