(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Road Department reports beginning Monday, Sept. 16th, 210^th Street between Sheldon and Trenton Avenues, will be closed for a culvert replacement project. The road will be closed for anywhere from three-to five-days, or by no later than Sept. 20th.

210th St. in Adair County

(Radio Iowa) – A Mason City woman who was accused of embezzling thousands of dollars from an Osage Girl Scout troop she helped found has entered a guilty plea in the case. 30-year-old Kennika Gueller was originally charged with ongoing criminal conduct, a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison, as well as second-degree theft after authorities said she stole just under $6000 from the troop for personal purchases in Mason City, Manly, Charles City, Osage, as well as online.

A criminal complaint states the money was taken from the troop’s bank account and the proceeds of cookie sales. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Gueller on Wednesday pleaded guilty to the second-degree theft charge with the ongoing criminal conduct charge being dismissed.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors say they’ll recommend a deferred judgment and five years probation when Gueller is sentenced on November 5th in Mitchell County District Court.

(Radio Iowa) – A new report shows Iowans are continuing to pack on the pounds, with more than one in every three Iowa adults now being considered obese. Dr. Nadine Gracia, president and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, says the national report places Iowa tied for seventh with Indiana for the most overweight states. “Iowa, in the latest data shows that the rate of obesity among adults is at about 37%, not a significant difference from the previous year, but what’s more important is really that we look at trends,” Gracia says. “When we look at the state over the past five years, there has been a significant increase, demonstrating that there is a need to continue to really work on addressing adult and childhood obesity.”

The report shows Iowa’s young people are mirroring the adults in seeing elevated weights. “Rates of childhood obesity at the national level is at about nearly 20%,” Gracia says. “For children in the state of Iowa, between the ages of six to 17, that rate is about 15%, again, also seeing over time increases.” About ten years ago, the report found -zero- states with an adult obesity rating over 35-percent, while the new report puts Iowa — and almost half of all states — in that category.

“Now, 23 states have adult obesity rates at or above 35%,” Gracia says. “When we also look at the last five years, we’re seeing that actually about more than half of all the states in the country have experienced an increase in their adult obesity rate.” Obesity is a complicated issue to diagnose, and she calls it a national public health issue that goes far beyond individual behavior. “We also know how your environment, whether you have access to affordable, healthy, nutritious foods, living in a neighborhood where you can engage safely in physical activity,” Gracia says, “those types of structural factors are really important as it relates to risk for obesity.”

Trust for America’s Health graphic

Other factors may include medications, genetics, other health issues, and stress. The report shows West Virginia has the highest obesity rate at 41-percent, while Colorado ranked the lowest with 25-percent.

See the full State of Obesity 2024 report.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report a woman was arrested Thursday afternoon for Driving While Barred. 38-year-old Sara Sue Batten, of Red Oak, was taken into custody in the 300 block of Alix Avenue at around 4:15-p.m. Batten was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says farmers should be wary of agricultural drones manufactured in China and sold in the U-S by a company called D-J-I. “Every farmer needs to be eyes wide open about the technology they are currently using on their farms,” Hinson says. There are nearly 10-thousand registered agricultural spray drones in the U.S. today and Hinson says many of those were made by D-J-I, which has ties to the Chinese military.

“They have sophisticated sensing technology designed to help monitor the health of crops and direct the spray to the appropriate area,” Hinson says, “but that also means that these drones are actively collecting granular level detail on our ag industry that can be weaponized by the CCP.” Hinson says that means the C-C-P — the Chinese Communist Party — could have leverage over the U-S food supply, making this a national security issue.

D-J-I says it has no ties to the Chinese military and any ban on its products would deprive U-S farmers of the benefits D-J-I spray drones offer. D-J-I is the world’s largest drone manufacturer and 80 percent of the consumer drones sold in the U-S were made by D-J-I. This week, the House passed a bill that would ban all *future* D-J-I drone models from operating in the United States.

“Communist China is the most significant threat to the United States’ security, economy and global leadership,” Hinson says. “For decades the U-S has taken, frankly, a delicate approach to our relationship with communist China, and hoping that if we bring them into the rules based international order that they would act accordingly.”

Hinson says appeasing China hasn’t worked and it’s time to change tactics. Hinson, a Republican from Marion, is a member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

REDFIELD, Iowa [KCCI] – Incidents of credit card fraud are being reported at the Casey’s General Store in Redfield. ias happening right now in the town of Redfield. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Office says at least four people claim they were scammed at the store.

The victims reported finding a skimmer at the particular store. But after investigating, officials say they were not able to find one there. Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said no skimmers were found at the gas pumps nor inside the store, so the incidents are being investigated by other means. He said  officials with Casey’s Corporate are aware of the situation.

If you’ve been scammed, the sheriff’s office recommends reporting it right away to protect your credit score and line of credit.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Neola man was sentenced today to a total term of 292 months in federal prison for transporting a minor for the purpose of engaging in sex acts and possessing firearms as a felon.

According to public court documents, Steven Earl Adkins, 56, communicated with a minor on Craigslist. He drove to a truck stop in Nebraska, picked up the minor, and brought the minor to his home. Adkins provided necessities to the minor in exchange for sex acts. During a search warrant at Adkins’s residence, law enforcement located 16 firearms and ammunition. In 2011, Adkins was convicted in Nebraska of the felony offense of strangulation, which prohibits Adkins from possessing firearms.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Adkins will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Adkins will be required to register as a sex offender.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the FBI, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Omaha Police Department, and Colorado Springs Police Department.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Meyer & Gross Real Estate, will host a Drive-In Movie experience Saturday, October 5th. Chamber Programs Director Kelsey Beschorner says “Drive-In Movie Night has become an annual tradition that I look forward to every year. We are excited to bring this classic movie to the big screen this fall.”

Beschorner added, “The Drive-In is a fun, nostalgic experience for community members and those in the surrounding area to enjoy. This also gives us the opportunity to show off our town and encourage people to shop and eat before coming to the movie.”  The Drive-In Movie will be at the Cass County Fair Grounds in the grandstand area beginning around 8:30 PM with a showing of “Ghost Busters”.

Cars may begin parking at 7-p.m. The screen is 60 feet long with a high definition projector. Speakers will be available next to the screen for people to utilize. A transmitter will be provided for those enjoying the movie from their car. Attendees will turn their radio to a certain station and the transmitter will play the audio through their car speakers.

Entry is $25 per vehicle and tickets can be purchased at www.atlanticiowa.com or day-of at the gate. People are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on. Inside parking for the Drive-In is limited, so pack a chair or blanket as precaution. Moviehouse & Event Center will have concessions available for purchase on the fairgrounds.

For more information, visit www.atlanticiowa.com, call the Chamber at 712.243.3017 or email chamber@atlanticiowa.com. The Drive-In is sponsored by Meyer & Gross Real Estate.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – An Audubon man was sentenced today to 25 years (300 months) in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a minor.

According to public court documents, William Roland Brubaker, 27, initiated a sexual relationship with a minor and produced videos of child sexual abuse material of the minor. The videos were recorded on a cell phone and shared with Brubaker through a social media application.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Brubaker will be required to serve a 10-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Brubaker will be required to register as a sex offender.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Audubon County Sheriff’s Department, Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation’s Cyber Crime Bureau, Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and FBI Child Exploitation Task Force.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says she’s pressing Mexican authorities to secure the safe return of a 51-year-old Des Moines woman who was kidnapped in northern Mexico a month ago.  “Seriously, this is Mexico. This is a partner with the United States, whether it’s trade and other types of economic endeavors. This is our neighbor to the south,” Ernst said. “They need to step up.”

Chris Leguisano went missing over a month ago. She was in Mexico to deliver a truck full of belongings to a brother-in-law and was last seen in Reynosa, Mexico — less than a hour’s drive from the U-S southern border. Ernst says this is the second high-profile assault of American citizens in that part of Mexico in the past two years.

Chris Leguisano of Des Moines was reported missing in early August. (Iowa Clearinghouse of Missing Persons photo)

“This is a woman who was kidnapped,” Ernst said. “We can’t tolerate this.” State Department officials have briefed the staff in Senator Chuck Grassley’s office and Ernst’s staff on outreach to Mexican authorities and how U-S law enforcement are involved in the case. In July, the State Department issued a warning advising Americans not to travel to or through the state in northern Mexico that sits along the Gulf of Mexico. “It just underscores the fact that having an open border, having cartels that are running these dangerous schemes of drug running, weapons trafficking, human trafficking,” Ernst said.

Leguisano’s son told W-O-I T-V he’s gotten text messages demanding a ransom.