(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports no one was injured following two separate accident so far this week.  Monday evening, a 2011 Jeep driven by 20-year-old Martin Plascencia-Marquez, of Omaha, was traveling east on Highway 34 near mile marker 1, when at around 7:23-p.m., the vehicle began to malfunction. After Plascencia-Marquez pulled-over and popped the hood, he saw flames coming from the engine bay. The compartment became fully engulfed in flames, and was extinguished by first responders.

On Wednesday, Mills County Deputies responded to a rollover accident at 360th/Lambert. A 2022 Nissan was observed in the north ditch. The driver, 23-year-old Ian Rieple, of Omaha, informed the Deputy that he was en route to Malvern, when his vehicle slid-off the road and into the ditch. The Deputy transported the man to a local convenience store to be picked up by his friend and transported back to Nebraska.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announce the launch of a multi-platform, multi-audience messaging campaign aimed at educating parents and young Iowans about the dangers of counterfeit pills and fentanyl.

More and more young Iowans are experimenting with pills believing they will help them feel better, study more effectively or reduce social anxiety. “This is especially dangerous because many of these pills available to young people are counterfeit and contain deadly levels of fentanyl,” said Dr. Robert Kruse, State Medical Director. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s 50 times stronger than heroin.  It only takes 2mg of fentanyl to be deadly.  Drug cartels make counterfeit pills with fentanyl because it’s cheap, highly addictive, and encourages repeat business.

The campaign features Deric and Kathy Kidd of central Iowa, who lost their 17-year-old son, Sebastian on July 30, 2021 due to counterfeit pills. “Everyone needs to know these conversations are essential. We all need to start an ongoing and open dialogue with our kids about the ramifications of taking any illicit substance.  It’s imperative that we address the stigma associated with mental health and drug use. Understanding the correlation between the two is the first step in this fight,” shared Deric and Kathy Kidd.

“Raising awareness among young Iowans and their parents about the threat of fentanyl is one of the most important things we can do to save lives and combat the national opioid crisis,” Gov. Reynolds stated. “This new campaign is part of a comprehensive approach that also includes new legislation to enact stricter penalties and enhanced sentencing to hold drug manufacturers and dealers accountable.”

The campaign will include television spots with high-profile social media placements on Facebook and Instagram to enhance awareness of counterfeit pills among Iowans age 25 and up. Messaging will also be targeted toward teens and young adults through YouTube and mobile app targeted banners. HHS also developed a conversation guide for parents. The tool provides parents age specific information about how to start having this important conversation. The conversation guide can be downloaded from the Your Life Iowa website.

In October 2022, HHS announced a program to provide Naloxone (an opioid reversal medication) in schools across Iowa so they can respond to students, staff, or visitors who may be experiencing an opioid overdose. Schools, businesses and organizations can apply for the program on the HHS website using this form.

(Radio Iowa) – Four police officers are being cleared of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of a central Iowa teenager the day after Christmas. Des Moines police were called to a southside apartment early on December 26th where a man said his stepson had pulled a gun on him. The 16-year-old, identified only as T-J, refused to comply with officers’ orders to lower the weapon. After five minutes of negotiation, the boy raised the gun at the four officers. He was shot 14 times.

Following a review of all statements and bodycam video, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office says the shooting was justified and no charges will be filed. The report says the officers were forced to act to protect themselves and others.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Senator Joni Ernst says now is not the time to cut the Pentagon’s budget. “We know that there are areas in our national defense where we are lagging behind,” Ernst says. “If you take a look at what we call our nuclear triad, we know that we need to modernize. We are very, very far behind in some of those efforts and areas.”

House Republicans say they will insist on cuts in federal spending in any deal to raise the government’s ability to borrow more money to pay its bills. Ernst says cuts to military spending would not be helpful. “To scale back tremendously on national defense, I think it’s the wrong thing to do when we live in an ever increasingly dangerous, dangerous world,” Ernst says.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says every single level of government should be looking at ways to spend less money. He says in an 800 BILLION dollar defense budget, there are areas that can be cut, like the money the Air Force is spending to research the use of biofuels in jets.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the driver of an SUV escaped injury, Wednesday evening, after her vehicle went off of a snow covered road and into a ditch before crashing through a barber wire fence and coming to rest in a pasture. The accident happened at around 6:04-p.m, on southbound Highway 169. Officials say 49-year-old Shari Sue Farrell, of Chariton, was driving too fast for the snowy conditions. No citations were issued. The 2019 Jeep Compass Farrell was driving sustained $2,500 damage during the incident.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say a woman was arrested Wednesday on Theft & drug charges. 47-year-old Misty Marie Matera, of Creston, was taken into custody a little before 12-p.m. at the Wal-Mart in Creston, for Theft in the 5th Degree, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She posted bond, and was released from the Union County Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – Veterans groups are urging lawmakers to find more money for a state fund that helps low income veterans cover unexpected expenses. Iowa Commission on Veterans Affairs chair Elizabeth Ledvina spoke at Wednesday’s Iowa Veterans Day ceremony at the Capitol. “Update the Veterans Trust Fund…to meet needs in the 2023 economy,” she said. Veterans with an annual income below 41-thousand dollars may apply for grants from the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund for things like medical equipment, counseling and emergency repairs to a home or vehicle.

The fund awarded half a million dollars worth of grants last fall and is out of money until the next state budgeting year starts July 1st. Senator Bill Dotzler of Waterloo served in the Army Security Agency in Germany during the Vietnam era. He’s proposing a half a million dollar emergency allotment for the next five months.

“And hopefully we can continue on to double the amount of money in that fund,” Dotzler said. That would ensure the fund has a million dollars every year. Other lawmakers are proposing a slightly lower 800-thousand dollar annual amount.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds’ new plan to let the parents of private school students apply for state funds to cover tuition and other expenses is speeding thru the legislature. It cleared Republican-led committees in the House AND Senate Wednesday and a bill is eligible for debate in the House as early as Monday. Republican Representative John Wills of Spirit Lake says the concept has been adequately discussed.

“It’s not quickly at all,” Wills says. “…For two solid year’s we’ve been talking about it.” During that time, the governor’s less expansive plans to give state money to low income parents who want to send their kids to private school never came up for a vote in the House. House Speaker Pat Grassley has used his power to change committee rules, so the bill may be debated on the House floor soon.

Grassley says while the plan is projected to spend over 900 million dollars on the education of private school students over the next four years, the state is likely to send over 15 BILLION dollars to public K-through-12 schools during that time period. “This is the most in-depth walk through of any major piece of policy I’ve been a part of during my time in the legislature, when it gets into the weeds,” Grassley said.

House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says those numbers come from the governor’s staff and lawmakers should at least wait for a nonpartisan agency to review the plan and come up with a cost estimate. “There are 39 new members in the Iowa House of Representatives, so any argument that we’ve been talking about this for years is moot,” Konfrst says. Konfrst says debating the bill in the third week of the legislative session is irresponsible.

“I think we’re rushing this process for no good reason,” Konfrst says. Senate President Amy Sinclair of Allerton rejects the idea things are being rushed, since Republicans in the Senate have already voted for the governor’s previous plans. “I would suggest that maybe it’s long overdue,” Sinclair said.

The Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to review the governor’s new plan at 10 a.m. today (Thursday) — and the bill would be eligible for debate in the Senate next week as well.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office says there were no injuries reported after a pickup truck rolled over Wednesday, and came to rest on its top. The accident happened at around 3-p.m. Authorities say the 2020 GMC Sierra driven by 80-year-old Lowell Pettit, of Creston, was traveling north on Iris Avenue near 150th Street. When it crested the hill, the pickup went out of control due to the weather/road conditions.

Pettit was wearing his seat belt. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $20,000, or a total loss.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council met at 4-p.m. Wednesday in their Chambers at City Hall. Their first order of business was to hold a public hearing on the status of funded activities for the City’s CDBG-CV project (Covid Community Development Block Grant project). And, while the SWIPCO representative was unable to attend the meeting to discuss the matter, they did provide City Clerk Barb Barrick with a status report.

Barrick read, “It was reported that the project was approximately 56-percent complete, and the anticipated end date for the project is May 30th, 2023. For the project to-date, $70,612 has been spent, with $58, 226 in CDBG Expense funds expanded, and $3,100 in CDBG Administrative funds expended. There is $36, 774 remaining in CDBG Funds for the expenses. Match expended so far is $14,560.” The beneficiaries of the project are the Food Pantry recipients of the Atlantic Food Pantry in the City of Atlantic. The Council acknowledged receipt of the report.

Next up was a presentation on 2022 accomplishments and the 2023 goals for the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. Chamber Executive Director Bailey Smith said they currently have 240 members, having not lost any members in 2022. In fact they gained 12, with their memberships coming from 12 communities in Cass County, not just Atlantic, and southwest region. Smith said among the Chamber’s accomplishments, is organizing a total of 25 events throughout 2022.

She said despite the good things that are going on, “A lot of people are hyper-focused on the fact that two business have closed. I chose to hyper-focus on the 11 that opened.” The closing of Oinker’s and Aunt B’s for reasons of retirement, she said, “Just gives us the opportunity to fill their whole building with another business, which we look forward to doing.” The Chamber relaunched its “Business Investor Fund” (BIF) in 2022, which was originally launched in 2020, but with the spread of COVID, no one wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to obtain funds for a business start-up, so it was placed on the “back burner,” until now.

The BIF Smith said, is essentially a guaranteed note for $1,000 a prospective business owner with a solid business plan signs, to help secure additional financial backing as collateral. To-date, five people have signed the note for their business. Additional information is available at the Chamber. All the banks except for Wells Fargo are partnering with the Chamber on the project.

The Atlantic City Council heard from CADCO Executive Director Jennifer McEntaffer on CADCO’s 2022 accomplishments  and 2023 goals, plus they heard from Alexsis Fleener with SHIFT ATL, on the DiscoverAtlanticIowa.com project. In their final order of business, the Council approved the reappointment of Lloyd Munson to the Board of Adjustment.