Iowa’s Joni Ernst is now the only Republican woman serving in the U.S. Senate who has not called for Donald Trump to step aside or vowed not to vote for him. Ernst says it’s because she’ll be voting for the entire 2016 Republican ticket. “I am voting for my Republican Party and I’ve told others I’m not fighting for Donald Trump,” Ernst told Radio Iowa. “I am fighting for my country.” Ernst sent a tweet Saturday morning, denouncing the contents of a vulgar 2005 recording of Trump that was published this past Friday. Today (Monday), Ernst repeated her criticism.

“I will not condone Donald Trump’s actions. I do not excuse them,” Ernst said. “But this is bigger than Donald Trump and it is about the direction of the country.” Ernst says she “will not advise anybody to vote for Hillary Clinton.” “And I will not support her and I feel that my party, regardless right now of who’s at the top of the ticket…has better ideas and a better direction for our country than those of the Democrats,” Ernst told Radio Iowa.

The Republican candidate in Iowa’s second congressional district announced today (Monday) that he will NOT vote for Trump OR Clinton. Chris Peters, the Republican running against Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack, has run in previous elections under the Libertarian Party’s banner.

(Radio Iowa)

A southwest Iowa manufacturer is celebrating a milestone. Johnson Controls is announcing it produced its 15-billionth PowerFrame grid at its Red Oak production facility. Lee Fellers is controller at the plant and says the grids are an essential part of the automotive batteries, which are made elsewhere by the company. “The PowerFrame grid is the lead grid that goes inside a car battery, or rather an automotive battery, that really provides most of the power to the battery,” Fellers says. “The grids that we make here is a process that was pioneered by Johnson Controls about 13 years ago, for this plant when this plant opened up.”

Powerfram grid manufactured at Johnson Controls Red Oak plant

Fellers says company officials recently discovered the Red Oak facility was nearing the landmark. “We keep track of what we produce constantly,” Fellers says, “and we keep track over time how we’re doing production-wise. So, we’ve just been monitoring this. A few months ago, we realized we were going to be hitting 15-billion grids for this plant very soon. So, we really started dialing in and figuring out when this would happen and were able to identify the grid as it came off the line the other day.”

He says it’s a big occasion because you don’t often see that type of number in most manufacturing settings. Fellers says the milestone is a testament to the company’s production process, as well as its workers. “We’ve got good engineering staff, good quality staff, great operators that really understand our equipment, understand what we’re all about and what we’re trying to achieve in producing these grips for automotive batteries,” Fellers says. “So, it really comes down a lot to the people and the dedication they’ve shown to making a good quality product while continuously improving our ability to output in higher quantities and increasing quality.”

Company officials say the PowerFrame grid is 66% more durable and more corrosion-resistant than other grid designs and provides 70% better electrical flow and other grid technologies. The grid’s manufacturing process also uses 20% less energy and produces 20% fewer greenhouse gases than other manufacturing methods. Opened in 2003, Johnson Controls’ Red Oak operations currently employees 60 people.

(Radio Iowa)

GARNER, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa company is recalling the cookie dough it sold to other companies because it may be contaminated with listeria bacteria. Aspen Hills notified customers about the recall on Sunday, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether any of the cookie dough had reached consumers because the Garner, Iowa, based company doesn’t sell directly to consumers.

Aspen Hills’ cookie dough was implicated in last month’s recall of Blue Bell ice cream. Aspen Hills spokesman Jon Austin says no illnesses have been linked to the company’s products and none have tested positive for listeria.

Austin says the cookie dough was recalled because the company found lapses in its food safety system — such as inadequate documentation and failure to wear proper uniforms — that could have allowed the product to become contaminated.

Officials with the State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating last Friday afternoon’s explosion and fire at the Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) plant, located at 10868 189th Street in rural Council Bluffs. The explosion and fire happened at around 3:30-p.m., while a fuel tanker truck was being loaded with fuel. The driver of the truck was severely injured by the explosion and was flown by LifeFlight to the University of Nebraska Hospital’s Burn Unit. The victim is in critical but stable condition and continues to be treated at this time. The name of the victim will be released by his company (CHS) when all family members have been notified.

The Lewis Township Fire Department, along with fire departments from Council Bluffs, Treynor, Offutt Air Force Base, and approximately seven (7) other fire departments responded to the explosion.

Authorities say this is an on-going investigation by the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) State Fire Marshal Division (SFM), the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department, and the Council Bluffs Fire Department.

Currently, there is no specific cause has been determined for the explosion/fire.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater says a Bridgewater woman was arrested Friday night on multiple drug charges. 31-year old Sherrece Patricia Kilgore was taken into custody at around 7:10-p.m. for: Theft in the 5^th degree; Trepass with intent to commit a public offense (at KC’s Tavern in Bridgewater); 9 counts of Prescription Drug Violation, for having in her possession without a prescription, varying amounts of Alprazolam, Diazepam, Baclofen, Prednizone, Gabapentin, Naproxen, Vyvanse, and cyclobenzaprine; Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine; and two counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (multiple meth and marijuana pipes).

Kilgore was brought to the Adair County Jail and released Saturday morning on $2,000 bond. 51-year old Mark Elmer Steil, of Bridgewater, was arrested Oct. 5^th on an Adair County warrant for felony Theft in the 2^nd degree. Steil was being held in the Adair County Jail on $5,000 bond.

And, 31-year old Tanya Jo Bakalar, of Greenfield, was arrested Oct. 3^rd on an Adair County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault. She was released the next day on her own recognizance after making an initial appearance before a magistrate.

A traffic stop in Audubon County Sunday afternoon resulted in the arrest of three men on drug charges. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office says the traffic stop took place in Brayton at around 2:30-p.m., Sunday. Taken into custody was 19-year old’s Verlyn Duane Richardson, Jr., and Kyle James Hernandez, both of Des Moines, and 44-year old Verlyn Duane Richardson, Sr., of Audubon.

Hernandez and Verlyn Richardson, Jr., were charged Possession of Marijuana and Drug Paraphernalia. Verlyn Richardson, Sr., was charged with Possession of Contraband, Possession of Marijuana/2nd offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The trio was booked into the Audubon County Jail and later released after appearing before the Magistrate.

The Parents as Teachers (PAT) program through Cass County Public Health is looking for young families to enroll in their program. PAT provides home visits to help young children grow up healthy, safe, and ready to learn. The PAT educators help communities partner with parents to do a better job of preparing children for a stronger start in life and for greater success in school.

PAT Educators Nancy Gibson and Victoria Means provide monthly home visits to families with young children—from prenatal visits through entering Kindergarten. During those visits, they work on getting a complete health history, doing developmental screenings to catch any delays as early as possible, check on immunizations, and much more. Children in the program also have access to free vision, hearing, and dental checks.

Gibson says “We’ve been in Cass County for 18 years, and we are a credentialed, evidence-based program. We provide support to the parents and kids. It’s not just for the children—it’s about the whole family.” The families are very active in deciding the goals for the program. Maybe it’s a goal for the child, but it might be a goal for the parent. Gibson says “We also provide activities that are specifically chosen to meet a need for that family – maybe it’s a game that works on fine-motor development. Or we’ll work on discipline strategies and techniques, language, or healthy back-to-school routines. If it’s a goal or concern for that family, then that’s what we are going to work on together.”

Literacy is a major component, and PAT offers a “traveling library.” The educators will bring a selection of books with them for the family to read during the next month, when a new batch of books will be swapped out. Parents who are interested in the program can contact Nancy Gibson at 712-243-7475. Referrals are also welcome—anyone who knows of a family that could benefit from participating is encouraged to call.