(Radio Iowa) – The Ankeny-based convenience store chain Casey’s reports a good first quarter. C-E-O Darren Rebelez (Reh-bell-ez) talked about the results in a conference call for investors.

He says the company saw gas sales increase slightly, while maintaining a gas margin of nearly 42 cents a gallon. Rebelez has said in the past the company has been able to take advantage of big changes in gas prices, but he says they maintained their margin this quarter without that happening.

He says the amount of profit they make on gas has remained strong.

Rebelez says in-store says were up more than eight percent– driven by sales of their new thin crust pizza.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports three arrests:

Tuesday morning, 35-year-old Margaret Jo Williams, of Creston, was arrested for Burglary in the 3rd Degree. Williams was taken to Union County Jail then transferred to Adams County Jail. Bail is set in the amount of $5000 cash only.

Early Tuesday afternoon, 36-year-old Brandon Hurshel Whitfield, of Creston,  was arrested at his residence and charged with Violation of a No Contact or Protective Order. Whitfield was taken to Union County Jail. Bail of $300 cash or approved surety was posted.

And 28-year-old Chelsea Mae Madison, of Shenandoah,  was arrested early Tuesday morning in Creston, for Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order. Madison was taken to Union County Jail. Madison was released per Magistrate.

Red Oak Police report that just after 7:30 pm on Tuesday, September 12, they arrested 68 year old Randal Joe Barr of Red Oak on a charge of animal abuse, a serious misdemeanor.  Barr was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

Experts say river levels are so low the state’s fish population is stressed — and conditions could cause more fish kills. Meteorologist Jim Lee at the National Weather Service office in Des Moines says there’s not been enough rainfall to replenish rivers.

In many areas, river levels are so low canoeing and kayaking is not recommended because boats would scrape the river bottom. Lee says some of Iowa’s river basins are at 10 percent of normal capacity.

The first frost happens across Iowa during the first half of October and experts say if lakes and waterways were to freeze at these low levels, oxygen levels will be lower — and fish could suffer. Lee says it doesn’t appear weather patterns will change in the next couple of weeks or perhaps even longer.

In July, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported nearly 21-thousand Shovelnose Sturgeon had died along a 60 mile stretch of the Des Moines River in southeast Iowa. D-N-R biologists determined the fish kill was caused by low water levels and high-water temperatures. It was the largest fish kill in the region since 2012. In late August, the D-N-R estimates up to five-thousand fish were killed along a 74-mile stretch of the Upper Iowa River in Winneshiek County.

(Creston, Iowa) – A collision in Creston late Tuesday morning caused a total of $7,000 damage, but no one was injured. Creston Police report a Chevy Traverse driven by 76-year-old Rosalie Culbertson, of Creston, was traveling east on Adams Street, and leaving the stop light at the intersection with Elm Street, at the same time a Buick SUV driven by 68-year-old Cynthia Johnson, of Creston, was entering the intersection while traveling south on Elm from the stop light.

Neither driver saw the other. Johnson’s SUV struck the Chevy on the driver’s side. The accident happened at around 11-a.m. No citations were issued.

(Radio Iowa) – The director of the Iowa D-O-T says the report by American Road and Transportation Builders Association ranking Iowa number one in poor bridges doesn’t tell the whole story. Director Scott Marler says there are four-thousand-558 structurally deficient bridges or poor bridges in the state — but that doesn’t mean they are unsafe.

Marler says Iowa ranks at the top in part because of the number of bridges here.

He says a majority of the poor bridges are on the rural road system.

Marler says counties are faced with significant and difficult decisions about which bridges to replace. He says only 26 bridges on the primary road system that the D-O-T oversees are in poor condition. Marler says they’ve reduced the number of poor bridges from 256 in 2006. And 21 of the 26 poor bridges on the primary system are slated for repair in the next five year road improvement program.

(Radio Iowa) – All four members of Iowa’s U-S House delegation are expressing support for an impeachment inquiry of President Biden. Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, represents Iowa’s third congressional district.

Earlier today (Tuesday), House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said allegations of corruption and abuse of power warrant further investigation and he’s directed House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Nunn spoke with reporters in Iowa as McCarthy was making the announcement in Washington.

Nunn says House Republicans are handling the investigation into President Biden differently than Democrats did when they voted to impeach President Trump a week before his term ended.

Congressman Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull who represents Iowa’s fourth district, says President Biden is corrupt and must be held accountable after credible whistleblowers say the president secured preferential treatment for his son who’s facing tax evasion charges. Feenstra says a thorough investigation is warranted about Biden’s involvement with is son’s foreign business dealings as well.

First District Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says the impeachment inquiry gives House Republicans additional subpoena powers to seek bank records that may connect the dots regarding improper payments to President Biden and the Biden family. Miller-Meeks says it’s important to note that an impeachment inquiry may or may not lead to impeachment proceedings.

Earlier this month, Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion said she supports moving forward with an impeachment inquiry. Hinson, who represents Iowa’s second congressional district, said it gives House committees the tools they need to get information and answers to questions about the Biden family’s business dealings. Hinson says the two impeachments against President Trump were baseless and the American people want congress to prove a high crime or misdemeanor exists if the House moves to vote on impeaching Biden.

A spokesperson for Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign says the Republican-led House of Representatives has become an arm of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the allegations against Biden are debunked conspiracy theories.

Fall migration is in full swing and hundreds of millions of songbirds are predicted to pass through the Midwest over the next few nights.  You can help these birds to migrate safely by turning off the lights at your home or business, especially between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am to help them migrate safely.

Over 80% of North America’s migratory birds migrate at night, and artificial light can impact their journey.  Migrating at night has many advantages for a bird.  Night skies are calmer and cooler than daytime skies which makes their very long journeys easier and lowers their risk of overheating.  Nocturnal migrants are also better able to avoid predators.  Many birds navigate using the stars and moon as a compass, but light pollution can interrupt this navigation.  Light pollution from homes, business, sports complexes, and industrial areas often disorients birds or attracts them to the light, slowing their migration and threatening their survival.  Light pollution is especially dangerous because it causes many birds to collide with buildings during migration, resulting in hundreds of millions of bird fatalities in North America each year.  Light pollution is increasing by 2% each year, but citizens and their communities can help reduce light pollution and in turn protect migrating birds.

Here are a few actions you can take to reduce light pollution and protect migratory birds:

• Turn off non-essential nighttime lights and use timers or motion detectors on essential lights to keep the usage to a minimum. (This helps save energy and money too!)
• Changing the color of your lights from cool (green and blue) to warm (red and yellow) has been shown to reduce disturbances to migrating birds. (Tip: Light color is measured in kelvins- the lower the number, the warmer the light.)
• Diverting lights downwards using lighting shields can help stop excess light from leaking into the night sky.
• Talk with your local government officials and community organizations and businesses about light ordinances or ways to reduce light pollution as a community, especially during spring and fall migration times.
• Visit https://www.audubon.org/lights-out-program to learn more!

The Panama One-Room School Museum announces that their annual summer social and fundraiser will take place on Sunday, September 17th from 4:00-7:00PM.

The summer social will begin with a flag raising at 4:00 at the schoolhouse museum in Panama. Following the fundraiser, the community can gather to share memories about their schoolhouse experiences. Supper will be held at the Parish Hall from 5:00-7:00PM at 2nd St. and Highway 191 in Panama.

“This year we are excited to include artifacts from former kindergarten teacher Doris Klein, who taught in the Panama and Portsmouth one room schools,” says Kathleen Cue, President of the Panama Historic One Room School Museum Board. “Her teacher’s book, along with teacher’s books dating back to 1899, will be featured.”

The Panama One-Room School Museum served as the Washington No. 7 schoolhouse from 1926 until 1959. The building was constructed in 1926 following the destruction of the original building and moved to its current location in Panama, Iowa in 1960. It continued to house kindergarten and elementary school classes until 2002. Today, the school building continues to educate Shelby County residents as a museum and is open by appointment May through October.

State Auditor Rob Sand Tuesday alerted Iowa school districts and government entities to be on the lookout for check scams and fraudulent emails instructing them to redirect payments.

“This kind of fraud is on the rise and can happen to anyone. A year ago, I was personally targeted by email scammers trying to redirect my paycheck. Fortunately, the Iowa Department of Administrative Services contacted me to confirm the email was fake,” said Sand. “That’s why it’s so important to be vigilant and develop internal controls and procedures to detect and prevent fraud.”

Two unidentified Iowa school districts recently informed the Auditor’s Office that they were the target of scams involving fake checks and emails.

In the first instance, the perpetrators sent a fake email to the school district directing them to send payments to a new address. The scam, known as Business Email Compromise (BEC), resulted in the district being defrauded of approximately $100,000.

In the second instance, the perpetrators created fake checks that included the district’s account and routing numbers. They successfully cashed two checks at area banks totaling $10,400.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a nationwide alert in February warning of a surge in check fraud. It cited a 23 percent increase in check fraud complaints from financial institutions in 2021, compared to the previous year. The increase is linked to an uptick in the theft of checks sent through the mail.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has made mitigating the BEC threat a priority, noting in a 2022 report that losses from BEC crimes jumped from $360 million in 2016, to $2.4 billion in 2021.

The Auditor’s Office advises school districts and government entities to monitor financial accounts for irregularities, including unauthorized withdrawals or missing deposits. Requests to redirect payments should be independently verified by calling the vendor directly. Contact information contained in the suspect email or other correspondence should not be used to verify the payment method. Additionally, public entities should institute policies and procedures to prevent fraud.