(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police, Tuesday evening, arrested 20-year-old Anthony Ray Castle, of Red Oak. Castle was arrested for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree, a Simple Misdemeanor. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The leader of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says the biofuels industry is frustrated by opposition to carbon pipelines and a little bit angry about delayed federal rules that would let E-15 be sold year-round in every state this summer. The association held its annual meeting yesterday (Tuesday). Mike Jerke with Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy in Council Bluffs says once pipelines carry carbon out of Iowa ethanol plants, ethanol made here would have the advantage of being considered a low carbon or carbon free fuel.

“We have a declining usage of liquid fuels generally and in terms of diversification and what it means for our members, we have to look at all of these opportunities to continue to diversify and enter markets that are afforded to us,” Jerke says. Jerke made his comments to the House Environmental Protection Committee yesterday (Tuesday).

A few hours earlier, Monte Shaw, the executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, said it’s frustrating to have other groups and elected officials criticize carbon pipelines. Environmentalists and advocates for property rights who oppose the pipelines are regularly at the Iowa Capitol. They’re urging lawmakers to block state regulators from granting pipeline developers the power to seize land from property owners who don’t want the pipelines on their property.

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Joni Ernst says trained dogs should search every vehicle driving north through border crossings along the U-S/Mexico border — to stop the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs. “Dogs are about as low tech as you can get, but they are one of the best ways to find those drugs,” Ernst says. “They’re very, very efficient.” Ernst recently saw a patrol with up to five drug sniffing dogs in action at the border crossing at San Diego. “Those dogs could quickly detect any illicit materials that are in those cars,” Ernst says.

There are 38 border crossings for vehicle traffic between the U.S. and Mexico — the San Diego Port of Entry is the world’s busiest land border crossing. Ernst says they’re training more dogs and handlers to take shifts there and it will take a while to have enough canines to search all border crossings.

“The Port of Entry in San Diego has 34 lanes of traffic with 70,000 vehicles and 20,000 pedestrians crossing every single day,” Ernst says. “This initial canine screening should be happening on every single vehicle entering this country and right now that’s simply not happening.”

Ernst led a congressional delegation to the southern border this past weekend, with stops in California and New Mexico. Iowans Randy Feenstra and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who serve in the U.S. House, were part on the trip. The group went to Mexico City as well. Feenstra says the meeting with Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs focused on Mexico’s proposal to ban the import of genetically modified corn, starting in 2024.

“We had a great discussion with him about how we could move forward and make sure that we could continue the opportunity of exporting our corn to Mexico,” Feenstra says, “and we’re hoping there’s a solution in the next 6-12 months concerning this issue.” Miller-Meeks says she found Mexican officials willing partners. “They absolutely want to be doing the job of helping to make Mexico safe as well as stop the flow of illegal drugs into the United States,” she says.

Miller-Meeks says adding canine units on both sites of the border makes sense, as it doesn’t cost as much or take up land like cameras and other monitoring devices.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has approved a plan to provide Iowa’s public K-through-12 schools three percent more in general state support for the next academic year. Republican Representative Craig Johnson of Independence says it’s a nearly 107 million dollar increase. “I think it’s a good news story for Iowans and our educators and our families,” Johnson said. The plan cleared the Republican-led Senate Thursday and was approved by the House today (Tuesday).

Democrats like Representative Eric Gjerde of Cedar Rapids say public schools dealing with escalating costs will have to cut staff and programs. “The Iowans that I have spoken to say we need to do a lot of things and one major thing is stop strangling our public schools,” Gjerde says. Other Democrats object to providing public schools a budget increase that’s roughly identical to the amount private school parents will start getting in state-funded savings accounts next school year.

Representative Sharon Steckman of Mason City says rural schools are in a financial crunch. “People used to come back to Iowa because…they knew their kids could get a top notch education,” Steckman said. “Maybe that’s why we are the slowest growing state in the union right now.” House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans have agreed to spend three-point-seven BILLION dollars on school districts next year.

“The total investment that we’re making in public education with the passage of this bill is about 45 percent of the state’s budget,” Grassley says. Four House Republicans joined House Democrats in voting against the bill. Three of them also voted against creating state-funded savings accounts for the parents of private school students.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety report a man from Sioux City, Iowa pled guilty on February 2nd in Woodbury County District Court, to Unlawful Betting-Fraudulent Claim, and Solicitation to Commit a Felony, in Woodbury County.  Both charges are Class D Felonies.

The plea from 57-year-old Dajo Aon Grandberry, followed a DCI investigation that resulted in his arrest on November 30, 2022.

The charges stem from an incident at the Hard Rock Casino in Sioux City on August 7, 2022, when Grandberry won a slot machine jackpot and attempted to have another person officially claim the winnings in an attempt to avoid paying offset funds that he owed the State of Iowa.  He further solicited another person to assist in completing the attempted felony fraud.

CASS COUNTY, IOWA – Anita city officials notified the Iowa DNR Field Office staff this morning regarding a sewage overflow near 203 Michigan Avenue. The overflow was discovered around 5:30 p.m. Monday.

The overflow occurred at a manhole about 75 yards north of 203 Michigan Avenue after a sewer collection system under Turkey Creek became blocked. Approximately 50 gallons of sewage also backed up into a residential basement at 203 Michigan Avenue.

The city’s wastewater operator estimates 250 gallons of sewage reached Turkey Creek.  City staff cleared the obstruction by 7 p.m. Monday and spread lime on the area between the manhole and the creek to kill bacteria.

Officials have determined no further action is needed at this time.

Pictured are Suzie Mages, Senior Development Manager with the American Cancer Society (right) and Atlantic junior Abby Muller from AHS Fuel (left)

AHS Fuel along with the Atlantic high school girls and boys basketball teams executed a very successful Coaches vs. Cancer event last month. The groups raised money through pledges, shirts, and donations at the basketball doubleheader against Red Oak on January 17th. Local survivor Tony Miller spoke about his journey and time spent at the ACS Hope Lodge in Omaha while battling Leukemia.

In total the groups were able to raise $4,055 to support the American Cancer Society. AHS Fuel and the basketball teams would like to thank everyone for their support in the local fight against cancer.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A man from Nebraska is in critical condition, after suffering from head trauma. He was found at around 5:38-a.m. Monday on the shoulder of Interstate 29 near mile marker 44, in Council Bluffs. Arriving officers found 29-year-old Cody A. Spencer, of Bellevue, NE, after they responded to a call an unresponsive male laying on the side of the interstate.

Medics arrived and transported Spencer to the UNMC for emergency treatment.  The incident investigation is still on-going, and Council Bluffs Police are asking anyone with information to please call the Council Bluffs Police Department at 712-328-4765.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Cass County report an Atlantic man was arrested January 27, 2023, on several warrants for controlled substance and narcotics related offenses.  20-year-old Gage Mundorf was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The owner of a Cedar Rapids business is in Washington, D.C., urging congress to modernize the Small Business Administration. Sydney Rieckhoff is the C-E-O of Almost Famous Popcorn, a company she co-founded with her brother 10 years ago when she was 14. “Ninety-four percent of small business owners think that congress should join together to reorganize the Small Business Administration and really modernize it to be a tool and a resource for small businesses across the country that fits with the times, fits with the challenges that we feel today,” she says. Rieckhoff’s company received a Paycheck Protection Program grant at the beginning of the pandemic.

Reickhoff says while it helped keep employees on the company’s payroll, it exposed problems in the Small Business Administration. “Kind of outdated procedures and policies that take place in it,” she says. Ernst is the top Republican on the Senate Small Business Committee. Ernst says she and the Democrat who’s chair of the committee plan to work on a bipartisan plan that would lead to a top to bottom review of the Small Business Administration.

“The way Americans did business with Small Business over two decades ago is very different than the challenges and the technology that small businesses have today,” Ernst says. Ernst has invited Rieckhoff to be her guest tonight (Tuesday) in the U.S. House to watch President Biden’s State of the Union speech. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson has invited Sergeant Trent Dirks of Eldora, an Afghanistan vet who trains dogs to be service animals.

Congressman Randy Feenstra’s guest at tonight’s (Tuesday’s) speech is the C-E-O of a company building a 450-million dollar beef processing facility in Mills County.