(Des Moines, Iowa) – A central Iowa woman faces a Class-D Felony charge of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information. The Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau reports 25-year-old Kayla Dennis, of Johnston, was also charged with one count of Forgery, and one count Theft in the 3rd Degree, following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.

The charges against Dennis stem from an investigation that began in May 2023. According to criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, Dennis provided false information and fabricated documents in support of a short-term disability claim and to receive benefits she otherwise would not have been entitled to. On June 19, 2023, Dennis was arrested and booked into the Polk County Jail where she posted a $10,000 bond.

Kayla Dennis (Photo courtesy the Polk County Sheriff’s Office)

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meeting beginning at 9-a.m. Tuesday, in the Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse. There are two public hearings and several action items on their agenda, which can be viewed here: Agenda for Publication – 2023.06.27.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Fair doesn’t begin for another month, but that’s not stopping the fairgrounds from being used for an event this weekend. West Central Iowa Pullers and West Central Iowa Garden Tractor Pullers are hosting tractor pull activities this Saturday, at the Cass County Fairgrounds, in Atlantic. Alan Zellmer, with West Central Iowa Pullers, says once again the fairgrounds will serve as the location not only for the sights, sounds and smoke from the tractors as they roar down the track, but for some great food, and fireworks.

Activities begin at 10-a.m., with the Western Iowa Garden Tractor Pulls, out of Denison.

The big tractors are expected to travel on the track at around 4-p.m. Zellmer says there’s a new twist to the tractor pulls this year.

File photo from Western IA Pullers Facebook page

The working tractors will be allowed to pull the skid so that it won’t be hard on the tractor. The main (Sanctioned) tractor pull event will last about three-and a half hours. There are four Classes (categories) of tractors participating: Farm Stock; Altered Farm Class; 3,000 RPM Class, and the 3,200 RPM Class.

The track will be illuminated when it gets dark, for safety reasons. Duke Aerial, in Atlantic, is providing the lights. Zellmer says participants in the big tractor pull event come from all over, including the Sioux City area. The day concludes with a fireworks display by “Wild Willie’s Spectacular Fireworks Show.” In addition, there will be a beer garden, two food trucks, and the Cass County Pork Producers will be serving-up some delicious food and drinks.

There is NO CHARGE to attend the Tractor Pulls, but free-will donations will be accepted. Any leftover proceeds will benefit a fund for the Atlantic Splash Pad Project.

(Radio Iowa) – One person was killed in a house fire over the weekend in Estherville. Estherville Fire Chief Travis Sheridan says shortly after 7:20 AM Saturday, firefighters were called to 219 South 8th Street after a passerby reported smoke coming from the roof. Sheridan says when a fire officer and the Estherville Police Department arrived on scene, they tried to make entry into the home. There was low heavy smoke coming out of the ground floor entry door at that time.

Sheridan says when firefighters arrived on scene they quickly deployed the aerial truck to ventilate the roof and entry teams made advancement into the home. He says it took firefighters around 30 minutes before they were able to locate a 61-year-old male victim, due to the heavy smoke. The name of the victim has not been released.

(Radio Iowa) – A $10,000 donation from former Governor Terry Branstad’s charity is part of the fundraising that’s led to the opening of a fireproof, climate-controlled vault in the Forest City Mansion Museum. Branstad was at the museum Sunday for the vault’s dedication.

“It’s a great homecoming for me,” Branstad said, “a lot of wonderful memories about Forest City representing this area in the legislature (and) of course as lieutenant governor and governor and all the wonderful people, the great teachers I had coaches and just wonderful people of this area.”

Branstad grew up on a farm near Leland and graduated from Forest City High School in 1965. There’s a Branstad room in the museum, “with a lot of the paraphernalia from my time as governor that I’ve been proud to donate,” Branstad said.

Branstad has also donated items from his time as U.S. Ambassador to China. The museum’s new vault will house area newspapers dating back to 1871 as well as other documents and historical items.

(Radio Iowa) – Staff at the National Weather Service office at the Davenport Airport had to leave their posts and seek shelter as a weekend tornado nearly hit their building. Meteorologist Rich Kinney says an E-F-zero twister with winds around 75 miles an hour touched down near the Iowa 80 truck stop in Walcott around 10:30 on Saturday night. While it was a weak tornado, Kinney says it could’ve been a disaster had it struck a few hours earlier in the evening.

“This tornado also tracked over the Davenport Airport where we had a lot of vendors set up for the Quad City Air Show,” Kinney says. “So there was some pretty good damage to canopies, tents, equipment out there. Some of that was also due, of course, to straight line winds.” The tornado followed Interstate 80 eastward and hopped over the town of Mount Joy, carving a ten-mile path over about 15 minutes. Kinney says all of the practice and training paid off as the National Weather Service crew stayed at their computers as long as they could before evacuating as the twister approached.

“We had our staff take shelter in our storm shelter for a few minutes while the La Crosse (Wisconsin) Weather Service office backed us up,” Kinney says. “They actually issued a warning for us, and then when the threat passed, we resumed normal operations.” There’s damage to some houses, buildings, trees and power lines in that area of Scott County but no one was reported hurt. The same storm system brought strong winds to parts of northeast Iowa and dropped tennis ball-sized hail near Ottumwa.

Photo by Lance Shaeffer of Davenport, NWS spotter

“These tornadoes can develop very quickly, so it’s hard to get a lot of lead time, but our meteorologists were on top of it,” Kinney says. “We issued the warning quickly and were able to provide some heads-up time as this actually moved into a little bit more populated areas north of Davenport.” On the plus side, he says the storms brought some areas of the drought-plagued state up to two inches of rainfall.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports three arrests took place Sunday (June 25):

• 37-year-old Sarah Page, of Plattsmouth, NE, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension. She posted a $300 bond and was released.
• 35-year-old Sasha Avila, of Austin, TX, was arrested for Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug. Avila posted a $1,000 bond and was released.
• 29-year-old Katelyn Dawson, of Pflugerville, TX, for Possession of a Prescription Drug. Dawson posted a $1,000 bond, and was released.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report four people were arrested Sunday, and one person was arrested today (Monday, 6/26). Two people were taken into custody at around 11:30-a.m. Sunday, in the 300 block of S. Walnut Street, in Creston: 38-year-old Jennifer Lyn Ham, of Lorimor, and 44-year-old Brady Gale Richert, of Creston, were both arrested for Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order. Ham was later was released on her Own Recognizance, after seeing the magistrate. Richert was being held without bond, in the Union County Jail.

Sunday afternoon, Creston Police arrested 35-year-old Julian Albert Rex Allison, of Creston, for Public Intoxication 1st Offense. Allison was taken to the Union County Jail and held on a $300 cash or surety bond. And, 32-year-old Trevor Forrest Kincade (no known address) was arrested at McKinley Pool, in Creston. Kincade was charged with Public Intoxication 1st Offense. He was later released on a $300 cash or surety bond.

On Monday (today), 21-year-old Jaden Justus Loe, of Lenox, was arrested at Caseys West on Highway 34, in Creston. Loe was charged with OWI 1st Offense and Carry Weapon while Intoxicated. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

Creston Police said also, a woman residing in the 500 block of N. Stone Street reported on June 21st, that someone had stolen her John Deere Lawn Mower Model Z225. The loss was estimated $2,675.00

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Marne Fire Chief Josh Krause just happened to be in Atlantic at the right place and at the right time, early Friday morning. His quick actions and those of an unidentified nurse, helped to save the life of a man suffering from a medical emergency. The incident happened at the intersection of 7th and Olive Streets in Atlantic. Dispatch reports at the time indicated an unresponsive male driver was in an SUV.

According to sources familiar with the incident Josh Krause just happened to roll up to the stop light at the same time the man went unresponsive. Krause pulled the subject out of the vehicle and frantically began performing CPR. The technique was used multiple times by Krause and a nurse who was also on the scene. The individual with the medical emergency survived, and was transported by Cass EMS to Cass Health in Atlantic.