DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Keokuk man was sentenced Tuesday to 57 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. According to public court documents, Octavius Sergio Dion Whitaker, 28, stole two firearms from the Farm King in West Burlington on October 27, 2022. Both firearms were later recovered by law enforcement in possession of other individuals. After completing his prison term, Whitaker will be required to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), as well as the West Burlington Police.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man was sentenced on November 20, 2023, to 86 months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine. According to court documents, in 2022, law enforcement discovered Mario Dominick Clark, 44, would travel to the Chicago area to purchase cocaine and return to the Quad Cities to sell it. On several occasions, law enforcement utilized a confidential informant to purchase cocaine supplied by Clark. In 2014, Clark was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois. After completing his prison term, Clark will be required to serve six years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as the Scott County Sherriff’s Department.

(Radio Iowa) – The holiday travel season is getting underway with some new technology in use at Iowa’s two largest airports. T-S-A regional spokesperson, Jessica Mayle, says one thing that hasn’t changed is the advice that you get to the airport early. “Still recommend two hours even at an airport of a smaller size, that buffer really helps a lot because you just don’t know when those sort of peak times are going to hit. If you’re in the middle of it, you want to make sure you’re giving yourself plenty of time,” she says. New computer C-T bag scanners at the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids airports make it easier to go through security.

” I think people are used to when they approach the scanner, taking things out, take my liquids out, taking the electronics out, this machine really sees inside the bag better. So it’s fewer bag checks for the passenger,” Mayle says. “Because of that they can leave things in. So don’t have to divest or have to take as much out of your bag when you approach.” She says the process for sending items through the new machines is different as well. “Every single thing goes into a bin with these machines. So that’s even your suitcase, every single thing goes into a bag,” Mayle says. “So, if you missed that baggage check cut off and you try and bring an oversized bag to the checkpoint. It’s not even going to fit through our machine, we’re going to send you back down anyway. So make sure you’re not bringing oversized bags through.”

TSA CT scanner (Radio Iowa photo)

The two airports are also using facial recognition technology to check I-D’s. Mayle says Iowa’s new mobile I-D’s are accepted. “If you do have a mobile I-D, you can present it at the checkpoint and we do have readers that can read those mobile I-Ds on your phone. And then you know, the other piece of that is that the reader also has a camera attached. So it will take a picture of you live it compares it to the picture on your I-D, whether you’re using a mobile I-D or a physical one,” she says. Mayle says the technology across the country can vary, so you should be prepared to follow whatever instructions you are given by T-S-A once you get to the airport.

The T-S-A has a list of prohibited items on their website you can check before heading out. Mayle says many people still forget about the limits on liquids. “Big bottles of water, big bottles of shampoo. A lot of people again, are just kind of careless and don’t think about it,” she says. “And it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. Like, oh, that’s fine. I’ll go dump it out. But if every single person did that, it really backs the line up, it really slows things down.” Mayle says take time before you approach the checkpoint to make sure you don’t have those items and it will keep the lines moving and make everyone happy.

Today (Wednesday) and Sunday are expected to be the busiest days for the Thanksgiving air travel period.

DAVENPORT, Iowa – An Iowa City woman was sentenced on November 20, 2023, to three years in federal prison for International Parental Kidnapping. According to public court documents, Kira K. Zielinski, 49, filed for divorce from her husband in 2020. During the divorce proceedings, the Iowa District Court of Johnson County issued orders granting joint legal custody of a shared child to Zielinski and her husband and establishing a joint custody schedule.

In February 2022, Zielinski took the child and drove from Iowa to California and across the Mexican border. Zielinski remained in Mexico with the child until November 2022 when she was taken into custody while attempting to reenter the United States. In July 2023, Zielinski was found guilty by a United States District Judge following a stipulated trial. After completing her term of imprisonment, Zielinski will be required to serve one year of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Iowa City Police Department.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports more than $415,000 in 50 percent cost-share grants were recently awarded to 131 Iowa rural fire departments to help their efforts to protect Iowan’s and their property from wildfires. The grants offer valuable funding assistance for wildfire suppression, personal protective and communications equipment.

Among the (AREA) fire departments will receive 2023 Volunteer Fire Assistance grants, are those in: Anita; Atlantic; Audubon; Avoca; Clarinda; College Springs; Creston; Elliott; Glenwood; Harlan; Irwin; Logan; Manilla; Onawa; Prescott; Shenandoah; Sidney; Stuart; Villisca; Woodbine and Yale. The grants are made possible through Iowa DNR Forestry, in cooperation with US Forest Service – State and Private Forestry.

Gail Kantak, fire supervisor with DNR Forestry, reminds all fire departments of the importance of submitting Wildland Fire Reports whenever they respond to a wildland fire or provide assistance to a prescribed or controlled wildland fire. Wildland fire reporting forms are available at www.iowadnr.gov/fire.

Departments returning these reports receive priority points when the Fire Assistance grant applications are scored. These wildland fire reports are compiled locally and nationally and are reported to Congress.

DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov. 22, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield, today (Wednesday) announced that the Agency is investing more than $12.15-million in loans and $508,000 in grant to nine rural Iowa projects, to spur economic development and catalyze rural prosperity through rural cooperatives. USDA is making the investments through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program.

The announcement is part of a larger national announcement detailing $1.2 billion in support for projects in rural America. A full list of projects from that announcement is available online.

Among the USDA Funded Cooperative projects in Iowa (locally), are those for the:

–Raccoon Valley Electric Cooperative, which received a $1.52-million loan to help fund a pass-through loan to Wernimont Welding, LLC for expansion in Carroll. The project will construct a new welding shop and purchase additional equipment. This project will create three new jobs and promote economic development in rural Carroll County.

-The Raccoon Valley Electric Cooperative also received a $ 830,700 loan, to help fund a pass-through loan to Matt Meister Trucking Inc., an interstate freight hauling carrier. The project will construct a facility for the business in Breda. The project will create six new jobs and promote economic development in this rural Carroll County community.

USDA Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.3 million Iowans living in rural communities and areas. Office locations include a state office in Des Moines, along with an area office (locally), in Atlantic.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County say a man from Tabor was arrested early Wednesday afternoon, following a traffic stop at Kale Lane/Levi Road. 61-year-old Timothy Neal Griggs was charged with OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

(Elk Horn, Iowa) – The Exira-Elk Horn/Kimballton Board of Education met Tuesday evening. The Board held its Annual Meeting prior to their regular meeting. Business Manager/Board Secretary Mallory Meyer reports the Exira-EHK School Board accepted the Abstract of Election before adjourning their Annual Meeting and calling to Order their Organizational Meeting. During that portion of the meeting, the Oath of Office was administered to Jodee Dixson, Matt Jorgensen and Marie Nelson. The Oath of Office will be given to Terri Harris at a later date, due to illness.

Mallory Meyer reports the new board nominated Kevin Petersen for Board President. Petersen then administered the rest of the meeting, which included the nomination of Tamie Fahn as Vice-President. They established their regular, monthly meetings as being on the third Tuesday of the month at 6-p.m., with the exception of the December and January meetings, which will start at 5-p.m.

In other business, the Exira-EHK School Board designated Ahlers and Cooney as the District’s Legal Counsel. They established banking institutions and limits, approved SIAC (School Advisory Committee) members, and a request for A Modified Supplemental Amount for Open Enrollment-Out ($135,211.92). The Board approved a Letter of Understanding with the Atlantic Community School District, with regard to the Achievement Center, in Atlantic, and a Superintendent Sharing Agreement with the Audubon CSD (Pending contract approval). Other action included the approval of Early Graduation Requests, a Modified Graduation Request, a Construction Management Contract with Boyd-Jones, and an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with William Penn University, for the Teacher/Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship Program.

Snow removal bids were approved as presented, along with the First Reading of certain polices pertaining to: Equal Employment Opportunity; Student Conduct; Student Suspension; Expulsion, and, the Reconsideration of Instructional and Library Materials Regulation. The Exira-EHK School Board approved the following employment contracts:

1. Nikki Bricker – Associate
2. Kevin Brown – Head Boys Track
3. Paige Halbur – Assistant Girls Basketball
4. Diana Hill-Borger – Associate
5. Nolan Himmelberg – Assistant Boys Basketball
6. Trent Megchelsen – JH Boys Basketball
7. Cassidy Nerland – Assistant Girls Track
8. Doug Newton – JH Boys Track
9. Tom Petersen – Head Girls Basketball, Boys Golf
10. Derek Reischauer – JH Girls Basketball
11. Megan Wilkerson – JH Girls Track

The Board’s next meeting takes place in the Conference Room at the Exira-EHK High School in Elk Horn, on Dec. 19th, at 5-p.m.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken updated the County Board of Supervisors during their meeting Tuesday morning, on Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities. Wolken mentioned Bridge #380 near the Anita sale barn had opened to traffic, as of November 21st.  He reported also, that crews should be finishing the decking on bridge #319 on G30 west of Atlantic this week.

He said a concrete box culvert project on 730th Street is complete.

He said the project went very quickly and smoothly.

And, the Secondary Roads Department, Wolken said, will be working on some driveway extensions through the end of the year.

(Radio Iowa) – Three southeast Iowa police officers are being credited with rescuing a person from a house fire in Ottumwa early Tuesday morning. According to the City of Ottumwa, Officers Robert Schaffner, Carson Story and Devin Yeager of the Ottumwa Police Department arrived at the home and made their way to the bedroom window of the house’s sole occupant. The officers were able to gain entry into the home and pull out the individual who was taken to the paramedics and transported to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

The cause of the fire is unknown. Officials say the State Fire Marshall was contacted and will assist in the fire investigation.