(Radio Iowa) – A seventh generation Iowan who’s an agricultural and anti-trust research fellow at Yale University is back in Iowa this week talking about his book that’s focused on monopolies and tycoons in the food industry. Austin Frerick zeroes in on seven corporate giants which he says are “cartoonishly criminal,” raking in billions of dollars disguised as farm fresh, hometown neighbors, while manipulating lax laws for their own tremendous financial benefit. “That Whole Foods consumer wants to think they’re getting a different product than the Dollar General consumer, but it’s really kind of the same product,” Frerick says. “You might see what looks like a competitive marketplace on the peanut butter shelf. It’s actually just one company that has like a 78% market share because they have the different brand points for different incomes, and usually the market share is higher because they do the store brand, too.”

In his book, “Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry,” Frerick blames a “lack of courage” by our public servants to stand up the these monoliths, with their armies of lawyers. He says he can back up every claim. “That’s why I have almost 1,000 citations,” Frerick says. “You’re going to write book like this, you’ve got to cross your t’s and dot your i’s. My book’s only 200 pages, but I have like 70 pages of footnotes, because I want people to see every little thing. Even though these things might sound outlandish or crazy, I have a piece of evidence for everything I lay out in my book.”

Frerick singles out a former Iowa governor, U-S Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, for giving U-S-D-A contracts to meat processing “baron” J-B-S, a multinational corporation Frerick says was convicted of criminal behavior. Frerick names a lot of names, and was asked by Radio Iowa if he was ever concerned about his personal welfare in writing a book so critical of massive corporations and powerful individuals. “To be honest with you, I wasn’t, and I think that’s the beauty of America, that I can write a book like this and not worry about my safety,” Frerick says. “That’s the beauty of democracy, but on the flip side, part of this book is me grappling with what happened to Iowa in my lifetime, which should be the Tuscany of North America. How does it now have a water crisis, obesity crisis and a cancer crisis?”

Frerick grew up in Cedar Rapids and says he’s saddened by how his home state has been polluted, but he notes, you can complain or do something about it, and the book is his way of doing something about it. He’s very concerned about Iowa’s future, as he says we may be witnessing the last days for corn-based ethanol, an industry worth five-billion dollars a year to the state’s economy. “Ethanol is going to phase out. Cars are moving to hybrids and electric vehicles. What are we going to do with that corn land that will no longer be needed for ethanol? That’s what I want to focus on, is how do we bring back the middle class farmer? How do we stabilize these systems?” Frerick says. “Everyone is just seeing the current system is not working in America, the food doesn’t taste good, and you’re being gouged for it. We’re paying more for junk, essentially.”

What’s a consumer to do? While he advocates buying local, Frerick says personal consumption won’t change these structures, but congressional legislation can. He’s appearing tonight (Wednesday) at 7 PM at the Des Moines Public Library’s central library, as well as at the Harkin Institute at Drake University, and the Des Moines Lyceum (ly-SEE-um) Movement on Thursday night.

(Radio Iowa) – The union representing state corrections officers says two prison workers were assaulted by an inmate Monday at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. AFSCME Council 61 president Todd Copley issued a statement that says correctional officers across the state are being asked to work under dangerous, understaffed, and under-resourced conditions, and says they’re not seeing the leadership needed from the Governor’s office to address these issues.

The Iowa Department of Corrections issued a statement saying it is aware of the AFSCME statement in regards to an assault at the Iowa State Penitentiary. The statement says the Department doesn’t comment on open investigations and goes on to say “The safety of our correctional officers and inmates is of top importance. We are committed to implementing best practices in security, training, and compliance to create an environment where all individuals can feel safe.”

(Washington, D-C) – The federal Bureau of Prisons mistakenly released an Iowa man from custody before he finished serving his 30-month sentence for storming the Senate chamber during a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol, Justice Department prosecutors said in a court filing this week. WHO-TV in Des Moines reports Leo Christopher Kelly of Cedar Rapids was freed last Thursday after an appeals court agreed to throw out one of his convictions stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

But prosecutors believe Kelly’s release was a mistake because he only served 11 months of his 30-month sentence. In a court filing Monday, they asked U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth for a hearing to address Kelly’s release. The Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press that Kelly was “inadvertently released” last week after a “misinterpretation of a court order.” The bureau’s statement doesn’t elaborate on the reason for the error, but it says that Kelly, 39, reported to a probation officer “as instructed” and remains free while awaiting a resentencing hearing.

Prosecutors also are asking the judge to schedule a hearing for resentencing now that Kelly’s only felony conviction has been tossed by the federal appeals court for the District of Columbia circuit. In May 2023, a jury convicted Kelly of all seven counts in his indictment. One of his convictions was for a charge that he obstructed an official proceeding, the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress for certifying President Joe Biden ‘s electoral victory over Donald Trump.

In June, however, the U.S. Supreme Court limited the government’s use of that obstruction charge. The justices ruled 6-3 that the charge of obstructing an official proceeding must include proof that defendants tried to tamper with or destroy documents. After the ruling, prosecutors and defense attorney Nicholas Smith joined in asking the appeals court to vacate Kelly’s obstruction conviction. His remaining convictions were for misdemeanor offenses. Judge Lamberth sentenced Kelly in August 2023 and refused to release him pending the outcome of his appeal. Lamberth indicated last month that he was unlikely to reduce Kelly’s sentence.

A Bureau of Prisons database doesn’t specify where Kelly was serving his sentence when he was released last week.

A day before the Jan. 6 riot, Kelly drove to Washington, D.C., to attend then-President Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House. He marched to the Capitol, joined other rioters in entering the building and made his way to the Senate floor. Kelly approached the dais where then-Vice President Mike Pence had just presided over the Senate. He took videos of documents on desks — including a ballot sheet, handwritten notes and a script — before police cleared the rioters out of the chamber.

Approximately 1,500 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. More than 600 of them have been convicted and sentenced to a term of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years.

(Des Moines, Iowa)  — A new poll shows Gov. Kim Reynolds’ job approval rating is the lowest it has been since she first took office in May of 2017. The latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll reveals half of Iowans disapprove of the job she’s doing as governor.

Iowans have been polled 18 times since Reynolds has been in office as the state’s governor. This September, 45% of Iowans polled say they approve of her job performance, while 50% disapprove. The same poll shows Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird with a job approval rating of 39%.

State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, is polling a job approval rating of 53%. That’s the highest approval rating among Iowa’s statewide elected officials.

FARNHAMVILLE, Iowa — Iowa authorities have identified the missing teenager found dead Monday in Calhoun County. 17-year-old Michele “Luna” Jackson was first reported missing Sunday evening in Farnhamville. Her body was discovered early Monday morning. Jackson was a student at Southeast Valley High School.

The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday evening that 21-year-old Nathaniel Bevers-McGivney, of Gowrie, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the teen’s death. A Criminal Complaint details how he allegedly killed Jackson. Bevers-McGiveny was originally charged with “abuse of a corpse – failure to disclose known location.”

Nathaniel Bevers-McGivney booking photo (IA DPS)

Bevers-McGiveny is being held in the Carroll County Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – The presidents of two European nations will be in Cedar Rapids Friday to mark a milestone at the National Czech and Slovak Museum. This Friday, the presidents of Slovakia and the Czech Republic will visit the museum in the Czech Village of Cedar Rapids. They’ll be part of a ceremony to dedicate the repaired clock tower at the site that was damaged by the 2020 derecho.

The clock tower has a design similar to the clock tower in Prague that features the 12 Apostles. A dozen figurines created by a Slovakian artist will be added to the clock tower in Cedar Rapids and each represents an immigrant from the Czech and Slovak region who settled in America.

Slovakia’s president will be at the museum Thursday night to dedicate a collection of artifacts that tells the story of a Catholic priest who helped organize the Slovak community in Cleveland, Ohio, around the turn of the 20th century. Both presidents will attend events at the museum on Friday.

(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand says a private auditing firm will review details about the closure of a grocery store that got about two million dollars worth of tax incentives and grants from the City of Waterloo. All-in Grocers in downtown Waterloo opened on October 3rd of last year.

The store’s co-owner announced on August 10th the store would close temporarily as it switched to a more affordable supplier of food and other goods, but the store has remained closed and is up for sale.

In a written statement, State Auditor Rob Sand says his staff is passing information they’ve received about All-in Grocers to the private firm hired to audit the City of Waterloo’s finances. Sand says it’s the fastest and most efficient way to ensure public funds provided for the project were spent appropriately and as intended.