(Radio Iowa) – Fire departments from four northwest Iowa cities responded to the fire in downtown Alton on Tuesday. According to Kevin Langel, Alton’s 2nd Assistant Fire Chief, the fire started at the rear of The Yard Bar and Grill’s exterior around 3:45 a.m. Fire fighters were on the scene for about two hours putting the blaze out. One firefighter needed medical attention and has since recovered. An E-M-T suffered minor injuries, but they did not require medical attention.

Damage estimates to the structure are unknown at this time and a neighboring residential building received heat, smoke and water damage. Langel suspects an electrical malfunction may have started the fire, but an official cause has not yet been determined.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report deputies investigated a theft May 5th at the Southwest Valley Middle School, in Villisca. As a result of the investigation, a 14-year-old male was arrested today (May 11) for Theft 5^th Degree. The juvenile was released to a parent.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office today (Wednesday), reports two arrests took place Tuesday. 32-year-old Robert James Hooks, of Omaha, was arrested at the Douglas County, NE., Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. Hooks was being held without bond. And, 37-year-old Tyanna Karee Monrreal-Robles, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Sarpy County, NE., Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear, on two original counts – Possession of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $10,000.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Rotary Club is looking to help non-profit organizations which have a project needing funding support. Rotarian Dolly Bergmann says you can send your information to Haley Kickland (haleykickland@gmail.com), Dolly Bergmann (bsktcola@gmail.com), or Ruth Sears (ruth.sears@edwardjones.com). In your e-mails, you’ll need to provide the following information: a description of the event or activity; how it can benefit the community; estimated cost of the project, any other funding you have, or will be getting, for the project; and explain if local businesses can be involved.

If you have questions, please contact any of the aforementioned individuals.

(Radio Iowa) – A group in northern Iowa is raising concerns about a proposed wind farm. The Lost Island Wind Project would place 40 to 50 wind turbines in parts of northern and western Palo Alto County. Stephanie Parsons, a member of the “Don’t Lose Lost Island” group, says there are wetlands and a wildlife preserve in the area. “They’re proposing to place these towers directly in the flight path of already endangered birds and threatened bat species,” she says.

The wind farm is a project of Vestas North America, a subsidiary of a Danish company that is the world’s largest manufacturer of wind turbines. Parsons’ group is hosting a meeting about the project tonight at 7 p.m. in Graettinger. “A lot of the community members didn’t know that there was a new project in the pipeline,” Parson says. “We actually found out because Vestas has actually reached out to ask key farmers, with contracts to start the process, and so that’s what sort of got this whole ball rolling about two months ago.”

Lost Island is the name of a township in Palo Alto County and the county’s conservation board operates the Lost Island Wetland Prairie Nature Center north of Ruthven. The website created for the Lost Island Wind Farm says the company is “determined to listen to all perspectives” and believes the Lost Island Wind Project “can benefit everyone who calls Palo Alto County, Iowa, home.”

According to the American Clean Energy Association, there were about 5900 wind turbines operating in Iowa by the end of 2020 and 5200 people work in Iowa’s wind energy industry.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors this (Wednesday) morning,met in a session that took less than 30-minutes. The Board approved a liquor license renewal for the Henry A. Wallace Country Life Center, and then acknowledged receipt of a wind turbine complaint letter.

Board Co-Chair Jerry Walker read the letter from Greenfield Paul Ehm…

In other business, the Board approved Co-Chair Walker signing the LakeView Drive Culvert Project. He also signed a Resolution confirming a public hearing would be held May 18^th at 9:30-a.m., with regard to the vacating of a dead-end section of 305^th lane, west of Dover Avenue, or about 3-miles southeast of Bridgewater.

Local farmer Kevin Tanner recently bought a parcel of land along the road and the east half-mile was opened back up. He now owns both side of the road, and has requested the County vacate the west end of the road so he can use it to get to his pasture land.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports 44-year-old Jeffrey Scott Gundersen, of Logan, was sentenced yesterday (Tuesday), in federal court, to 60 months (5-years) in prison, for being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. His prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release. According to court documents, Gundersen pleaded guilty to the charge on November 18, 2021.

On October 2, 2020, Gundersen visited a confidential source and provided them with a dismantled .22 caliber pistol. Gundersen stated he purchased the pistol for $200 but he could not get it to fire. The confidential source agreed to get the firearm fixed and took the gun from Gundersen – then reported the gun to law enforcement. The firearm was swabbed for DNA and lab results confirmed the DNA belonged to Gundersen. Gundersen is a prior convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The Council Bluffs Police Department, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department reports three recent arrests. Two people were arrested on separate charges, Sunday: 33-year-old Callie Faulkner, of Prairie Du Chien, WI, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. And, 29-year-old Jason Mark, of Atlantic, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct, Interference with Official Acts, and Public Intoxication.

On Saturday, 27-year-old Philip Thompson, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense.  All three subjects were booked into the Cass County Jail and later released.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is seeing more young children in crisis, so the state is launching a new ad campaign which aims to bring awareness to children’s mental health. The campaign starts this month and will run on social media and traditional media platforms, targeting both kids and adults. The ads urge kids who are struggling to seek help. “So, if you’ve been thinking about suicide, talk to a friend, talk to a parent…”

The ads also urge adults to reach out to kids who seem down. Iowa Department of Human Services Director Kelly Garcia says the state is trying to provide direction and resources to parents who may not know how to address mental health with their children.”Because there are spaces in parenthood that you’re not really given those clear toolkits,” Garcia says, “and so this is something that we wanted to provide. So it’s really practical conversation starters.”

Garcia says the state is launching the campaign as it’s been seeing an increase in younger children experiencing mental health crises. “We’re seeing really small children in distress – crisis – mobile crisis response and crisis stabilization utilization for really little kids,” Garcia says, “and we’re seeing really young children attempt and complete suicide, which is horrifying.”

Iowans who need help can find resources at YourLifeIowa.org.

(reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Two weeks after contract negotiations began, union workers at Arconic have decided to vote on whether to authorize a strike. Local 105 of the United Steelworkers represents 18-hundred hourly workers at the Davenport Works in Riverdale. Lee Shaffer, Local 105 spokesman, says negotiations have been slow, so union workers hope to speed them up, and emphasize their “essential” status during the pandemic.  “We were essential back then, so we want to be treated as essential now,” Shaffer says.

“We feel like we deserve pay that’s essential. Our benefits, health care and things of that nature, need to stay the same. We have good health care and we’d like to keep it, and our retirement. We’d like more put into our retirement so that we can enjoy better lives when we retire.”

The strike authorization vote will affect more than three-thousand workers at four locations — the Quad Cities, Tennessee, Indiana, and New York. Union workers will vote Thursday at the Isle of Capri in Bettendorf. The current, three-year contract expires Sunday at noon. The Davenport Works manufactures aluminum sheet and plate for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications.