(Atlantic, Iowa) – Applications are now being accepted for the 14th Annual Trevor Frederickson Memorial Scholarship. Applications may be obtained from the Atlantic High School guidance office at 1201 E. 14th Street or the Atlantic High School website: www.atlanticiaschools.org. Fund spokesperson (Trevor’s mom) Melanie Petty says up to two $750 scholarships are available to those graduating from Atlantic High School in the spring of 2023. Applicants must plan to attend a college or vocational school, show involvement in school and/or community activities, supply a copy of their college acceptance letter, provide two letters of reference along with their 7 semester transcripts, and maintain academic achievement of 2.5 or better. The scholarships will be awarded at the Atlantic High School Class Night held in May.

Trevor Frederickson graduated from Atlantic High School in 2006. He went on to further his education at Southwestern Community College in Creston where he studied automotive mechanics and played baseball for the Southwestern Spartans. Two additional $750 scholarships will be available for Southwestern Community College students this fall. Trevor, who passed away in 2009, had plans of pursuing a career in law enforcement and returning to his hometown of Atlantic. Melanie Petty says “Anyone who knew Trevor, knew he valued family, life and community. Trevor continues to live on in our hearts and minds. To this day, Trevor is still giving back to the community he loved to be a part of.”

Trevor Frederickson

Funds for the scholarships are raised at an annual golf tournament. Plans are already in the works for the 15th Annual TFred Memorial Golf Tournament to be held on Saturday, June 17th, 2023. Organizers look forward to another successful tournament so they can continue to grant scholarships for many years to come.

(Radio Iowa) – A judge has approved a request from one of the teens accused of killing a Fairfield teacher to have the state pay for an expert witness when he goes to trial. Willard Miller’s attorneys asked for the expert witness and also filed a motion asking to suppress evidence from a search warrant of his home. K-C-R-G T-V reports the request for the witness was granted — and a hearing on the request to suppress the evidence is set for March 29th.

Miller is charged with first-degree murder along with classmate Jeremy Goodale in the death of their Spanish teacher Nohema Graber. Graber’s body in a park by the high school in November of 2021.

Miller’s trial is scheduled for April 21st. Goodale’s trial is set for May 15th.

(Radio Iowa) – Second quarter revenues for Winnebago Industries fell by 25-percent compared to a year ago. The outdoor lifestyle products manufacturer — with Iowa factories in Forest City, Lake Mills, Charles City and Waverly — reports second quarter revenue was just under 867-million dollars, compared to one-point-two billion in the quarter last year. Winnebago president and C-E-O Michael Happe says the benefits of a diversified outdoor portfolio and strong performance in the marine segment helped to offset a continued softening in consumer demand for recreational vehicles.

Revenues for the company’s motor home segment were down a little over three-percent from last year, the towables segment was down 47-percent, while the company’s marine segment was up just over 16-percent due to carryover price increases.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Wednesday night, arrested a man and woman on Child Endangerment charges. 23-year-old Zachary Lee Miller and 23-year-old Athea Makenna Ruth, both of Red Oak, were each charged with three-counts of Child Endangerment. Miller also faces a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd offense. He was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. Athea Ruth was being held on a $2,000 bond. The pair were taken into custody at around 10:30-p.m., in the 300 block of E. Elm Street, in Red Oak.

Separately, Red Oak Police arrested 22-year-old Noah Donald Groves, of Red Oak, on a valid Platte County, Nebraska warrant.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has overwhelmingly voted to require at least 90 percent of miles along proposed carbon pipeline routes be voluntarily secured before the government’s eminent domain authority could be used to seize the rest. It also would let farmers seek compensation years from now if crop yields are depressed in the area around a carbon pipeline. Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, is the bill’s lead sponsor. He says the pipelines have generated intense debate around the state and he calls pipeline opponents “freedom fighters.”

“The route of these pipelines in Iowa would impact thousands of fellow citizens, a great deal of farmland and many of our communities,” Holt says. Some of those who voted for the measure lamented that it did not go far enough in protecting landowners who do not want the pipelines on their property. Republican Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton, a bill backer, is blasting pipeline developers and the ethanol industry who’ve been calling for the bill’s defeat.

“When you use government funds to aid your project, when you wish to use the tools of government, such as eminent domain…expect uncertainty,” Kaufmann said. “…The notion that this legislation is going to kill the ethanol industry — there’s a lot of four letter words I could use to describe that and I will not do that — I’ll just simply call it B.S.” Republican Representative Henry Cisneros of Muscatine has the same concerns — but voted against the bill. Cisneros calls eminent domain theft.

“Your government is in a hurry to facilitate this theft so a single corporation can shovel more of our taxdollars into its bank account,” Cisneros says. Representative Chuck Isenhart, a Democrat from Dubuque, says if House members believe carbon pipelines have no public benefit, then the bill should have banned construction. “Don’t put the burden of the decision on a small group of landowners to hold out, resulting — no doubt — in a beseigment if the bill becomes law,” Isenhart said.

Representative Zach Dieken, a Republican from Granville, was a reluctant yes. He says the pipelines a cash cow for developers and he praises landowners who’ve refused to sign voluntary easements with pipeline developers.  “To those actively standing up for yourself and your freedoms, the rest of Iowa and America thanks you,” Dieken said, acknowledging pipeline opponents watching debate in the House balcony. “..I also want to apologize that I couldn’t do more and I’m sorry the government created by God to defend your God given rights was not courageous to do more.”

Summit Carbon Solutions released a statement saying the carbon capture projects will play a critical role in ensuring the long term viability of the ethanol industry and the future of Iowa’s ag economy. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says the bill is a mistake that will reduce ethanol production and depress corn prices.

(Radio Iowa) – Arrest warrants have been issued for two men police believe were involved in the murder of a Fort Dodge man nearly three months ago. Fort Dodge Police have issued a warrant for 31 year old Lakendrick Mosley of Des Moines. He’s charged with First degree murder. A warrant has also been issued for 27 year old Darwin Green of Fort Dodge for aiding and abetting murder in the first degree. Both men are still at large.

Lakendrick Mosley

Forty-six-year-old Montreail Dungy was killed on Christmas Day. Fort Dodge Police say they will not be releasing any additional information about the case and they’re encouraging anyone with information about Dungy’s murder to contact police.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa doctors are now barred from starting gender transition treatments for minors. Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law Wednesday that took effect immediately, making it illegal to start prescribing puberty blockers or perform gender transition surgery on anyone under the age of 18. Earlier this week, Reynolds told reporters she believes the science isn’t there to support gender transitions for kids.

“These are irreversible,” Reynolds says. “…Unfortunately these kids don’t get a redo. It’s done.” Minors who have already started gender transition care have 180 days to end their treatment in Iowa. Minnesota’s governor has issued an executive order indicating Iowa doctors could refer minors in the midst of treatment to Minnesota.

Reynolds has signed another bill that immediately requires transgender students in Iowa’s K-through-12 schools to use the bathroom or locker room that matches the gender on their birth certificate. Parents may ask a school to let their transgender child use a single-occupancy bathroom or facilities used by staff only. Opponents say the bathroom policy will make transgender students less safe.

Similar policies in states like Oklahoma and Alabama have been challenged in federal court. A group of Florida parents are suing to try to overturn that state’s ban on gender transition care for minors.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Engineer’s Office reports a contractor will be working from Thursday, March 23, 2023 to Friday, April 14, 2023  on about 38-miles of White Pole Road in Adair County, performing asphalt surface crack sealing.

Click on this image to enlarge

Work zones will be controlled by flaggers and pilot car. This work is fast moving and the work zone can change on an hour-to-hour basis. Roads to be crack sealed are shown on the map.

Please pay attention, slow down, and give the workers space.

(Radio Iowa) – Volunteers with keen ears are needed to help the Iowa Department of Natural Resources track the state’s populations of frogs and toads — as another way to monitor water quality. Graduates of the D-N-R’s so-called Frog and Toad School learn to identify the critters by their calls, like the Boreal Chorus Frog, the American Bullfrog and the Eastern Gray Tree Frog. Wildlife diversity biologist Stephanie Shepherd says volunteers are most needed in northeastern and northwestern Iowa.

“They are assigned a route, which is basically a collection of wetland sites, and they drive to each wetland site and just stop on the road. They get out of the car and they just stand on the road and listen to the wetland site for five minutes and then they move to the next spot,” Shepherd says. “It’s done at night and people are trained to identify what frogs they hear by their unique calls.” Volunteers will just need to make three trips during the spring and early summer, a total commitment of between eight and ten hours a year. That’s not bad, she says, considering you’re just listening to the pleasant sounds of pond life.

“What we’re listening to is the males’ advertisement calls or attraction calls,” Shepherd says. “So basically, they’re making a lot of noise hoping to let the nearby females, that are of the same species, let them know that they’re there and to come on by for a visit.” The ideal volunteer is interested in the outdoors, detail-oriented, and patient, she says. They’ll also need good note-taking skills and a computer with an internet connection.

“There’s only about 17 species of frog and toad in Iowa, which, that may sound like a lot,” Shepherd says, “but compared to birds for example, which there’s almost 400 species of bird in the state, that’s actually a pretty reasonable number.” She says Iowans have collected data on more than 22-hundred wetlands through the program since 1991, providing an incredible record of activity.

Two in-person courses are scheduled in the coming weeks: April 4th in Clayton County at the Osborne Nature Center, and April 11th in Buena Vista County at Gabrielson Park. There is a $5 fee to cover workshop materials. The courses begin at 6:30 p.m. and run for about three hours.

To register, visit: https://programs.iowadnr.gov/vwmp/Home/Registration

(Radio Iowa)- The Iowa Senate has voted to make it illegal for all drivers to use a hand-held smart phone while a vehicle is in motion.

Drivers under the age of 18 years have long been prohibited from using electronic devices, unless the vehicle is off the roadway and stopped, but efforts to extend that policy to adult drivers have stalled in the legislature for more than a decade.

Senator Mark Lofgren of Muscatine said the distraction of a smart phone in a vehicle has become a major issue. “Twenty-five years ago, the problem was not as prevalent, but today it is common place and continues to get worse,” he said. “Hindering drivers from messing with their phones by requiring a voice activated or hands free mode will not eliminate all the risks of distraction, but it will define the line not to cross over and, by doing so, will improve safety on our roads.”

Lofgren thanked people who’ve been hit by distracted drivers or had loved ones die in an accident for lobbying for the legislation. If the bill becomes law, motorists ticketed for handling a smart phone while driving would be fined 100-dollars. There would be higher fines and the potential for a license suspension if the distraction of a smart phone leads to an accident that causes serious injuries.

The bill passed the Senate on a 47-to-three vote and now goes to the House for consideration. Twenty-four other states prohibit all drivers from using a hand-held smart phone while a vehicle is moving.

It’s currently illegal to text while driving in Iowa, but police says it’s almost impossible to enforce.