The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of an Elliott woman early Saturday morning after a traffic stop at 106 W. Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak. At 12:18am Officers arrested 45-year-old Mindy Lane Hale of Elliott for Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated, 1st Offense. Hale was also cited for Open Container of Alcohol and taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 cash bond.

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack says it’s time to move the three state universities “to the next level.” Vilsack was asked during taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program if he’d be interested in becoming the next president of Iowa State University. “I don’t have a pilot’s license,” Vilsack replied. The show’s host laughed. One reporter said: ‘Oh, my.” The other reporter on the program said: “Touche.”

Vilsack is referring to outgoing Iowa State president Steven Leath’s piloting of a university-owned plane and subsequent questions about a “hard landing” that caused damage. Vilsack just completed eight years as President Obama’s ag secretary and he’s currently leading the U.S. Dairy Export Council, but in December, Vilsack said he was interested in working with students. Vilsack suggests that’s not the role of a university president these days.

“You can be the president of a university, but what exactly are you doing? Well, it’s sort of like running for president,” Vilsack said. “Half the time you’re raising money and the other half of your time you’re in meetings and so forth and you’re directing a very large organization.” Vilsack is offering some advice to the future president of I-S-U and the people in charge of all three public universities.

“I have had the chance and privilege of going to a lot of universities in my prior position. I think we too often in this state are satisfied with good, but not great,” Vilsack said. “I think our universities are good, but I think they could be great.” If the University of Iowa, Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa could get to that “next level,” Vilsack says the universities could be “incredible drivers” of creativity, innovation, new economic opportunities and excitement about the entire state of Iowa.

“When the football season begins at the University of Iowa or Iowa State, do we think our teams will compete for the national championship or are we just satisfied if they get to a bowl game? I’ll tell you, you go to Ohio State, you go to Michigan — it’s not about competing in a bowl game in January. It’s about winning a national championship and I think that’s an attitude we need to develop more of in this state,” Vilsack says.”We are humble. We are aw-shucks kind of folks. We don’t want a lot of attention, but the reality in this world if you want to attract bright young people, you want to retain your bright young people — you’ve got to give them a sense that you are committed to being great.”

Vilsack served two terms as Iowa’s governor and left state office in January of 2007. Vilsack says you “never say never” in politics, but he says it’s doubtful he’ll ever be a candidate for public office again.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety said Friday evening, that a southeastern Iowa woman was arrested Friday in connection with the July 7th, 2016 death of her infant son. 23-year old Angel Poole, of Birmingham (IA), was taken into custody on warrant for Child Endangerment Causing Death. Poole was being held in the Van Buren County Jail on $15,000 bond, pending an initial court appearance.

Authorities say that at around 3:30-a.m. July 7th, Poole called 911 to say her 67-day-old son, Judah Wessels, was having difficulty breathing.  The child was transported by ambulance to the Van Buren County Hospital in Keosauqua, where he was pronounced dead a little over an hour later. The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office (VBSO) launched an investigation and requested the assistance of the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).

An autopsy was conducted by the Iowa State Medical Examiner in Ankeny, Iowa.  The autopsy revealed Judah Wessels was “markedly malnourished”.  The cause of Wessels’ death has been ruled to be due to “starvation and dehydration.”  The manner of death “undetermined” by the medical examiner.

After a joint investigation by the Iowa DCI, VBSO, Van Buren County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office, officials secured an arrest warrant for Angel Poole. She was arrested Friday at her residence.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest today (Friday), of 20-year old Travis Michael Knipp, of Clarinda. Knipp was arrested at the Page County Sheriff’s Office for Sex Offender Registry Violation, an Aggravated Misdemeanor.  He was unable to post the $2000 bond, and was held in the Page County Jail pending further court appearances.

Travis Knipp