(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A man from Harrison County was sentenced to prison, Tuesday, on a Child Pornography charge. A judge ordered 47-year-old Curtis Lee Jensen, of Woodbine, to serve 12-years in prison, for Receipt of Child Pornography. He must also serve an eight-year term of supervised release after the prison term and register as a sex offender. There is no parole in the federal system.

Authorities say in January of 2021, a cyber tip was sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding child pornography being uploaded to a KIK Messenger account. The email address was traced to Jensen and law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant for Jensen’s email and KIK account. The investigation revealed that Jensen received and distributed child pornography using his KIK account.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Internet Crimes Against Children Unit investigated the case, which was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Iowa. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood and resources about internet safety, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke reports the County conducted a post- election audit today (June 15th), under the law designed to monitor and protect election processes. Burke said the audit was a perfect match to the results canvassed for the 2022 Primary Election.

The law requires the Secretary of State to call for a post-election audit in a randomly chosen precinct in each county. County Auditors supervise a hand count of votes in a given race on the ballots from that precinct. By random selection, Precinct 1 was audited. The polling place location for Precinct 1 is the Gold Fair Building. Burke said “We have high confidence in the security measures we take for elections, but the post-election audit is a good way to prove that the confidence is well-founded.”

Pictured: Left to Right
Will Lester, Chris Stephens, Connie Mccunn (Photo courtesy Auditor Stephanie Burke)

Questions about the post-election audit and other election matters may be directed to the Montgomery County Auditor’s office at 712-623-5127.

(Radio Iowa) – A Vietnam veterans exhibit known as “The Wall That Heals” will make one stop in Iowa this summer — in Tama. The three-quarter size replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D-C will arrive by truck and be set up as a free exhibit that’ll be open around-the clock, according to wall spokesman Randy Zimmerman. “It travels around the country to about 20 to 22 stops throughout the year,” Zimmerman says, “and it’s set up in various locations so that people that can’t make it to Washington D.C. can actually experience the wall, see the names, feel the closeness, and do it locally.”

Zimmerman says he was taken back by the experience of seeing the wall for the first time several years ago. “I’d never been close to the memorial and after you see it, it is really inspiring,” he says. “It takes your breath away when you think about the enormity of it, the amount of names on the wall, the people that gave their life defending America.”  Everyone is encouraged to visit the wall first-hand, from the elderly to children. “We invite everybody to come out and view the wall,” Zimmerman says. “There’s also a mobile education center that has artifacts from the Vietnam War that people have left for the memorial in Washington D.C.”

The wall will be on display from August 4 thru 7 at the Meskwaki Settlement School in Tama. Learn more at: twthtama.org.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest Iowa Association of Business and Industry Quarterly Business Survey shows continued optimism among the 15-hundred organizations it represents. A-B-I President Mike Ralston says businesses are not wavering despite some tough economic conditions. “What we see from the respondents in the survey is the business people are still pretty confident in the state of the business cycle,” Ralston says. ” It’s been pretty constant that somewhere around half expect to hire. And that’s the same in this survey, it’s also been pretty constant that somewhere around half expect their sales to grow. That’s pretty constant.”

There was one thing in the survey that Ralston didn’t expect.  “The big surprise was that 70 percent of those who responded expect to make a capital expenditure in the third quarter — and that’s huge,” he says. He says capital spending now is huge in the face of high inflation, the high cost of materials, and the trouble getting get materials on time.  ” So that means multi-million-dollar piece of equipment, a plant expansion, something that’s going to involve all those strings. So they’re pretty confident, number one in the state of their business that they can afford to make an investment like that. And number two, they obviously must feel like they need to make it to continue to grow. But either way, it’s a good thing for I would see those kinds of expenditures happen in the third quarter this year,” according to Ralston.

Ralston thinks some of the potential capital spending is to deal with the worker shortage. “They’ve got to make sure they have the latest equipment, the most high-tech processes, and this also could be related to robotics. manufacturers are adding robots wherever they can,” he says. “They’re certainly not letting anybody go. They’re adding them because they can’t find enough workers.” He says the pandemic has caused businesses to sort of change the way they handle inventory.

“Everybody has heard about just in time inventory, where folks would only manufacture products, when there was an order. But what manufacturers have found, since the pandemic is that when they do that, they’re not able to get the parts they need on time to make those orders,” Ralston says. “And so what they’ve done is they order more parts than they need. Or they also make more finished products so that they have it on the shelf or in the warehouse or on a lot somewhere so that they can ship it when they need to.”

Ralston says they’ve got a little increase in inventory costs — but it’s better to be able to fill that order in the end and get paid. Around half of the A-B-I members are manufacturers.

(Creston, Iowa) [**UPDATED 6/17/22] – A teen on a motorcycle was injured during an accident Tuesday evening, in Union County. According to law enforcement, 17-year-old William John Clayton, of Creston, was traveling north on a 2001 Harley Davidson motorcycle at around 8-p.m.  A 2002 Chrysler van driven by 20-year-old Brandon William David Hammons, of Creston, was traveling west on Howard Street.

Hammons stopped at the controlled intersection with Sumner. He looked, but did not see the motorcycle. When Hammons failed to yield the right-of-way and proceeded into the intersection, his van was hit by the motorcycle.

Clayton was ejected from his motorcycle and suffered minor injuries. He was transported by EMS to the Greater Regional Medical Center, in Creston. Damage to the motorcycle was estimated at $2,500. The van sustained $1,000 damage.

**Hammons was issued a written warning for Failure to Yield the right-of-way**

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Senator Joni Ernst says the Pentagon must start finding new suppliers and stockpiling critical minerals, like cobalt and lithium. “which are used to product engines, night vision equipment and other modern military technologies,” Ernst says. “For instance, the Air Force’s premier fighter jet, the F22, is made with layers of titanium alloy, much of which is sourced from Russia and China.”

Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is joining with a Democrat from West Virginia to sponsor legislation that would update the list of critical minerals in the National Defense Stockpile. Ernst says the U.S. must find new sources rather than rely on mining in places like China. “If we opened up our own mining and resourcing here in the United States it would alleviate part of the problem,” Ernst says. “Those minerals that we don’t have here domestically, then we do have partners and allies that we can rely on around the globe.”

Africa and Australia are the site of mining operations that yield the types of critical minerals needed, according to Ernst. She cites a 2019 report that found China provides 82 percent of the world supply of tungsten which is used to strengthen other metals. “Botton line, we can’t allow China and Afghanistan and others to control the minerals that we need for our national defense,” Ernst says.

A Chinese company is currently negotiating with the Taliban to tap into one of the world’s largest reserves of copper and security analysts expect China to seek access to Afghanistan’s untapped reserves of uranium, iron ore and other minerals.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has approved a tax break for the aircraft industry. The state sales tax on parts for planes and on the labor to maintain and repair aircraft will no longer be charged after July 1st. During House debate in April, Representative Lee Hein, of Monticello, said none of the states that surround Iowa charge the sales tax on parts and labor for planes. “We have seen a lot of business go out of the state and this will help our local aircraft maintenance shops,” Hein says. Bill backers said those job opportunities will spur enrollment at community colleges in Council Bluffs, Ottumwa and Waterloo that offer aircraft maintenance courses, so students can get F-A-A certification. Community colleges in Sioux City and Cedar Rapids plan to start aircraft maintenance programs.

Representative Chris Hall of Sioux City says it will spur more activity at Iowa’s community airports. “The more take-offs and touch-downs that you have from your runway, the better support long-term in federal support you will have for your airport,” Hall said. One lawmaker who runs a global charity says he flew the non-profit’s plane out of state for maintenance, to save money on taxes. According to the Iowa Public Airports Association, at least 34 states do not charge sales taxes on airplane parts and labor.

The Legislative Services Agency estimates Iowans who own planes will save 10 million dollars a year from this tax break, which the governor signed into law yesterday (Tuesday).

(Radio Iowa) – Dozens of Farm Service Agency offices across Iowa are seeking new employees. Matt Russell, the Iowa F-S-A director, says they’re hiring for a host of positions in dozens of Iowa communities. “One of the things this administration is really committed to is filling these positions all across rural America in USDA,” Russell says. “We’re in a hiring time at FSA, and I’d also say at NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service), which shares our office spaces in the counties, and Rural Development, which is only about eight counties in the state. They’re also hiring.”

There are 97 F-S-A offices statewide, nearly one in every county, and Russell says the need is great for new workers. There was a big hiring push in 1985 after the new farm and conservation bills, and many of those people are now retiring. “We’re now at a similar time where we’re having to ramp up what USDA does because American farmers are needed on the front lines, for fuel, for food, for conservation and ecosystem services,” Russell says, “and that’s part of what we’re seeing as well.” It’s a challenging time to be in agriculture, he says, because while commodities prices are at near-record high levels, so are input prices.

“There’s a lot of money coming in and a lot of money going out,” Russell says. “This year should be a pretty good year for income for farmers — if they had their inputs purchased ahead of time. Going forward, interest rates, input prices that could be challenging, but the expectation is that the prices are going to continue to be pretty strong as well because the demand is high.” He says the U-S-D-A plays a big role in helping to manage all of those ups and downs.

Learn more about the job opportunities at your county’s nearest Farm Service Agency office or visit: www.usajobs.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has approved a law that prohibits state-licensed child care centers, K-through-12 schools and Iowa colleges and universities from having Covid-19 vaccination mandates for enrollment. Democrats in the legislature objected. Senator Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City says there’s a movement to undermine vaccinations. “You’re listening to the extreme voices out there,” Bolkcom said. “We don’t need to make polio great again.”

Republican Senator Jason Schultz of Schleswig says the law gives individuals and parents the right to make their own decisions about Covid-19 shots. “Parents can still vaccinate their children, as they wish, they see fit,” Schultz said. “It’s not for an institution to do it.” The governor signed the bill into law Tuesday. Covid-19 vaccination requirements are now prohibited for enrollment in child care centers, schools and universities until July 1st of 2029. It applies to the state’s community colleges and three state universities as well as every private college in Iowa.

[COUNCIL BLUFFS] – Severe Thunderstorms impacted Pottawattamie County early today (Wednesday). The system prompted destructive severe thunderstorm, tornado, and flash flood warnings. Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Coordinator Doug Reed said that as of 1:50 a.m., a some damages have been reported in various areas of the county ranging from shingles blown from roofs, tree limbs and small- to medium-size trees blown down, and some light structural damages. Localized areas have seen up to 2 inches of rain as of the same time and a continuing line of thunderstorms continue to approach the county. The storm also produced 75mph winds (measured) in the Council Bluffs area.

Reed says the concentration of preliminary damage reports was in the Carson area, and there were 1,277 properties without electricity in Council Bluffs, Carson, Macedonia, and rural Pottawattamie County. Emergency Management is requesting residents and proprietors report their residential and business damages at https://pcema-ia.org.

As the storms finally pass sometime in the early morning hours and daylight breaks, many will be able to get their first look at their properties. Your reports and pictures will be essential in assessing the overall impact to the county. As always, be aware of your surroundings – don’t go near downed power lines and don’t drive through flooded streets.

As public reports are received on the emergency management website damage reporting portal and crews conduct some preliminary surveys after daybreak, any updates or further information will be provided on the emergency management agency website.