Montgomery County Deputies Sunday morning shortly after 2:15 am made a traffic stop at 270th and Evergreen Avenue and arrested 49 year old Jeffery Dean Etter of Red Oak on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor.  Etter was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond.  Mills County Deputies assisted with the arrest.

The second week of hearings opens tomorrow (Tuesday) in Fort Dodge as the Iowa Utilities Board takes public comments on the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline that would run nearly 700 miles across 29 Iowa counties. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the board’s ultimate decision could have a tremendous impact on the Midwestern ethanol industry.

The pipeline, one of three proposed in Iowa, would carry liquid carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to a sequestration site in North Dakota. Goss says states like Iowa and Nebraska depend heavily on ethanol production.

The first week of testimony was mostly from landowners and farmers who oppose the project, ridiculing what they say are scare tactics being used by the company. Many expressed fears about the potential impacts on land prices and on the environment. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association issued a report in February saying 75-percent of the state’s ethanol production would contract or migrate out of the state if carbon sequestration projects are curtailed, leading many plants to shut down.

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is subtly urging Iowa Caucusgoers to focus on the 2024 election rather than on former President Donald Trump’s indictments. Without saying Trump’s name, DeSantis made the pitch to a crowd in Garner this weekend.

DeSantis says last Wednesday’s debate has kicked off a new phase of the campaign.

DeSantis is about halfway through his plan to visit each of Iowa’s 99 counties. Businessman Vivek (vih-VAKE) Ramaswamy (rahm-uh-SWAH-mee) also campaigned in Iowa this weekend and told reporters his goal is to finish in the top three in the 2024 Iowa Caucuses.

Ramaswamy held events in half a dozen Iowa towns Friday and Saturday, drawing people who had never heard of him before Wednesday’s debate.

Ramaswamy was in seventh place in this month’s Des Moines Register/N-B-C News/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

Montgomery County Deputies received an anonymous tip on Sunday, August 27 of possible animal neglect in the 200 block of Maple Street in Grant.  After speaking with the animal owner, 25 year old Shelby Woods, they determined that 2 dogs and a cat have not had adequate access to food and water or proper hygiene.  All three animals were released to Animal Alliance of Red Oak.  Woods was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and charged with three counts of Animal Neglect.  All three charged are misdemeanors.  Bond was set at $300.