(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Dallas County was arrested last week on sexual offense charges. Authorities say on November 5^th, 2024, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies made contact with a female truck driver who was reporting to have been victim of a sex offense while traveling on Interstate 80.

The woman told Deputies that she was traveling East on I-80 near mile-marker 57 (The Olive Street Exit), when a man driving a black Ford F-150 pickup pulled alongside her, matched the speed of the woman’s vehicle, and began exposing himself and his genitalia to her while traveling.  His alleged activities took place off and on for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

Shawn Assman

Once the man realized that the reporting party was contacting the police, he sped off.  The male subject, later identified as 38-year-old Shawn Assman, of Waukee, was arrested for continuing his alleged activities into Dallas County.  During the investigation, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office worked with the DeSoto Police Department to find that Assman had admitted to masturbating twice before his arrest.

With the victim’s statements along with corroborating evidence from DeSoto Police Department, Assman was charged with Indecent Exposure and a warrant was signed for his arrest.

Assman turned himself-in on the warrant November 7th. He was released after posting bond.

(Radio Iowa) – A central Iowa man is the first ever in the state to win the highest level of the multi-state “Lucky for Life” lottery game. Sixty-four-year-old Shelby Willis of Des Moines won the one-thousand dollar a day for life top prize. Willis says the clerk was surprised when he went to the Quick Trip Saturday where he bought the ticket as he says her jaw dropped, and then she got a big smile on her face.

Shelby Willis (IA Lottery photo)

Willis is an Air Force veteran, so he wasn’t upset about having to wait until today (Tuesday) to cash in the ticket as the Lottery Headquarters was closed Monday for Veterans Day.

Willis is taking a lump sum payout five-point-75 million dollars.

(Radio Iowa) – Medical researchers at the University of Iowa report promising progress in fighting one of the worst cancer killers. The phase-two clinical trial found that adding high-dose, intravenous vitamin C to chemotherapy doubles the overall survival rate of patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer from eight months to 16. The study’s lead author says the results were so strong in showing the therapy’s benefits for survival that they stopped the trial early.

The five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is only 13-percent. Some 64,000 people will be diagnosed with it nationwide this year, and more than 50,000 will die from it. UI researchers say the use of vitamin C in an IV also shows a significant boost in survival rates for patients with glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer. It’s also being tested at the UI in lung cancer treatment. The researchers say vitamin C is very inexpensive to use in an IV — and it’s very well tolerated by patients.

All three clinical trials were funded by the National Cancer Institute.

(Radio Iowa) – University of Iowa researchers have landed a $10-million federal grant to develop a new treatment for ovarian cancer. Jill Kolesar, dean of the U-I College of Pharmacy, is working on a drug that will make ovarian tumors more sensitive to immunotherapy by helping the immune system recognize cells around them. Kolesar says this could bring ovarian cancer treatment into the 21st century.

“Treatment paradigm for ovarian cancer has not changed in the last 30, 40 years,” Kolesar says. “We still use a doublet of chemotherapy, which has a lot of adverse effects and is not all that effective. Most people with ovarian cancer still die of their cancers.”

It’s estimated more than 12,000 women nationwide will die from ovarian cancer this year, according to federal data. Kolesar says ovarian cancer is often diagnosed in the late stages. “It kind of grows in your abdomen where there’s plenty of space and before it starts causing symptoms, it’s usually pretty big,” she says, “and the bigger cancers are, the later stage they are, the harder they are to treat.” She says the cancer is also often made of cells that hide from the immune system, making it hard to target and nearly always fatal.

The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

(Radio Iowa) – Another long-running Iowa music festival is undergoing changes. The Englert Theatre in Iowa City has produced the Mission Creek Festival since 2014, but Festival Director Brian Johannesen says anew version is planned for next year. “After ten years, I think that we felt like the Mission Creek became such a huge part of our identity and what we do, and we’re so grateful for that, but we’re ready for the next chapter,” he says.

The Greater Des Moines Music Coalition announced in October that the 80/35 Music Festival it has put on since 2005 is ending and its future is not determined. Johannesen says the new festival will be produced by one of the festival’s co-founders.

“I think, on the whole, you know, we’re ready to kind of move on to some different exciting festival ideas that we’re working on, and needed to just kind of clear some space,” Johannesen says.

The Mission Creek Festival’s 20th season before the change will be next April in Iowa City. Organizers of the 80/35 event said there are now many music-related organizations and businesses in central Iowa that are well-positioned to continue the event.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports two arrests. On Sunday, 43-year-old Nathan Styles, of Glenwood, was arrested for Eluding, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. He later posted a $2,000 bond and was release. And, on Saturday, Glenwood Police arrested 44-year-old Barbara Riley, of Glenwood, for Driving While Barred. She also later posted a $2,000 bond and was released.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested on separate drug charges over the past few days. Saturday night, 54-year-old Jessica Kay McFarland, of Emerson, was arrested following a traffic stop near Hilman Road and Highway 34 east. McFarland was transported to the Mills County Jail and charged with Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs, Poss. of a Controlled Substance, and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $2,300.

Thursday night, deputies in Mills County arrested 36-year-old Jeffrey Michael Sorenson, of Council Bluffs, for: a Drug Tax Stamp violation; Use of a dangerous weapon in a crime; Carrying a weapon while intoxicated; Poss. of a Controlled Substance, and OWI/1st offense. Sorensen was arrested on Interstate 29 near mile-marker 42. His bond was set at $17,000.

Monday afternoon, 30-year-old Diego Miguel Juaquin, of Omaha, was arrested in Tabor on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear. He was being held in the Mills County Jail without bond.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Guthrie County will hold a Special Session at 9:30-a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13th, in their Guthrie County Courthouse Board Room. The meeting is being held to canvass the results of the Nov. 5th, 2024 General Election. The canvass will make official, the currently “Unofficial” results of the election.

The unofficial election results indicated, among the contested races, Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Harmann, a Republican, defeated long-time Sheriff Marty Arganbright, a Democrat, by more 1,550 votes.

(Radio Iowa) – A central Iowa girl who had a bout with bullying and bigotry has turned around what happened by writing a book that aims to make a positive difference in the world. Twelve-year-old Saily Bah of Urbandale says her goal for the book, called “Rise Above,” is to do exactly as the title says. “I experienced an act of racism at school and I felt really horrible because it was something that should never happen and that I didn’t even understand at the time,” Bah says. “It just hit me. It was a really bad experience.” To sort out her feelings, Bah wrote a speech about what happened for her class at Radiant Elementary School. The speech was so well received, she decided to create something more lasting — a book — out of those same words.

“I wrote the book because I didn’t want people to feel the same sense of being put down as I did,” Bah says. “It was a way of coping with negative things that should never happen. I want young people to realize that when things happen like this, they need to speak up instead of pushing it aside so that everybody knows not to do these things.” Bah loves to draw and also created all of the illustrations for the book.

Rise Above cover and Saily Bah (center)

“My main thing was actually butterflies and that’s what’s on the cover of the book,” Bah says. “Butterflies to me symbolize overcoming, because they’re just free and fly around and do whatever they want without any concerns, and I want people to feel that way, too.” At just 12, Bah says she’s not sure what she’d like to do for a profession some day. For now, she says she’s happy and “living the dream” as a student and author. All proceeds from the book sales will go to Bah’s college fund and art supplies.

Find the book through her Saily’s Swag Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/800773265011300/

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors will canvass the results of the Nov. 5th General Election, Wednesday morning, at the Adair County Courthouse in Greenfield. During their session that begins at 9-a.m., the Board will also draw lots for the vacant Washington Township Trustee position. Unofficial results show there were 10 Write-in names for the position after the ballots were reviewed.

The Board will also hear about Summer Program results, from Ag Extension representative Kerry Aistrope. And, they will act on authorizing Board Chair Jerry Walker to sign a Services Agreement with Adams County, with regard to assistance for tornado clean-up.

County Engineer Nick Kauffman will present his regular, weekly Secondary Roads Department report to the Board, prior to the meeting’s conclusion.