(Radio Iowa) – Fireworks aren’t the only things that are sky high this Fourth of July weekend. Iowans who are grilling out should be prepared to pay much higher prices. An American Farm Bureau Federation survey found consumers will pay an average of $69.68 for standard July Fourth cookout fare, including more costly burgers, buns, potato salad, chips, lemonade, and ice cream. The item that rose in cost the most, ground beef, was up a whopping 36% from last year. It all breaks down to about $7 a person per 10 cookout attendees. Cookout costs are up $10 from last year or 17%, which the federation says is the largest increase since they started tracking data a decade ago.

The survey found prices are rising based on the ongoing war in Ukraine, inflation across the consumer landscape, supply chain disruptions and “shrinkflation” due to the pandemic, among other factors.

(Dubuque, Iowa) – Three people, a young adult and two teens, died in a single-vehicle crash this (Friday) morning, in Dubuque. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2014 Chevy Camaro driven by 18-year-old William L. Wodrich, IV, was traveling at a high rate of speed  southbound on the NW Arterial at around 1:20-a.m., when the car went out of control. The vehicle entered a ditch and went airborne before it rolled and came to rest.

Wodrich, and his passengers, 17-year-old Kennedy Elizabeth Elskamp, and 17-year-old Chloe Madison Lucas, all from Dubuque, died at the scene. Lucas was not wearing her seat belt.

The State Patrol says the accident remains under investigation.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors met with Rolly Parrott and Bryant Rasmussen on Thursday, June 30th, 2022, to learn about the Trojan Sports Locker. The Trojan Sports Locker is located in a storage building next to the Parks & Recreation office. Rolly Parrott, the visionary behind the Locker, shared he started the Locker to help students in the Atlantic School District have the proper equipment to participate in sports, without having to worry about the cost.

Parrott noticed the number of kids who didn’t have the proper shoes or didn’t have a bat or glove when he began coaching Little League. He started collecting donations and storing them at City Hall. He quickly outgrew the space and started using an area at the Armory, where he quickly outgrew that location as well. He partnered with Bryant Rasmussen and Parks & Recreation and began utilizing one of their storage buildings to store donations. 

Any child, parent or coach in the Atlantic School District can use the Locker, free of charge, for anything they may need. Parrott has also partnered with Brown’s Shoe Fit, who provide shoes and equipment at cost when Parrott doesn’t have that particular item on hand.

Parrott and Rasmussen shared they have now outgrown the storage building and are exploring new avenues to make the Locker more attractive and better utilized. The building is old, very run down and has a leaky roof, which, after a light rain, runs water into the building. It’s no longer meeting the needs of the community. Rasmussen shared they have begun conversations with the School District to try and find a location on school grounds that would be better utilized. Rasmussen is currently pricing what the cost would be to build a new storage building. Parrott & Rasmussen hope the conversation continues so they can continue providing this free service and ensuring the students utilizing the program have the best experience they can.

The Trojan Sports Locker is always accepting physical donations as well as monetary. For more information, contact Rolly Parrott on the Trojan Sports Locker Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/377786362378005. The Trojan Sports Locker is located behind the Parks & Recreation Office, located at 1200 Sunnyside Lane.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Officials with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office have released a list of persons arrested from June 19th through the 30th.

• • On Thursday, June 30th, 39-year-old Randi Lyn Riessen, of Shelby, was arrested following a traffic stop, and charged with OWI/1st Offense. Riessen was also cited for Speeding.
  • On Tuesday, June 28th, 47-year-old Julie Ann McManigal, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for service in the area of 1120th & Nishna Avenue. She was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
  • On the 25th, Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 39-year-old Malcolm Shane McDonald, of Harlan, following a traffic stop. He was charged with Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd Offense, Prohibited Acts/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia/Driving while License Denied, Suspended, Canceled or Revoked, and Speeding; and, 23-year-old Maria Engracia Hytrek, of Earling, was arrested after a traffic stop on Highway 37. Hytrek was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI 1st, and 3 counts of Child Endangerment.
  • There were two arrests June 23rd, in Shelby County: 25-year-old Joshua Lewis Hytrek, of Earling, was arrested after a call for service in Earling. Hytrek was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Reckless use of Fire or Explosives, and Harassment 3rd; and, 46-year-old Aaron James Nelson, of Harlan, was arrested after Shelby County Deputies responded to a Motor Vehicle accident on Maple Road. Nelson was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI 3rd Offense, Driving while License Denied or Revoked, Reckless Driving, Open Container, and Failure to Maintain Control.
  • On June 22nd, Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 30-year-old Kolton Kenneth Kobold, of Harlan, after he was seen having a bike accident in Harlan. Kobold was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Public Intoxication.
  • On the 20th, 29-year-old Victor Nelson Rodriguez, of Avoca, was arrested after a traffic stop on Highway 59. Rodriguez was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Prohibited Acts, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving while License is Denied, Suspended, Canceled or Revoked, and Speeding.
  • and, on June 19th, 34-year-old Truc Trung Nguyen, of Des Moines, was arrested after a call for service on Highway 59. Nguyen was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI 1st offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Prohibited Acts, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Speeding, and Leaving the Scene of an Accident.

Note: Criminal charges are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

(Radio Iowa) – Despite persistent flight staff shortages and fewer flights, Fourth of July holiday air travel is up, according to Triple-A-Iowa spokeswoman Meredith Mitts. “Our air travel volumes are actually expected to rise about 25% from last year,” Mitts says, “so this is the second-largest yearly increase in more than a decade.” Travelers have long been encouraged to “pack patience” and be flexible when flying, but thousands of delays and cancellations this year are testing their mettle. Still, Mitts says air travel in the U-S is almost back to pre-pandemic levels. Mitts says, “People are more comfortable traveling and able to feel comfortable taking airplanes and that’s really exciting as we’re looking forward into the summer holiday travel season.”

Despite gasoline prices being at or near record highs, motor vehicle travel for the holiday weekend is expected to be at the highest level on record. The Triple-A forecast predicts nearly 48-million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday, and 42-million will travel by motor vehicle. Iowa’s average price for gas is now $4.61 a gallon, up from $2.96 a year ago but well below the current national average of $4.84.

(Radio Iowa) – Filming in Iowa was supposed to start soon on the “Field of Dreams” T-V series, but the project has suffered a major league setback. Variety reports the Peacock network has dumped the show and the studio, Universal Television, is trying to shop it to other media outlets. The series was to be a prequel, based on the 1989 movie that was shot, in part, in Dyersville, where the baseball field surrounded by a corn field remains as a tourist attraction.

Governor Kim Reynolds awarded six-million dollars to Universal T-V for the show just days ago. Shooting was scheduled to begin in a few months in Polk, Boone, Mahaska and Clinton counties.

(Radio Iowa) – A Sac County woman is charged with felony criminal mischief and livestock neglect after hundred of dead hogs were found at confinement lots in western Iowa.
Thirty-three-year-old Elana Laber of Early was arrested Thursday by the Sac County Sheriff’s Office after deputies located more than 1,000 dead pigs at two hog confinements in rural Sac County. Authorities say the animals had been dead for more than a week when they were discovered, and the pigs did not have access to food and water.

Laber was hired to manage both sites. The owners, Corey AGR Inc., estimate losses at more than $150,000. As of Friday, Laber remained in custody at the Sac County Jail on a $22,000 bond.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston, Thursday night, arrested a man on an assault charge. 39-year-old David William Fister, of Creston, was arrested at his residence for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st Degree. He was later released from the Union County Jail, on a $300 bond.

Des Moines, Iowa – An eastern Iowa family whose son died in an accident on a water ride in Altoona, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit associated with his death. The suit filed in state court by David and Sabrina Jaramillo, of Cedar Rapids and three of their children, alleges Adventureland Park failed to properly maintain and repair its rides.

The family, including 11-year old Michael Jaramillo, were on the Raging River ride at the park on July 3, 2021, when the raft carrying all six family members flipped over trapping them beneath the water. Michael Jaramillo drowned and other family members were injured.

The family seeks to recover monetary damages for negligence. An attorney for the park says safety has always been a priority and a number of extraordinarily unusual factors came together to cause the accident.

The Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR’s) Derelict Building Grant Program (DBGP) has awarded grants to the Cities of Carson and Griswold. The program was created by statute to help rural communities with populations of 5,000 or less, remove environmental hazards, improve community appearance and minimize costs by recycling and reusing building materials through deconstruction or renovation of abandoned, derelict buildings that have sat vacant for at least 6 months. Established in 2011, the program has assisted 56 communities, diverted over 35,000 tons of materials, and saved over $1 million in landfill disposal costs.

The City of Carson (Pottawattamie County) was awarded $69,891 and $66,884 to abate asbestos and deconstruct old commercial buildings at 119 Broadway Street and 121 Broadway Street. The city plans to develop the space into a new daycare center.

The City of Griswold (Cass County) was awarded $94,625 to abate asbestos and deconstruct an old commercial building. The city plans to develop the space into a new daycare center.

Other grants were provided for the following communities in western Iowa…

City of Mapleton (Monona County) – $22,900 to abate asbestos and deconstruct an old commercial building. City plans to have a new space for commercial redevelopment.

City of Sac City (Sac County) — $80,275 to abate asbestos and deconstruct an old commercial building. City plans to develop the area into a trail head and green space for farmer’s market.

DBGP funding is awarded annually on a competitive basis with cash matches required. Applications for the next funding round will be due on Feb. 24, 2023.