(Radio Iowa) – A wind turbine south of the Williamsburg exit on Interstate-80 caught fire overnight and sparked a field fire. According to a Facebook post by the Williamsburg Fire Department, the head of the wind turbine was fully engulfed in flames when fire fighters got to the scene shortly before 1 a.m. Falling debris set the field surrounding the tower on fire. Officials say the fire was put out by 3 a.m. and a crew from MidAmerican arrived on scene to oversee operation of the turbine.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican candidate Todd Halbur says his record as a state government whistleblower shows he has the courage to be state auditor. Halbur says as chief financial officer of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, he discovered the agency was overcharging Iowa restaurants, bars and retailers for liquor. “When I disclosed that information, I ultimately paid that price and they fired me,” Halbur says. “…Two weeks, ago the jury saw what I saw.” A jury awarded Halbur a million dollars in his lawsuit alleging his 2018 firing was done in retaliation. “If you look at the actual court document, I sued the Alcoholic Beverages Division and its administrator, Stephen Larson,” Halbur says. “I did not sue Governor Reynolds, even though Stephen Larson is an appointee of Governor Reynolds.”

Halbur was hired during Governor Terry Branstad’s administration and fired after Kim Reynolds became governor. During an appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S, Halbur said he had suggested an investigation of the liquor control agency. “That we should go to the auditor’s office, the AG’s office and the governor’s office through the Department of Management,” Halbur said. Halbur was asked: “Did that happen?” Halbur answered: “No….I was fired. I don’t know the reason why.”

During the trial, state officials said they took corrective action after Halbur found the discrepancies and he was fired for other reasons. Halbur’s allegations about overcharges in liquor sold by the state and Halbur’s firing happened before current State Auditor Rob Sand was elected. Sand says his agency has reviewed Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission procedures and have confirmed the overcharging is no longer happening. Iowa is one of 18 states where a state agency acts as the statewide wholesaler for liquor.

(Cass County, Iowa) – A man from Atlantic, last week, waived his rights and, through his attorney, entered a plea of guilty to charges associated with an incident on Cedar Street, in May 2022. 30-year-old Anthony Rey Asay was charged with Willful Injury, Assault Causing Bodily Injury and Possession of a Controlled Substance (Marijuana) 1st Offense, in connection to an incident of stabbing.

Asay remains held in the Washington County, Nebraska jail, on charges of 2nd Degree Assault, 3rd Degree Assault, Possession of a Deadly Weapon by Prohibited Person and Use of Weapon to Commit Felony. Those charges were the result of an investigation into a Blair, NE. stabbing incident that occurred in August.

A month earlier (July, 20220) a jury in Cass County found Asay Not Guilty on charges of Attempted Murder, Arson 1st Degree and Assault Causing Bodily Injury that stemmed from a May 4th house fire on Cedar Street, in Atlantic.

(Ames, Iowa/Iowa DOT News) – Making sure you are paying attention when you’re driving near those working on the road is essential to helping you avoid a crash and keeping everyone in the area safe, the main priority of the Iowa Department of Transportation. Last year we told you about a program that added a loud noise to a piece of equipment known as an attenuator. An attenuator is typically a trailer pulled by a large truck. Their purpose is to block oncoming traffic from entering a work zone and they are designed to take a hit instead of a worker if a driver happens to not be paying attention. While we’ve seen success with adding sound to this equipment, the next step to keeping you safer on the road is to automate the triggering of the noise.

Des Moines – The Iowa Insurance Division is reminding customers that may have been harmed by Andrew Joyce or Joyce Funeral Home in Emmetsburg to complete the claims process.   The claims process began in September and all claims must be submitted on or before Monday, November 7, 2022. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said “Letters via postal mail have been sent to those known to have been harmed in this case, however, there may be more people still out there that have not yet come forward. I encourage any and all Iowans that believe they have been harmed to fill out a claim form either online or via mail for our office to review.”

Customers harmed may submit a claim online or by sending the Iowa Insurance Division a completed paper claim form.  Claims must be submitted on or before Monday, November 7, 2022.
Submitting any supporting documentation with the claim form will help the Iowa Insurance Division evaluate and process the claim.  Customers harmed may still make a claim even if they do not have all or any of the documentation for the claim. 

If you have any questions regarding the claims process, contact Connie Dykstra by email at connie.dykstra@iid.iowa.gov or by phone at 515-314-9380.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Traffic Unit are asking that anyone who may have witnessed a fatal crash on Interstate 29 this weekend, to please call them. At around 4:10-a.m., Sunday, Officers were dispatched to I-29 northbound at mile marker 50, for a reported vehicle fire. The caller advised “A vehicle is on fire on the side of the Interstate,” they were not sure at the time, if anyone was inside.’

When police and firefighters arrived, they found a vehicle fully engulfed in flames. After the blaze was extinguished by Fire Department Personnel, a body was found inside. Authorities say the vehicle appeared to have struck a sign pole on the side of the roadway and split apart, causing a large debris field.

Council Bluffs PD Shield

The accident remains under investigation. If you have any information about the crash, please contact the Council Bluffs PD’s Traffic Division at 712-328-4948 or 712-890-5169.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports a man from eastern Iowa was arrested Friday morning at the Union County Law Enforcement Center (LEC), in Creston. 45-year-old Antonio Derone Ross, of Waterloo, was taken into custody on two Union County warrants for Failure to Appear, on original charges of: Possession of a controlled substance (PCS)/marijuana – 3rd offense; PCS/3rd offense – a Class D Felony; and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia (Simple Misdemeanor). Ross was later released on a $2,000 bond.

At around 2:45-a.m. Saturday, 21-year-old Georgia Rain Alizabeth McKown, of Winterset, was arrested at the Union County LEC. She was charged with OWI/1st offense and later released on a $1,000 bond. Authorities said also, 36-year-old Douglas Edward Woodward, III, of Creston, was arrested Saturday morning, for Violation of a No Contract/Protective Order. He was later released on his Own Recognizance, after seeing the Magistrate.

And, staff with a car dealership in Creston reported Friday morning, that someone used a stolen identity to purchase two vehicles from the dealership. The loss was estimated at $85,400.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Veterans and active members of the military should mark their calendar and save some time over the noon hour on November 11th, for the Atlantic Rotary Club’s annual Military Appreciation Luncheon. The event takes place at the Cass County Community Center, from 11:45-a.m. Until 1-p.m., on Nov. 11th. Please RSVP by November 8th to Dolly Bergmann at 712-249-9275.

The featured speaker is Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Turner. Lieutenant Colonel Turner retired from active duty in 2021 with 2500+ hour of mishap free flight in multiple Marine Corps aircraft and 20 years of military service. His personal decorations include nine Air Medals, the Meritorious Service Award, five Commendation Medals, and the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He lives with his family in Rhodes, Iowa, and is Subject Matter Expert and Event Controller for the Air National Guard in Des Moines.

Lt. Col. Nicholas Turner

(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand says it’s time to enforce a law that would hold state employees accountable for intentional misconduct. That means, in extreme cases, a state employee could be financial liable if the state offers a settlement to a victim. “The law right now in order to have people…held personally accountable for those damages would require evidence of willful and wanton misconduct,” Sand says. “…Willful and wanton is typically somebody doing something and doing it repeatedly and they know this is a terrible thing to do and they keep doing it, which is why it oftentimes comes up in the context of sexual harassment.”

Sand, as state auditor, is on the three-member state panel that approves the state’s legal settlements. In 2019, Sand argued the Iowa Finance Authority director who’d been fired should have been on the hook for the four million dollars the state paid two employees who said they’d been sexually harassed.

“This isn’t just something that you should care about as a taxpayer. This is something that I hope all Iowans would care about in terms of preventing sexual harassment,” Sand says. “There are people who are willing to do things like this because they think they are going to be insulted from the consequences of their action. We have to illustrate to them that that’s not the case.”

Sand made his comments during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S. In the past year, the State of Iowa has paid to settle sexual harassment claims made by a judicial branch employee and a social worker in the Department of Human Services. Sand, a Democrat, is seeking reelection as state auditor. Todd Halbur, a central Iowa realtor, is the G-O-P nominee for state auditor.

(Radio Iowa) – The consumer protection division of the Iowa Attorney General’s office reports an upturn in the number of complaints about fake car dealerships appearing online. Ashley Kieler, a spokeswoman for the A-G’s office, says crooks are building sophisticated websites that mirror legitimate dealerships and they’re luring in customers with great deals — on vehicles they don’t own.

“They will create a website for car dealerships that actually exist somewhere and then use their own phone number and email addresses and start advertising vehicles,” Kieler says. “So when a consumer shows interest in this vehicle, they’re asked to wire a significant amount of money to this fictitious company, and then they are left without a car and without money.” Supply chain issues stemming from the economic slowdown of the pandemic are making it difficult to find new or used cars, forcing potential buyers to search outside their local areas.

“The vehicle market is tough right now. There’s not a lot of inventory on lots and used vehicles are also difficult to find because people aren’t purchasing new because they’re not available,” Kieler says. “So people are looking online if they have a certain vehicle in mind, and they believe that these are legitimate dealerships because they look like it or they have a name that sounds familiar.” One recent complaint came from a Texas man who lost 38-thousand dollars while trying to buy a Porsche from what appeared to be a legitimate dealership in Waterloo — that ended up being a carefully crafted scam.

“We’d suggest that you do your own research first,” she says. “Go to your web browser, search for the dealership that you believe you’re working with, see what other social media pages they have, other websites they have, or just the directory and then call those numbers and talk to somebody and make sure that this is the right dealership.” Before purchasing a vehicle, the A-G’s office recommends you always see the vehicle in person.

You can also check the Iowa D-O-T’s list of registered auto dealers here: https://iowadot.gov/mvd/buyingselling/dealers.pdf. That table is updated monthly and will tell you the legal name of the dealer, the dealer number, and the address. Check that information against the information given to you by the online dealer. If you think you’re dealing with a scammer, report it to the Iowa Attorney General’s office at 888-777-4590.