(Radio Iowa) – Researchers say information they’ve discovered might change how conservationists should deal with the invasive species known as garlic mustard. Garlic mustard blocks out light from other plants and ISU researcher Cathy McMullin says the data she is following shows it also releases chemicals that prevent the seeds of other plants from growing. “Native plants and their associated — what we call mycorrhizal fungi — appear to be developing a resistance to garlic mustard allele chemicals. And this increases with the time of exposure to garlic mustard. So the resistance increases,” McMullin says. She says the older the population of garlic mustard is, the fewer toxic compounds it produces.
“This is likely due to the cost of producing these allele chemicals,” McMullin says. “They take a lot of carbon and a lot nutrients to produce them. And if the yields are diminishing than selection kind of suggest its not worth producing these anymore.” McMullin is an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State University. She says for those trying to keep new garlic mustard from taking root, spring is the right time to be pulling it out of the ground. For more mature garlic mustard, she recommended removing the seed head, preventing them from maturing and entering the seed bank.
McMullin made her remarks on Wednesday’s Talk of Iowa on Iowa Public Radio.
(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two men were arrested on separate warrants, Wednesday night. 55-year-old Gregory Allen Riley, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 9:45-p.m. on a Red Oak Police Department warrant for Fraudulent Practice in the 3rd Degree – an aggravated misdemeanor. Riley was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
And, at around 11:40-p.m., Wednesday, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 29-year-old Brady Cullen Mutschler, of Poinciana, FL, for being a Fugitive from Justice. Mutschler also had three Felony warrants for Domestic Violence/Aggravated Assault without Intent, False Imprisonment, and Domestic Violence/Battery by strangulation. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail while awaiting extradition to Florida.
(Lucas, Iowa) – Two men traveling in an All-Terrain Vehicle Wednesday afternoon were injured, when the vehicle crashed at a high rate of speed in Lucas County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2016 Yamaha YXZ1000R driven by 31-year-old Robert Kole McCormick, of Lucas, was traveling south in a ditch alongside Highway 65 just north of Highway 34 at around 4-p.m., and was attempting to jump a driveway, when the accident occurred.
The ATV was traveling at speeds of between 50-and 60 mph when it vaulted the driveway, lost contact with the ground and flipped end-over-end several times. McCormick and his passenger, 19-year-old Hunter John Wilson, of Chariton, were injured. Both were wearing their seat belts. McCormick was transported by medical helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.
Today: A slight chance of showers, otherwise mostly cloudy & windy, with a high near 66. SE winds 15-30 mph. Tonight: A chance of showers & thunderstorms. Low around 50. SE winds 20-35 mph. Friday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 69. SE winds 20-40 mph. Fri. Night: Showers and thunderstorms ending late. Low around 53. Saturday: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, otherwise mostly sunny. High near 78. Sat. Night: Showers and thunderstorms. Low around 55. Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms. High near 73.
Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 68. The Low was 33. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 63, and the Low was 36. The All-Time Record High on April 25th in Atlantic, was 91, in 2012. The Record Low was 20, in 1934. Sunrise: 6:26. Sunset: 8:11.
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa legislature has set aside 250-thousand dollars to start developing accurate maps of Iowa’s underground water resources. State geologist Keith Schilling is director of the Iowa Geological Survey, the agency that will develop the maps of shallow groundwater supplies.
“There’s an increasing demand for groundwater in Iowa from municipal users, business and industries and even irrigation,” Schilling says. “We know something about Iowa’s shallow underground water resources, but not everything we need to know.” Schilling says his agency has done some site specific research in some locations around the state.
“What we really need to do is to connect the dots,” Schilling says, “and understand how much of this groundwater is available, what’s the recharge rate that occurs, how much is discharged to the streams and how much is being used in order to develop some idea of the long term sustainability of our groundwater supplies.” Schilling’s agency has the equipment, supplies and technology that can be used to evaluate water supplies above the bedrock surface.
“That includes the shallow sand and gravel alluvium along our river courses,” Schilling says. “It also includes deeper sand and gravel bodies sitting on top of the bedrock, buried by thick glacial materials.” The alluvium he mentioned is generally the area that borders a river where sediment is deposited by the flow of water at the surface. The shallow GROUNDWATER maps — once completed — should help determine the long-term sustainability of each aquifer in Iowa according to Schilling.
“What product could we do first and easiest to get some producible results? In which case we might focus year one more on the Iowa River alluvium,” Schilling says, “because there are several users working in this water supply.” Schilling says understanding the basic distribution of Iowa’s shallow groundwater resources may prevent potential disputes over water access in the future. “As users increase, the aquifer itself is not changing shape. There’s only so much water there,” Schilling says. “We need to understand how much water’s there and how sustainable its use is.”
Mapping DEEP underground aquifers that are BELOW the bedrock is really expensive and is NOT part of this project. The funding to start mapping shallow aquifers is included in a budget bill that cleared the legislature last week.
The AHSTW Vikings soccer season has now hit the midway point of the season. The Vikings are coached by Michael Mertz, who is in his first year as coach.
AHSTW is coming off a 2-1 loss to Riverside on Tuesday April 23rd. The Vikings currently have a 2-6 overall record and 2-2 conference record in the Western Iowa Conference, with only four matches remaining on the schedule.
Coach Mertz says that he has been working with a young team this year.
AHSTW has 17 boys out for soccer this year and coach Mertz commented on that the team is playing well.
Viking’s Junior goalkeeper Aiden Akers has been doing well between the pipes this season.
Coach Mertz says the Vikings are set to face good competition the rest of the year.
The Vikings next soccer match will be (today) Thursday April 25th, when they take on Missouri Valley in a Western Iowa Conference regular season matchup. That match will start at 7:00 p.m.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education, Wednesday, approved the District’s proposed Certified Budget for 2024-25. Their action followed a Public Hearing, during which there were no comments in favor or opposed to the move. The levy for the budget is $12.51/$1,000 assessed valuation. For the 2024-25 fiscal year, the District expects to receive $6.9-million from property taxes.
Later on in their meeting, the Board passed a Resolution levying a tax for fiscal year 2024-25, “for the future optional redemption of General Obligation School Bonds, Series 2019, and approving related documents and directing the partial optional redemption of such bonds.” The money will be used to help to make a $500,000 payment the G.O. bonds, to reduce the amount of interest paid.
Atlantic School Board mtg., 4-24-25 (Zoom image)
In other business, the Atlantic School Board, in its Consent Agenda, approved the resignation of Jesse McCann, HS Special Education teacher (at the end of the 23-24 school year), and contract recommendations for:
Taylor Vargason, Elementary Special Education Teacher
Lindsey Roberts, ELL Teacher
Cayleigh McBee, HS Student Council Sponsor
Alexandra Griffen-Uren, HS English Language Arts Teacher
Jesse McCann, HS School Student Support Coordinator contract.
Board Vice-President Laura McLean asked before the vote to approve the contract recommendations, about the Student Support Coordinator position Jesse McCann was being considered for. Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen responded…
The contract would likely require a five-year commitment to the District. The Board discussed District Facilities during their meeting, Wednesday evening. Part of the discussion focused on a facilities addition to the High School gym, as mentioned during a presentation by High School Staff Member/Athletics Coach Dan Vargason, early on in the meeting. Vargason said discussions have been held with regard to secondary gym space, the need for which makes it “a more urgent matter.”
Jarrod O’Donnell, High School Instrumental Music Teacher, was not able to attend Wednesday’s meeting, but he provided a letter for Vargason to read to the board.
Vargason said over 70 staff members between coaches, teachers, and sponsors said they would utilize a new space. The Board took no action on the matter during their meeting Wednesday night, but acknowledged gym space is becoming an issue that needs to be addressed, and a facilities and cost study would be the next steps. Also during Wednesday’s meeting, ACSD Communication Specialist Emma Maassen, spoke with the Board on the status of work to update the District’s Website, and other matters.
The Board also discussed staffing, and research on the types of security camera systems available.
UPDATED 7:22-p.m., w/a statement from the Iowa Department of Public Safety: SAC COUNTY, Iowa – Shortly before 2:00 p.m. on April 24, 2024, the Sac County Sheriff’s Office received a call from an individual who reported he discovered a body in his field. The body was found near the intersection where the semi of missing person David Schultz was located in November 2023. The body is being transported to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner for a forensic autopsy.
SAC CITY, Iowa (KTIV) – After months of searching, a family member says the body of missing David Schultz has been found. David’s wife, Sarah Schultz, told KTIV in Sioux City, that his body was found in Sac County on Wednesday, April 24. She said her husband was found in a farmer’s field and the Sac County Sheriff’s Office identified him by the boots he was wearing.
The remains were reportedly found 1.5 miles west of where Schultz’ truck was located back when he went missing in November 2023. According to Sarah Schultz, the body is being sent to Iowa State Medical Examiner for official identification.
David Schultz
Fifty-three-year-old David Schultz was a trucker from Wall Lake, Iowa, who was reported missing on Nov. 21, 2023. After his disappearance, law enforcement put together a timeline for his disappearance:
David left his home in Wall Lake around 7 p.m. on Nov. 20.
He was scheduled to pick up a load of pigs from a hog confinement near Eagle Grove and take them to Sac City.
Witnesses confirmed David picked up the livestock and left around 10:50 that night.
He was driving his semi-tractor-trailer.
Shortly after – investigators say he can be seen on surveillance video at a truck stop east of Fort Dodge.
David leaves the stop in his semi and heads west.
Cell phone data shows his phone traveled to a rural intersection north of Sac City.
Authorities found David’s truck at that intersection the following day – with his cellphone and wallet still inside.
David’s wife, Sarah, reported him missing on Nov. 21 after learning he never made it to the drop-off location.
Volunteers and law enforcement spent weeks looking for David, with over 100,000 acres being searched.
(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations in recent weeks, including long-expired food, moldy vegetables and meat labeled “not for sale.” The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports locally, the Casey’s General Store in Villisca was mentioned. During an April 5th visit, a state inspector noted that the nozzles on the soda-dispensing machine, as well as the nozzles on the ice cream machine were “heavily soiled with a mold-like debris.”
Those, and other findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. Listed below are some of the more serious findings that stem from inspections at Iowa restaurants, cafeterias and stores over the past four weeks.
The state inspections department reminds the public that their reports are a “snapshot” in time, and violations are often corrected on the spot before the inspector leaves the establishment.
The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing oversees restaurant inspections in Iowa. (Photo via Getty Images; DIAL logo courtesy of Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing)
(Mount Ayr, Iowa) – Officials with the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office report a search warrant executed at a residence in the 700 block of N. Fillmore Street in Mount Ayr, resulted in the arrest of a man and a woman on drug and child endangerment charges.
Authorities say Lyndsey Marie Kalvig and Bryan Duane Alden, both face charges that include:
Drug Distribution Violation to Person Under 18- Class B Felony
Child Endangerment- Aggravated Misdemeanor (X2)
Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor- Simple Misdemeanor, and
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia- Simple Misdemeanor
Lyndsey Kalvig was additionally charged with:
Dissemination and Exhibition of Obscene Material to Minor- Serious Misdemeanor, and
Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana 1st offense – Serious Misdemeanor.
Her cash-only bond was set at $31,000.
Alden was additionally charged with Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana/ 1st offense- Serious Misdemeanor. His cash-only bond was set at $30,000.
*Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations and any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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