(Radio Iowa) – A scientist who’s monitored Iowa’s water quality in the public and private sectors for 36 years is retiring this week, while also publishing a book about what he says are the reasons our waterways are dying. Chris Jones has run the state’s largest water sensor system at the University of Iowa’s Institute of Hydraulic Research the past eight years. Jones says we need common-sense regulation of corn and soybean production with regard to its environmental outcomes.

“We ask the taxpayer to mitigate the pollution from the system while at the same time giving farmers and the industry at large license to do whatever they want on the field,” Jones says. “You know, this is just not going to work. It’s a perverse approach to it.” In his book, “The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality,” Jones says Iowa has devoted the equivalent of 20 counties solely to growing corn that’s used to make ethanol.

“Is that contributing to the common good? Well, there’s a lot of evidence that ethanol production does not reduce greenhouse gas emissions, for example, and there’s some evidence that it actually increases greenhouse gas emissions. So why are we doing this?” Jones asks. “We need to take a look at that land area again, which is 20% of our state.” Jones suggests the solution to the long-running water pollution problems may also lie in diversifying what we grow in Iowa. He says we only have two species covering the majority of our fertile cropland — corn and soybeans.

“We need diversity on our farms. We need more and different crops. We need different systems of animal production,” Jones says. “That’s just the bottom line here. If we want these nice things, nice lakes, nice rivers, nice air and so forth, we need to look at the entire system and what can we do to transform it to something else?” Jones hopes the book finds wide appeal, as he says it’s important that people — politicians, farmers, industry leaders and everyone else — know the truth about what’s happening to our Iowa’s water, and to that “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico.

“I’m 62 years old. The water has been bad here my entire life,” Jones says. “Has that been explained to anybody why that is the case in any sort of detail? I don’t think it has. I’m trying to reach the person on the street. I think this condition only changes if there’s grassroots demand for that change, and so that’s my audience.”

The book is being published by North Liberty-based Ice Cube Press.

(Atlantic, Iowa) —The Atlantic Public Library has been selected as one of 240 libraries to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities. The competitive award comes with a $20,000 grant that will help the library address accessibility concerns in the building.

“I am thrilled to be chosen for this opportunity,” said Michelle Andersen, director of the library. “This grant will allow our library to connect with people of all abilities while addressing issues with elevator reliability.”

As part of the grant, Andersen will take an online course in how to lead conversations, a skill vital to library work today. She will then host a conversation with residents about physical accessibility inside the library. “I wrote the grant to help pay for elevator modernization to lessen the burden for the city but we’ll host community conversations first to hear from our public if the elevator should be our highest priority right now.”

Atlantic Public Library

Andersen continued, “The training and resources that come with the grant are really opening my eyes to ways we can further serve people with disabilities. Our library will definitely benefit from this grant beyond the initial project.”

The first conversation is scheduled for Tuesday, June 6 at 10:30 am. People with mobility accommodation needs are especially encouraged to attend. If you are interested in getting involved or for more information, please contact Michelle Andersen at atlanticpubliclibrary@gmail.com or 243-5466 ext.3.

Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to come together and discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.

(Radio Iowa) – An Eastern Iowa native finally got to walk down the aisle in the graduation ceremony at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon this weekend — eight decades after getting his degree in music. Fred Taylor he wasn’t able to attend his ceremony the first time because he left school to serve during World War Two in the United States Army Air Corps. Taylor is 101 and told K-C-R-G T-V the ceremony brought everything full circle.

Taylor is a Springville, Iowa native who now lives in California. He joined the Army Air Corps Reserve shortly after Pearl Harbor and was unable to attend graduation after being sent to training in 1943. Taylor went on to teach music in Iowa and California after the war.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Nishna Valley YMCA Executive Director Dan Haynes, today (Monday), announced “Effective immediately the Nishna Valley Family YMCA has made the decision to stop accepting NEW families for services at the Ann W. Wickman Child Development Center, until further notice.”

Haynes said in a letter to the community that “As a community rooted in strong collaborations, we are confident that if we sit down together with community agencies, the Wickman center, and the Atlantic Community School District, we can identify a Win/Win/Win situation for the families we all serve. With the pending loss of space at the School’s Early Learning Center building, either in December of 2023 or later, the Wickman operation will have to work to downsize our overall capacity to fit into the constraints of the Wickman building. We will continue to provide service to our current families and the unborn babies who we have already committed to.”

“In the short term,” Haynes said, “we will work to move our oldest kids from the Wickman building and serve them in an alternate space in the community. This is contingent on finding a space that can meet the stringent requirement from the fire marshal and Department of Human Services. If this can be done, it will only be on a 1-2 year temporary basis as the YMCA Board cannot afford to operate childcare at three locations or have families drive around to multiple locations to pick up and drop off their children. By not taking new families over those two years, we will be able to shrink our capacity back to a number that we can fit into the Wickman building.

“We realize that this will place a burden on families living here that need care, families trying to move to town, as well as employers trying to hire new workers into our communities. We hope that as a community, we can come together to find a long-term childcare solution that will support current families in our area and be inviting to potential families that are looking to call Cass County their home.

“For the long term,: Haynes said, “the YMCA Board is open to discussions with any individuals or organizations who want to tackle this opportunity together. We appreciate everyone’s past support and hope to work with all of you to help strengthen and grow Atlantic and Cass County.”

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports eight people were arrested over the past week:

19-year-old Xachariah Mickale Hinson, of Greenfield, was arrested by Adair County Deputies May 7th, in Greenfield. Hinson was charged with Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order, following evidence he placed phone calls and sent text messages to two female protected parties, while Hinson was an inmate at the Adair County Jail. He remains held at the facility on a $600 cash-only bond.

53-year-old Kimberly Ann Buckallew, of Fontanelle, was arrested in Greenfield by Deputies in Adair County on May 8th, for Driving While Barred. She was released the following day on a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

On May 10th, 26-year-old Jesse Andrew Queener, of Stuart, was arrested at the Adair County Jail, on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation. Queener remains held in the jail without bond, until making an appearance in District Court.

On the 11th of May, 24-year-old Colten Ty Cooper, of Casey, was arrested in Casey for OWI/1st offense and cited for Stop/Standing/Parking in a prohibited manner, after he was found unresponsive in a running vehicle stopped near the intersection of 130th & Kent Street. Cooper was released from the Adair County Jail later in the day, on a $2,000 cash/surety bond.

On May 12, Adair County Deputies arrested 37-year-old Marcus Matthew Corcoran, of Fontantelle, for allegedly attempting to choke a woman. He was charged with Domestic Assault – Impeding the flow of air/blood. Corcoran was released the following day on a $1,000 c/s bond.  Also arrested on the 12th, was 41-year-old Michael Dean Merical, of Menlo, on a 2022 Adair County warrant for Exhibiting obscene material to a minor. Merical was released later that night on a $1,000 c/s bond.

Updated 1/10/2024…

The Iowa State Patrol, on May 13 (2023), arrested 26-year-old Jelani Malik Bunn, of Boise, ID, for: Possession of a Controlled Substance/Cannabidoil – 1st offense; Contempt of Court – Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order, for being a passenger in a vehicle with the protected female party; and for being a Felon in Control of Possession of a Firearm as a prohibited person, after a Glock .9-millimeter handgun was found in a backpack in the rear seat of the vehicle. Bunn negotiate a voluntary plea of guilty in August of 2023, to the Possession charge. The charges of Dominion/Control of a firearm by a felon, and Contempt of Court, were dismissed. The driver of the vehicle, 26-year-old Leila Grahovic, of Boise, ID, was arrested for Contempt of Court – Violation of a No Contact Order. That charge was later dismissed by the court. Grahovic was found guilty of speeding, however.

DES MOINES, IA — The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is urging Iowans to buckle up during the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Click It or Ticket high-visibility enforcement effort. The national seat belt campaign, which coincides with the Memorial Day holiday, is May 22-June 4, 2023.

In 2022, 55% of traffic fatalities in Iowa were unbelted or unknown. So far, in 2023 that number is about 60%. It is perceived everyone wears a seat belt, yet over half of our fatalities are unrestrained. This translates to 100’s of lives lost over the last few years.

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“No matter the type of vehicle you’re traveling in, where you’re seated, or what type of road you’re driving on, the best way to protect yourself in a crash is to buckle up,” says Brett Tjepkes, Iowa GTSB Bureau Chief.  “Unfortunately, many families are suffering because their loved ones do not follow this simple step. If this enforcement effort alerts people to the dangers of unrestrained driving, we’ll consider the mission a success”.

If you know a friend or a family member who does not buckle up, please talk to them about changing their habits.  Help GTSB and our law enforcement partners spread this lifesaving message before one more friend or family member is killed. Seat belts save lives, and everyone — front seat and back, child and adult — needs to buckle up.

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau works with city, county, state, and local organizations to develop and implement strategies to reduce deaths and injuries on Iowa’s roadways using federally funded grants.

(Radio Iowa) – A new report finds the number of Iowa teens in foster care has dropped significantly. The Annie E. Casey Foundation report says the number of Iowa foster kids 14 and older fell 40-percent from 2006 to 2021. Samanthya Marlatt, with the non-profit Y-S-S which works with foster care youth, says the report is encouraging, but she’s also concerned about the significant increase in kids who are being removed from their families due to neglect. Marlatt says, “I think as a state and as a community, we can really provide more supportive services to families so that we can ensure that those children are able to remain in their homes and they aren’t disrupted.”

She says this is often linked to poverty and families not having access to the resources they need. Marlatt says she’s glad to see the shift away from placing foster care teens in group care settings, and instead, putting them in family-based settings or with other familiar adults. “And that really ties back to the normalcy and really making sure that is the stepping stone to adulthood,” she says. “You want to have those normal connections and community-based settings.”

The report found about 16-hundred — or 22-percent — of Iowa’s foster kids were 14 and older in 2021.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Saturday afternoon, of a woman from Pottawattamie County. Authorities say 38-year-old Tyanna Karee Monrreal-Robles, of Council Bluffs, was arrested following a traffic stop on I-29. She was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, the bond for which was set at $300.

(Harlan, Iowa) – A regular weekly meeting of the Shelby County Board of Supervisors will take place 9-a.m. Tuesday, in their courthouse Supervisors Room, in Harlan. Among the action items on their agenda is a Public Hearing on a FY 2023 Budget Amendment, followed by action on approving the budget as presented. Other discussion and possible action items can be viewed on the agenda below:

(Radio Iowa) – A historic wooden roller coaster in northwest Iowa will once again be taking on riders, when the Arnolds Park Amusement Park opens for the season this Saturday. Jon Pausley is C-E-O of the Arnolds Park Amusement Park. “The final part of The Legend has been redone, so the final refurbishment phase is finished and The Legend is all fresh and new,” he says. “…We’re excited to have that finished.”

The Legend was originally called The Speed Hound and the ride opened in 1930. It’s among the 15 oldest wooden roller coasters operating in the world. It was designed by John Miller, who’s considered the father of high speed coasters for developing some of the safety features still in use today.

Arnold’s Park roller coaster,