(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says this week’s somber anniversary of the October 7th attacks was a reminder of the brutality of the terror groups Israel is facing.  “And how serious it is when terrorists invade other countries,” Feenstra says, “because it could be ours someday also and that’s why it’s so important to have a strong military.” Feenstra, a Republican who represents Iowa’s fourth congressional district, has made two trips to Israel, including one this past June.  “Got to speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about the situation and what’s happening,” Feenstra said. “Their bottom line was, ‘We need to protect Israel. We need to protect the people.'”

Feenstra toured the site of the music festival and the villages where Hamas attacked last year. As Israel’s response enters its second year, Feenstra says it appears Hamas is using Palestinians as human shields, while Hezbollah has repeatedly lobbed bombs from Lebanon into Israel. “The solution is that we have to root out terrorism and that’s what Israel is doing,” Feenstra says. “There were 10 million people that were in bomb shelters just a week and a half ago when Iran sent over 200 and some missiles, I mean, they live that on a daily basis, threatened on a daily basis.” Last Friday, the U-S military launched strikes against Iranian-based Houthi rebels in Yemen, a move Feenstra supports.

Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) (official photo)

“We are the undisputed leader of the free world and we must stand with our allies. I always think of what President Reagan said, that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction,” Feenstra says. “That’s what we’re seeing here. You have the Houthis, you have these other organizations that want to wipe Israel off the map because they’re free people, just like we are in America.”

The three other Republicans who represent Iowa in the U-S House have issued statements of support for Israel this week. First district Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says October 7th marked a day of both sadness and resilience for Israel. Second district Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says Hamas is pure evil and it’s past time all those taken hostage on October 7th were released. Third district Congressman Zach Nunn says Iran and its proxies, like Hamas, must be held accountable for their barbaric acts.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports a man was arrested on Harassment and Stalking charges this (Wednesday) morning. 28-year-old Carlos Ivan Cortez, of Creston, was taken into custody for Harassment in the 1st Degree, and Stalking. Cortez was being held without bond in the Union County Jail until seen by a Judge.

(Radio Iowa) -A Fort Dodge man who was accused of killing his father was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  Twenty-six-year-old Alec Jones was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of 55-year-old Dennis Jones last April at his home in Fort Dodge. The body of Dennis Jones was dumped in a ditch in rural Webster County.

This past August a Webster County jury deliberated for two hours before finding Jones guilty of first-degree murder. The trial of Alec Jones’ younger brother Nathan is set to begin next May.

He is charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder in the incident.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – A man from Nebraska was arrested today (Wednesday) in Glenwood. Police in Glenwood report 22-year-old Isaac Thompson, of Omaha, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

(Lewis, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Department is hosting their 8th Biennial Lighted Halloween Campground, on Saturday, October 19th, at Cold Springs Park in Lewis.  The event takes place from 7-until 9-p.m., and is intended to be fun, non-scary and FREE family friendly drive into the night.

Prizes will be for the top three voted sites, and for some special categories. Prizes are donated by event sponsor, Cappel’s Ace Hardware. The Lighted Halloween Campground event will be cancelled if there is inclement weather.

2022 Lighted Halloween Campground winner, the Dougherty family with the Alien décor. (Photo submitted)

(Lewis, Iowa) – Each year at about this time, the Cass County Conservation Board asks residents of the County when they think the first Trumpeter Swan will arrive at the Schildberg Quarry, in Atlantic. Trumpeter Swans have visited the Schildberg Quarry for, at least, 25 out of the last 26 winters.

Arrival and departure dates of the swans have been as follows:

1997/1998 December 18 – January 2

1998/1999 Nothing on record

1999/2000 December 25 – February 15

2000/2001 November 23 – March 6

2001/2002 December 25 – February 24

2002/2003 November 23 – March 15

2003/2004 November 26 – March 21

2004/2005 November 25 – March 18

2005/2006 November 17 – March 5

2006/2007 October 30 – March 9

2007/2008 November 22- February 14

2008/2009 November 18- March 12

2009-2010 November 19 – January 5

2010-2011 November 5 – February 10

2011/2012 November 17 – February 21

2012/2013 November 24– March 4

2013/2014 November 12- April 7

2014/2015 November 11- April 6

2015/2016 November 22- March 24

2016/2017 November 19- March 9

2017/2018 November 9- March 20

2018/2019 November 11- January 23

2019/2020 November 8- March 3

2020/2021 November 30- February 13

2021/2022 November 22- February 28

2022/2023 November 22- February 22

2023/2024 December 2- January 30

Please call in your prediction (by November 10th) to the Conservation Board at 712-769-2372, leave a message and return phone number if Conservation staff are not in. Duplicate dates will not be allowed. For example, if a caller predicts November 25th, no one else will be allowed to predict that arrival date. So, call anytime until November 10th to make your prediction! One prediction per family, please. The sponsors of this contest will determine the official arrival of more than 6 trumpeter swans to Lake 4, and if they arrive before Nov. 10th no more dates will be taken. The winner will receive a Trumpeter Swan Prize from the Cass County Conservation Board. Sorry, this contest is only for residents of Cass County.

JACKSON JUNCTION, Iowa (KCRG) – The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office is releasing more detail about a fatal crash involving a train and a tractor that happened near Jackson Junction Monday afternoon. Investigators said it happened at about 2:32 p.m. when the driver of a tractor was heading west on 128th Street, crossed Highway 24 and attempted to cross the railroad tracks.

The train conductor told law enforcement the tractor driver saw the train coming at the last second and attempted to stop. The train conductor also applied the train’s brakes, but collided with the center of the tractor at about 30 mph. The collision caused the tractor to split at the cab/engine compartment, and ejected the driver through the front windshield.

First responders arrived and began performing aid to the driver, but he died at the scene. The tractor driver has been identified as 60-year-old Carl Kuhn, of Fort Atkinson. The sheriff’s office said the intersection where the collision happened is an uncontrolled train crossing, with yield signs on both sides.

(Radio Iowa) Iowa motorists need to be especially vigilant today (Wednesday) as there are likely to be many more pedestrians and bicyclists on the roads as part of Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day. Matt Burkey, the Safe Routes to Schools coordinator at the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, says hundreds of children in more than four-dozen schools statewide are taking part. “Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day is a national event, that happens twice a year in May and October, and on that day, schools across the country and across Iowa are promoting active transportation to school,” Burkey says. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about the school car drop off line and how bananas it is in the morning, trying to drive around school zones, but when a lot of us were younger, we walked to school.”

He says the event shows Iowa students how to start their day with an active, healthier choice versus catching a ride to school on a bus or with one of their folks. “Kids aren’t burning off energy sitting in the back of the car. They’re not really talking to their parents, because the parents are focused on driving,” Burkey says. “Even if you get out of the car just a quarter mile from school and walk there together, you’re getting some steps in, you’re getting exercise, breathing that fresh air, and it’s one less car around the school, making it safer for everyone, just because there’s less cars, less noise pollution, less air pollution.” A total of 49 Iowa schools are taking part in this event, which represents an excellent showing, though Burkey says many more schools could join in.

“Right now ranked per capita, Iowa is 10th overall out of all 50 states and D.C. for participation, which is great, showing that here in the Midwest, we care about active transportation,” Burkey says. “We care about our kids getting to school safely, whether they’re walking, biking or rolling.” While today is the official date for the event, Burkey says schools can participate at any time throughout the month of October.

walkbiketoschool.org

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird traveled to Sioux City Tuesday to highlight the importance of the state’s new cold case unit. “We must never lose hope when it comes to cold cases and unsolved cases. And as a prosecutor, I fight for victims and for families and to bring criminals to justice, and nothing weighs on my heart more than a family that’s left in the dark or a murderer out there walking free,” Bird says. Bird was joined by family members of Maureen Brubaker Farley, a Sioux City teen who disappeared in 1971 while working at a Cedar Rapids diner. Her cold case was solved in 2021.

“Maureen, I think, shows us the importance of never giving up, because her case was solved 50 years after her passing, and while Maureen’s murderer had died by that point, at least at that point, those answers had come to light,” she says. Maureen’s body was found on the trunk of an abandoned car in Cedar Rapids in 1971 and D-N-A from the scene eventually matched George Smith to her murder in 2021. Smith had been dead for eight years when investigators told her sister Lisa Schenzel and the rest of family of the match on the 50th anniversary of Maureen’s death.

Lisa Schenzel with AG Brenna Bird talks about the cold case involving her sister. (KSCJ photo)

“It was no surprise to my mom, as she had known that name and discussed that name with the police back when the event happened in 1971 when Detective Denlinger called to tell us the case had been solved, we cried. We cried so much over the years, especially our mom, but we also felt a calmness or peace come over us as we finally had answers,” she says. Maureen was 17 and the oldest of seven kids when she died. Schenzel says the smallest bit of evidence can help solve a case and anyone with information in a cold case should contact law enforcement.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department reports 55-year-old Vernon Brinkley Warf, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 6:40-p.m., Tuesday, on an active Montgomery County warrant for Probation Violation. Warf was taken into custody in the 100 block of E. Prospect Street, in Red Oak, and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. His bond was set at $7,500.