(Radio Iowa) – The Libertarian Party’s candidate for president says the federal government’s deficit spending is a hidden tax. Chase Oliver — making his fifth trip to Iowa — is promising to veto any budget that isn’t balanced if he’s elected president. “Every single day, $8.9 billion is being added to the deficit,” Oliver said. “That is going to affect our kids and our grandkids and the cost of living here on out.” The Libertarian Party’s platform calls for significantly reducing the scope of the federal government by getting rid of regulations and cutting spending. “Inflation is a hidden tax…because the government is making our worth dollars less and less and less each year because they run deficit spending to the tune of trillions of dollars and they have to print money to make up for that,” Oliver says, “and what that does is it devalues the money you have in your pocket.”

Libertarian Party presidential nominee Chase Oliver spoke to reporters in Iowa on August 10, 2024. (RI photo)

Oliver won the Libertarian Party’s 2024 presidential nomination nearly three months ago. He says the two major political parties treat voters like dupes and have created a centrally planned economy that benefits corporations. “An abusive, an intrusive and overly large government that continues to rob us of the value of our dollar, that continues to insert itself into our business and our property and and over and over again we do not have advocates either in Des Moines or Washington, D.C. who fight for us,” Oliver says. “They fight for the people who line their pockets.”

Oliver, who says he is the first presidential candidate to have visited all 50 states this year, filed the paperwork to get his name on the Iowa ballot last Wednesday. “You should not have to sacrifice your vote to say: ‘Oh, well, I’m going to vote for the lesser of two evils,'” Oliver said. “Dare to pick the best choice on your ballot. Compare my platform to that of Kamala Harris or Donald Trump or RFK, Jr. or any other challenger.”

Oliver made his comments at the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. cited security concerns and cancelled his appearance at the venue.

(Radio Iowa) – Classes resume in most Iowa schools in the next week or two, and Iowa parents are being warned to be careful with what they share online about their children. Jim Temmer, with the Better Business Bureau, says those cute social media posts about your kid’s first day in their new grade give away a lot of key details of their lives that could be misused. “Are they holding a board with their name, their age, their height, what grade they’re in, whatever it is? Maybe they’re wearing the school uniform,” Temmer says. “Scammers or predators could use that information.”

That could mean basic identity theft, or even using that information to gain your child’s trust. “Make sure your home with your address and street sign are not visible so they can’t find out exactly where you live,” he says, “or there’s some landmark that everybody would know where you are.”

Temmer says if you are going to share those pictures on social media, make sure they’re only going out to actual friends.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports three recent arrests. Saturday night, 30-year-old Raymundo Herrera, of Houston, TX., was arrested in Greenfield for OWI/1st offense. His arrest was the result of a traffic stop on an SUV he was driving, that was moving at an “extremely slow” rate of speed on eastbound Highway 92, while entering the Greenfield City limits. There about one-block’s worth of vehicles stacked-up behind the vehicle, according to the deputy’s report. He said also, the SUV, a 2020 Jeep Wrangler, was swerving back-and-forth onto the shoulder of the road.

When he approached the vehicle following the traffic stop, the deputy had knock on the driver’s side window of the Jeep, to get the driver’s attention, because he was not paying attention to the deputy’s flashlight being shined through the window. Instead of rolling down the window, the driver – identified as Herrera, opened his door . During questioning of Herrera, the deputy detected an odor of alcohol coming from the man. Herrera completed a Field Sobriety Test, but ultimately refused a Preliminary Breath Test (PBT). He also refused to provide a breath sample for chemical testing at the Sheriff’s Office. Herrera was released later that night on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

As we’ve previously mentioned, on August 7th,  Adair County Deputies arrested 28-year-old Joshua James Jost, of Creston, on an Adair County warrant for failing to appear in court on a Violation of Probation charge. He was released the following day on a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

On August 7th also, Luke Daniel Hommes, of Fontanelle, was arrested on an Adair County warrant, after his bond on an Assault charge was “Revoked and Exonerated,” when his bail bondsman withdrew his surety bond for reason that Sheriff Jeff Vandewater said were not clear.  This was therefore NOT a new charge. Hommes was released the following day on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

And, on August 5th, Police in Stuart arrested 50-year-old Eric Wayne Whiting, of Stuart, on charges that include: Driving While Barred; Possession of Marijuana/2nd offense; Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia, and Felon in dominion/control of a firearm or offensive weapon by a domestic abuser. His arrest followed a traffic stop on a motorcycle in Stuart, whereby the Officer knew Whiting possessed a restricted license and did not possess a valid motorcycle license. A follow-up investigation at Whiting’s residence resulted in the discovery of multiple items of drug paraphernalia, a plastic baggie with a substance believed to be marijuana, a .9-mm pistol, and a black powder rifle. Whiting has a previous court order prohibiting him from possessing weapons, and a previous conviction in Madison County, for possession of marijuana.

He was taken to the Adair County Jail and released the next day on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Officials with the Audubon Community School District are pleased to announce that beginning this month (August, 2024) all Kindergarten through 12th grade students in Audubon Community schools will receive free activity tickets thanks to generous donations from AMVC, Audubon State Bank, and Dr. Daryl and Nancy Olsen. This is a three-year initiative of the school board, modeled after several other area schools. It was an easy sell for the school board according to President Mark Nissen, “This is a win-win for all involved. All our students will benefit from having an easier time getting to games. Our athletes will appreciate having more support from their classmates. And of course it makes attending events easier for our families to afford. Overall, it continues to bring our community together and we’re excited to see it happen.” Ultimately, however, the money from ticket sales is used to pay for the costs of hosting home events, most notably referees and umpires, an expense that continues to rise. “That’s the only downfall” says Nissen, “we don’t want to be in a situation where we’re letting people in free but can’t pay our expenses.” That’s where Dr. Daryl Olsen stepped in. Originally the board planned on holding a fundraiser to offset the costs of activity tickets and approached Dr. Olsen about supporting the effort with seed money. When Dr. Olsen shared the idea with his wife Nancy, she was immediately sold.

However, the Olsen’s opted not to provide seed money for a fundraiser. Instead, Dr. Olsen reached out and solicited support from AMVC and Audubon State Bank, two local businesses he’s directly involved in. Together, Dr. Daryl & Nancy Olsen, AMVC, and Audubon State Bank, have pledged to cover the costs of student activity tickets for the next three school years. “We’ve been fortunate to build a life here in Audubon, along with a business. We raised our kids here. We’re passionate about giving back, and supporting a program that clearly and directly benefits the kids and community is exciting,” says Dr. Olsen. Currently, the value of this donation is estimated at $45,000 over the course of the three-year commitment ($15,000 per year). “Unfortunately, the data over the past 10 years of ticket sales isn’t great,” states athletic director Sean Birks. “Especially with the covid years and cash ticketing, we don’t have a super accurate idea of student vs. adult ticket sales. However, now that the district has moved to the electronic ticketing system (Bound), we’ll be able to get really clear data on how many students attend games.” The school board has also made a commitment to track data over the course of the next three years, not just for the purposes of this donation, but also for future decision making. “It’s our hope that in three years the school board will have better data to look at when reevaluating this initiative. Having a three-year commitment gives us an opportunity other schools (attempting free student admission) don’t have. We get to track data and be thoughtful in our planning” states board member Anne Miller. “We’re so grateful to Dr. Daryl, Nancy, AMVC, and Audubon State Bank, this donation directly benefits every single one of our students, their families, and our community.”

Free student activity tickets via Bound will be available at the start of the 2024-2025 school year to all Audubon K-12 students. This program is anticipated to run through the 25/26 and 26/27 school years as well. All students will be issued an activity ticket that will need to be presented at games for admission. Students in grades 4 and below must be accompanied by a caring adult. All students will be expected to follow good-conduct expectations. The school will review frequently asked questions, rules, and expectations in greater detail with students and families.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – With all the recent family friendly events in Atlantic, from RAGBRAI to the Cass County Fair, and AtlanticFest, the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce reminds you that there is still plenty more fun to be had in Atlantic. The summer isn’t over yet! Chamber Program Director Kelsey Beschorner says “We have thoroughly enjoyed a summer full of community events and we look forward to wrapping up the summer with the All-Class Reunion festivities and “Back to School” Discount Dayz the weekend of August 16th and 17th.”

The weekend kick’s off this Friday August 16th, with the first inaugural AHS Alumni Banquet, hosted by the class of 79′ and 84′. That will be held at the Cass County Community Center. Discount Dayz will also begin Friday, with an exciting line-up of participating businesses offering great deals to help everyone get geared up for back to school.

On Saturday, August 17th, the AHS Alumni Smackdown Golf Tournament will take place in the morning at both the Nishna Hills Golf Course and Atlantic Golf and Country Club. All attendees of the tournament are encouraged to join the fun following the tournament to mingle and catch-up during Smack Down After Dark. The event will feature food trucks, a beer garden, and live music performed by “Off the Fritz” at the Band Shell in Sunnyside Park. It is free and open to the public.

For more information about any of these events, visit www.atlanticiowa.com, follow the Chamber on Facebook, email chamber@atlanticiowa.com, or call 712-243-3017.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports four recent arrests. Sunday night, 24-year-old Tylor Jay Rains, of Creston, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st Offense. Rains was taken to the Union County Jail where he is being held on a $300 bond. And, at around 4:30-a.m., Sunday, 21-year-old Levi Joshua Henry, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/2nd Offense. Henry was taken to the Union County Jail and later posted a $2,000 bond before being released.

Friday night, 37-year-old Christopher Micheal Phipps, Jr., of Creston, was arrested for Interference w/Official Acts, and Public Intoxication/1st Offense. Phipps was taken to the Union County Jail later released on $600 bond.

Wednesday afternoon, 29-year-old Ryan James Corder, of Storm Lake, was arrested in Creston on a Union County Warrant for Theft in the 3rd and 5th Degrees. Corder was taken to the Union County Jail and was later released on a $2,300 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — In 170 years of the Iowa State Fair, no day has drawn more visitors than Saturday. According to the fair, Saturday’s attendance was an all-time single-day record — 128,732. That broke the previous all-time daily record of 128,298 from 2022. It’s also more than 1,500 over the record for the first Saturday and 10,000 more than the same day last year. This year’s total through three days is 329,408, nearly 23,000 ahead of last year’s pace, which became the second-biggest fair ever with 1,133,958 people. The all-time attendance record of 1,170,375 was set in 2019.

This year needs to average 106,398 per day to break that record. Through three days, this year’s fair is averaging 109,803. Friday’s attendance was 109,854. That’s 8,677 more people than Day 2 last year when 101,177 went through the gates — but 5,849 shy of the Day 2 record.

Thursday’s attendance was 90,822. That’s 3,442 more people than Day 1 last year when 87,380 went through the gates — but more than 10,000 shy of the Day 1 record.

(Radio Iowa) – America will gain about four dozen new, young citizens this morning (10 AM Monday) at a special ceremony at the Iowa State Fair. Officials from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are holding a citizenship ceremony on the state fair’s MidAmerican Energy Stage. A total of 47 children will be taking the Oath of Allegiance, after which, they’ll be presented with their citizenship certificate.

The children range in age from 10 to 18 and they come from 17 countries around the globe, from Brazil and Burma to Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The ceremony is designed to recognize and celebrate the naturalization of immigrants who have derived citizenship through their naturalized parents or adoption.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Sunday evening, arrested a man for Public Intoxication. 69-year-old Randal Joe Barr, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 5:45-p.m. in the 100 block of E. Oak Street.

Barr was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A missing teen from Arizona flew to Iowa to meet someone she had met online, according to the FBI. Authorities say 17-year-old Liliana Munguia was seen on home security video leaving her father’s home in Bapchule, Arizona, at 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 5. Later that evening, she purchased a plane ticket and flew from Mesa, Arizona, to Des Moines to meet an individual she had met online. Security footage at the Des Moines International Airport showed Munguia arriving on Aug. 5.

The FBI says Munguia was briefly in contact with her family, but has since ceased communication. According to investigators, Munguia was last seen in the Clive and Waukee area on Thursday.

17-year-old Liliana Munguia

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website, Munguia may go by the name “Lily” or “Lil.” The website also says she has a mole on the left side of her neck. She is 5’2″ tall, weighs 125 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.

If you have any information, you’re asked to call 911 or the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office at 623-466-1999.