(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Education reports they are in the process of updating and modernizing their website, EducateIowa.gov, to improve the digital experience and better serve the more than 2 million individuals who visit the website annually.

The new website, which will launch on Wednesday, Oct. 12, will offer an enhanced user-focused approach for education stakeholders with faster page load times, improved search capabilities and a modernized design to make it easier for users to find and locate valuable information and resources.

Officials say “Don’t worry if you bookmarked web pages on the current Department of Education website that you frequently visit. Those links will still work and take you to the appropriate page on the new website.”

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The driver of a 2014 Dodge Challenger was arrested early Saturday morning, following an accident in Glenwood. The Glenwood Police Department reports 54-year-old Charles Decker, of Glenwood, faces a charge of OWI/1st offense, following an accident in the driveway at 609 Coolidge Street, at around 1:55-a.m., Saturday. Authorities say a Police Officer witnessed Decker trying to back in the driveway, but missed the entrance and got hung-up on the curb, with the tires spinning.

The Officer tried to get Decker’s attention, but he was ignored, and the Challenger continued to accelerate before it eventually jumped over the curb and through the yard. The car only stopped when its right rear tire went over a retaining wall on the east side of the property. The report says as the Officer was questioning Decker, he observed the man’s eyes were bloodshot, and the odor of alcohol on Decker’s breath.

A field sobriety test indicated Decker’s Breath Alcohol Content (BrAc) was 0.155%, or nearly twice the legal limit for intoxication. Charles Decker was transported to the Mills County Jail and later posted a $1,000 bond.

(Area News) Firefighters from Anita, Wiota and Adair responded to a combine fire southeast of Anita, Sunday afternoon. The incident was reported at around 4:40-p.m. It took place near intersection 765th Street and Glendale Road.

According to report, when firefighters arrived, the combine was fully engulfed in flames. The operator tried to use an on-board fire extinguisher, but the flames were too much to handle. The fire began to spread to soybean stubble and standing soybeans that were surrounding the combine, but authorities says there wasn’t much crop damage.

And, Marne Firefighters called to 555th Street and Marne Road, Sunday evening, for a truck fire. The incident happened at around 5-p.m. The flames were quickly knocked down.

No injuries were reported in either incident.

(Creston, Iowa) – Eight people were arrested over the weekend, in Creston. Five persons were taken into custody, Sunday:

• 33-year-old Tyler James Hicks and 45-year-old Travis Quinn Wambold, both from Creston, were arrested at Howard & Elm Streets, for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Both men were later released on a $300 bond.
• 28-year-old Bethanylyn Reva Brown, of Creston, and 39-year-old Joseph Dean Baze-Gaiser, of Creston, were arrested in the 700 block of N. Vine Streets. Both were charged with Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order. Baze -Gaiser was additionally charge with Possession of Marijuana/1st offense. Brown and Baze-Gaser were being held in the jail without bond, with Brown was being held in the Adams County Jail.
• 29-year-old Hayley Joan Vandel, of Creston, was arrested Sunday in the area of Poplar and Taylor Streets, in Creston. She was charged with Driving While Suspended and later released on a $300 bond.

Saturday night, 24-year-old Ashley Dawn Eblen, of Creston, was arrested at her residence for Poss. of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense, Interference with Official Acts, and Disorderly Conduct. She was transported to the Clarke County Jail in Osceola and later released on her Own Recognizance, after being seen by the Magistrate.

Friday night, Creston Police arrested 46-year-old Joseph W. Harrison, and 26-year-old Kenneth Quienten Weaselhead, both of Creston. They were taken into custody at 207 E. Montgomery Street, in Creston. Harrison was charged with Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations-Bodily Injury, and Interference with Official Acts. He was later released on a $3,000 bond. Weaselhead was charged with Disorderly Conduct-Fighting/Violent Behaviour. He was later released on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Both candidates in Iowa’s new third congressional district say they support boosting U.S. energy production, but aired their differences over wind turbines and carbon pipelines. Congresswoman Cindy Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, says it’s time to look at other ways to reduce carbon emissions. She says the pipelines would make an insignificant dent in carbon output. “These private investors, they seem to be getting all of the money and our farmers and other landowners are going to be at the short end of the stick,” Axne says. “I don’t think this is a good use of eminent domain because it doesn’t do enough for the public.” Zach Nunn of Bondurant is the Republican running against Axne. He says carbon sequestration is a great way to help farmers and Iowa’s ethanol industry, but he did criticize the three companies that have unveiled carbon pipeline routes through Iowa.

“The private sector has tried to cut across people’s land, spending very little time offering fair market value,” Nunn say, “so here’s what I would suggest: always, if there’s the opportunity for a right of way, meaning an area that’s owned by the state or federal government, those should be the first priorities.” Axne says Iowa has become a leader in wind energy and can expand that industry, but steps should be taken to ensure wind farms don’t disrupt the lifestyle of rural Iowa. “If we can upgrade these wind turbines to address those issues that these communities are facing, whether it’s noise or whatever their concerns are, we should be able to do those types of things for them.” Nunn says clusters of wind turbines can be a real blight on the landscape and create health challenges for people who live nearby.

“Absentee landlords, many who live in places like California and New York…are finding themselves enriched,” Nunn says, “while others have to live up the street from massive wind farms.” The candidates made their comments Sunday during a debate on K-M-A Radio. The new third congressional district covers 21 counties in central, southwest, south central and southeast Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – A jury has awarded the Republican candidate for state auditor a million dollars in his wrongful termination lawsuit against the State of Iowa. Todd Halbur was hired to be the comptroller of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division in 2015 and fired in mid-2018. Under Iowa’s liquor control system, the state acts as the wholesaler for Iowa businesses that buy liquor to sell to customers. Halbur says he was demoted, then fired for being a whistleblower about prices on some products that were higher than allowed by law. Halibur’s supervisors say pricing changes were made after Halbur raised the issue and he was fired for other reasons.

The state could appeal the jury’s verdict. Last year, the Iowa Supreme Court overturned a one-and-a-half million dollar jury award to the state’s former workers compensation commissioner. Halbur is a small businessman and realtor from Clive. Halbur defeated a state legislator from western Iowa to win the G-O-P’s nomination for state auditor, but he’s raised little money his race. State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, is running for a second term.

(Radio Iowa) – A Janesville, Wisconsin man wanted on child pornography charges was arrested in Fort Dodge on Friday. The U.S. Marshall’s office notified the Webster County Sheriff’s office that the fugitive was hiding out at a Fort Dodge motel. Sheriff’s detectives and the agents with the Division of Narcotic Enforcement located 71-year-old Michael C. McMahon at the Fort Dodge Days Inn. McMahon was wanted on a federal charge for failure to appear for two counts of possession of child pornography.

He was taken into custody without incident. McMahon was taken to the Webster County Jail to await extradition back to Beloit, Wisconsin for the charges filed against him. McMahon was arrested in February of 2020. Court records indicate investigators who searched his home found he had downloaded pornographic images and videos of children on his computer.

(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowa trees that were stressed by the drought are already starting to drop their leaves, but soon, homeowners across the state will be delving into the chore of leaf raking. Adam Thoms, a horticulture professor at Iowa State University and a turfgrass extension specialist, says there may be a better alternative to raking that doesn’t require you to buy those leaf recycling bags some Iowa cities require. “The only thing is, as the leaves start to fall, you might want to consider mulching those leaves if they get really deep in the yard because they can smother out the grass,” Thoms says. “So, just run your mower over those to mulch those up and that’ll help.”

While some lawn mowers are sold as mulcher mowers, just making a few passes will typically grind up the leaves sufficiently. Thoms says mulching this fall can bring a healthier lawn next spring. “Yeah, absolutely,” Thoms says. “You can return those nutrients that are in those leaves back into your yard and that’ll add organic matter and make a healthier soil as well. So mulching is the way to go if you can do it.” Iowans who have bare patches in their lawns due to drought, construction or something else, might consider buying a bag of grass seed and a bale of straw.

“If you can apply any kind of seed to it, now is the time to do that because you’re not competing against crabgrass, things like that,” Thoms says. “Make sure that you rake a little soil over the top and that’s fine. Straw can be added as well, if you want to. It just kind of holds the moisture longer.” This is also a good time to aerate your lawn, he says, as that process reduces compaction, improves soil health, and produces deeper rooted plants which should stay greener, longer during dry spells.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak were called to the intersection of 5th & Corning Streets Sunday, following a report of a man using drugs while with a juvenile. On the scene, officers arrested 66-year-old Calvin Merle Watt, of Red Oak, at around 1:30-p.m.

He was charged with: Possession of Marijuana/2nd offense; Possession of Meth/2nd offense; Gathering where controlled substances are used or consumed; Child Endangerment; and distribution of a controlled substance to a person under the age of 18, which is a Class-B Felony offense.

Watt was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $25,000 bond.

(Exira, Iowa) – A collision between a car and a semi tractor-trailer in Exira, Sunday afternoon, resulted in the death of a woman. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident happened at around 2:48-p.m. in the area of 418 W. Washington Street, on the west side of Exira.

Authorities say a 2009 Ford Focus driven by 75-year-old Phyllis Elaine Hoffman, of Exira, was traveling eastbound, when for reasons unknown, the vehicle crossed the center of the road and struck a westbound 2016 Mack tractor-trailer, head-on. The semi was driven by 24-year-old John Joseph Schultes, of Exira.

Schultes was not injured in the collision. Hoffman died at the scene. She was wearing her seat belt. The accident remains under investigation.