STANTON, Iowa, Sept. 27, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today announced the completion of a new facility to help meet the childcare needs of families in the rural southwest Iowa community of Stanton. The Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of Stanton is expected to help promote economic development and enable residents of this rural area of Montgomery County to seek more employment opportunities.

“Access to childcare is a critical need for many rural Iowa families,” said Director Greenfield. “Every day, USDA is championing rural America, listening to communities’ needs, fostering job growth through financing for small businesses, and generating outcomes that make rural Iowa a great place to live, work, and raise children.”

The childcare center held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening event to celebrate the project’s completion.

Theresa Greenfield, U.S. Department of Agriculture State Director in Iowa, and USDA staff approach the Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of Stanton to participate in the ribbon cutting for the facility also known as the Stanton Child Resource Center in the town of Stanton, Iowa, on September 27, 2024.

Background

The grant funding was made through the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant program and was congressionally directed spending.

In November of 2022, USDA Rural Development invested $1 million in a grant to help the Stanton Child Resource Center Inc., a non-profit organization located in Stanton, Iowa, build a new facility. The building was designed and constructed to be over 11,000 square feet in size. It houses a sick room, a storm shelter, age-appropriate equipment, a covered drop-off and pick-up area, and larger classrooms than the old building. The new facility has a capacity for over 130 children and outdoor playgrounds. The center will help meet the needs of families and will promote economic development in rural Montgomery County.

PACIFIC JUNCTION, Iowa – Omaha Crime Stoppers are partnering with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation in offering a $25,000 reward for an anonymous tip leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects involved in the August I-29 Speedway double homicide the night of August 10, 2024, in Mills County. 

At approximately 9-p.m. that night, the Mills County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting at the I-29 Speedway in Pacific Junction. An outdoor concert was about to begin when the shooting occurred in the parking lot. Two men, 28-year-old Marcus L. Johnson, and 27-year-old Charles A. Williams Jr., both from Omaha, Nebraska, died as a result of the shooting.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI)  and the Omaha Police Department are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the suspects involved.   Anyone with information can contact the Omaha Police Department at 402.444.5610, Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402.444.STOP, or submit a tip on the P3 Tips mobile app.

Anonymous tips leading to an arrest in a homicide are eligible for up to a $25,000 reward from the Omaha Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – The 10th Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Davenport has been ordained and installed this (Friday) afternoon at a ceremony in Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Bishop Dennis Walsh is an Ohio native who has served parishes in Puerto Rico, Baltimore, New York City and — for the past 24 years — in his home state of Ohio.

Cardinal Christoph Pierre, the Vatican’s top envoy to the United States, spoke directly to the new bishop.

The Most Reverend Thomas Zinkula, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, said it was heartwarming to see so many familiar people in the cathedral.

The archbishop also took a moment to recognize the new bishop’s mother, Marilyn.

Over 83-thousand Catholics attend the 74 parishes in the Davenport Diocese, including the cities of Bloomfield, Ottumwa, Oskaloosa and Iowa City and the Mississippi River cities of Clinton, Burlington and Fort Madison.

(Pottawattamie County) – The Iowa State Patrol said Friday (today) on social media, that a bull elk was discovered dead near Council Bluffs, at around mile-marker 8 off Interstate 80 in Pott County. Authorities say the animal likely died as the result of a collision by a vehicle.

The Patrol reminds motorist to always remain vigilant while driving! Stay safe!!!

Bull Elk found near Council Bluffs (ISP photo)

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said that elk seem to be visiting Iowa more frequently each fall. Originally, elk were native to Iowa, but they left as the state was settled. An elk was spotted earlier this month running through an Iowa City neighborhood.

While there isn’t a population in Iowa, elk are protected by Iowa Code, which includes a $1,000 fine for illegally killing an elk. That does not exclude the right of a person from dispatching an elk that is causing property damage or from causing physical harm, DNR said

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Efforts to raise money for the proposed School Resource Officer (SRO) position in the Atlantic School District, received a boost today (Friday), from Randy Watts, owner of Camblin Mechanical, in Atlantic. Watts presented a check in the amount of $5,000 to Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue at the Police Department, this (Friday) afternoon. The funds will go toward equipment for the SRO, including a vehicle, portable radios, a uniform and vest. Watts said donating for SRO equipment and position was never in question.

In June of 2024, the Atlantic P-D applied for a federal grant that would help with funding for the SRO position. Chief Hogue says once they know the status of the grant application, they can move forward with posting an opening for the position. Until then, donations like the one from Randy Watts, are very much appreciated.

The ultimate goal, he says, is to have an officer hired for this position and placed upon returning from Christmas break.

The Atlantic Rotary is also helping to raise funds to assist the APD in its fundraising efforts to purchase equipment to support the school resource officer position. The Rotary is holding a raffle with prizes ranging from $500-to $1,500 dollars. The drawing will be held November 23rd. For more information and a way to purchase your raffle tickets, see the Atlantic Police Department’s Facebook page, or to contact any member of the Atlantic Rotary Club.

Randy Watts (Center) presents a check for $5,000 to Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue.

This past June, the City of Atlantic and the Atlantic Community School District agreed to collaborate on hiring a School Resource Officer. The School Resource Officer will be an employee of the City and a member of the Atlantic Police Department and will work in all of the school district’s buildings.

(Radio Iowa) – Northwest Iowans still face a long road to recovery three months after devastating flooding hit the region. The Big Sioux River forced dozens of people from their homes in the Riverside neighborhood of Sioux City, including Deanna Mercure. “It was rough, and it still is. It’s been the longest three months of my life,” Mercure says. “I was just devastated, thinking, ‘What am I going to do? I don’t want to leave this house.’ It just all fell in place with everybody that stepped up.”

Mercure says she received 26-thousand dollars from FEMA to help with home repairs and is hoping to secure another 50-thousand in state funding. However, she admits that isn’t enough and she still needed to take out a home equity loan. Jeanne Derby’s home, also in the Riverside neighborhood, was heavily damaged when the Big Sioux River poured out of its banks. Even though it will still take some time before she can move back in, Derby is thankful for help from the federal government, the state, and local organizations.

“The community came together. When I didn’t have clothes, people dropped clothes off, people dropped shoes off,” Derby says. “People I didn’t know showed up to help tear my walls off. It was amazing.” A local Long Term Recovery Group was formed to help flood victims connect with much-needed services. So far, FEMA has approved more than three-million dollars for 325 households in Woodbury County. The deadline to apply for individual assistance from FEMA ends on October 22nd for Woodbury and several other Iowa counties impacted by natural disasters this summer.

File photo of this summer’s flooding in Sioux City’s Riverside neighborhood. (KSCJ photo)

Counties included: Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Humboldt, Lyon, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Scott, Sioux, and Woodbury.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Central Community College will be consolidating classes in Storm Lake in a new, 10 MILLION dollar facility. The community college has offered courses and certification programs in Storm Lake, but out of three different locations in the community. Jesse Ulrich, the president of Iowa Central Community College, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the college’s Training Center in Storm Lake. “Our purpose at Iowa Central is very simple. We want students to come to Iowa Central. We want them to finish their degrees and their certifications in the shortest amount of time possible with the least amount of student debt so they can go on and have a better life,” Ulrich says. “This building represents a lot of that.”

The two-story building has 16 classrooms, an academic resource center, and a testing center. Ulrich says new programs for certified nurse assistants, welders and electricians will be added on the Storm Lake campus. It will also serve as a career academy for students in local high schools (those school districts are Storm Lake, Alta-Aurelia, Sioux Central in Sioux Rapids, Newell-Fonda and Pocahontas Area and St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Storm Lake). “These schools really came together as a consortium to talk about what the needs were in this building,” Ulrich says. The building will host community education and classes for English language learners at night. Governor Kim Reynolds says community colleges like Iowa Central are key to developing well-trained, capable workers.

Gov. Reynolds listens as Iowa Central Community College president Ulrich addresses crowd at building’s grand opening. (KAYL photo)

“Each of those jobs reflect the incredible power of these institutions to transform lives,” Reynolds said. Iowa Central’s main campus is in Fort Dodge. It operates a satellite campus in Webster City as well as the courses offered in Storm Lake.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Sept. 27, 2024) — Food Bank of Iowa’s second Drive Away Childhood Hunger golf tournament, held Sept. 26 and presented by Nationwide, raised $169,588 to help Iowa kids facing food insecurity. The private Talons Golf in Ankeny welcomed 124 golfers, who enjoyed lunch donated by Fareway and the rare opportunity to tour Dennis Albaugh’s vintage car collection. Lou Sipolt served as master of ceremonies and auctioneer at the evening reception, sponsored by the Murphy Family Foundation. Funds raised will support Food Bank of Iowa’s 162 school pantries (and counting!) and its BackPack Program, which serves 4,100 elementary students at 103 schools every week during the school year.

More than 15% of Iowa children face hunger, and 42% rely on free and reduced-price school meals. Children who live in poverty and lack proper nutrition face delayed development, impaired coping skills, behavioral problems and learning difficulties. Food Bank of Iowa CEO Michelle Book says “Thanks to the generosity of Dennis Albaugh and his team, our tremendous sponsors and golfers, we raised enough to provide more than 282,000 meals for Iowa kids who don’t know where they’ll find their next meal. We are incredibly grateful to all who contributed to this successful day.”

In addition to Nationwide, Talons Golf, Fareway and the Murphy Family Foundation, other sponsors included Advanced Automation, Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Bank Iowa, Casey’s, ClaimDOC, Doll Distributing, Elder Corp., Innovative Communication Technologies, the Iowa Barbecue Store, Iowa Wild, John Deere, Foster Group, KRM Custom Homes, Mom’s Meals, NCMIC, Peterson Financial Group, the Pork Checkoff, Prairie Meadows, Ruan, Sammons, Sigler, Simonson, Sysco, Top Gun Contractors, the Underwood Family Foundation, Waldinger, Warehouse Barbecue Co. and Willis Automotive.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak have arrested a woman on a Theft charge. 35-year-old Brynn Elizabeth Hudson, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 10:30-a.m. Friday (today), in the 100 block of W. Coolbaugh Street. Hudson was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and charged with Theft in the 4th Degree/Theft from a building (a Serious Misdemeanor). Her bond was set at $1,000.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor Kathy Somers has announced members of the Board of Supervisors may attend a special meeting Tuesday morning, at the invitation of the Charles E. Lakin Foundation and the Community Foundation for Western Iowa. A quorum of the Board may be present, but NO deliberations among the Board members, or action, will be taken. The meeting will take place at 10-a.m. at the Bluebird Hill Venue (56741 655th St.), in rural Atlantic.