(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report two recent arrests. Wednesday evening, 58-year-old Scott Bradley Spurrier, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While License Suspended. Spurrier was cited and released on a Promise to Appear. And, Tuesday evening, Creston Police arrested 45-year-old Brady Gale Richert, of Creston, for Public Intoxication. Richert was seen by Judge and then released on his own recognizance.
RALSTON, Neb. [KETV] — A man from Iowa was arrested by Ralston, Nebraska Police, last week, for allegedly impersonating a Washington County, NE, sheriff’s deputy. KETV reports on April 3rd, Ralston police officers arrested 60-year-old Anthony Robison, of Council Bluffs, at the Wildewood Commons apartments. Police say Robison was wearing a law enforcement uniform suggesting that he was a deputy sheriff with Washington County, including uniform shoulder patches, name plate and a badge, at the time of his arrest. Investigators confirmed through the Washington County Sheriff’s Office that Robison is not a sworn deputy with the department.
According to court documents, Robison was terminated from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in the 1990s due to a felony conviction. Robison also had other law enforcement gear and attire, as well as “numerous fake ID’s and name plates from local and federal agencies,”according to Ralston Police.
Robison was taken into custody for possession of a gun by a prohibited person, identity theft, impersonation of a police officer and false reporting. He is scheduled to appear in court on May 13. His bond was set at $21,000.
DES MOINES – Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources report, the City of Atlantic was recently honored with the 2023 Tree City USA Award at the 33rd Annual Community Forestry Awards Luncheon in Ankeny. The award was presented by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources April 4th at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny.
State Forester Jeff Goerndt says “The Tree City USA award is a symbol for communities who have made a commitment to the management of public trees. Your community has provided an outstanding example for other Iowa communities by enhancing our forest resources and demonstrating the great value of trees in providing multiple benefits for future generations.”
In the photo (from left to right): State Forester Jeff Goerndt, Atlantic Trees Forever representative Dolly Bergmann; and Kayla Lyon, Director of the Department of Natural Resources.
Atlantic was one of 74 Iowa communities to qualify for Tree City USA status. To receive the award, a city must, at a minimum, have either a city forester or an active city tree board; have a tree ordinance; spend at least $2 per capita annually for its community forestry program; and have a tree planting and maintenance plan.
CARTER LAKE, Iowa [KETV, Omaha] – The City of Carter Lake is hiring an investigator to look into complaints surrounding city council member Jackie Wahl, who faces a fine, suspension, or removal. According to KETV, four city employees accuse Wahl of creating a hostile work environment. Grievances allege Wahl offered a city employee’s hours to another worker, shared details about pay and workplace concerns, offered an occupied job, and contacted police in retaliation against an outspoken worker.
The council member faced accusers at the packed public meeting. The city employees who filed the complaints read prepared statements to council members and the mayor. Carter Lake city policy says council members should never express concern about the performance of a city employee in public, to the employee director, or to the employee’s supervisor. Mayor Ron Cumberledge said two other city employees quit their jobs due to the council member. Wahl was the subject of a 2022 complaint, according to the mayor, who says it resulted in an improvement plan and verbal reprimand.
Wahl, a six-year member of the council, said she is fixed on challenging the allegations. The city says it’s training employees to prevent a similar situation in the future.
PERRY, Iowa [KCCI] — The Perry High School has a new principal. The Perry News reports that interim Principal Brad Snowgren will succeed Dan Marburger. Marburger died days after the Jan. 4 school shooting. The online newspaper reports that the Perry School Board unanimously approved Snowgren’s hiring.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Emergency personnel responded to a small biplane crash Wednesday afternoon at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport. The pilot was reported to be OK. The crash, reported at about 2:35 p.m. The plane involved was said to be a 1944 De Haviland Tiger Moth DH 82A. According to the FAA, the aircraft is registered to John Frederick Rued, of Bellevue, NE.
Preliminary FAA information stated the aircraft departed the airport in a crosswind, lost directional control, veered-off the runway and over a berm. The name of the pilot was not immediately released.
Additional details are currently not available.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education, Wednesday night, gave the green light to purchase new wrestling mats, and removable vinyl sponsorship placement stickers on the mats. Activities Director Andy Mitchell said he had previously spoken with Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnson and the District’s Director of Finance Lisa Jones, about the idea. Mitchell said also, that he and Board member Josh McLaren had a brief discussion about the matter during the Winter, after he was approached by a business who has an interest in purchasing one or two new wrestling mats, but there’s a catch.
The District bought one new wrestling mat last year, but Mitchell said they’re getting close to needing a few more. usable lifetime. New wrestling mats, Mitchell said, should last 10-to 15-years. Permanent sponsorship logos on the mat, he said, would get worn-out after years of use, but vinyl sponsorship ads would be removable and storable, thereby extending their lifetime.
Having a sponsors on the wrestling mats is a win-win for the sponsor, and the School District.
Josh McLaren left no doubt about his feelings about sponsorship advertising and the mats…
Mitchell said he’s open to having a more permanent business logo on a mat, but vinyl logo’s make more sense in the long-run.
Mitchell said also, with Spring sporting events in full gear, he gives a tip-of-the hat to District Transportation Director Steve Andersen, for being able to juggle bus schedules and drivers to get students to the various sporting events they attend.
Girls Tennis
St. Albert 6, Thomas Jefferson 3
Girls Soccer
Omaha South 1, Lewis Central 0
Boys Soccer
St. Albert 10, Red Oak 1
Girls Golf
Sioux City East 192, Thomas Jefferson 274
Medalist: Aubrey Koch, Sioux City East, (44)
The CAM Cougars girls track team has been off to a running start to the season.
CAM Cougars track coach Luke Symonds says he has been impressed on how well the track team has been doing so far on the early part of the season.
Even though the Cougars are over a month into the season, coach Symonds commented on what the team can improve on the rest of the year.
Coach Symonds talked about what events are the strengths of his team this year.
Coach Symonds talked about what Cougar’s fans can expect out of his group of track athletes this season.
The Cougars next track meet will be Thursday April 11th at the Charger Relays in Guthrie Center. That Relay event will get underway at 4:30 p.m.
(Radio Iowa) – The Midwest is seeing a rise in cases of Lyme disease and other health problems associated with ticks, and experts say the trouble is, millions of the tiny insects are now surviving our warmer winters. Megan Meller, an infection preventionist at Gundersen Health System, says now that spring is here, Iowans should start doing tick checks on a regular basis. “Tick season essentially now is moving year-round. I think we previously would think that we would have started looking for ticks once the weather turned warmer in April and May, when we’re spending more time outside,” Meller says, “but this year, we were seeing warm weather back in really from December through January and currently, and even those brief cold spells didn’t kill the ticks.”
The experts say there are more than a dozen species of ticks in Iowa, the three most common are deer ticks, dog ticks and lone star ticks. Meller says some are easier to spot than others. “If we’re lucky, they’re large and we can find them right away but some of them are really tiny, the size of a dot at the end of a sentence, and if you overlook those, they can also cause an infection,” Meller says. “It’s really important to not just do a thorough tick check on yourself and on your pets and children, but to also take additional preventative measures.” Those measures include wearing long pants and long sleeves.
“Wearing bug spray when you’re outside that repels ticks. It’s closing up your sock line. That’s an easy way for ticks to get up, too. It’s wearing long socks over your pants,” she says. “It’s just being really mindful that as we spend more and more time outside, there are also hidden dangers lurking out there.” Along with the rise in tick-borne diseases in the region, there’s a silver lining to the story.
“We’re seeing a greater push for vaccine development to prevent Lyme disease. So right now, there is a vaccine in Stage-3 clinical trials that has some promising results, so we’re keeping an eye on that,” Meller says. “Hopefully, at some point in the near future, there’ll be a vaccine that helps prevent Lyme disease, so we don’t have to keep worrying about this potential added fear in the woods.”
There’s another tick to be watchful for, especially if you raise cattle or horses in Iowa. The Asian longhorned tick has been found in at least 19 states, including Missouri, but it’s not yet been spotted here. Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.
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