(Radio Iowa) — An Iowa native is being named one of CNN’s Top Ten Heroes for 2018 for her work running a non-profit group that eliminates food waste while feeding the hungry. Maria Rose Belding of Pella is a senior at American University, studying public health. The 22-year-old is also co-founder and executive director of MEANS, which stands for Matching Excess And Need for Stability. Belding says, “We built a website that makes it easy and free for grocery stores or restaurants or other folks who make food for a living to tell us, ‘Hey, I’ve got extra food,’ and we’re able to put them in touch with soup kitchens and homeless shelters and other folks feeding the hungry — all for free.” After just three years, the database is now being used in 49 states and has moved more than two-million pounds of food. Each of the ten CNN Heroes gets $10,000 and a vote is underway now at CNNHeroes.com to name one standout hero who will get another $100,000.

Belding says her winnings are all going to MEANS, which she and a friend first conceptualized as teens while working in her church’s pantry in Pella. The news release from CNN says all of the heroes “have dedicated their lives to changing the world,” which Belding says is humbling. “It’s a very generous way to describe what we do. It’s wonderful and I appreciate it from them,” Belding says. “I simply see our work as, we had an idea that could help a lot of people, we happened to have the tools and the resources and the knowledge to pull it off. We didn’t have any excuse not to.”

CNN called Belding to tell her she’d made the Top Ten Heroes list at 10 o’clock one recent night. She said she was a “human stress ball” as she was studying for an organic chemistry exam and let out a scream upon getting the news. While the award and the $10,000 is a huge boost for the organization, she say the real bonus is the exposure across the country. “Every time we get a national media piece, we have all of these folks who run food pantries who hear about us for the first time and sign on, so we always see a huge increase in the number of partners we have,” Belding says. “And we start seeing more food move, because we also get all of these food retailers who had never heard of us or what we do who then start using us because they saw us on something like CNN.”

Supporters can vote daily at CNNHeroes.com by logging in via email or Facebook. Viewers can vote up to 10 times a day, per method, every day through December 4th.

(Radio Iowa) — A new emergency management coordinator started work at the Iowa Department of Agriculture, Tuesday. The legislature set aside a quarter of a million dollars for the agency to prepare for an outbreak of a foreign animal disease, like African swine fever, foot and mouth disease or Avian influenza — the bird flu. A portion of that budget will pay the salary of Dr. Andrew Hennenfent, a public health veterinarian. He will review the state’s emergency response plans for animal diseases and organize drills for responding to an outbreak.

Hennenfent grew up on an Illinois farm and worked as a vet in Orland Hills, a community about 23 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. He recently served as the State Public Health Vet for the District of Columbia, though, and supervised the investigation of diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Dubuque woman stole more than $35,000 from the estate account of her late father. Dubuque County court records say 54-year-old Molly Behnke, of Dubuque, is charged with theft. The Telegraph Herald reports that an estate attorney told police that Behnke, as one of the executors for her father’s estate, was authorized to withdraw money to pay his final bills. But court documents say Behnke made withdrawals from May to July that were not used to pay off the debts.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department reports a central Iowa woman was arrested today (Wednesday) at around 1:20-a.m.  20-year old Natalie Eslinger, of Runnells, was taken into custody on two Union County warrants for Probation Violation on original charges of OWI/1st offense and Possession of a Controlled Substance. Eslinger was additionally charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense, and Interference with Official Acts. She was being held without bond on the Union County warrants in the Adams County Jail until seen by a magistrate, and a bond of $2,300 for the new charges.

And, at around 4:40-p.m. Tuesday, 27-year old Ashley Walker, of Osceola, was arrested in Creston on a Forgery charge. Walker was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Unofficial results from the area auditor’s office show there was one very close race Tuesday night. In Adams County Republican Douglas Birt narrowly defeated Democrat Marty Olive, by a vote of 151-to 150, for the District 1 seat on the Board of Supervisors.

Other contested races were not as close….

In Cass County, the Board of Supervisors race in District 2 went to Republican Mark T. O’Brien, who received 62-percent of the vote to Pat McCurdy’s 38-percent. McCurdy was a Nominated by petition candidate. And, in the District 3 Supervisors race, Republican John Hartkopf won over Dana Halder, who was nominated by petition, 52-percent to 48-percent. And, in the six-person, five-seat non-partisan race for the Cass County Ag Extension Council, the winners were Chad Becker, David York, Kristi Plagman, Todd Weppler, and Brad J. Pellett.

In Adair County, the District 4 Board of Supervisor’s seat went into Demcrat incumbent Jodie Hoadley, who had 56-percent of the vote to Doug Davidson’s 43.2-percent. Davidson ran as a nominated by petition candidate.

In Audubon County, Republican incumbent Gary Van Aernam defeated Democrat challenger Dwight Jessen, 1,577 votes to 1,033 for the Board of Supervisors seat. In Guthrie County, Republican Clifford Carney won over Rick Kness, 705-to 340 votes for a seat on the Board of Supervisors in District 2. In District 3, Everett Grasty garnered 602 votes for the win over Democrat Kevin Wirt’s 506. And, Roberta “Bert” Simmons along with John Tews were elected as Hospital Trustees. A total of four candidates had vied for the two seats on the Board.

In Montgomery County, there were two seats open on the Hospital Board of Trustees, and three candidates. The winners were Jill C. Bergstrom and Kevin Cabbage. In Pottawattamie County, where there were three seats open on the Board of Supervisors and nine candidates, the winners were Scott A. Belt, Lynn Grobe and incumbant Justin Schultz, all of whom are Republicans.

In Shelby County, Republican Darin Haake defeated Democrat Roger Schmitz for the open seat on the Board of Supervisors in District 1, and Steve Jacobs won the race for Clay Township Clerk, over his opponent Joel Schlueter.

All of the results are unofficial until canvassed by the respective county boards of supervisors. Here in Cass County, the election results will be canvassed next Tuesday, at Noon. More results are available on the kjan.com News page.

VENTURA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a firefighter was injured in northern Iowa when the firetruck he was driving rolled. The accident occurred a little after 9:30 p.m. Saturday, after the truck left a fire scene south of Ventura. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that authorities say the driver turned too short at an intersection, causing the truck to roll onto its top in a roadside ditch. The driver was taken to a Mason City hospital for treatment. He’s been identified as 65-year-old Doug Phinney.

State legislative races in southwest and western Iowa were easily won by incumbents in most cases during Tuesday’s election.

In the Iowa Senate…

District 11, incumbent Republican Senator Tom Shipley won a little more than 67-percent of the vote (17,984) to his Democrat challenger Sara Ramsey, who garnered nearly 33-percent of the vote (8,754).

In the Iowa House…

In District 12, Republican Brian Best defeated Democrat Peter Leo, 8, 398 to 4,373 (66% to 34%).

In District 15, Democrat Charlie McConkey defeated his Republican challenger LeAnn Hughes, by a vote of 56-percent to nearly 44-percent (4,620 to 3,584). In District 16, Republican Mary Ann Hanusa beat her Democrat challenger, Steve Gorman, by receiving nearly 50-percent of the vote to Gorman’s 48-percent (4,947 to 4,834). Both districts are in Pottawattamie County.

In District 20, Republican Ray “Bubba” Sorensen, of Greenfield, won over his Democrat challenger Warren Varley, 62-to 38-percent (7,648 to 4,613). In District 21, incumbent Republican Representative Tom Moore easily defeated Democrat challenger Denise O’Brien, by garnering nearly 66-percent of the vote (7,911) to O’Brien’s 34-percent (4,129).

In District 22, Republican Jon Jacobsen had 9, 702 votes (65.9%) to Democrat Ray Stevens’ 5,000 votes (33.96%).

In District 23, Republican David Sieck beat his Democrat challenger Chuck Larson, by receiving a little more than 66-percen of the vote (7,886 to 3,379). In District 24, Republican Cecil Dolecheck won his election over Democrat James Uhlenkamp, after garnering nearly 69-percent of the vote (7,692 to 3,660).

A traffic stop a little after 3-a.m. today in Montgomery County, resulted in the arrest of a Nebraska man. 22-year old Faisal Mohamed Khushai Assaedi, of Omaha, was taken into custody in the 2300 block of Highway 34, and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense. Assaedi was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.