The Cass County Conservation Board is sponsoring a “Breakfast with the Birds” Program at Sunnyside Park, Camblin’s Addition Shelter in Atlantic on August 19th at 9:00 a.m. Cassie Wendl, Educator at S.O.A.R. Saving Our Avian Resources, will show and discuss several of her permanently injured birds and will hopefully have one that is fully recovered and ready to release back into the wild.

The event is open to the public and a free will donation will be accepted. Donations help support raptors and conservation education.

Continuing the upward streak, the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show exceeded the previous year’s fundraising total donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa. This year’s event raised $501,000. Including this year’s donations, the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show has raised almost $5.5 million since the event’s inception in 1983.

All money raised benefits the three independent Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa, located in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Sioux City. These three houses have served over 55,000 families from all 50 states and 62 foreign countries. Families from all 99 counties in Iowa have benefited from the Ronald McDonald Houses of Iowa.

This event, hosted by the Office of the Governor of Iowa, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and Iowa Beef Industry Council, is another example of the care the beef cattle industry has for our state, rural communities, and those in need. The youth exhibitors, their families, sponsors, celebrities, and buyers should be proud of their effort given to this year’s event. Their impact through volunteering, donations, and dedication created yet another successful show and fundraising outcome.

The 41^st Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show was held on August 12 in the Livestock Pavilion at the Iowa State Fair. Winners in four categories were recognized in the show ring – Community Hero, Grand Champion Showman, People’s Choice, and Judge’s Grand Champion. This year’s event hosted 24 sponsored steers, shown by their youth exhibitor and a local celebrity.

The Community Hero Award recognizes the youth exhibitor that goes above and beyond collecting non-monetary donations and creating awareness for the event. This year two exceptional youth exhibitors were recognized for their efforts. Will Vlasek from Cedar Rapids and Colbie Fevold of Gladbrook were both honored with the Community Hero Award for collecting non-perishable donations, pop tabs, and sharing information about the event on social media. Will was sponsored by Eastern Iowa Ronald McDonald House and Quad Cities McDonald’s and showed with celebrity, Rebecca Kopelman, a meteorologist from KGAN. Colbie was sponsored by Iowa Premium and showed with the 2022 Tama County Fair Queen, Kaylynn Murty.

Our showmanship contest was judged by Dr. Dan Loy, who recently retired from the Iowa State Beef Center. He commented that showmanship is a partnership between the steer, the youth exhibitor, and the celebrity. He awarded Emma Wayson of Mount Auburn, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, and Junior the steer, with Grand Champion Showman. Emma, Secretary Naig, and Junior were sponsored by Benton County Cattlemen and Local Supporters.

A fan favorite, the People’s Choice Award, gives the audience and team supporters a voice in the competition as they help select the winner of this event. Show emcees, Bob Quinn with WHO Radio and Duane Murley with KWMT AM 540, worked through the steers and had the crowd on their feet and cheering loud for their favorite. In the end, it was the 2022 Iowa State Fair Queen, Mary Ann Fox, and her youth partner, Taylor Quade from Charles City, along with her steer, Max, that took the award home. Mary Ann, Taylor, and Max were sponsored by Friends of Floyd County.

Finally, the most prestigious award of the show, the Judge’s Grand Champion, was selected. Brad Pellett from Atlantic, Iowa had the hardest task of working through and judging the stellar lineup of steers and showman. Celebrity Blake Boldon, Franklin P Johnson director of the Drake Relays and senior associate athletic director at Drake University, and his youth partner, Tyson Mohr from Ladora, received the honor. Batman, the winning steer, along with Blake and Tyson were sponsored by Dee Zee, Inc.

Following the show, a live auction was conducted to raise funds through the sale of each steer and some additional value-added items donated by industry supporters and celebrities. These funds were added to the donations received by each youth participant, resulting in the $501,000 donation going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa.

Thank you to Governor Kim Reynolds for her continued dedication to this event and for her partnership with Iowa beef cattle producers. This event is a rewarding and humbling experience for all that participate. While the financial results are exceptional, the connection our participants, their families, and volunteers experience to the bigger picture of service the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show offers to fellow Iowans and beyond is monumental.

For a list of sponsors, youth exhibitors, steers, celebrities, donors/buyers, and funds raised by each, please click here.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office released information on a large number of recent arrests.

On August 11th at 12:45 p.m. 32-year-old Tyler Jason Chambers of Glenwood was arrested on 272nd Street for Domestic Abuse Assault and Theft 5th Degree.  He was held on no bond.

On August 12th at 5:47 p.m. 32-year-old Shialea Kay Cozad of Newton was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear. Bond was set at $5,000.

On August 12th at 9:25 p.m. 23-year-old Gracey Mae Claar of Treynor was arrested at 350th and Brothers Avenue for OWI 1st Offense. Bond was set at $1,000.

On August 13th at 2:16 p.m. 29-year-old Marus Jonathan Morgan of Malvern was arrested on Wilson Street on a Warrant for Theft 5th and Violation of a No Contact Order. Held on no bond.

On August 13th at 6:51 p.m. 20-year-old James Bradley Sifford of Red Oak was arrested on 410th Street for Possession of a False License. Bond was set at $1,000.

On August 14th at 2:30 a.m. 40-year-old Melissa Jean Miller-Davidson of Emerson was arrested at the intersection of Highway 34 and Highway 59 for Possession of Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bond was set at $1,300.

On August 14th at 4:13 a.m. 45-year-old Robert Shane Long of Omaha, NE was arrested at 192nd and Bunge Road for OWI 1st Offense. Bond was set at $1,000.

On August 14th at 11:52 a.m. 35-year-old Seth Ryan Peters of Council Bluffs was arrested on Sharp Street on a Warrant for Stalking and Harassment 1st. Held on no bond.

On August 14th at 12:11 p.m. 29-year-old Brooke Marie Johnson of Shelby was arrested at 195th and Highway 34 on a warrant for Failure to Appear out of Shelby County.

On August 14th at 5:30 p.m. 43-year-old Jolene Donelle Thompson of Council Bluffs was arrested on Mahaffey Road for Operate Vehicle without Owners Consent. Bond was set at $2,000.

On August 14th at 7:49 p.m. 53-year-old Kellie Lynn Hankenson of Council Bluffs was arrested on a Warrant for Failure to Appear. Bond was set at $1,000.

On August 15th at 1:07 a.m. 43-year-old Randy Dean Burton of Glenwood was arrested on Mahaffey Road for 2 counts of Theft 1st, Child Endangerment, Theft 2nd, Felon in Control of Firearm, Possession of Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bond was set at $36,300.

The AC/GC Community School District will hold their regular board meeting on Wednesday, August 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the high school media center.

On their agenda is a review of financial reports, consideration of three incoming open enrollment requests, and discussion of a revenue purpose statement. The board is also set to consider a contract recommendation for Julie Tallman in Food Service. They will also talk about important upcoming dates including the first day of school on August 23rd. They will also have a number of action items including the first reading of Iowa Association of School Boards policies on board member social media engagement and 2023 legislative updates.

Full agenda here: 8/16/2023, 7:00 PM-Guthrie Center CSD August 2023 Regular Board Meeting

The Creston Police Department reports an arrest on Monday afternoon. At 3:29 p.m. Officers arrested 36-year-old Brandon Hurshel Whitfield of Creston at a bar in Creston. Whitfield was charged with Possession of Cannibidoil 2nd Offense, Contempt-Violation of No Contact/Protective Order, and Interference with Official Acts.

Whitfield was booked in to the Union County Jail and held on no bond.

(Radio Iowa-Sheila Brummer) The U-S-S Sioux City was decommissioned by the Navy during a ceremony Monday at a naval base in Florida. Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott recalls one of his most memorable days in office was the commissioning ceremony of the littoral combat ship in November of 2018. Scott estimates around one-and-a-half million dollars was spent on the celebration and scholarship program for the crew, with a large portion coming from Sioux City and surrounding areas. He says he thinks it’s a joke.

Scott says not only did the Navy waste 350 million dollars on a ship quickly pulled out of service, they won’t disclose why his community was allowed to invest monetarily and emotionally in the U-S-S Sioux City.

Scott says the Navy fleeced not only his community but all taxpayers.

Scott says the Navy has yet to respond to his concerns. A Navy spokesperson says no one was available for comment. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst , a Republican from Red Oak, serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and said last month that the Navy knew this was going to happen as they did not want to build the ships. Ernst said the ships cost 50 million dollars a year to maintain, and some of the 13 ships in the class have develop cracks in their hulls, so no one wants them.

(Radio Iowa) The 2023 Iowa State Fair Queen will take a break from her duties on Saturday — to show cattle at the fair. Eighteen-year-old Kalayna Durr of New London showed her sheep Monday morning — without the crown.

Durr, the queen of the Henry County Fair, was crowned Iowa State Fair Queen this past Saturday night.

In what little spare time she’s had since Saturday, Durr has been shopping for new clothes to go with the new crown she wears at dozens of State Fair events every day.

Durr’s reign as State Fair Queen does not end when the fair ends Sunday. She plans to break a record set by 2022 State Fair Queen Mary Ann Fox.

Fox visited 76 county fairs in the state this past summer. Durr is a 2023 graduate of New London High School. She plans to get an associate degree in ag business at Des Moines Area Community College, then transfer to Iowa State University to earn a degree in ag education.

(Radio Iowa) Many Iowans are caught up in enjoying the last weeks of summer with vacations and yard projects, and giving blood isn’t exactly top of mind. Sue Thesenga, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, says this summertime lull is causing a critical shortfall in blood supplies and she’s putting out an appeal for donors.

There are multiple locations in Iowa where you can donate blood and Thesenga says it’s easy to find one.

Thesenga says the need is constant, as every two seconds in the United States someone needs blood.

(Radio Iowa) Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Junior says it makes no sense to provide federal tax credits to ANY of the three proposed carbon pipeline projects.

Kennedy says the pipelines will not address climate change, since carbon from proposed Summit pipeline will be used to extract fossil fuel from oil fields in North Dakota and Canada. Kennedy says the Iowa Utilities Board should not grant eminent domain authority so the pipeline companies can force unwilling landowners to sign easement contracts. Kennedy describes the projects as a transfer of wealth from taxpayers to oil companies, ethanol producers and pipeline developers.

Kennedy held a town hall forum at a farm near Council Bluffs yesterday (Sunday) and campaigned at the State Fair Saturday. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says anyone challenging President Biden is welcome to campaign in the state, but Hart says Kennedy has made concerning comments suggesting the COVID virus was genetically engineered to spare Chinese people and Jews whose ancesters lived in central and eastern Europe.

(Radio Iowa-John Slegers) One of the biggest buyers of Iowa corn is planning to cut off most of its purchases in 2024, though diplomatic efforts are still underway that aim to bring about a change in policy. Fourth District Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says he recently met with our nation’s top trade ambassador to Mexico, and so far, there’s no movement on Mexico shifting its stance on plans to ban the majority of American corn.

Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, says the window of opportunity is slowly closing around engagement with Mexico.

Mexico is phasing out its use of G-M-O or genetically modified corn next year, though about 90-percent of all corn grown in the U-S is G-M-O corn. Feenstra says the looming ban, prompted by Mexico’s president, is in violation of the U-S-Canada-Mexico Free Trade Agreement.