(Radio Iowa) – Forest City-based outdoor lifestyle manufacturer Winnebago Industries is setting a goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of this century. C-E-O Michael Happe says the company is making the pledge through a campaign led by the Science-Based Targets Initiative.  “We recently strengthened our commitment to sustainability by joining the Business Ambition for 1.5 Degree Celsius, a United Nations-backed global coalition of business leaders,” Happe says. “As part of this program, we are committing to help limit the impact of climate change by setting a goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We also announced additional goals on water, waste and product sustainability.”

Happe says the company’s goals include: zero waste to landfills, with 90% diversion of waste by 2030; net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; reduce freshwater use by 30% by 2050; have eco-friendly upgrade options on all their new products by 2025; and product life-cycle assessments by 2030. “We look forward to working with the Science-Based Target Initiative and external validators to develop and enact a plan for achieving this net-zero goal, which represents an important focus of our corporate responsibility strategy,” Happe says.

Winnebago Industries last week reported a record fiscal year with a profit of almost $282 million for the manufacturer of Winnebago, Grand Design and Newmar recreational vehicles as well as Chris-Craft and Barletta boats.

(Radio Iowa) – The funeral for Iowa State Patrol Trooper Ted Benda, who died following an accident, is today (Wednesday) at 11:00 a-m at the Waukon High School. Iowa Congresswoman, Ashley Hinson, spoke about Benda’s death on the floor of the U-S House Tuesday. “This is a devastating loss of a father, husband, son, friend, mentor, and dedicated public servant who made it his life’s mission to keep his community safe in Iowa,” Hinson says. Hinson says Benda had deep roots in Waukon.

“This tragedy is a reminder that brave law enforcement officers often sacrifice for a purpose far greater than themselves,” she says. Hinson wrapped up her brief remarks with condolences to Benda’s family. “I join all Iowans in mourning the loss of Trooper Ted Benda and my heart is with his family, friends, and fellow troopers during this difficult time,” Hinson says. Benda’s squad car crashed on October 14th as he was on his way to assist the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office with a wanted suspect. He died six days later in the hospital.

Police in Red Oak, Tuesday, arrested a man wanted on a warrant. Authorities say 58-year-old Rogelio Hernandez, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 5:10-p.m. on an active warrant for Driving While Barred. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The leader of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council is hoping the Iowa Legislature takes action after a recent Iowa Supreme Court decision preventing the state Board of Medical Examiners from releasing preliminary information in the investigations of complaints against doctors. F-O-I executive director, Randy Evans, says the Medical Board had done this for many years.

“I think the board took the position that they were only making public selective details of the case that informed the public on what the legal basis for the charges were,” Evans says. Evans says the Supreme Court ruling found the law doesn’t allow information to be released until the final settlement.

“They point to the definitive language in the statute — which said that the findings of fact and the conclusion of the board, their final ruling was a public record. But that the court’s opinion was that there was no wiggle room to make any of that public earlier in the case,” he says. Evans says this is important information that could impact the lives of people seeking medical treatment.

“If there is a belief by the Board of Medicine that there is a legal basis for disciplinary charges to be filed — we believe that the citizens are entitled to know that to make a decision on which doctors they are going to patronize,” according to Evans. Evans says doctors do need to be protected from unsubstantiated claims — but he believes the Medical Board has done a good job of investigating. He says there are some 600 accusations each year against the 66-hundred physicians in the state.

“There’s only 25 to 30 cases that they file disciplinary charges in. So, to me that says that the Medical Board and its staff of investigators are doing a pretty thorough job of vetting these accusations to ensure they are not simply someone who dislikes a particular physician, or that has a vendetta,” Evans says. He says the justices noted the tough situation of protecting the public and the physicians in this case.

“The court’s opinion takes note that there are factors affecting public health and safety that the legislature may want to balance against the current wording in the statute,” Evans says. Evans says the F-O-I Council supports the legislature looking at the issue and he says it’s likely the medical board will pursue action with the legislature. The case involved allegations against former University of Iowa doctor, Domenico Calcaterra, a cardiothoracic surgeon, who now practices out of state.

He reached a settlement where he accepted a citation and warning and agreed to pay a five-thousand-dollar civil penalty. Calcaterra later sued, saying information still on the medical board’s website was hurting his medical career.

(Radio Iowa) – A true-crime book argues the infamous 1912 ax murders in the southwest Iowa town of Villisca were committed by a previously overlooked serial killer, and its authors will give a lecture in Ames tomorrow (Wednesday) night. Rachel McCarthy James, who co-wrote the book with her father, Bill James, says they did extensive research into dozens of similar slayings, all around the turn of the last century.

“I looked at other crimes from the same time period that had the same basic idiosyncrasies,” James says. “The same method was used, the back of the ax was used in all of these cases. They were at the same time of day, usually in the same type of place, a small town, fairly rural but near the intersection of two railroad lines.” Other things the crimes had in common included: the killer locked the door behind him, the bodies and windows were covered, and a lantern from the house was often taken and left somewhere outside.

In the Villisca murders, eight people were killed one night in a house, including six children. There was another incident in Iowa around that same time which wasn’t necessarily a “slam dunk” to be the same killer, she says. An elderly couple was murdered in a rural farmhouse in the Marshalltown area in 1910 that had many similarities to the Villisca case. James says it’s possible one man committed dozens of murders over several years in multiple states. His name was Paul Mueller and he was connected to the slaying of a family in Massachusetts in 1897.

“He was living with this family and he ended up being seen at the house on that night and he was the only one not killed in that event,” James says. “He was seen walking away from them towards the train on the night of the crime, never seen again.” In the book, the father-daughter duo claims Mueller likely committed 14 family murders with a total of 59 victims, but he may also be linked to another 25 mass killings with 94 more victims. James says she’s held the ax that was used in the Villisca murders but has never visited the house, which some claim is haunted.

“I’m not really a haunting person,” James says. “I’ve lived in a lot of ‘haunted’ places and I’ve never seen a ghost so I’ve never been a big person on haunting, which is good because I’ve devoted ten years of my life to ax murders now so there has to be some separation there.” The James’ collaborative book is called, “The Man From the Train,” while the younger James is working on her next book, “Whack Job,” which is also about ax murders. Their lecture is at 7 P-M Wednesday at Iowa State University’s Memorial Union Great Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed.

(Radio Iowa) – A Cedar Rapids ethanol plant will be part of a new effort to create environmentally friendly jet fuel. Archer Daniels Midland announced it has signed an agreement with a biofuel company to produce jet fuel at its dry mills in Cedar Rapids, Columbus, Nebraska, and Decatur, Illinois. The company in an announcement Monday says it would use 900 million gallons of ethanol — or about half of its production capacity at the plants — to produce 500 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The company says the agreement is part of its plan to produce low carbon-footprint hydrocarbon fuels. Production is expected to begin between 2025 and 2026.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday) reports two people were arrested on drug charges Friday evening, following a traffic stop at Levi Road/Highway 34. Authorities say 26-year-old Jaymie Ilene Rowe, of Hastings (IA), and 61-year-old Joan Marie Brouillette, of Omaha, were arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Their bonds were set at $300 each.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the City of Atlantic, Tuesday morning, issued a reminder to persons who make use of the City’s compost pile by the Schildberg Recreational Area: “The compost pile is for residents who live within the Atlantic city limits.” The City warns continued use of the site by persons outside of the city, may force the City to temporarily close the site. The City does have a camera in place to capture the license plates of vehicles entering and exiting the yard waste site, as a friendly reminder.

Two weeks ago, officials with the City of Harlan said illegal dumping at their yard waste site resulting in a temporary closure. Cameras caught the alleged culprits, but a few days after the site was cleaned-up and re-opened, another incident of illegal trash dumping took place.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meeting on Friday, beginning at 9-a.m.  During the meeting there will be two public hearing before action is taken on Resolutions pertaining to each hearing. The first is with regard to the issuance of General Obligation Capital Loan Notes not to exceed $2-million, and the authorizing of a Loan Agreement for the Notes. The hearing and Resolution are with regard to ISICS (Iowa Statewide Interoperable Communications System), a statewide radio platform that provides microwave-based radio communication to public safety agencies and others, border to border in the State of Iowa, to improve public safety across the state.  Additional communication antennas, etc. will be needed for system infrastructure and support.

The second hearing pertains to the vacating and closing about 500-feet of 570th Street under Interstate 80, north of Wiota, contained within a State of Iowa right of way. The State wants to eventually make I-80 three lanes in both directions. Closing the road is a part of that process. Some area landowners have complained closing the road would cut them off from their land and or animals, on either side of the Interstate.

In other business, the Board will act on Resolutions resetting the number of deputies and assistants in the Sheriff’s Office, and the entering into an agreement to abate the taxes, penalties, interest and costs on a County-held tax certificate for a parcel now owned by the City of Massena. The Board are also likely to approve the County Medical Examiner’s appointment of an additional Medical Examiner.

Reports are expected to be received as well, from County Veteran Affairs Director Mitch Holmes (The quarterly report was not available last week), and a regular report from County Mental Health/General Relief Coordinator Deb Schuler. The Supervisor’s meeting takes place in their Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse, and can be accessed live HERE.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Officials with the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, today (Tuesday, October 26), announced twelve federal search warrants were executed at various locations in the Des Moines metropolitan area. The searches at these locations were an official law enforcement action involving officers,  agents, and investigators from the Des Moines Police Department; Federal Bureau of  Investigation; Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force; Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement  Task Force East; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; Iowa Division of Intelligence and  Fusion Center; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Iowa State Patrol; Iowa  State Patrol SWAT; West Des Moines Police Department; METRO Star; and SERT.

Authorities says there is no known danger to the public and there will be no further comment on the  actions taken, at this time.