FORT MADISON – Howard Paul Garrison was pronounced dead due to natural causes at 9:19 p.m. on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 in medical unit at the Iowa State Penitentiary where he had been housed due to chronic illness. Garrison was 66 years old at the time of his death.

Garrison had been serving a life sentence for the crime of Murder 1st Degree (two counts) from Marion County. His sentence began on January 16, 2004.

DES MOINES, IA – A Polk City man was sentenced on October 6, 2023, to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor. According to public court documents, Daniel Todd Little, 44, produced child sexual abuse material when he video-recorded himself sexually abusing a minor child.

The Court imposed the 30-year sentence to be served consecutively to Little’s sentence for his 2022 convictions in the Iowa District Court for Polk County for sexual abuse, controlled substance, and firearm charges. After completing his term of imprisonment, Little will be required to serve 10 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Little was also ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Department of Homeland Security and the Ankeny Police Department investigated the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

(Radio Iowa) – University of Northern Iowa president Mark Nook announced a record 25 million dollar gift today (Friday) to the school’s business college. “This is an historic moment, not only is this the largest gift to date to the Our Tomorrow campaign it’s the largest single gift the university has ever received,” Nook says. The gift comes from 1970 U-N-I graduate David Wilson, who owns a nationwide chain of car dealerships.

“In honor of this gift, we are pleased to announce pending Board of Regents approval this next month the first named college in the history of the University of Northern Iowa, the David W Wilson College of Business,” Nook says. Wilson says he hopes the gift will ensure students will learn to do things the right way. “Ethical capitalism needs all the help it can get. We believe this is a perfect time to make this gift to present a philosophical defense of capitalism. That’s why we’re giving the money to the business school, not the university,” Wilson says.

David Wilson is giving UNI $25 million for its business college. (UNI photo)

“It is our hope this contribution will foster instruction that reveals the importance of maintaining ethical principles in the corporate environment at all levels.” Wilson donated money to U-N-I in 1999 which led to the creation of the Wilson Chair in Business Ethics. “In our judgment our nation’s political future our political and economic future is in peril and ethical defense of free markets is crucial to reversing the current anti-capitalist trend that we see today in America,” Wilson says.

A portion of the gift also establishes the Wilson Scholars Fund, which will provide renewable scholarships for students from Tama County where Wilson grew up in the town of Traer.

Atlantic, IA – SHIFT ATL, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, along with the Atlantic High School Cross Country team, will be hosting their fifth annual Turkey Trot in Atlantic on Thursday, November
23, 2023, at 8:00 a.m. This year’s event will have both an in-person and virtual option to participate. The in-person event will include a 5K route and 1-mile route option, both leaving from The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 102 Chestnut St, at 8:00 a.m. sharp! Attendees can grab some warm eats and drinks from inside the building post-race. The virtual event can take
place at the registrant’s discretion.

Cost to register is $25, with the option to add on race-day gear, a long sleeve t-shirt (race + shirt $40). Orders including any of these items need to be submitted by Tuesday, November 7th in
order to ensure items are here before race day. Registration for the race will continue until the day of the event.

Proceeds from this year’s event will 100% benefit the Atlantic Cross Country team as a “thank you” for their help in putting on this year’s Turkey Trot.

To get registered, visit getmeregistered.com/AtlanticTurkeyTrot or shiftatl.org/turkeytrot to view full event details! For more information about SHIFT ATL or the Turkey Trot, visit facebook.com/shiftatl, www.shiftatl.org or email shiftatlantic@gmail.com.

(RADIO IOWA [updated]) – Developers of the Heartland Greenway carbon pipeline have cancelled the project. The Navigator C-O-2 pipeline was one of three projects proposed to ship carbon from ethanol plants to underground storage. Navigator’s 810 mile route through Iowa would have sent the liquid carbon to storage in central Illinois. Last month, South Dakota regulators denied the company’s pipeline route application for that state. Last week, Navigator asked the Iowa Utilities Board to put its Iowa application on hold.

Navigator’s C-E-O says as good stewards of capital and responsible managers of people, the company has made the difficult decision to cancel the project.

Map of proposed, but now cancelled Navigator CO2 carbon pipeline route

The Iowa Utility Board’s hearing on the application from a different developer — Summit Carbon Solutions — is scheduled to resume next month. Summit executives recently pushed back the estimated start date for moving carbon through their pipeline by more than a year after permit setbacks in both North and South Dakota.

Monte Shaw of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says Navigator’s decision was not a surprise after some of its permit applications were pulled, but Shaw says it doesn’t change the reality for the ethanol industry. “I know there are listeners out there that probably think lowering your carbon footprint is a good idea. I know you have listeners that will think that’s just silly and some made up government program,'” Shaw says. “The bottom line is our customers are saying: ‘We want lower carbon biofuels.’ Our ethanol plants have to respond to that if they’re going to stay in business. The number one thing we can do to lower our carbon footprint is carbon sequestration.”

Shaw says the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association respects Navigator’s decision and continues to support other pipeline projects. “We think that carbon capture and sequestration is absolutely vital to the future of ethanol and corn growers’ prosperity and all of that,” Shaw says. “There are other projects out there and we’re going to continue to work with them and, ultimately, I do think we will be successful.” Shaw expects some of the ethanol producers that had signed agreements with Navigator to seek another partner to capture carbon and ship it out of their plants.

“I think the two largest ethanol producers in the United States were part of (Navigator’s) system in Poet and Valero. They’re not going to sit idly by. Now I can’t tell you what they will do, which system they may go to, maybe they look at another option that I haven’t even heard of,” Shaw says, “but I would be shocked if they weren’t looking at other options.” Andrew Johnson is one of the landowners who opposed Navigator’s project. Johnson says the pipeline would have run through his Lee County farm.”We have about 200 acres of row crop and timber area right outside of West Point,” he says. “It would have cut diagonally through all 200 acres.” Johnson says he’ll never again take his property rights for granted.

“We never had an opportunity to discuss with Navigator as far as plotting where it should go. They basically just said: ‘This is where it’s going to go and if you don’t like it, we’ll use eminent domain as a resource to obtain your property,'” Johnson said. “…I didn’t realize that there was an opportunity where a company could come into this state and literally take my land away…I thought it was ours and we bought it and that was the end of it, but we’re going to be relentless in our pursuit to change laws in legislation so this will never happen again. It should never have happened to begin with.”

Matthew Ung — chairman of the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors — says he’s heard from landowners in his northwest Iowa county who were concerned that Navigator would improperly seek eminent domain authority to seize their land for the pipeline. “These are fundamentally private projects that I think everyone exept the governor’s office seems to realize are not real public utilities and so that’s why there’s been such opposition,” Ung says. “It’s not necessarily on the means or the fact that it’s being done, just the fact that it’s being portrayed as something that it’s not.”

Ung, who is a Republican, has been a Woodbury County Supervisor for nearly nine years.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Board of Supervisors met in a regular session at 9-a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17th. County Auditor/Board Secretary Mark Maxwell reports in his minutes of the meeting, that Shelby County Recorder Geralyn Greer presented her quarterly report which showed income growth year to year. Greer advised that improvements have been made to the online information portal on the Shelby County website and encouraged others to inspect the site and provide feedback on the visit. Other Recorders projects and current activities were also presented to the Supervisors.

Representatives from the Family Crisis Center were present to follow up with a funding request letter to the Shelby County Board of Supervisors. It was noted that last year, Family Crisis Centers provided approximately $7,143.80 of services to Shelby County residents. There are more people to reach in Shelby County, so they have increased their staffing to provide more focus and attention on your county. The family Crisis Centers goal in the next year is to increase their outreach and serve more people in Shelby County. They are asking for funding from Shelby County in FY25 in the amount of $750.00. The Supervisors approved the award request in full for fiscal year 2025. The monies provided will be from the Opioid Abatement fund.

The Shelby County Weed Commissioner’s annual report was then approved after a presentation by Jay Ring. Ring mentioned that Shelby County does not have the invasive weed problems that some counties have. Past control and keeping on top of problem areas has kept the spread in Shelby County to less than some other counties.

The Supervisors then considered a situation regarding a possible property tax refund/abatement. Myrtue Medical Center purchased a property during the assessment year and received in the purchase agreement partial payment for a portion of the year that property taxes were due. Myrtue was billed for the full amount of taxes due and paid the full amount. The Board passed a motion to abate and refund a portion of taxes paid for the parcel, in the amount of $4,557.52

The Supervisors then reported current activities on the boards and committees that they are members of, representing Shelby County. Charles Parkhurst reported that MAPA has trails grants available in the amount of approximately $800,000.00. Steve Kenkel noted that the Iowa Utilities Board activities regarding the pipeline situation have been put on hold for previously scheduled events where the hearings are held. The proceedings will resume in November.

Todd Valline provides a report from the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The report included that election candidate forums will be taking place in Elk Horn and Harlan for the contested city council seats in each of the communities. Valline also asked for baked goods to be dropped off at his office the 26th and 27th of October to be put on a bake sale to raise money for pool passes for those in need next summer. It was also announced that the Shelby County trails has been awarded a $400,000.00 trails grant for the ballpark to ballpark trail, the estimated total needed for the project is $700,000.00.

The Supervisors then approved two liquor licenses for Lucky Wine Slushies Inc for events to be held at the Rosa Blanda Farm.  And. Brandon Burmeister gave his Secondary Roads report of progress being made on projects throughout Shelby County. He noted that roads that break up this time of year are very hard to repair properly until spring weather returns next year. Some repairs are just patches to get through the winter. Grants available to Secondary Roads and their applicable rewards and benefits to Shelby County were detailed to the Supervisors.

Shelby County Auditor, Mark Maxwell then asked for, and the Board approved, a debt certificate for expenses associated with TIF project spending in fiscal year 2023. The amount being $91,040.  Maxwell also reported that ballots are were due to arrive Oct. 17th for in-person absentee voting at the Courthouse. There are new versions of election software that requires new techniques to be used in preparation and election day processes. Having an IT person will hopefully make the transition easier for election employees.

The bank that handles payroll deposits for Shelby County has installed new payroll software and Melissa Arkfeld, Shelby County Payroll Clerk, has been diligent in getting the process started correctly for payroll payments and deposits. Angel Poore , Taryn Knapp, and Cindy Pash have been doing their parts in election preparation also. Angel Poore with administration of all the voter records and ballots and Taryn Knapp and Cindy Pash preparing new equipment and Precinct Election Official education. Maxwell noted that he has a lot of confidence in all their abilities. Also it was told that new budget amendments are needed and in the process of being completed for Supervisor approval of publication. Also, there has been a letter sent to an ARPA grantee asking for it to be signed, this letter would be an acknowledgment of the grantee that the ARPA funds will not be used.

Having no further business the meeting was adjourned.

(West Des Moines, Iowa)  – As the summer season waned, so too, did the Iowa Housing Market in September with declines in nearly all metrics measured by the Iowa Association of REALTORS®. The dip in metrics follows national trends, a result of higher interest rates, lower inventory and rising prices. While the trajectory might at first appear dismal, there are glimmers of hope. The market continues to create competition for prospective buyers, a welcome sign for sellers, with bidding wars and some homes selling above asking price. IAR President Krista Clark said Friday (Today) “As Iowans fall back into their routines with school starting, many aren’t looking to uproot and the September housing market is a reflection of that. Still, we’re seeing a competitive market for those who are looking for a change. We encourage prospective buyers and sellers to reach out to their trusted REALTOR® to examine their options when jumping into the market.” 

 Single-Family Homes

Following national trends, the Iowa housing market saw a dip in available inventory in September. The 3,418 homes on the market represent a 6.8% decrease from the 3,667 homes on the market one year ago. The change was similar for monthly metrics, with available inventory decreasing 13% from August.  Home sales continued a downward trend in September, showing a 19.2% decline compared to home sales one year ago. Month-over-month sales remained down. The 2,852 homes sold in September was a 13.3% decrease from last month.  The pending sales of 2,408 homes in September represented a 18.8% decrease from one year ago. The decline was a bit smaller for monthly metrics, creating a 15.9% decrease from August’s pending sales. The days on the market increased year-over-year to 35 days compared to the 30 day average of September 2022. Median sales prices increased 7.6% year-over-year to $220,000. 

Townhomes and Condos

The market for townhomes and condos in Iowa resembled the single-family home market in September, showcasing mostly declines in sales and inventory.  With 477 new listings, the townhouse-condo market saw a decrease of 9.1% from the 525 homes on the market in September 2022. The margin was wider for monthly metrics, an 11.9% decrease from the listings posted in August.  Year-over-year sales declined slightly by 14% in September compared to the 493 sales completed in 2022. With 424 properties sold, the metric was 12.4% decrease from homes sold in August. Pending sales were similar for townhomes and condos. The 346 pending sales in September represented an 8% decrease from last year and a 15.4% decrease from the number of pending sales recorded in August. Days on the market increased for townhomes and condos last month, going from 41 days on the market in September 2022 to 55 this year. Median sales price increased, by 6.7% year-over-year to an average of $256,354.

Statewide Market Report for August

View the Detailed PDF Report on Statewide Statistics

Housing Market Reports by Iowa County

View Reports on Single-Family homes

View Reports on Townhouse-Condo homes

The information used to create the IAR August Housing Trends Report was current as of October 17. The information is subject to change due to the dynamic nature of the IAR’s housing statistics system, which is based on data from the local participating MLS (multiple listing service) systems.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says she isn’t giving up on Jim Jordan for House Speaker, who has failed to get enough votes to take over. “I am going to continue to support Jim today. I really am focused on solutions here. I like him I think he will do a good job,” she says, “but if he doesn’t get to 217 votes we really do need to figure out the next steps.” The 217 votes are what is needed in the House to win the Speaker’s post. Hinson says they had a meeting yesterday to discuss the option of giving the interim House Speaker the power to conduct business.

“The consensus out of that meeting was really you just need to focus on trying to get to 217 first so that we can move our agenda forward,” Hinson says. Hinson says the option for the interim speaker is not on the table today and she hopes they can come together and elect a speaker. Hinson also spoke out against the threats made against fellow Iowa Congresswoman Marinette Miller-Meeks after Miller-Meeks changed her vote and did not support Jim Jordon for speaker. “I don’t care what party you’re in or how you vote, violence and threats are unacceptable and I’m disturbed that our politics have reached this much of a low. This should be disavowed by everyone,” Hinson says. She also slammed the members of the House who showed up at a rally for Hamas.

“Members of the squad attended and encouraged this disgusting display of anti-Semitism and apologized for terrorism. Several members of the squad have been spreading Hamas propaganda and disinformation,” She says. “They’re taking the terrorists at their word rather than focusing on what our closest allies say. It’s disgusting. It’s shameful and it’s unacceptable.”

The Squad is an informal group of eight Democratic Representatives, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.