Southwest Iowa-born astronaut Peggy Whitson will be staying aboard the International Space Station longer than first expected. The Beaconsfield native’s third stay aboard the station is now in its tenth month. Originally scheduled for an April return, NASA opted to extend her stay through early September. In an interview from the orbiting station, Whitson says the decision to remain aboard was a coincidence, brought about by a recent crew change.

“The Russians decided they were only going to have a total of one crew member instead of the normal two they would have on board — two or three,” Whitson says. “So, during that time period, we wanted to have a crew of three on board, instead of just two crews. So, I agreed to stay on and come home aboard the next Soyuz, the subsequent Soyuz.”    

Whitson says the longer stay aboard the I-S-S hasn’t produced any noticeable changes in her health or body. She is, however, bracing for her return to Earth and an adjustment from weightlessness to gravity. “The first couple of days are difficult from a neurovestibular perspective,” Whiston says. “Then after that, even though I maintain my muscle strength I think very well doing all the exercises we do up here, I find that the fast-twitch muscles — the things that require faster response times — are slow to pick up and remember that you’re back on Earth.”

In space, she says, things don’t require a lot of speed or motion to get moving, so those muscles “forget” how they’re supposed to work. Whitson says her prolonged mission will add to NASA’s continuing study on the impact of long-duration space flights on humans. That will help in preparations for future flights to the Moon or beyond. “Right now, we’ve got a pretty good database of six-month flyers on board the station,” she says. “The natural extension is important for us, particularly if we go on trips to Mars, when those trips may last anywhere between six and nine months just to get there.”

Whitson says we need to have a good understanding of how our bodies are going to respond once we get back to a gravity environment and an understanding of what happens over time. Back in April, Whitson became the all-time record holder for cumulative time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut. She had already logged 377 days in space from two previous space missions before her latest flight. Whitson was asked how she felt to be included among other legendary astronauts, like Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard and Sally Ride.

“I’m not sure I’d put myself in that same category,” she says. “But, I do think that having records, breaking records all the time is important for NASA. It shows that we are still progressing, we are still doing new things, and continuing to expand on what we know about space. It gives me pride to be a part of that.” Whitson also holds the record for most spacewalks by a female astronaut, with ten.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the FBI report four suspects who were convicted of a September 10, 2016 robbery of a U.S. Bank location in the Omaha area were sentenced Tuesday, for their roles in carrying out the robbery. 23-year old Marcus Warren, 22-year old Steven Muldrew, 25-year old Shaun Murph Jr., and 24-year old Freddie Johnson IV were arrested on September 10, 2016 after being pursued by the FBI and the Omaha Police Department (OPD) shortly after the robbery occurred.

Sentencing was carried out by the Douglas County, NE., District Court on August 8th 2017. Warren, Muldrew, and Murph received a sentence of 20—25 years while Johnson was sentenced to 14—18 years. In addition to this robbery, each of these suspects have been connected to other local Omaha bank robberies.

The Omaha Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in conjunction with FBI Greater Omaha Bank Robbery Task Force (GOBRTF) members at the Omaha Police Department Gang Unit and other task force members were instrumental in the successful apprehension of these suspects. Special Agent in Charge Randall Thysse of the FBI Omaha Division said in a press release, “This is a perfect example of what this partnership represents. We are grateful for the level of collaboration and integration we have from OPD and all of our bank robbery task force members, because clearly, this is working.”

The FBI Greater Omaha Bank Robbery Task Force is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners including the Omaha Police Department, Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office, The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, Bellevue Police Department, Papillion Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Ralston Police Department, Council Bluffs Police Department, and La Vista Police Department.

SIDNEY, Iowa (AP) – A former manager of the Fremont County landfill in southwest Iowa has been given probation after pleading guilty in a deal with prosecutors. Court records say 32-year-old Dusty VanRenan pleaded guilty Monday to theft after prosecutors dismissed a charge of ongoing criminal conduct. He was sentenced to two years of probation and given a deferred judgment. Under a deferred judgment, records of his convictions in the case will be expunged if he completes the terms of his probation. A $750 civil penalty against him was suspended.

A state auditor’s investigation says VanRenan used a country truck to haul pallets he sold for recycling in Council Bluffs. The auditors say the nearly $5,500 paid for the pallets wasn’t turned over to the county account.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education, Wednesday evening, received updates from Technology Director Roger Warne, and updates with regard to the CCEOC building, as well as bus inspections. In his report, Roger Warne said Mariah Mailander is doing a great job as the new Tech Integrationist. He called her a “Diamond in the rough,” and that she’s learning the new position, and he hopes to keep her around for a long time. The Board had approved her contract during their last meeting in July.

Warne also talked about the One-to-One laptop rollover program for District staff and students, which is in its fourth year. He said all the staff machines being pulled-in will be refurbished as best as possible. Once they are not serviceable, they will be used for other purposes until the die. The central office staff computers will be replaced within the next couple of weeks. The 1-to-1 laptops for Freshmen will be ready today (Thursday) and be available for students by next Thursday’s Freshman orientation. Next year, the laptop’s at the High School will be rolled over.

At that time, a decision will have to be made about which laptops should be purchased new for the future. Superintendent Steve Barber spoke during Wednesday’s meeting about the former Cass, Incorporated building, which was purchased by the District and is being converted into the Cass County Educational Opportunity Center (CCEOC). He said while efforts continue on finishing work, “It’s pretty evident that it’s not going to be done by [the start of school] August 23rd.” Barber said they’re hopeful that after next week’s inspection by the Fire Marshal, he will grant the building occupancy in the non-construction areas.)

The CCEOC staff and students would occupy those areas, while the Link Center staff and students would occupy the multi-purpose room at the High School until the Cass, Inc. building is ready. And, as for the Bus inspection, Mr. Barber said the District’s bus fleet is in good shape, overall. There was one bus with minor issues, but it was previously taken out of service for 30-days until electrical repairs could be completed.

Barber thanked Transportation Director Dave Eckles for “Keeping the fleet afloat,” so to speak. In other business, the Atlantic School Board voted to set  “Standards and Accountability,” “School Funding Policy,” and “SAVE (Secure and Advance Vision for Education)” as their top three IASB Legislative Priorities.

SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (AP) – A November trial has been scheduled for a northwest Iowa man accused of stabbing a man and punching a woman. Court records say 29-year-old Nicholas Thompson pleaded not guilty Tuesday to attempted murder and related charges. His trial is set to begin Nov. 7.

The records say Thompson repeatedly stabbed the man June 22 at a home in Spirit Lake and punched the woman during the same incident.