ATLANTIC, Iowa- Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) reports they have recently added two new members to the office team in Atlantic. Kyle Rock has taken the role of Maintenance Assistant and Michael Wolff was added as a Transit Scheduler.

Kyle comes to SWITA from the AHSTW School District and resides in Avoca. He graduated from Avoca and has a varied work background from teaching/coaching to beverage sales to driving. Kyle said he knew about SWITA’s services for a long time because his sister uses the service, and he came to SWITA to be a driver. It happened to work out that the Maintenance Assistant position would come open around the time he was set to join the team. With his background it was a great fit that gave him the type of hours he was looking for. Kyle will help to maintain the SWITA fleet and facilities, while also helping with driving as needed.

Kyle Rock

Michael comes to SWITA from Austin, Texas. He moved with his fiancé, son, and two dogs to be closer to family in the area. They moved up to Oakland with his parents while they search for a place in Atlantic. He found out about the position from his father, who is a driver for SWITA.

Michael Wolff

(Updated) – Governor Kim Reynolds says the needs and challenges of today’s workforce have changed — and the U-S Department of Labor is enforcing outdated child labor rules on Iowa businesses. Reynolds has released what she describes as an open letter to Iowans, criticizing federal fines being proposed against Iowa businesses that have employed minors beyond 7 p.m. on school nights. Reynolds signed a state law in 2023 that said 14 and 15 year olds could work until 9 p.m. during the school year and until 11 p.m. in the summertime.

Reynolds says while the extra two hours of nighttime work looks like a sensible option to most Iowans, she says the federal government is treating it like a sinister plot. The governor says for decades Iowa and more than 20 other states have let young teens work more hours than is allowed under federal standards and Iowa businesses are being singled out by heavy-handed federal bureaucrats.

A spokesperson for the U-S Department of Labor says it is dangerous and irresponsible for Iowa’s governor and state legislature to undermine federal child labor protections amidst a rise in child labor exploitation in this country. Democrats in the legislature who voted against the law say they warned Republicans and business groups pressing for the changes the state law violated federal standards.

OTTUMWA, IOWA — U.S. Representative Zach Nunn (IA-03) today announced that he secured a $1 million investment for a new driving pad at the Indian Hills Community College Truck Driver Education Center in Ottumwa.

“It’s time we start telling the truth: a four-year degree isn’t the only pathway to success. Hands-on learning opportunities open doors for Iowans to good-paying jobs,” said Rep. Nunn. “Indian Hills Community College and other community colleges in Iowa offer critical programs that help Iowans achieve success. This is a key investment to support Iowa’s workforce and economy.”

Rep. Nunn secured $1 million through the Community Project Funding process, which allows members to designate funding for critical initiatives. The funding was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024 that was signed into law on Saturday, March 9, 2024.

“We are excited for the announcement and thankful to Congressman Zach Nunn for his diligent work to help secure federal funding that will support improvements to the Commercial Truck Driving Skills Training Facility at the Indian Hills North Campus,” said Dr. Matt Thompson, President of Indian Hills Community College. “Our goal is to continue to increase the number of trained commercial truck drivers to meet regional and statewide workforce needs. Commercial drivers earn great wages and are in significant demand. This project will assist Indian Hills in recruiting and training more drivers to meet the needs of business and industry across our 10 County Region.”

The $1 million investment will assist Indian Hills Community College in constructing a new Commercial Driving Skills Pad at the North Campus in Ottumwa.

Rep. Nunn announced the new funding investment during a press conference with Indian Hills Community College President Matt Thompson at the North Campus Workforce Training Center.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Adair Police Chief was sentenced yesterday (Monday) to 60 months in federal prison for conspiring to make false statements to the ATF, making false statements to the ATF, and illegal possession of a machine gun.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, since July 2018, Bradley Eugene Wendt, 47, has been the Chief of Police for Adair, Iowa. He is also the owner of BW Outfitters, a federal firearms licensee in Denison, Iowa. Evidence at trial showed that, between July 2018 and August 2022, Wendt used his position as Chief of Police to obtain machine guns for his own personal use and profit, including to buy machine guns for his own store.

Generally, machine guns made after May 1986 are illegal to transfer and possess. But law enforcement agencies can buy machine guns for their official use and an authorized dealer can get machine guns to demonstrate to a police department for the department’s future possible purchase. If a police department wants to purchase or receive a demonstration of a machine gun, it can submit a letter to ATF, referred to as a “law letter,” expressing its need for and interest in the machine gun.

Between July 2018 and August 2022, Wendt wrote nearly 40 law letters, requesting the purchase or demonstration of 90 machine guns for the Adair Police Department. In the law letters to purchase machine guns for his two-man department, Wendt said he was buying the machine guns for the official use of his department and was not getting the machine guns for resale. In the law letters requesting demonstrations of machine guns, Wendt said the Adair Police Department wanted a demonstration for the department’s future possible purchase of the requested machine guns.

A jury found that Wendt made false statements in several of the law letters, convicting him of one count of conspiracy to make false statements to the ATF and eight counts of making a false statement to the ATF. Evidence at trial showed that Wendt purchased machine guns for the Adair Police Department, but later resold those machine guns at a personal profit of nearly $80,000. The evidence also showed Wendt used demonstration law letters to purchase machine guns for his own gun store, BW Outfitters, including a .50 caliber machine gun called a “Ma Deuce,” which he immediately mounted to his personally owned armored Humvee.

Wendt was also convicted of one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, based on his personal possession of a belt-fed, M60 machine gun registered to the Adair Police Department. Wendt, along with his gun store BW Outfitters, hosted a machine gun shoot in April 2022, where he charged the public to shoot machine guns, including several registered to the Adair Police Department. The jury found Wendt was not acting within the scope of his official duties when he possessed the M60 machine gun.

Wendt was ordered to pay a $50,000 fine. After completing his term of imprisonment, Wendt will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge Eugene Kowel said “We expect law enforcement officers to uphold their oath to protect and serve our communities. Instead, Brad Wendt broke the law and betrayed the community by unlawfully obtaining and selling firearms for his own personal profit. The FBI remains steadfast in aggressively investigating and bringing to justice those who misuse their authority for personal gain.”

“Wendt was held accountable for committing a betrayal of the public’s trust by engaging in this machine gun trafficking scheme for personal gain,” stated Gordon N. Mallory, Acting Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Kansas City Division. “This sentence sends a loud message to anyone in public service: if they betray their oath of office and their responsibility to their community, they will be held accountable.”

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) made the announcement. “At its core this case was about false statements, driven by the personal ambition of man who saw his badge as a means to an end, rather than a calling.,” stated U.S. Attorney Richard Westphal, “Thank you to our dedicated law enforcement partners at FBI and ATF, and a hard-working prosecution team for pursuing a challenging case and holding Brad Wendt accountable.” This case was investigated by ATF and FBI, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Mikaela Shotwell, Shai Gonzales, and Ryan Leemkuil.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports six recent arrests. Early Saturday morning, 38-year-old Julio Alberto Reyes-Ramirez, of Omaha, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.

Four people were arrested Friday in Mills County:

• 61-year-old Ralph Arthur Brewer, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension. (Bond $300)
• 31-year-old Jimmy Joe Gappa, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on two counts of Burglary in the 3rd Degree (Bond $2,000)
• 36-year-old Jack Ray Winchel,of Bellevue, NE, was arrested Friday in Mills County, for Accessory After the Fact (Bond $300).
• 63-year-old Jeannette Lousie Zaiger, of Tabor, was arrested for Criminal Mischief in the 3rd and 4th Degrees (Bond$2,000).

And, on June 26th, Mills County Deputies arrested 45-year-old Joshua Robert Saunders, of Pacific Junction, for Driving Under Suspension (Bond $300).