(Radio Iowa) – Federal officials say a southwest Iowa manufacturer has agreed to pay a half a million dollar settlement after a whistleblower claimed the company failed to properly test parts it made for military contractors. W-D-C Acquisitions in Creston, known by its trade name Wellman Dynamics, makes aluminum and magnesium metal castings. A news release from the U.S. Justice Department says Wellman Dynamics parts have been used in the military’s Apache, Osprey and Black Hawk helicopters.

The federal government alleged that between 2014 and 2021, the company did not conduct required strength and quality tests of its parts and falsely certified that tests had been performed. Wellman employee Bradley Keller is the whistleblower who sued the company on behalf of the United States. He’ll be paid 90-thousand dollars. The Justice Department says the claims resolved by the settlement remain allegations and there has been no determination of liability.

Wellman Dynamics has been in business for a century and has about 350 employees at its facility in Creston. A Michigan-based private equity fund known as T-R-M Equity bought Wellman on July 29th. In a news release, Wellman’s new owner indicated very significant investments have been made recently to modernize the facility in Creston.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Education is getting a federal grant to put more local food in schools and early child care centers. It’s the second time the department has received the two-year grant for the Iowa Farm to School program. The Iowa Department of Agriculture contributes matching funds. Brenda Windmuller, at the ed department, says they’ll host more training for school workers on food safety and how local food can be incorporated into school lunches.

“Our big thing is that we want to make sure that the public is aware of what’s going on,” Windmuller says. “We want to increase the number of schools that participate in Farm to School initiatives, maybe eliminate some of that hesitation around it.” The U-S-D-A awarded the state a 67-thousand dollar grant to support Farm to School, while the state ag department will also contribute 25-thousand dollars. Windmuller says there’s no requirements for schools to participate in the program, but she says the funding will allow more education for school staff who are interested.

“If all you want to do is maybe participate in Iowa Local Food Day, once a year, that’s something,” she says. “That’s how you kind of dip your toe in it, learn about it, and then maybe the next year, you can take the next step. Really, that is our main objective, to get more people engaged in the program, and to increase the numbers of participation across the state.”

Additionally, the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa received close to 100-thousand dollars from the U-S-D-A to expand the school garden and increase food storage for students on the Meskwaki Settlement. They’ll also bring more tribal foods into schools and develop a tribal food sovereignty curriculum.

(reporting by Catherine Wheeler, Iowa Public Radio)

(By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jerry Jimenez, Navy Office of Community Outreach)

GREAT LAKES, Ill. – Sailors are some of the most highly-trained people on the planet, according to Navy officials, and this training requires highly-dedicated instructors. At Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), this obligation falls upon hard-charging Navy professionals who train and mentor the Navy’s future warfighters.

Petty Officer 1st Class Madeline Binter, a native of Atlantic, Iowa, plays an important role as an instructor at NETC, providing the fleet with sailors who possess the basic technical knowledge and skills necessary for naval service. “I enjoy being able to play a role in the development of sailors,” said Binter. “It gives me a chance to really prepare them and help paint a picture of what is to come next after Great Lakes. It also gives me the chance to mentor more sailors that will spread all over the fleet.”

Petty Officer 1st Class Madeline Binter (Photo by Lt. Cmdr. Jacob Joy,
Navy Office of Community Outreach)

Instructors are experts in the subject matter they teach, and they provide cutting-edge technical training that transforms civilians into mission-ready sailors. Binter, a 2012 Exira-EHK High School graduate, joined the Navy seven years ago.

(Read the complete Navy Press release, HERE)

(Red Oak, Iowa) – An investigation into the theft of a bicycle from the Red Oak Fareway parking lot on August 5th, resulted in an arrest the following day. Red Oak Police report 20-year-old Michael Lee Noel, of Red Oak, was arrested after officers reviewed video footage of the bike being stolen. Noel was taken into custody after police stopped him in the 1300 block of N. 1st Street, in Red Oak.

In additional to being charged with Theft in the 5th Degree, Noel was cited for possession of tobacco under the legal age, when he was found to have two packs of cigarettes in his possession. Bond was set at $300. Police say the bike was returned to its owner.

Police said also, no injuries were reported following a collision Sunday afternoon at N. Boundary and E. Hammond Streets. Vehicles driven by 77-year-old Jane Roberta Waltz and 53-year-old Brenda Leigh Vrba, both of Red Oak, collided when Waltz’ 2016 Chevy Equinox crossed over the middle of the street and into the lane of Vrba’s 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The SUV struck the car on the front.

The accident, which caused $4,000 damage altogether, remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – The City of Williamsburg renamed the State Street Bridge in a ceremony Sunday to honor John Werner — the only native of the community to die while serving in the Vietnam War. Werner graduated from Williamsburg High School in 1968 and served in Vietnam with the Army’s 1st Air Cavalry Division as an Aircraft Engine Repairman. He died on August 23rd after being wounded the previous day in an artillery rocket mortar attack, he was 20 years old. Dwane Gragg of Williamsburg American Legion Post told K-C-R-G- T-V the naming of the bridge honors Werner and all who serve.

“The whole reason we started this process was just to raise awareness for our young men and women that go off to any branch of the service and also their families, the families that cry when they leave,” Gragg says. He says service takes a toll on families as well as veterans. “And whether they come back or not, it’s always the distances and separation on families are tough,” he says.

Members of the American Legion as well as Werner’s niece and the mayor of Williamsburg spoke at the ceremony, which included a rifle salute.

The Williamsburg city council approved a resolution to rename the bridge on March 14th of this year.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports no one was injured when two vehicles collided Friday afternoon, on the city’s southwest side. Authorities say a 2018 Mazda SUV driven by 63-year-old Michelle Irene Link-Grey, of Winterset, was traveling north of Bureau Street at around 1:50-p.m., when her vehicle struck a 2007 Chevy SUV driven by 38-year-old Kerri Jo Howard, of Creston, as she was traveling east on Lake Avenue. Bureau and Lake is an uncontrolled intersection.

The Mazda SUV struck Howard’s Trailblazer on the passenger side door, causing a total of $8,500 damage. No citations were issued.

(Guthrie County, Iowa) – A tire on the road was struck by a 2019 Chevy Equinox Friday night on Interstate 80 in Guthrie County, causing $10,000 damage, but no one was injured. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports the accident happened as 25-year-old Garrett Charles Groves, of Lapeer, MI., was traveling east on I-80, at around 10-p.m., Friday. His vehicle sustained heavy front end damage, but was able to make to Exit 93 off-ramp, and get off the road.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A regular meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will be held 8:30-a.m. Tuesday, in their meeting room at the courthouse in Red Oak. Here’s a look at the agenda:

Call meeting to order

Pledge of Allegiance

Roll call of members

Approval of Agenda – Order at discretion of Chairman

Read minutes as presented. Chairman to call for any additions/corrections to said minutes

Board chairman will ask the audience for any comments, limited to two minutes per person.

Supervisors: Weekly committee/assignment updates

Secondary Roads Update

New Business

• Summit Carbon Solutions presentation
• Action for Safety Coordinator
• Claims payable 8/10/2022
• Sheriff’s report of fees for July, 2022 in the amount of $21,797.88
• Recorder’s Report of Fees for July 2022, in the amount of $22,955.68
• Elliott Library Contract for Services for FY22-23 in the amount of $6,020

Discuss and start agenda items for next meeting

Announcements – The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 16, 2022

Adjournment

*Please note, this is a public meeting; however, it will be conducted via ZOOM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86185141628

Meeting ID: 861 8514 1628

Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 If you are calling in, Press *9 to raise your hand if you wish to speak.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold a regular, weekly meeting beginning at 9-a.m. Tuesday, August 9th, in their Boardroom at the Courthouse in Atlantic. Here’s the agenda for their session (WTA= When Time Allows):

9:00 Call meeting to order
Approve Agenda
Approve Prior Meeting Minutes
PUBLIC COMMENT:
WTA DISCUSSION/ACTION: Discussion about Partial Self Fund Plan Tristar – Katie Schmit, with Assured Partners
WTA ACTION: Approve Secondary Roads Employee Probationary Wage Adjustment
WTA DISCUSSION/ACTION: Resolution 2022-039, 2023 County Five Year Program Resolution
WTA DISUSSION: Cass County Engineer – Secondary Roads Update
WTA DISCUSSION/ACTION: Resolution 2022-040, Authorization for Sheriff’s Office to Conduct Investment Transactions
WA/WTA ACTION: Appoint Massena Township Trustee*
WA/WTA ACTION: Appoint Washington Township Trustee*
WA/WTA Committee Meeting Reports
WA/WTA Reports Filed: Recorder, Sheriff, Clerk of Court
WA/WTA ACTION: Approve claims
WTA Adjournment

*If there is an applicant for the position.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2899195216?pwd=R0hSa2FOOTh0NUdra1ZSdVhVWHpMUT09
Meeting ID: 289 919 5216
Passcode: 012064
Dial by your location
+1 312 626 6799 If you are calling in, Press *9 to raise your hand if you wish to speak

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa ranks ninth in the country on the annual Kids Count report, which ranks states on 12 factors divided into four categories: economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. Iowa’s high ranking can be misleading, according to Anne Discher, executive director of Common Good Iowa, which partners with the Annie E. Casey Foundation on the report. Discher says Iowa ranks first for high school kids graduating on time, but falls behind in other areas. “We’re 21st on the share of young children attending preschool,” Discher says. “We’re ranked 22nd on the share of fourth graders not reading proficiently, and we’re ranked 25th on the share of eighth graders not proficient in math.”

Discher says Iowa ranked 17th overall in the health category and it did well on some measures such as kids covered by health insurance, where it was ranked fourth best in the U-S. “On others, we ranked 25th on child and teen death rate, and 33rd on the percentage of kids who are overweight or obese,” she says.

Discher says these rankings should alert state lawmakers to better fund education and other initiatives aimed at kids.
https://www.aecf.org/

(reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)