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Cass County Sheriff’s report on arrests from Sept. 13th through the 25th

News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office have released a report on those arrested between Sept. 13th and the 25th:

On September 25th: 18-year-old Alexis Hoyt, of Atlantic, was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated (OWI)/1st Offense.

On September 24th: 18-year-old Shantell Michaels, of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order.  Michaels was taken to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held until her later release after her initial appearance.

On September 22nd: 27-year-old Clara Mohr, of Anita, was arrested for Domestic Assault.  Mohr was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held pending her later release on bond.

On September 21st: Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 56-year-old Darren Brooks, of Prescott, for OWI/2nd offense. Brooks was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on bond.

On September 18th: 19-year-old Michael Johnson, of Red Oak, was arrested in Cass County on a warrant for Violation of Probation.  Johnson was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held.

There were four arrested in Cass County on September 14th:

  • 22-year-old Korey Parrott, of Atlantic, was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated/1st Offense.
  • 26-year-old Chase Holmes, of Griswold, was arrested for Violation of the Sex Offender Registry and Violation of Probation
  • 39-year-old Michelle Schroder, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense; and,
  • 44-year-old Matthew Steffens, of Atlantic, was arrested for Driving While Revoked.

All four were booked into the Cass County Jail and held pending ROR (Release on [their] Own Recognizance.  And, on September 13th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 44-year-old Misty Rhodes, of Atlantic, on a warrant for another jurisdiction.  Rhodes was held pending her released on bond.

Seven forums featuring Iowa legislative candidates to focus on disability issues

News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Two disability rights groups in Iowa are hosting candidate forums focused on issues faced by Iowans with disabilities. The seven forums across the state next month will feature candidates for the Iowa legislature. Catherine Johnson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, says the first-ever forums are so Iowans with disabilities have a chance to understand how candidates running for state office think through disability issues.

“It’s been our experience that people in general don’t think about disability unless you have a disability yourself or you have a friend or a family member with a disability,” Johnson says. “So having the chance to connect early in an elected official’s career and talk about disability issues is really impactful.” Organizers say they’ve planned the forums to bring issues that are important to Iowans with disabilities front and center for current and future state lawmakers. Piper Haugan, a voting rights advocate at Disability Rights Iowa, says candidates will be asked questions about their experience with disabilities and their related policy priorities.

Radio Iowa graphic

“Of course, every policy that occurs in the legislature does affect people with disabilities,” Haugan says, “so we want to really be able to hear how they consider the disability community when they’re reviewing those bills.” Each forum will have American Sign Language interpretation and captioning.

The first forum is scheduled for October 1st in Council Bluffs. Others will follow: October 8th in Waverly, October 10th in Sioux City, October 16th in Ankeny, October 17th in Waukee, October 22nd in Des Moines, and October 24 in Ottumwa.

3 arrested in Creston

News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports three people were arrested on separate charges, Wednesday. At around 3:25-p.m., 26-year-old Isaac Wayne Hayes, of Creston, was arrested at his residence for Violation of No Contact/Protective Order – Contempt, Harassment – 2nd Degree, Harassment – 3rd Degree, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Hayes was taken to Union County Jail and held without bond until seen by a judge.

At around 5:50-p.m., Wednesday, Creston Police arrested 60-year-old Robbie Allen Dohrn, of Creston. Dohrn was taken into custody at Rainbow Park for Driving While Barred. He was transported to the Union County Jail and later released on bond.

And, 30-year-old Patrick Riley Iiams, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Iiams was already being held in the Union County Jail. He is being held without bond, pending his initial court appearance.

Grinnell College residence hall named in honor of 110-year-old graduate

News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The oldest living graduate of Grinnell College is the focus of events in Grinnell this weekend. Edith Renfrow Smith was born in Grinnell 110 years ago and graduated with a degree in psychology in 1937. “She knew from the time that she was a young girl that Grinnell was going to be her choice for college,” Jayn Chaney, a Grinnell College vice president, said. “She was the first black woman to graduate from the college.”

A new residence hall for Grinnell students that’s located in downtown Grinnell has been named Renfrow Hall. “We are excited to be able to honor her and have her legacy really celebrated and uplifted in this facility,” Chaney said.

The Renfrow Hall dedication ceremony is scheduled for Saturday at noon. A display in an art gallery on the Grinnell campus provides a timeline of the entire Renfrow family’s trajectory. “Grinnell College has been so honored to be the recipient of many of the treasured, beloved family photos that Mrs. Renfrow Smith’s mother and other family members assembled over time that really helps tell the story of the Renfrow family and the early African American community in Grinnell,” Chaney told Radio Iowa. About 60 Renfrow family members are expected for this weekend’s events in Grinnell. There will be a parade Saturday morning and on Saturday afternoon a temporary mural honoring the Renfrow sisters will be installed on the side of a bank in downtown Grinnell.

110 year-old Edith Renfrow Smith graduated from Grinnell College in 1937. (Grinnell College photo)

Edith Renfrow Smith moved to Chicago after graduating from Grinnell College. She retired from a teaching career in 1976 and has been recognized for her volunteer work in retirement. At the age of 108, she was declared a “super-ager” in Northwestern University research about older adults who have the memory capacity of someone much younger. Renfrow Smith turned 110 in July.

UNI developing Center for Civic Education

News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Northern Iowa is developing a Center for Civic Education after recently receiving approval from the Board of Regents. The head of the Cedar Falls school’s History Department, Jennifer McNabb, helped put together the proposal. “The Center will emphasize the production of educational resources. First, our pre-service teachers at U-N-I will be producing lesson plans and support material for in service teachers across the state, and we will sponsor an annual conference at U-N-I on civic education and free speech,” she says. McNabb says they will also reach out beyond the campus.

“Our public history students will work on public education in civic ed through the creation of traveling exhibits for education and for civic spaces, hoping to draw on our partnership with the Iowa community colleges,” she says. U-N-I already has civic education curriculum in place, created by a team of faculty members after they received National Endowment for the Humanities grant. The new center will build on that curriculum.

Jennifer McNabb, Scott Peters. (photo from Board of Regents meeting)

“The center’s ultimate goal is to help our community develop the civic knowledge, skills and dispositions required for understanding and application the values of free speech, civic leadership, public service and citizenship,” McNabb says. She says the Center for Civic Education is U-N-I’s response to the Board of Regents’ directive in November 2023 for the Regent schools to establish a widespread initiative that includes opportunities for education and research on free speech and civic education.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area: Thu., Sept. 26, 2024

Weather

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Today: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 80. S/SE winds 5-10 this afternoon.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 51.
Tomorrow: Sunny, with a high near 80. N/NW winds 5-10 in the afternoon.
Tom. Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 53. North northeast wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 83.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 81.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 82.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 81. The Low was 44. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 76 and the Low was 48. The Record High in Atlantic on Sept. 26th was 91 in 1897 & 1998. The Record Low was 24 in 1984. Sunrise: 7:11. Sunset: 7:11

Guthrie County deputy challenges sheriff’s reelection bid, sues for alleged retaliation

News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Des Moines, Iowa) – A Guthrie County deputy running for sheriff in the November election is suing the sheriff and county attorney, alleging they’ve waged a politically motivated campaign to have him decertified as a police officer. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports that in a federal lawsuit filed this week, Deputy Matthew Harmann, a Republican, alleges that “rather than accept the rather common occurrence of a subordinate seeking to unseat the sheriff,” Guthrie County Sheriff Martin “Marty” Arganbright, a Democrat, along with County Attorney Dana Minteer and Chief Deputy Jeremy Bennett, “engaged in an unconstitutional and coordinated campaign to impugn Harmann’s sterling reputation in an effort to undermine his political campaign.”

Harmann alleges the defendants tried to knowingly and falsely accuse him of misconduct in office and that when an independent investigator cleared Harmann of wrongdoing, they launched an effort to have Harmann decertified as a law enforcement officer, which would render him ineligible to serve as Guthrie County sheriff.

Court records indicate the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Department hired Harmann as a part-time deputy in 2017, and that he currently serves as one of the department’s two K9 officers.

His lawsuit alleges that prior to his February 2024 announcement that he was running for sheriff, Harmann had never received an adverse employment review or a work-related complaint and had never been the subject of any disciplinary proceedings with the sheriff’s department. The lawsuit claims that in the immediate aftermath of Harmann’s campaign announcement, Arganbright, Bennett and Minteer communicated electronically about the perceived threat Harmann’s candidacy posed to Arganbright’s and Bennett’s positions and to Minteer’s effectiveness as the county attorney.

The three then conspired to discredit Harmann and interfere with his election campaign, the lawsuit claims. Minteer issued a so-called “Giglio notice” in all criminal cases in which Harmann could potentially be a witness, alerting the court to the fact that Harmann was “believed to have provided false information to his colleagues during the course of a potential criminal investigation.”

The false information Harmann was alleged to have provided “pertained to the whereabouts/conduct of an off-duty Guthrie County sheriff’s deputy,” the notice stated. Harmann’s lawsuit did not detail the “false information” but referred to a letter to the editor published in a local newspaper claiming that on Dec. 17,  2023, Harmann helped a deputy suspected of driving an ATV after drinking by lying to investigating officers.

A week after Minteer issued the Giglio notice to the court, Bennett notified Harmann of an administrative investigation tied to the December incident, according to the lawsuit. The notice placed Harmann on unpaid administrative leave. The county then hired Jon Thomas of Workforce Solutions to investigate allegations against Harmann. To disguise their motives, the lawsuit alleges, Arganbright and Bennett created a falsified version of the original notice of administrative leave, backdating it to Jan. 7 – prior to Harmann’s announcement of his run for sheriff.

According to the lawsuit, Thomas investigated the December 2023 incident and concluded Harmann violated no laws or ethical or professional rules. While the sheriff’s office did not impose any disciplinary action after the investigation was completed, Bennett allegedly asked that the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy decertify Harmann as a peace officer, citing the fact that he had been on administrative leave since January. As of this week, the lawsuit states, the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy has not taken any public action in the matter, and a hearing date has not been scheduled.

Despite this, the lawsuit alleges, Arganbright has falsely informed community members that Harmann has already been decertified by the academy. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for felonious misconduct in office and political retaliation and discrimination. It also seeks an order that would force the county to expunge from Harmann’s disciplinary record any reference to “the knowingly false efforts to have Harmann decertified as a police officer.”

The defendants have yet to file a response to the lawsuit. Minteer’s office referred the Iowa Capital Dispatch to the West Des Moines law office of Jason Palmer, who was not immediately available for comment.

Safety coordinator says photo taking on, near railroad tracks a concern

News

September 26th, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – This is “See Track? Think Train” week. Francis Edeker, the state coordinator for the “Operation Lifesaver” program, says more than 23-hundred people are injured or killed every year at railroad crossings. “Running around the gates and lights is a big problem — 60% of the incidents with the trains happened at crossings where there are lights and gates out there,” He says. “And 25% of the incidents are people that drive into the side of trains…and 25% of them hit the 30th or 40th or 50th car of the train, which means they’re doing a distraction and not paying attention.”

Edeker says having pedestrians on and near railroad tracks has become a major concern. “Family pictures and high school senior pictures being taken on the railroad tracks — that’s a big problem here in the state of Iowa and even in the United States all over,” he says. Edeker says pedestrians and vehicles are only allowed to cross the railroad tracks at designated crossing areas.  “Any other place or walk down them or beside them on the right-of-way — your trespassing,” Edeker says. “The way the law reads is all the officer has to do is see you out there…and he can write you a ticket.”

The fine for a first trespassing violation in Iowa is 200-dollars. This past July, the state fine increased to 520-dollars for ignoring crossing gates and warning lights and illegally driving across railroad tracks in so-called “quiet zones.” Trains approaching railroad crossings in the 21 “quiet zones” in Iowa are not required to sound the horn, to reduce noise in cities.

The cities in Iowa that have quiet zones includes: Ames, Bellevue, Boone, Burlington, Creston, Denison, Fairfield, Hiawatha, Mason City, Mount Vernon, Nevada, Ogden, Ottumwa, Sergeant Bluff and Sioux City.

Bulldogs Take on Chargers in an Electric Friday Night Showdown

Sports

September 25th, 2024 by Christian Adams

The Riverside Bulldogs football team will play host to an exciting Friday night match-up against the ACGC Chargers. The Bulldogs come in with a 3-1 record after defeating IKM-Manning 28-20 on the road last week. Head Coach Darrell Frain says his team’s success has come from playing as a unit.

One of the most lethal parts of Riverside’s game is the ground attack. Though four games, the Bulldogs have amassed 1197 yards on the ground, with 803 of those yards coming from junior Jaxon Gordon. Halfway through the regular season, Gordon leads the Western Iowa Conference in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and offensive touchdowns while he ranks second in all-purpose yards. Frain contributes Gordon’s willingness to have the ball in his hands as the reason for his success.

On defense, it’s been the senior leaders that have contributed to Riverside’s efforts. Senior Kellen Oliver is tied for the WIC lead in interceptions, while AC Roller is ranked seventh in the WIC with 31 total tackles and shares the team lead in tackles for loss with Jett Rose at 5.5. When talking about Roller and Rose, Frain said they have slightly different styles that usually end up with the same result.

The Bulldogs defense will have a tough challenge ahead with the 4-0 Chargers, who are seeking their second straight undefeated season. Expect a run-heavy attack as ACGC has three players that are averaging 100 yards or more per game on the ground. In a game like this Frain knows that keeping the Chargers behind schedule and forcing a turnover or two will be critical.

You can catch all the action Friday night on KJAN with pre-game coverage starting at 6:30 pm with kickoff at 7 pm.

AHSTW Volleyball Showing Off a Fighting Spirit

Sports

September 25th, 2024 by Christian Adams

Although the AHSTW volleyball team has struggled through its first 22 games, it hasn’t been for lack of fighting spirit. The young Lady Vikes have been in hard-fought battles, including taking sets against tough teams in Sidney and Coon-Rapids Bayard. Head coach Kelsey Fraher says her team’s fighting spirit and drive to improve are things she appreciates about her group.

The defense has been one of the strong points for AHSTW this season. The Lady Vikes have two players in the top 20 in digs, including Western Iowa conference Leader Halle Goodman. Goodman has amassed 211 digs in 22 matches. Fraher asserted her squad’s effort and performance on the defensive side of the ball have been phenomenal.

Despite the defensive success, attacking has been one area where AHSTW has struggled this season. Despite the struggles sophomore Kendra Hansen is excelling. She currently sits 3rd in the conference with 269 assists. Fraher says her experience her ability to find her teammates and all-around play have helped the Lady Vikes progress.

The name of the Game for the Lady Vikes is continual improvement. Although Fraher has seen improvements throughout the season, she says her team can still improve their intensity and consistency.

AHSTW will host IKM-Manning Thursday with the contest scheduled for 7:15 pm.