(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Two police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a murder suspect following a high-speed chase will not face charges. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said Wednesday, that an investigation showed that the officers were “fully justified in their use of deadly force” against 41-year-old Matthew Briggs.

Authorities said officers from multiple agencies, including Omaha police and Council Bluffs police, were involved in the pursuit of Briggs, who was wanted for murder in Omaha, and was known to be armed with multiple weapons. Investigators said the pursuit crossed from Nebraska into Iowa, with Briggs driving more than 100 mph at times during the chase. The pursuit ended in Council Bluffs when an officer stopped Briggs using a PIT maneuver on his vehicle. Wilber said Briggs pointed a sawed-off shotgun at police when Lt. Martin Stiles with Omaha police and Lt. Chad Geer with Council Bluffs police fired their weapons, killing the 41-year-old.

The two were placed on paid administrative leave while the incident was under investigation. Matt Wilber said his office reviewed more than 2,000 photographs, 20 videos of the scene including helicopter video, body cam video, and police cruiser video. The investigation determined Stiles had a 223-caliber rifle and fired six rounds. When the officers fired back, Briggs was hit twice in right hand, once in left leg and once in the head. Officers subsequently recovered the shotgun from Briggs’ vehicle, as well as a handgun with a full clip and one in the chamber, two loaded revolvers, two different knives, a set of brass knuckles, additional ammunition, and 23.6 grams of methamphetamine.

Briggs also had cocaine with indications that it had been combined with fentanyl. Wilber said officers also found a handwritten note that included “targets” including the murder victim.

(Radio Iowa) – The owners of the Iowa Yak Ranch are giving tours of their farm near Exira and will have two of their animals in the Iowa State Fair’s Avenue of Breeds as they make the case that raising yaks — in Iowa — can be profitable. Neal Meseck and his wife began raising yaks in late 2019 and they now have a herd of 20. “We raise yaks for food, fiber and fun,” he says. Yaks are known for their distinctive long hair.

“They are not as large as beef cattle. They may appear that way due to the all the hair,” Meseck says. For example, a mature yak cow weighs about 650 pounds — that’s about half as large as a beef cow — and beef bulls are heavier than yak bulls, too. “They eat about a third of what a beef animal will eat, so it’s a little more economical to feed them as well,” Meseck says. Meseck has been selling yak meat from other producers just to get people interested in trying it and in September, he’s scheduled to have the first yak from his herd butchered.

“Same lean and cholesterol content as turkey breast,” Meseck says, “but it has more of a beefy flavor to it.” Yaks have three layers of hair. The outer layer grows up to a foot long and it’s coarse, like a horse’s mane. The inner layer is about two inches long and soft, like cashmere. Yaks shed it once a year. “We’ve been collecting that for two years and I take it to Maxwell, Iowa to have it spun into yarn and then we have yarn for sale,” Meseck says. “I’ve got about 60 skeins of yard available as well and that is from from our own yaks.”

A yak at the Iowa Yak Ranch.

Yaks have long been used as pack animals at higher elevations in places like Tibet. Meseck says his yaks are perfectly comfortable in Iowa winters, but he’s providing his herd extra water and shade this time of year. Meseck says given the profit potential from the sale of yak meat and spinning the hair the animals shed into yarn, raising yaks could be a good option for other Iowa farmers. :We are, I think, positioned for growth in Iowa,” Meseck says. “It’s just a matter of getting the word out.”

The Iowa Yak Ranch is also part of next month’s “Evolution of the Heartland” tour in the Manning and Audubon County areas.

(Radio Iowa) – A state legislator riding on RAGBRAI has been charged with interference with official acts for refusing to move off a road. State Senator Adrian Dickey, a Republican from Packwood, says he’s absolutely innocent of the charge.

According to a Sac County Deputy, there was a big party in the middle of a road in an unincorporated town about 16 miles southwest of Sac City Monday afternoon. The deputy said he approached Dickey and asked him to move — so the road could be opened to traffic — and Dickey said he wasn’t going to move and argued with the deputy. The deputy told Dickey he was risking arrest and Dickey told the deputy to arrest him.

Dickey’s attorney says Dickey and his RAGBRAI team took an alternate route that led them to the road that was blocked by several hundred people. Dickey’s attorney says there was a misunderstanding between Dickey and the deputy and Dickey was trying to get through the larger group and onto the bike trail.

Dickey was released from the Sac County Jail on a 300 dollar bond. A court hearing is scheduled August 8th. Interference with official acts is a simple misdemeanor and carries a sentence of up to 30 days in jail.

(Mondamin, Iowa) – A crash in a road construction zone on Interstate 29 Wednesday afternoon in Harrison County, left two people from Nebraska dead, another Nebraskan and a man from Missouri Valley, injured. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2012 Nissan Murano (SUV) driven by 57-year-old Tony C. Flowers, SR., of Omaha, was traveling northbound on I-29 a little before 4-p.m., when the SUV struck the rear of a 2019 Isuzu truck, driven by 39-year-old Michael L. Harper, JR., of Omaha. The crash happened in an area of the road where traffic was being reduced to one-lane.

The truck crew was putting out cones to guide traffic into the single-lane, when it was hit. Following the collision, both vehicles entered the median. Tony Flowers, SR., and 45-year-old Tamika J. Powell, of Omaha, died at the scene. Michael Harper, Jr.,  and 45-year-old Arron M. Scott, of Missouri Valley, were injured in the crash.

Harper was flown by Life Flight to the UNMC in Omaha. Scott was transported by Harrison County EMS to the hospital in Missouri Valley. The crash remains under investigation. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he opposes a bill that’s advanced in the U-S Senate which would create a code of ethics for U-S Supreme Court justices. Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, says the Democrat-backed bill passed the panel 11-to-10 last week on a party line vote.

Grassley says, “Republicans feel and I feel that the congressional branch of government shouldn’t be telling the judicial branch, run by the Supreme Court and the chief justice, how to run their branches.” Recent reports have questioned actions by several justices on the nation’s highest court, including Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor.

“Now there has been some things that aren’t just right,” Grassley says, “but I think that the Supreme Court has recognized that by putting out a new set of ethics regulations on March 7th.” The legislation before the Senate would enact new guidelines for Supreme Court justices, including a requirement that they disclose more of their financial dealings and recuse themselves from cases when there might be a conflict of interest.

Grassley says the high court’s leaders are demonstrating a desire to police themselves.  “I think it’s going to be a year or two before we know that’s taken care of some of the problems at the Supreme Court that’s been pointed out in recent reports,” Grassley says, “and no need to pass legislation, at least not at this point in time.”

The measure before the Senate needs some Republican support to advance further, and likely has little chance to win passage in the U-S House, where the G-O-P holds the majority.

(Radio Iowa) – Some residents in a northwest Iowa county are asking local officials to enact a moratorium on wind turbine construction in unincorporated areas of Dickinson County. Kristine Van Kleek lives in a rural area, outside of Milford. She spoke at Tuesday’s meeting of the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors.

“We’ve been informed that a wind developer will be submitting their application within the next month and that their application will be evaluated based on the 2009 ordinance,” Van Kleek said. “The research data clearly shows that the current ordinance is not sufficient to protect the health, safety or well being of the residents of Dickinson County.”

Van Kleek says a moratorium should prohibit Dickinson County supervisors from receiving, reviewing or approving any application for a wind turbine development. “Sioux County currently has a moratorium that was placed in 2022 while they were revising their ordinance,” Van Kleek said.

A large crowd gathered for the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors meeting this week as Van Kleek outlined the proposal. The chairman of the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors says the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission is currently reviewing the request.

(Radio Iowa) – A Fort Dodge man accused of killing his newborn daughter in November 2022 and then disposing of her body has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. According to the Fort Dodge Messenger, Brandon Thoma pleaded guilty to child endangerment resulting in death and abuse of a corpse. He and the mother of the child, Taylor Blaha, were charged following an investigation into the disappearance of that baby.

Taylor Blaha, Brandon Thoma. (KFVD photo)

Court documents say the two drowned the child in a bathtub. Thoma had been charged with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse. Blaha’s first-degree murder trial is set to begin in September.

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Northern Iowa is asking the Board of Regents to approve an agreement to have an outside company manage the U-N-I Bookstore. U-N-I is asking the Regents to approve the request to have Follett Higher Education Group take over the operation of the store at their meeting August 2nd. The proposed contract is for six years and Follett would pay U-N-I a percentage of sales, provide an annual credit of 10-thousand dollars for textbook scholarships and agree to invest up to 900-thousand dollars to update the facility

Follett has operated the store at the University of Iowa since 2021. Iowa State University operates its own bookstore.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A full week of activities during the Cass County Fair begins tomorrow (Thursday), in Atlantic. The Horse Show takes place at 2-p.m., with the 4-H/FFA Food Sale at 5-p.m., in the lobby of the Cass County Community Center next to the fairgrounds. The 4-H/FFA Exhibits are also open to the public at 5-p.m.

Everything brought in for judging will be offered for sale, minus a small piece where the judge cut out a sample. Only the baked goods selected for State Fair will not be sold, as the whole item will be on display throughout the Cass County Fair. Recipes of each baked item are even included, so you can bake that award-winning banana bread for yourself! Items on sale vary depending on exhibits created by local 4-Hers. Cookies, bars, cakes, pies, breads, muffins and rolls are all common offerings. Fresh garden produce and canned goods are occasionally offered as well.

The featured meal Thursday at the Food Stand is a Roast Pork Sandwich.

Thursday night, the Little Miss and Mister Contest gets underway at 7-p.m., followed by the King and Queen Contest.  Officials with the Cass County announced Wednesday evening, that the Little Miss, Little Mister, King/Queen and Senior Recognition events Thursday evening, having been moved to the Outdoor Show Ring, instead of in front of the grandstand, due to the extreme heat.

The Queen contestants will be interviewed live on KJAN. Senior Recognition begins at 8-p.m., along with the Teen Dance, from 8-to 11-p.m. The dance is open to 6th through 12th graders. Officials say the following 14 4-H seniors will be recognized for their many hours of hard work, dedication, and leadership to the Cass County 4-H program. They include:

~Elizabeth Anderson – Bear Grove Blazers

~ Sydney Becker – Union Leaders & CAM FFA

~ Breeana Bower- C&M Champions

~ Brett Dreager – Bear Grove Blazers & Atlantic FFA

~ Dayna Dreager- Pymosa

~ CeCe Hensley- Union Leaders

~ Rio Johnson- Grove H.O.T. & Atlantic FFA

~ Emma Mundorf- Griswold Clubsters

~ Keira Olson- Pymosa

~ Carter Pellett- Pymosa

~ Abbigael Richter – Grove H.O.T. & Atlantic FFA

~ Tessa Ritter – Pymosa

~ Natalye School – Benton Franklin & CAM FFA

~Trista Swain – Pleasant Noble United & Griswold FFA

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A member of the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors says someone is sending out text messages saying he supports a plan that is opposite to what he supports, with regard to the August 1^st Special Election on how Pott. County Supervisors are elected. Newly elected Supervisor Jeff Jorgensen tells KJAN News he thinks the vote to change the method of election is over sour grapes on what transpired during the past two elections.

Jorgensen is the former Chair of the Pottawattamie County Republican Central Committee, who is known simply as “Jeff J.”

Jeff Jorgensen

A petition offering three plans on how the Supervisors are elected includes three options:

Plan 1 (or Plan A, as it’s also referred to): Leave everything as is, meaning electing the Supervisors At Large who can live anywhere in the county.

Plans 2 & 3 (B&C) involve breaking up the Supervisors into districts:

• Plan 2 says Pottawattamie County will be split into five districts with similar populations, and voters will vote on a board of supervisors from each district. Voters will be able to vote for all five candidates in this plan.
• Plan 3 says Pottawattamie County will still be split into the five districts, but voters will only be able to vote for the candidate in their district.

The districts have not been set, but in case Plan 2 or 3 passes, Council Bluffs will be split into four of those districts. One of the City’s districts will include parts of the county next to the Council Bluffs. Jorgensen says no one is supporting Plan 2.

Jorgensen supports Plan 1, but he says someone is sending out text messages stating he supports Plan C.

Screenshots courtesy Pott. County Supervisor Jeff Jorgensen.

It is illegal to impersonate an elected official. Jorgensen says he’s filed charges with the Council Bluffs Police Department, which has assigned a Criminal Investigations agent who will look into the matter. He said he has an idea of who might be sending the messages, but he doesn’t have the proof right now to make the allegations stick. He said also, there is a website that is promoting Plan C, “Plan 3 Project,” and that the person in charge he says, is also the Co-Chair for Concerned Citizens of Pottawattamie County.

Jeff Jorgensen says hopes everyone votes for Plan 1 (Plan A), “For unity for our county.” Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on August 1st, with early voting through July 30th at 4:30 p.m.