Red Oak Police, Sunday night, arrested a woman on a Felony Probation Violation warrant. 30-year old Kirstin Lynn Wilwerding, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 8:53-p.m. and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where her bond was set at $10,000.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that has cleared initial review in the Iowa House has the goals of expanding custom meat processing in Iowa AND training more people how to properly butcher beef, pork and other meats. Republican Representative Chad Ingels, a farmer from Randalia, says he got the idea last spring when local meat lockers were jammed. “Now we’re extended out into 2022, 2023 as far as getting livestock processing at small lockers out across the state,” Ingels says. “A lot of interest from farmers wanting to get livestock into lockers or consumers or people who wanted to buy local meat kept getting put off.”

Ingels says the problem is two-fold. There aren’t enough local custom meat lockers and there aren’t enough butchers with the chops to break down carcasses to meet consumer demand. “The skills to work in a small locker are different, I think, than working in a meat processing plant on a line where you’re making the same cut on every carcas,” Ingels says. The bill Ingels is working on calls for a task force to study whether it makes sense to expand Iowa State University’s already existing meat science program or set up an “artisanal butchery” program at a community college. Ingels and other legislators are hoping to extend state grants to new or expanding custom meat lockers.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture distributed four MILLION dollars in federal pandemic relief grants to Iowa meat lockers last year. “But through that process they found there was at least an additional at least $3 million in need,” Ingels says, “and so we’re trying to find a way to fill some of that need and I’m sure there’s probably even more out there.” Nebraska lawmakers are considering grants for meat lockers with 25 or fewer employees. Wyoming has a law that lets ranchers butcher their own animals and deliver the meat directly to consumers who’ve purchased shares in their livestock.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa — Four people were injured when a car crashed during a chase Sunday night, in the Drake neighborhood, of Des Moines. An Iowa State Patrol Trooper initiated a short pursuit of a 2015 Dodge Charger in the Drake neighborhood at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday.  The car was traveling eastbound in the 2100 block of Drake Park Avenue, when it went out of control and struck a power pole, a fire hydrant and a tree. The driver, 20-year old Yackhub M. Ali, and his passengers, 20-year old Osman A. Ahmed, 19-year old Ayub Mohammed Ali, and 19-year old Yahye Abdi Shakur Muhammed, all of Des Moines, were injured. Osman Ahmed left the scene. Two of the injured were transported to Iowa Methodist Hospital. Yackhub Ali was transported to Mercy One hospital, in Des Moines.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A man is hospitalized after a shooting in downtown Davenport. The Quad City Times reports that the shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. Sunday in the 300 block of Main Street. Officers followed a trail of blood and found the victim in an area near a church. His condition report was not immediately available. The victim’s name was not released. Police impounded a car with a bullet hole through the trunk, and a 9mm handgun.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Health Department on Sunday reported two additional deaths from COVID-19, and 317 additional confirmed cases. WHO-TV reports that the latest deaths bring the total since the onset of the pandemic to 5,674. Of those, 2,225 were residents of long-term care facilities. The state has reported a total of 345,676 positive cases. The state health department says 174 people are hospitalized with the virus, an increase of two from Saturday. Of those, 41 are in intensive care and 16 are on ventilators.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — A man wanted for killing a woman in Ames last month is now in custody after allegedly attacking a woman in Des Moines. Police in Des Moines arrested 33-year-old Richard Fleck early Sunday. The victim is hospitalized with serious facial injuries but is expected to survive. After Fleck’s capture, Des Moines police learned he had been sought for several weeks following the death of Ranea Bell in Ames. Fleck is charged with first-degree murder in that case. Fleck was booked into the Story County jail. Des Moines police say they will seek charges of attempted murder and willful injury causing serious injury for the attack in Des Moines.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court says there was enough evidence for a jury to conclude that a man shot and killed his mother in 2015, rejecting his appeal and leaving in place the jury’s $10 million verdict even though the man was later acquitted of criminal charges.. The court on Friday denied Jason Carter’s appeal of the civil case in which a jury found him responsible for the June 2015 shooting of his mother Shirley Carter at his parents’ farm home near Knoxville. Jason Carter, of Knoxville, and his father Bill Carter have been locked in legal disputes since Shirley Carter’s death. Carter later was charged with first-degree murder but a jury found him not guilty.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A man is hospitalized after a shooting in downtown Davenport. The Quad City Times reports that the shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. Sunday in the 300 block of Main Street. Officers followed a trail of blood and found the victim in an area near a church. His condition report was not immediately available. The victim’s name was not released. Police impounded a car with a bullet hole through the trunk, and a 9mm handgun.

Red Oak Police, Sunday, arrested 28-year-old Justin Lewis Marsden, of Red Oak. He was taken into custody at around 2:24-p.m., on a warrant for Trespassing. Marsden was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

The Atlantic School Board is set to meet 6-p.m. Wednesday, March 24th, in the Middle School Media Center. During the meeting, which will be streamed live on YouTube, the Board will act on a recommendation to hire Joe Brummer as Head Varsity Football Coach. Brummer was an assistant coach under Mike McDermott, who resigned in January.  Brummer also serves as the Head Varsity Boy’s Baseball Coach.

In other action, the Board will act on approving:

• the purchase of 1:1 Chromebooks and IPads at a combined cost of $488,950. They would be paid for through the ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) and SAVE (Secure an Advanced Vision for Education) funds.
• the 2021-22 Medical Insurance Premium (an estimated $45,000).
• 2021-22 Non-Union, Principal & School Business Official Contracts (at an estimated total cost of $39,381.75); The non-union contracts (Central Office, Technology, Social Workers & Directors) calls for a 3% increase in wages, which officials say is comparable to the increases provided to both unions.
• Leave benefits for Non-Union, Hourly 12-month employees.
• and any resignations to come before them.

The Atlantic School Board is also expected to receive presentations on the IJAG and Construction Trades programs, the latter of which has received a check in the amount of $30,000 from the Atlantic Trades Education Foundation (ATEF), in support of the district’s “Efforts to provide comprehensive hands on education opportunities” for Atlantic School District students.

There are two Industrial Certified Instructors for the programs, and an educational brochure the Trades Foundation developed with the help of the instructors and Brigham Hoegh. The $30,000 investment (the first presented from ATEF) was made possible by significant contributions from Duane and Shirley Acker, Keith Harlan and A.M. Cohron, Bob & Judy Camblin, and Camblin Mechanical, Inc.

A publishing error had a Public Hearing set to take place on the FY2021-22 Certified ACSD Budget, but that was rescheduled for March 31st at 5-p.m., in the High School Media Center.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — A man is now in custody and charged with first-degree murder in the killing of a woman in Ames in February. KCCI-TV reported Sunday that police in Des Moines arrested Richard Fleck after he allegedly assaulted a woman.

Fleck had been sought for several weeks following the death of Ranea Bell. She was found dead in an apartment in February.

The Ringgold County Sheriff’s Department reports a man and woman from Texas were arrested on warrants Friday evening. Authorities received a report at around 5:10-p.m. about a suspicious vehicle near the ATM at City State Bank, in Mount Ayr. The vehicle was located a short time later and was observed turning south onto County Highway P46. A traffic stop was initiated at 5:45 P.M. for defective equipment, a mile and a half south of Mount Ayr.

Julie Torres

During the traffic stop K9 “Heky” was deployed and alerted to the vehicle. A woman in the vehicle was identified as 35-year-old Julie Torres, of San Antonio, Texas. Torres had an active Felony arrest warrant for Failure to Appear on Drug Charges issued in Texas. She was taken into custody. During a pat down search drug paraphernalia and a small baggie of a substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine was found. She was subsequently charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance-Methamphetamine.

A man in the vehicle initially provided false information regarding his identity. Upon further investigation he was identified as 34-year-old Jacob John Kennedy, of Kerrville, Texas. Kennedy had an active arrest warrant for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon- Family Violence issued in Texas. He was taken into custody, and faces additional charges including Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Providing False ID, and having no valid driver’s license.

Jacob Kennedy

Both subjects were transported to the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office and held without bond.

An incident at around 9:30-p.m. Saturday, on U Avenue in Villisca, resulted in the arrest on warrants, of a man from southern Iowa. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports Juan Esquivel, Jr., of Leon, was taken into custody on active warrants out of Decatur County, for Failure to Appear on charges of: Domestic Abuse/1st offense; Burglary in the 1st Degree, and Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree.

Esquival was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond.