712 Digital Group - top

Creston woman cited for allowing an animal to run At Large

News

June 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston, Tuesday evening, temporarily arrested, and then released, a woman who allegedly allowed an animal at her residence, to run at-large. 26-year-old Paige Nicole Westbrook, of Creston, was cited at the scene and released on a summons to appear in court.

Former conservation director in SW IA, facing criminal charges, sues for malicious prosecution

News

June 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

The former Ringgold County Conservation Director is suing the county for alleged discrimination, defamation and malicious prosecution. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Kathryn Mortensen Zimmerman is suing the county, the board of supervisors, the county auditor, a county deputy and an Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation employee, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

According to her lawsuit, Zimmerman began working for the county in 2010 as the director of Ringgold County Conservation, which maintains three public parks for camping. Beginning in January 2021, she alleges, the supervisors, particularly Colby Holmes, engaged in a pattern of gender discrimination, sexual discrimination, age discrimination, retaliation, harassment, slander and defamation.

The lawsuit alleges Holmes “fabricated and disseminated false information” pertaining to Zimmerman’s work ethic, character and competence, while stating at a board meeting that she would be “better off as a janitor.”

Holmes is also accused of falsely claiming Zimmerman hid money within her budget and used it on personal expenses, and of telling the county’s conservation board “it isn’t right that (Zimmerman) is making more money than some other male employees,” according to the lawsuit. Holmes is also alleged to have posted a hostile comment to Facebook alleging Zimmerman could not do her job and should leave.

The lawsuit alleges that after Zimmerman filed complaints about Holmes with the county auditor, county attorney and the Iowa Public Information Board, Holmes urged the conservation board to reduce her compensation for overtime.

In December 2022, the lawsuit alleges, Holmes “intentionally physically assaulted (Zimmerman) with his vehicle and yelled, ‘move your ass!’ and ‘get out of the way!’ ” The lawsuit claims that after Zimmerman filed a police complaint on the matter, she was investigated by the DCI and charged with filing a false police report.

According to the police report in that case, Zimmerman claimed Holmes struck her with his vehicle — a statement that police say was contradicted by witnesses and by Zimmerman’s own initial statement to officers.

A second criminal charge against Zimmerman alleged interference with official acts. According to an April 2023 press release from the DCI, that charge stemmed from a Dec. 5, 2022, incident at Poe Hollow Park. According to the DCI, Zimmerman refused Ringgold County deputies and bomb technicians entrance to the park so they could work on an explosive device found earlier that morning.

Court records indicate the two criminal charges are still pending, with no trial date set.

Due to the alleged hostile work environment in the county, the lawsuit alleges, Zimmerman was constructively discharged in February 2023. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for sexual discrimination, retaliation, defamation and malicious prosecution.

The county and the DCI have yet to file a response to the lawsuit.

Sioux City pharmacy faces charges from state licensing board

News

June 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy alleges it is no longer in the public interest to let a western Iowa Walgreens store distribute controlled substances. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports the board has charged a Walgreens store in Sioux City with committing acts that render its registration under the Controlled Substances Act “inconsistent with the public interest.” The board has not publicly disclosed the nature of the alleged acts or any other basis for the charges. Businesses that stock or dispense controlled substance are required by law to be registered under both the Iowa and the federal Controlled Substances Acts. Federal registration is handled by the Drug Enforcement Administration, while state regulations are the province of the Iowa Board of Pharmacy.

The Board of Pharmacy has also charged the Sioux City store with failure to create and maintain complete and accurate records, and with failure to maintain accountability of controlled substances. A hearing on the charges has been scheduled for Sept. 11. The street address of the Sioux City store has not been publicly disclosed by the board, but the corporate store number referenced in the charging documents corresponds to that of the store located at 4650 Morningside Ave.

Earlier this year, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy charged eight other Walgreens stores in central and eastern Iowa with violating pharmacy-recordkeeping regulations related to controlled substances.

While the basis of those charges was not publicly disclosed, they could be tied to a set of sanctions imposed in 2022, when the stores were penalized for a variety of alleged violations, including missing narcotics, a lack of qualified personnel and issues that caused some Iowans to lose access to their medications.

Cass County Extension Report 6-26-2024

Ag/Outdoor, Podcasts

June 26th, 2024 by Jim Field

w/Kate Olson.

Play

California ‘price gouging’ ripples to Iowa

Ag/Outdoor

June 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Iowa News Service) – Farm advocates claim price gouging on meat and poultry in California is spreading across the country, including in Iowa, which is the nation’s largest hog producer.
California passed a law banning the use of gestation crates for raising hogs, and producers said it increased production costs which are rippling across the country to Iowa. Iowa has similar regulations on gestation crates. The agriculture advocacy group Farm Action has issued a report which shows in addition to blaming the California law, corporate meat producers also continue to use supply chain disruptions as an excuse to price-gouge.

Joe Maxwell, chief strategy officer for Farm Action, offered as evidence a 20% hike in California pork prices.  “It’s just a part of their doing business now,” Maxwell pointed out. “They find excuses in the markets to gouge that consumer. And one thing we want to be very clear on is that the consumer knows it’s not the farmer. The farmer’s getting squeezed just as much as is the consumer.”

Iowa is the nation’s leading hog producer, but still lost $32 per hog in 2023, a number experts said could grow this year. They blamed increased demand but have also come under scrutiny for trying to meet demand by raising hogs in large confinements, which are known to cause environmental damage.  Farm Action is the same group which, not long after the official end of the pandemic, asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate egg prices, which had tripled in some cases. The group researched U.S. Department of Agriculture data and said the numbers did not justify the price hike. Producers said other factors are driving up prices, including inflation and animal illness.

Maxwell added corporate food producers have positioned themselves to have outsize control over the market. “They’ve got that control over the farmer, not unlike oil companies have over oil fields,” Maxwell argued. “They now have that control because there are very few buyers of farmers’ commodities, so they have that control over the farmer, the producer.”

Iowa produces almost 50 million hogs a year. It costs nearly $4 billion a year just to feed them.

Texas teen enjoying success at Knoxville Raceway

Sports

June 26th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

A Texas teenager is in the points race at the Knoxville Raceway this season. Two years ago as a 17-year-old Chase Randall began competing in the 360 sprints at Knoxville with the goal of getting noticed.

After winning the 360 track title last year Randall is in his first season driving for TKS Motorsports in the 410 division. He has two feature wins already and sits fourth in points as a 19-year-old.

Both of Randall’s feature wins have occured in the past month and he likes how the team has progressed.

Randall says he had to transition to dirt racing after coming to Knoxville.

High School Softball Scores from Tuesday

Sports

June 26th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Hawkeye Ten 

Shenandoah 3, Essex 0
#9 Clarinda 13, St. Albert 3
Kuemper Catholic 6, Denison-Schleswig 0

Western Iowa Conference

#7 Audubon 12, CAM 4

Corner Conference 

Bedford 7, Stanton 2

Rolling Valley Conference 

Ar-We-Va 9, South Central Calhoun 7

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Southwest Valley 7, Central Decatur 4
#1 Martensdale-St Marys 7, #2 Wayne 4

West Central Activities Conference 

#10 Interstate-35  13, Panorama 1
#10 Interstate-35  16, Panorama 2
Woodward-Granger 11, Madrid 0

Tests To Be Required For Dairy Exhibitors

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says dairy exhibitors will be required to submit additional tests before their dairy cattle can be transported to a show to help minimize the potential spread of Avian Influenza. The Department’s order for fairs and exhibitions will go into effect on July 1st. The order will require dairy exhibitors participating in Iowa fairs or exhibitions to complete testing for Bird Flu within seven days of moving to the exhibition.

Secretary Naig says in a statement the state wants to strike a balance between allowing our 4-H, FFA, and dairy exhibitors the opportunity to show their animals, while also requiring additional testing to protect livestock and minimize the potential spread of the virus.

High School Baseball Scores from Tuesday

Sports

June 26th, 2024 by Asa Lucas

Hawkeye Ten Valley 7, Lewis Central 2
Clarinda 7, St. Albert 2
Kuemper Catholic 7, Denison-Schleswig 3

Western Iowa Conference

IKM-Manning 3, Exira-EHK 1
Underwood 7, Woodbury Central 0

Corner Conference 

Bedford @ Stanton – Postponed, In the Bottom of 3rd, Stanton 1-0

Rolling Valley Conference 

South Central Calhoun 8, Ar-We-Va 2
Alta-Aurelia 8, Coon Rapids-Bayard 1

Raccoon River Conference

Winterset 12, Nodaway Valley 2

Pride of Iowa Conference 

Martensdale-St Marys 12, Wayne 0
Southwest Valley 10, Central Decatur 0

West Central Activities Conference 

Pleasantville 1, Ogden 0
Pleasantville 9, Ogden 6
Interstate-35  4, Panorama 0
Woodward-Granger 9, Madrid 8

Man arrested in Red Oak on assault & child endangerment charges Tuesday night

News

June 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man was arrested Tuesday night in Red Oak, on assault and child endangerment charges. According to the Red Oak Police Department, Nathan Allen Aldrich was taken into custody at around 8:20-p.m., in the 200 block of S. 8th Street. Aldrich was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault/3rd or subsequent offense, and four-counts of Child Endangerment. He was being held in the jail without bond, as of the latest report.