(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has denied the appeal of a man convicted of murder following a 2020 bar fight in Harrison County.

Kristofer Erlbacher, of Woodbine, was found guilty of first-degree murder after hitting and running over Caleb Solberg of Moorhead three times with his pickup outside a bar in Pisgah. Erlbacher appealed, saying he was acting in self defense and that he was intoxicated. The Court of Appeals ruling says Erlbacher told police he was scared, but if that were the case, he could have just driven away.

The ruling also noted Erlbacher told others in the bar “I got this” before going to his pickup and running over Solberg, indicating he was not too intoxicated to carry out his plan.

Court records show Erlbacher and Solberg had been in a fight at a bar in Moorhead earlier in the night after Erlbacher put mayonnaise on Soldberg’s food.

Erlbacher is serving a life sentence.

(Radio Iowa) – A federal judge has permanently blocked two Iowa counties from enforcing ordinances that would have set restrictions for carbon pipelines. The ordinances in Shelby and Story Counties set zones around homes, schools and city limits through which pipelines were not to pass. The counties also sought to force Summit Carbon Solutions to provide county-specific emergency plans for pipeline ruptures.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was first to report that the judge ruled the restrictions would have imposed severe limitations, leading to a situation where the Iowa Utilities Board could grant a construction permit for the pipeline, but Summit would be unable to build it. The same judge issued a temporary injunction this summer against Shelby County’s ordinance. Shelby County Supervisor Kevin Kinkel said at the time it was disappointing that other levels of government aren’t supporting counties in their efforts to protect residents.

Emmet County Supervisors passed zoning restrictions for pipelines that transport hazaroud liquids in early March and Summit Carbon Solutions sued later that month, but that lawsuit has not been resolved. Bremer County also has a zoning ordinance related to carbon pipelines and Navigator C-O-2 sued this spring, but the company has dropped the lawsuit after cancelling its pipeline project.

(Anita, Iowa) – Firefighters from Anita were requested at the CAM High School in Anita, this (Wednesday) morning, following a fire alarm and the observation of smoke. All students were safely evacuated to the North Elementary Gymnasium, as a precaution. Superintendent Paul Croghan said 7th thru 12th grade students will be released earlier than normal, today only.

(As said: The issue was with an overheated electrical motor. Parents were notified by JMC. Croghan said if you cannot pick your child-up, the District will run bus routes like normal on Wednesday, and students can ride the buses at those normal times).

Parents with questions should contact the school office.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Adair County, today (Wednesday), received updated with regard to a Manure Management Plan, Insurance rates, and Bond interest/premium rates. Their first action was to acknowledge the receipt of a Manure Management Plan Update. Board Chair Jerry Walker…

County Auditor Mandy Berg updated the Board of FY25 ISAC Group Health Insurance rates.

County Engineer Nick Kauffman reported on Adair County Secondary Roads Department maintenance work and activities. He said the Washington 32 bridge is finished, with the exception of some dirt work.

And, Maggie Burger with Speer Financial provided insight into Bond interest rates, the issuance of additional obligation debt, etc. With regard to the latter, Speer said….

The majority of the debts are for road projects. The County is currently looking to take on about $5-million in debt for a similar project.

She said they likely wouldn’t need to do any work on TIF (Tax Increment Financing), to get the project ready to go. Speer said the next part of the process is setting the date for a public hearing on the borrowing itself, and then proceed forward with the actual borrowing timeline. That can be as little as 75 days, or as long as the Board determines is necessary.

Interest rates on bond are higher than have been seen in quite some time, she said.

The County is looking to bond for road construction projects sometime this March or April. Speers suggested the County go out for bids first, before taking on bond debt, so the “amount not to exceed” can be determined prior to a public hearing on the issuance of bonds. County Engineer Nick Kauffamn said the bid letting is set for January or February.

More community leaders are calling for action surrounding a Woodbury County supervisor whose wife was convicted last month of voter fraud. At last (Tuesday) night’s county board meeting, two unions representing law enforcement and labor called for the resignation of Jeremy Taylor, who was first elected to the all-Republican board in 2014. Taylor wasn’t swayed.

“I wanted to just make a statement in response to some of the statements that have been made tonight,” Taylor says. “I was elected by the people of this county to do a job, and I take that very seriously and work hard to do the absolute best job I can. They hold us accountable every four years.” Board Chairman Matthew Ung says having Taylor in office is a distraction to the work that needs to be done by local government.

“It’s a sad situation and it’s something that the board shouldn’t have to get into,” Ung says, “but we’re forced into it by the position that he’s in.” The board decided not to vote on a resolution brought forward by the county auditor to call on the state attorney general to investigate the Taylors as a way to remove him from office. They said the public can file a petition through district court instead. Ung was one of three board members who previously called on Taylor to resign.

“Almost the whole meeting was about him,” Ung says. “Most people attending were here to see if he would say anything and address the elephant in the room, which is the fact that he was labeled a co-conspirator by the government during the trial of his wife.” The board accepted the resignation of Taylor as vice chair, a move that was mainly symbolic, since there are only two more meetings left this year. New leadership gets picked in January. Taylor’s wife, Kim, was convicted on November 21st on 52 counts of voter fraud connected to elections in 2020 when her husband’s name was on the ballot.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Warm weather continues to allow work to proceed on various road and bridge projects in Cass County (IA). County Engineer Trent Wolken said Tuesday, that a culvert located on 720^th south of Tucson Road is now open. During a meeting of the County Board of Supervisors, Wolken said 720^th opened-up on Monday. Work continues, meanwhile, on other road projects, thanks to a few days of warmer than normal temperatures.

Wolken said crews were expected to begin pouring 290-yards of concrete for Bridge #319 deck over Indian Creek on G30, today (Wednesday).

Once the deck is cured, Wolken said that should get them into the final stretch of construction, which includes finishing the rails along the road.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office today (Wednesday) reports three people were injured during a collision that occurred Monday evening on Highway 34 East. Authorities say at around 6:25-p.m., Deputies were dispatched to an accident at the intersection of Highways 34 East and 169 South. An investigation determined a 2004 Ford pickup driven by 38-year-old Jason Vernon Mullen, of Johnston, was traveling east on Highway 34. A 2013 Chrysler Town & Country van driven by 96-year-old Leroy Dale Manship, of Afton, was turning left (westbound) from Highway 169 South, when he turned into the eastbound lane of traffic on Highway 34.

Mullen tried to move his vehicle out of the way, but was unable to do so. The vehicles collided in the eastbound lane of travel. All occupants were wearing their seat belts.

Mullen and his passengers, 65-year-old Marilea Elizabeth Mullen, of Corning, and 14-year-old Chayten Pope, were injured and transported by EMS ambulance to the hospital in Creston. Manship was also injured in the crash. He was treated and released to his residence by EMS crews.

Both vehicles were a total loss. There were no citations mentioned in the Sheriff’s report.

MARSHALL COUNTY, Iowa (WHO-TV) — In an update to a previous report, authorities say woman from eastern Iowa faces several charges in connection to a crash that occurred May 20th, near Albion, and that caused the death of an 86-year-old man. The crash between a car and a tractor happened on Highway 330. When first responders arrived on scene they found a tractor overturned in a ditch and another vehicle with heavy front-end damage in the middle of the road.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, the tractor had pulled just out of a private drive onto the highway, when it was rear ended by a vehicle. The impact caused the tractor to crash into the ditch and roll onto its top. The driver of the tractor, 86-year-old Clarence Borton, died from his injuries at the scene of the crash. The driver of the vehicle, 23-year-old Morgan Weigelt, from Albion, was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of  non-life threatening injuries.

On Tuesday (Dec. 5, 2023), Weigelt was charged with failure to stop in assured and clear distance, use of an electronic communication device – over the age of 18, homicide by vehicle, and failure to provide proof of financial liability. She was being held at the Marshall County Jail on a $10,900 bond.

(Washington, D-C) – The office of Iowa Republican U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, from Red Oak, Tuesday, says the Senator has exposed that, almost four years after COVID-19 temporarily closed federal buildings, not a single government agency is occupying even half their office space and called on Biden’s bureaucrats to deck the agency halls with federal workers or sell off unused facilities.

As taxpayers are picking up the cost of vacant offices, Ernst unveiled a naughty list of these no-show federal agencies topped by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Social Security Administration, both of which are using just 7% of their space.

In August, Ernst demanded investigations into 24 federal departments and agencies to determine the impact of telework on the delivery and response times of services. Following her advocacy, the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Inspector General responded to her request and is currently considering an audit to examine whether GSA has appropriately evaluated its physical space needs and utilization. A few months later, the GSA announced it would downsize 3.5 million square feet of federal buildings, which would save taxpayers over $1 billion.

Ernst also increased accountability for federal telework abuse by passing an amendment to hold the Biden administration accountable for the cost to taxpayers and the impact on services from continued remote work by Washington bureaucrats.

DES MOINES, Iowa (December 5, 2023) – Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG), Tuesday, announced that a Harlan student visited Washington, D.C. for legislative meetings and a national leadership conference. Zeke Christensen begins his inaugural duties as President-elect for the Iowa State Career Association this past weekend in the nation’s capital.
Christensen and seven other Iowa students kicked off their trip in D.C. on Thursday with a tour of the White House and special meet-and-greets with six Iowa legislators:
● Senator Chuck Grassley
● Senator Joni Ernst and staffers
● Congressman Zach Nunn
● Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Iowa’s 1st District
● Representative Ashley Hinson, Iowa’s 2nd District
● Representative Randy Feenstra, Iowa’s 4th District

iJAG and Representative Randy Feenstra: Zeke Christensen is pictured visiting with Representative Randy Feenstra who oversees Iowa’s 4th Congressional District which includes Harlan and and surrounding counties.

Iowa State Career Association Elects-Capitol Hill: Christensen, pictured left, joined fellow Iowa State Career Association elects and other students part of the iJAG programs across the state for a four-day trip to Washington, D.C.

iJAG and Senator Chuck Grassley: Eight iJAG students, including Christensen, met with six Iowa legislators on Capitol Hill last Thursday to discuss the future of Iowa and the impact of iJAG on youth. Pictured is Senator Grassley with iJAG students and staff.

Zeke Christensen: Elected to serve as one of four officers for the Iowa State Career Association for the 2024 school year.

Following a day at the White House, Christensen attended NSLA for three days of skill-building, advanced leadership training, professional networking and activities related to effective communications. The annual event is exclusive for top student leaders across 39 state affiliates of the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) organization. Approximately 350 of 45,000 JAG students are invited to attend each year. Just last month, Christensen was named as the President-elect for the Iowa SCA whose term will begin in the 2024 school year. He was voted to the position by nearly 1,100 of his peers during Iowa’s Leadership Development Conference (LDC). The Iowa SCA is a four-chair student leadership team led and managed by iJAG, a statewide nonprofit organization who partners with Iowa schools to deliver in-class career development programming. (Photos & info. courtesy Rachael Tiby w/iJAG)

Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) is a statewide nonprofit organization who partners with Iowa schools to deliver in-class career development programming for youth grades 6-12. The organization serves more than 7,200 students in 155 programs across 62 school districts and 44 Iowa counties. Students participate in year-round leadership training, skill-building, civic projects and employer engagement experiences that help them discover, plan and prepare for the future. iJAG graduates 97% of its students as compared to the 91% Iowa graduation rate. Additionally, iJAG students are more likely to experience successful transitions to postsecondary education, full-time work and/or military. Learn more by visiting iJAG.org.