DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Friday, announced the signing of a disaster proclamation for Clay and Hamilton Counties effective immediately through December 3, 2023. The announcement came after the USDA has confirmed positive cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in three game bird duck farms in Clay County, and a positive case in a commercial breeding chicken flock in Hamilton County. 

The proclamation allows state resources from Iowa Homeland Security, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and other agencies to assist with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection. The proclamation also waives regulatory provisions related to commercial vehicles responding to affected sites. 

The most recent case of bird flu in Iowa previously announced was in a commercial turkey farm in Buena Vista County. With these four new cases, there have now been a total of 10 cases of HPAI  in Iowa for the year.

Flock owners are asked to prevent contact between their birds and wild birds. Additionally, anyone who witnesses sick birds or unusual deaths among birds should immediately report them to state or federal officials. Biosecurity resources and best practices are available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship website.

The recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern, and it remains safe to eat poultry products. If producers suspect signs of HPAI in their flocks, they should contact their veterinarian immediately. 

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCAU) — A northwest Iowa bank has closed after suffering heavy losses on loans not previously identified, according to Iowa banking officials. The Citizens Bank, Sac City was closed Friday by the Iowa Division of Banking (IDOB), the organization said in a release. As part of the closure by IDOB Superintendent Jeff Plagge, the bank was placed into the receivership of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

The release states that bank examiners “identified significant loan losses that had not previously been identified by the bank” while conducting an examination of the bank. Officials said Citizens Bank had a “concentration of out-of-territory and out-of-state loans to one industry” and then suffered heavy losses from some of those loans. The bank has since been declared insolvent.

All deposit accounts have been purchased and transferred to Iowa Trust & Savings Bank, Emmetsburg. It also purchased all available loans. On Monday, Citizens Bank’s main office and drive-up facility will reopen as a branch of Iowa Trust & Savings Bank. Citizens Bank was established in 1929. The bank reported $65,558,000 in total assets and $58,930,000 in total deposits as of its third-quarter call report.

The FDIC established a toll-free number for customers of Citizens Bank for any questions and concerns. The number is 866-314-1744 and will be in operation Friday until 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., Monday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and thereafter from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The FDIC also has more information on its website. The FDIC insures qualified deposits to $250,000.

GLIDDEN, Iowa — [KCCI] – Carroll County Sheriff Kenneth Pingrey didn’t hold back in his message to the public after his department responded to multiple calls about a man carrying a backpack and walking around in Glidden “carrying what appeared to be an AR-style rifle.”

According to a news release, deputies who responded to the calls Thursday afternoon on the town’s south side found 38-year-old Jerry Lee Webb Jr., of  Kansas City, Missouri, in possession of a “loaded 12-gauge shotgun that looked similar to an AR-style rifle.”

Jerry Webb

Webb, also allegedly had a loaded 9mm pistol in a backpack that he left at the NEW Cooperative. Webb was arrested on a no-contact order violation unrelated to the initial calls Thursday, but that charge was dropped for lack of probable cause, according to court documents.

An investigation involving out-of-state law enforcement as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives continues.

Sheriff Pingrey said in the news release, “The mere fact that Webb was in possession of two loaded, uncased weapons is not a crime under Iowa laws. It is, however, extremely stupid to walk around town carrying firearms in this fashion. This will not only spark fear in a community, and rightfully so, but will also generate a vigorous response from law enforcement.”

Pingrey concluded by saying “I am a huge proponent of the Second Amendment and the NRA but I firmly believe in safe and responsible gun ownership, this was neither safe nor responsible.”

(Radio Iowa) – A jury has found the Chairman of the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors guilty of misdemeanor assault this week, following an incident with another board member back in July. Seventy-six-year-old Roger Tjarks (Tarks) was convicted on the single count of assault, a simple misdemeanor, following a one-day trial on Tuesday.

A criminal complaint filed on August 10th states that Tjarks pushed Supervisor Kyle Stecker, poked him in the chest and made verbal threats of wanting to physically harm the 26-year-old at the Kossuth County Courthouse around 9:30 a.m. on July 11th.

The supervisors had a regular meeting that morning that started at 8 a.m. A video recording of the meeting shows that a closed session was requested around 9:20 a.m. and it was during this closed session that the alleged altercation took place. Jurors heard from witnesses for both the state and the defense, as well as an audio/video recording of the incident.

The case was prosecuted by the Winnebago County Attorney’s Office due to a potential conflict of interest for the Kossuth County Attorney.

(Radio Iowa) – A survey commissioned by a travel agency that specializes in family travel ranks three Iowa communities among the county’s top 150 underrated winter vacation destinations. Wyoming-based Family Destinations surveyed three-thousand people considered experienced travelers to come up with a list of underrated places for families to visit in the winter.

Lesser known spots in Hawaii and Florida and Colorado made the list, but Pella, Iowa, also made the list, at number 15. Outdoor activities and eating Dutch pastries in Pella were mentioned. Elkader registered at number 136 on the list and Bentonsport in southeast ranked 139th.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak , today (Friday), report the arrest on an active Montgomery County warrant, of 40-year-old Terence Chevy Magill. The Red Oak man was taken into custody in the 500 block of 3^rd Avenue, and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. He was being held in the jail without bond.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and state and federal partners are reassuring voters of the many steps taken to provide a secure election. The State of Iowa has received national awards for its election cybersecurity efforts and was named one of the top three states in the nation for election administration.

“In Iowa, we take a holistic approach to election integrity and security – pre-election testing, paper ballots, post-election audits, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and partnerships with our Election Security A Team make that possible,” said Secretary Pate. “The public should be reassured that we are protecting the integrity of their vote in all 99 counties.”

Secretary Pate also reassured Iowans that their votes are cast safely and if anyone tries to impede that process in any way, election officials have local law enforcement on speed dial. “Intelligence and law enforcement communities at all levels of government have been tasked with ensuring our elections are safe and secure,” Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens said. “Iowans respect and actively exercise their right to vote and do so with civility and integrity. We take our responsibility to protect this right seriously and will be aggressive in deterring any criminal effort to compromise our system of government.”

The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management assists in monitoring Election Day activity. “Every voter in Iowa should have the opportunity to freely, safely, and securely cast their vote,” said John Benson, Director of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “The department is proud to support Iowa’s election safety and security efforts.”

The State of Iowa works with the federal government to ensure elections are protected at every level. “Iowans should feel very confident when they go to the ballot box, that their vote will be counted as cast,” said Phil Kirk, Regional Director from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “They should have every confidence in the integrity of Iowa’s elections. And they should have confidence in the state and local election officials and their partners in the federal government who’ve been working in solidarity to ensure the security and resilience of our elections.”

Secretary Pate also partners with fellow state agencies to ensure top level cybersecurity protections. “In support of this year’s election, the Department of Management, Division of Information Technology, formerly the Office of the Chief Information Officer, will be monitoring cyberthreats. The State of Iowa Security Operations Center will provide 24-hour-a-day cyberthreat monitoring and heightened support during this year’s elections,” said Shane Dwyer, State of Iowa Chief Information Security Officer.

Secretary Pate and other speakers also urged Iowans to be leery of election misinformation and disinformation. Instead, turn to trusted sources for election information, which are the Secretary of State and county election officials. “I’d like to provide an additional thanks to local partners, including county auditors and the unsung heroes of elections, poll workers. They stepped up to provide a civic duty and put in long hours. It’s an important job and they do it because they care about our elections,” Secretary Pate said.

Next Tuesday is Election Day, and that means time is running out if you want to vote absentee. Woodbury County elections commissioner, Pat Gill, says timing is more important this election.

Gill says there’s not leeway for late ballots.

He says the absentee numbers in already are down, and he says the law change has contributed to that drop.

This election is for city council and school boards.