(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest at around 6-p.m. Monday, of 32-year-old Brandon James Case, from Creston. Case was arrested at the Creston McDonald’s restaurant, for Failure to Appear on a Union County warrant for Driving While Barred. He was being held in the Union County Jail without bond.
(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak were called a little after 7-p.m. Monday, to the Pizza Ranch in Red Oak, for a reported physical assault. Upon arrival and further investigation, Police arrested 35-year-old Madison Marie Jones, of Red Oak, on charges that include Assault with Intent to Inflict Serious Injury (an Aggravated Misdemeanor), Disorderly Conduct – Fighting/Violent Behavior (Simple Misdemeanor), and Child Endangerment (Aggravated Misdemeanor).
Jones was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.
(Radio Iowa) – The number of active burn bans in Iowa has dropped down to 57 counties (as of 5:30-p.m. Monday). State Fire Marshal Dan Wood says five counties ended their bans thanks to recent storms. “We’ve experienced a little bit of rain, but, you know, we’ve got a lot, lot of rain to go to catch up, to get everything, you know, sufficiently moist, where it’s not going to catch on fire as easy.” he says. Bremer County reported a grass fire along Highway 218 near Janesville Monday morning that was believed to be caused by a discarded cigarette. Wood says the dry conditions make a fire possible almost anywhere in counties with bans. A grass fire was also reported Monday afternoon near mile marker 51 off westbound I-80 in Cass County. Marne and Atlantic Fire responded and quickly had the flames extinguished.
Counties w/an active burn ban are shown with a flame. Recently rescinded burn bans are shown in blue.
“With this being a rural state, and you know, our crops dry out at this time of year, every year, so that doesn’t help any either. And getting those out gives a lot of relief, but we still got to be mindful of there’s a lot of dry grass, a lot of dry crops and stubble out there. So everybody needs to be careful,” Wood says. He thinks most people have been avoiding open burning in the counties under a ban. “I think so. Haven’t heard too much of people, you know, going against the bans, a few here and there, but not much. I think people are pretty mindful once they get put on,” Wood says.
Johnson, Linn, Iowa, Hancock and Cass County recently lifted their burn bans after some rain.
(Estherville, Iowa) – Iowa Lakes Community College is using an almost $500,000 Federal Aviation Administration grant, received this spring, to take its aviation education offerings to new heights. The community college, with five locations throughout northwest Iowa, received $493,657 through the FAA Pilot Workforce Development Grant Program, allowing the college to launch a course in drone piloting for high school students and expand its aviation and airport management program, according to a news release.
“We are thrilled to receive this grant from the FAA’s Pilot Workforce Development Grant Program,” said Tim Busch, director of the aviation program and chief flight instructor, in the release. “The funding will enable us to enhance our top-ranked aviation program, currently recognized as the number one program among community colleges and third nationwide.”
High school students from Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Kossuth and Palo Alto counties will be able to enroll in the remote pilot course, according to the release, which will start with its first class in early 2025. The program will teach students about flying unmanned aircraft systems, or drones, and earn them up to four college credits. This will also help them more easily transfer into the college’s aviation and airport management program.
Executive Dean Kyle Norris said in a previous interview that programming like the course being offered to students next year will help the college connect with more young people. He said he hopes to show them there is more to the aviation industry than flying commercial planes.
Those interested in joining a prospective student list can email FAA Grant Coordinator Emily Mullaly at emullaly@iowalakes.edu, the release stated.
In addition to the new course, the community college will also use grant dollars to expand the drone program and implement the first “rotary wing curriculum” offered in Iowa, according to the release.
“Our focus is on creating new learning opportunities for high school students, and we are excited to expand our drone and rotary wing programs while building a connection with area high school students and the aviation industry,” Busch said in the release.
(State News) – The Iowa corn harvest reached 84% this week, up from 68% last week, and soybean harvest is nearly complete, at 96%, as the state nears the end of one of its driest Octobers. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the crop progress and condition report for Oct. 21 through Oct. 27 showed a continued decline in soil moisture conditions. Topsoil rated 75% short to very short, and subsoil moisture condition rated 80% short to very short.
The state climatologist Justin Glisan reported precipitation totals for the week were higher than the past four weeks combined, yet still below the state’s average for this time of year.
Eastern and central counties saw storms this week, with Johnson County logging almost two inches of rain and 30 monitoring locations with totals above one inch.
The National Weather service forecasts more precipitation for the state next week and normal precipitation through November.
“Continued warm temperatures and dry conditions last week allowed for harvest to push forward at a brisk pace,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a statement about the crop condition report. “Following what is likely to be one of the driest Octobers on record, weather outlooks for early November are indicating more chances for rainfall.”
A crop update report from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach noted the dry conditions have caused “excessively dry grain,” difficulty with tillage and an inability to apply anhydrous ammonia to fields.
NEWTON, Iowa — A motorcyclist was hospitalized after a multi-vehicle crash in Newton on Sunday. According to an Iowa State Patrol crash report, at around 5 p.m. a Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle, driven by 23-year-old Harley M. S. Howe, and a Cadillac CT4, driven by 40-year-old Ryan J. Smith, were traveling eastbound through the intersection of 1st Avenue East and East 17th Street when a Ford Explorer, driven by 67-year-old Randall W. Gunsaulus, pulled out of a business driveway. Despite evasive maneuvers, both the motorcycle and the Cadillac collided with the Ford Explorer.
According to the crash report, Howe was ejected from the motorcycle and was not wearing a helmet. Howe was transported to a Des Moines hospital via air ambulance. No other injuries were reported.
The crash remained under investigation.
DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI — Lovers of the Iowa State Fair can bid on hundreds of state fair surplus items through Nov. 7. Daugherty Auction & Real Estate Services is handling the auction, which includes various items from used vehicles, machinery and lawnmowers, signage and advertising, benches, bricks and other pavers, artwork, antiques, lumber and much more.
As of the latest check, an 8-by-20-foot enclosed trailer has the highest bid at $1,800. A Bobcat skid loader is next at $2,800.
Bidding closes at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, and winning bidders can pick up their items between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov. 9.
The 2024 state fair was the biggest ever, drawing a record 1,182,682 people through the gates over its 11 days.
Officials last month announced “Fair Sweet Fair” as the theme for the 2025 state fair, which is scheduled to run Aug. 7-17.
Today: Increasing clouds. A high near 80. South/SW winds 25-45 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy w/a slight chance of showers & thunderstorms after midnight. Low 65. S wind @ 20-45 mph.
Tomorrow: A slight chance of showers & thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. The temperature will be falling throughout the day to around 57-degrees by 5pm. S/SW winds 20-40 mph. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Tom. Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 37. W/NW winds 15-25 mph. New rainfall amounts between 1/2-to 3/4 of an inch possible.
Thursday: Sunny & breezy. High near 50.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 29.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 57.
Monday’s High in Atlantic was 76. The Low was 58. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 39 and the Low was 21. The Record High for Oct. 29th in Atlantic was 91 in 1927. The Record Low was 8 in 1895. Sunrise today: 7:48; Sunset: 6:19.
(Radio Iowa) – A proposed constitutional amendment on this year’s Iowa ballot would clarify the line of succession at the top of state government. Seven years ago, Kim Reynolds became governor when Terry Branstad resigned, but Iowa’s attorney general at the time said his reading of the constitution indicated Reynolds was becoming acting governor and didn’t have the power to select a new lieutenant governor.
State Treasurer Roby Smith was a state senator the following year, touting the proposal to give Iowa governors in similar situations authority to name a new lieutenant governor. “When you buy insurance, you hope you never have to use it,” Smith said. “This is something that’s insurance that we’re putting in the state constitution. I hope we never have to use it, but it’s there…if we need it or the next generation needs it.”
Mary Wolfe of Clinton was a member of the Iowa House who raised concerns in 2022 about the proposed amendment that Iowa voters are seeing on their 2024 ballots. “We do need to do something, I agree,” Wolfe said. “That mess we went through last time this happened was not good, did not reflect well on anyone.” But Wolfe and other Democrats say the proposed amendment is flawed. They say the House and Senate should vote to confirm a lieutenant governor picked by a new governor who takes over in the middle of an elected governor’s term.
Bill Brauch is chairman of Polk County Democrats. “If the president resigns and the vice president takes over, if they name a new vice president that individual has to be approved by both houses of congress,” Brauch says, “but here, in this amendment, there’s no check on the governor.” Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann supports the amendment. “There is going to be a Democratic governor at some point and they’re going to benefit from this, too,” Kaufmann said. “…This is a no brainer.”
Election Day is NEXT Tuesday (November 5th).
Class 2A
Region 2:
Tri-Center 3, Shenandoah 2 (25-17, 25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 15-10)
Class 1A
Region 4:
Riverside 3, East Mills 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-13)
Akron-Westfield 3, Trinity Christian 0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-20)
Region 6:
Southwest Valley 3, Stanton 0 (25-22, 28-26, 25-20)
Region 8:
Sidney 3, Fremont-Mills 0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-21).
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