(Radio Iowa) – This week’s Iowa Crop and Weather report from the U-S-D-A rates 60 percent of Iowa topsoil either short or very short of moisture. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says abnormally dry conditions have expanded in the past two weeks. “In those more pervasive and dry areas, we’ve seen precipitation deficits really stack up,” Glisan says. “This is reflected in lower stream flows, but also diminishment in soil moisture.”

By last Thursday, 99 percent of the state reached some stage of drought or has been abnormally dry for 30 to 60 days according to the U-S-D-A’s Iowa Drought Monitor. Glisan says it appears surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean are rising — and that means a change in the weather pattern for thunderstorms that form over the ocean and later sweep into Iowa.

“I think there is good news on the horizon,” Glisan says. Weather models indicate the swing into the wetter pattern could arrive in Iowa by July, according to Glisan, just when corn and soybeans hit a major stage in development.  “We need timely rainfalls throughout the teeth of the growing season,” Glisan says, “so seeing this potential shift into El Nino, which we are in now, and the potential for the weather patterns that set up, I am pretty confident that we are not going to see any yield loss because of early planting.”

Glisan made his comments during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S. According to the U-S-D-A, the development of Iowa’s soybean crop is nine days ahead of normal and the corn crop is a week ahead of last year.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Officers with the Red Oak Police Department report the arrest Monday afternoon, of 61-year-old Daniel Mark Kinnersley. The Red Oak man was arrested at around 4:05-p.m. for disorderly conduct after he allegedly ran in front of vehicles and made threatening remarks. Kinnersley was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

At around 7:50-p.m. Monday, Red Oak Police arrested 65-year-old James Grover Lunsford, of Red Oak, for Driving While License is suspended in Iowa. His bond was set at $491.25

And, Red Oak Police arrested 21-year-old Savannah Victoria Jones, of Murray, early this (Tuesday) morning. She was taken into custody at around 12:17-a.m. following a traffic stop, and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense. Jones was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Nishna Valley Trails and Cass County Conservation hosted “Truckin’ on the Trails” at Schildberg Recreation Area on June 3rd, in honor of National Trails Day. The event showcased various cycling opportunities and trails in Cass County.

Event organizers say Jon Jordan gave an introduction to gravel riding and led a 10-mile ride called the “Nishna Valley
Gravel Sampler” from Schildberg to the south T-Bone Trailhead and back. Throughout the event, Sarah Selders provided live music, and the Atlantic Kiwanis, Master Grillers, and Louie’s Shaved Ice sold food.

Steve Green of the Atlantic Kiwanis gave a presentation on the kids’ bike helmet giveaway the club has been organizing for 27 years, and shared that the Atlantic Kiwanis have given away over 5,000 helmets to third-grade students. Steve Anderson, owner of Bike Farm in Atlantic, talked about his bike business and gave out door prizes.

Jon Jordan led an enthusiastic group of 12 cyclists on the T-Bone Gravel Sampler Ride. (Photo submitted)

Dave and Barb Chase led a group of riders on a 1.5-mile ride around the Schildberg trails on their tandem bike. Over 70 people attended the trails day event.

Cass County Conservation and Nishna Valley Trails remind area residents and visitors that trails in Cass County can be used year-round. A Cass County trails map can be found online at: https://www.atlanticiowa.com/experience/cass-county-trails-map-2/. Hard copies of the map can be found at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

(Rural Anita, Iowa) – Anita Rescue was dispatched to the scene of a dump truck rollover accident this (Monday) afternoon, at around 4:43-p.m.  The incident happened near 76748 Fairview Road. The driver was conscious and awake. He was eventually able to walk to the ambulance to be checked-out.

Additional details are currently not available.

Des Moines – The Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau reports a Spirit Lake woman, 51-year-old Tammy Jo Zemler,  was charged with three counts of Fraudulent Submissions (Class D Felony), three counts of Forgery (Class D Felony), and three counts of Identity Theft (Aggravated Misdemeanor) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Divisions Fraud Bureau.

The charges against Zemler stem from an investigation which began in April of 2022.  According to a criminal complaint filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, while Zemler was working as an insurance producer, she altered documents and submitted them in support of insurance policies knowing that they misrepresented material facts.

Zemler was arrested on June 1, 2023 and booked into the Dickinson County Jail.  Zemler posted a $36,000 bond and was released. No additional information will be provided at this time.

Tammy Jo Zemler (Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office photo)

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

(Radio Iowa) – A former church missionary from Fort Dodge has been sentenced to up to 30 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of several sex crimes involving a child.

Thirty-year-old Jordan Webb was living in Webster County at the time of his arrest. He was found guilty of one count of sex abuse in the second degree, one count of child endangerment and another sex related charge back in April.

Webb’s attorney filed a motion for a new trial which was turned down Friday afternoon prior to Webb’s sentencing in Webster County District Court.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office recently recognized tenured employees of the Sheriff’s Office, the Cass County Jail and the Cass County Communication’s Center. The Sheriff’s Office recognized employees from these departments that hold 10 or more years of continued service.

Sheriff Darby McLaren says these employees have been and continue to be vital assets for our County. The dedication and true value of these employees was exemplified during recent difficult times of Covid-19 and widespread employee shortages.

All agencies within the State are going through hardships in an attempt to recruit and retain employees to provide 24/7/365 coverage. Cass County, Sheriff McLaren says, is fortunate to have this number of quality employees who have given more than 10 years of service to our County.

Pictured (In no particular order), are: Steph Witzman (24 years), Joni Knudsen (22 years), John Westering (20 years), Kyle Quist (18 years), Stacey Misner (18 years), Ben Bartholomew (16 years), Bobbi Jo Steffensmeier (15 years), Sue Meier (15 years), Josh McLaren (14 years) and Dorothy Cable (10 years)

The Sheriff and Deputies extend their sincerest thanks to each and every one! (Click on the images to enlarge)

Not pictured are: Chris Droll (26 years), Jennifer Holaday (25 years)

Bobbi Jo Steffensmeier

Jailers

(Lewis, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board (CCCB) held a youth fishing derby at Cold Springs Park on Saturday, June 10, 2023. Officials say prizes were awarded for the most overall weight:

• 1st place, Traven Thomas
• 2nd place, Dayton Thomas
• 3rd place, Brooklyn Thomas.
  

  (Left) Traven Thomas; (Middle) Dayton Thomas; Brooklyn Thomas (2nd from left); Gavin Dougherty (2nd from the right), & Chloe Pendergast (right). Photo submitted by the CCCB

Awards also given for heaviest single fish and longest single fish: Gavin Dougherty, and shortest single fish: Chloe Pendergast. The CCCB thanks all those that donated items for the event: Weirich Welding for the trophies, Cappel’s Ace Hardware, and Scheels for prizes.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Officials in Guthrie County report 2023 marks the third year that Guthrie County ISU Extension & Outreach has offered the “Wild Places in Guthrie County” tourism event. Krista Downing, Program Coordinator says “Each year we select different locations in Guthrie County to explore. Our flyer provides you coordinates or a QR code option to each location and a list of a few activities that you can do once you get to each location. We try to find different areas around that county that hit on recreation, history, and places that you might not even know about and then we create an educational video for each location with the help of local experts.”

With this event, you can go at your own pace, once you have the flyer with the information on it. First pick one of the mystery locations to visit then follow the coordinates to get there. Once you have arrived at the location find the flyer with QR codes on them. Scan the large QR code to watch a video to learn more about the site you are visiting. Make sure to take some time to explore each site, there are suggestions listed with each location on the flyer. Pick a new site and repeat this adventure until you hit all five locations! Make sure to scan the QR code to check in at each site so they can track how many people participate.

Guthrie County Extension is also offering a mystery prize to two lucky people. To be entered in a drawing for a prize take a picture at each location. Post your pictures on Facebook, tag Guthrie County Extension, and #GuthrieCountyWildThings. If you post entries at all three locations, you’ll receive three extra entries. All entries will be due by July 20th, 2023.

According to Krista Downing, “We had a few different goals with this event when we started it in 2021. We hope to help stimulate the local economy by promoting tourist locations, provide a family friendly all ages event to the citizens of Guthrie County and surrounding areas, and get people outdoors exploring the different amenities that Guthrie County has to offer. We had a great response the past two years and are excited to be able to bring it back for a third year.”.

For more information or to download the flyer for this year, go to https://www.extension.iastate.edu/guthrie/. If you have any questions about the tourism event, please feel free to reach out to the Guthrie County ISU Extension office at 641-747-2276. (Click to enlarge the image >>> )

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Joni Ernst says since former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn’t face federal charges for using a private email server for official communications, then former President Trump shouldn’t face charges for taking classified documents when he left the White House. “Of course the former president did have classified information. We know that,” Ernst says. “However, we know that’s true of a number of other players on the other side of the aisle.”

Ernst says Trump’s indictment sows more doubt in American institutions and goes against the concept of equal application of the law. “What I hear from Iowans and what I personally feel is that there have been two systems of justice here,” Ernst says. Trump has been charged with the willful retention of national defense information after resisting the government’s attempts to retrieve classified materials. Ernst says Trump was careless.

“As a senator and as someone who served in our nation’s military, I cannot imagine leaving a SCIF or taking unclassified documents out of a secure location,” Ernst says. “That should never happen, but we have seen it over and over and over again the last number of decades and yet we have one form of justice for this previous president than we have seen with other players across the political spectrum.”

Ernst made her comments during a debate series sponsored by the Edward Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate that will be broadcast Sunday night on the Fox News Channel. Bill Barr, who served as Trump’s attorney general, said on Fox yesterday (Sunday) that Trump had been the victim of witch hunts in the past, but he’s not a victim in this case and he had no right to take the documents with him when he left the White House.