(Radio Iowa) – Former Iowa Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, of Coralville. says Senate Democrats voted him out of his leadership position because he fired two longtime staffers. Senate Democrats met late last week and voted to replace Wahls and have Senator Pam Jochum of Dubuque be their floor leader.

Wahls did not issue a public statement then, but he’s written a blog post this week. Wahls says the two employees of the Senate Democratic Caucus that he fired did not share his vision for change and he stands by that decision because Iowa Democrats desperately need a new direction and leaders who will chart that course.

Wahls won reelection last November to a four year term and he will continue serving in the state senate. Wahls says it’s critical for the well-being of the state to get more Democrats elected to office and he’s pledging to work with his fellow Democrats to accomplish that goal.

(Radio Iowa) – Another person has come forward with sex abuse allegations against a Catholic priest who served more than a dozen eastern Iowa parishes in the 1980s and ’90s. Father Leo Riley, in Florida since 2002, was placed on administrative leave last month, after a different adult accused Riley of abuse in the mid-1980s. Riley was assigned to a church in Dubuque at the time.

About a decade ago, Riley was accused of abusing a minor at the Church of the Resurrection in Dubuque in 1985. The Archbishop of Dubuque — back in 2015 — said that previous investigation was dropped because the information available didn’t support a reasonable belief that the allegation was true.

Bishop Richard Pates has sent a letter to all Iowa parishes where Riley served, asking people with any information about alleged abuse to contact the archdiocese in Dubuque. Bishop Pates has released a written statement, too, saying the church will do what it can to bring healing in the midst of outrage and hurt — and he said the archdiocese is committed to working diligent sly to ensure a safe environment for children and all vulnerable individuals in its churches and schools.

(Radio Iowa/KJAN) – [**update to Monday’s report] The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa has sent Atlantic’s school board a letter, saying it would be unconstitutional to prohibit student protests at school. During the school board’s meeting in May, LeAnne Pellett of Atlantic said she represented 30 residents who were upset by a March protest at the school over L-G-B-T-Q related bills in the legislature.

“This protest, promoted by a small group of students, and encouraged and promoted for sure by one and maybe more by our taxpayer funded educators is of great concern to us. Please understand, we do not object to anyone’s right to protest,” Pellett said. “…We do, however, object to these events taking place during educational instruction time, approved by school administration and promoted by educators.” Pellet called on the school board to adopt a new policy.  “We would like to see a policy established by this board to allow events such as this protect to be held only before or after regular school instructional hours,” Pellett said, “and preferably not on school property.”

[**] Thomas Story, a staff attorney with the A-C-L-Uof Iowa, says that suggested policy would clearly violate students’ constitutional rights.  “As of right now, we aren’t aware of any further action by the board on this policy,” he says, “but it’s important for us to use this as an opportunity to ensure all school districts in Iowa are aware of the constitutional problems with such a policy and their obligations to their students.”

Story cites a 1969 U-S Supreme Court ruling that says students do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. The case involved a group Des Moines students who were suspended from school for protesting the Vietnam War. There were student walk-outs in several Iowa school district earlier this year, led by students protesting bills in the legislature. Story says it’s likely other school boards are hearing similar proposals to Pellett’s.

“It’s clear from the letter that we’re watching Atlantic,” Story says, “and if any schools do take the next step, we’d be willing to take a look at all of our options.” According to the A-C-L-U, Iowa law only lets schools limit or punish students for their speech or expression at school if it encourages illegal activities, interferes with other students’ rights, or substantially disrupts school activities.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Officers with the Red Oak Police Department report the arrest Monday afternoon, of 61-year-old Daniel Mark Kinnersley. The Red Oak man was arrested at around 4:05-p.m. for disorderly conduct after he allegedly ran in front of vehicles and made threatening remarks. Kinnersley was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

At around 7:50-p.m. Monday, Red Oak Police arrested 65-year-old James Grover Lunsford, of Red Oak, for Driving While License is suspended in Iowa. His bond was set at $491.25

And, Red Oak Police arrested 21-year-old Savannah Victoria Jones, of Murray, early this (Tuesday) morning. She was taken into custody at around 12:17-a.m. following a traffic stop, and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense. Jones was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Nishna Valley Trails and Cass County Conservation hosted “Truckin’ on the Trails” at Schildberg Recreation Area on June 3rd, in honor of National Trails Day. The event showcased various cycling opportunities and trails in Cass County.

Event organizers say Jon Jordan gave an introduction to gravel riding and led a 10-mile ride called the “Nishna Valley
Gravel Sampler” from Schildberg to the south T-Bone Trailhead and back. Throughout the event, Sarah Selders provided live music, and the Atlantic Kiwanis, Master Grillers, and Louie’s Shaved Ice sold food.

Steve Green of the Atlantic Kiwanis gave a presentation on the kids’ bike helmet giveaway the club has been organizing for 27 years, and shared that the Atlantic Kiwanis have given away over 5,000 helmets to third-grade students. Steve Anderson, owner of Bike Farm in Atlantic, talked about his bike business and gave out door prizes.

Jon Jordan led an enthusiastic group of 12 cyclists on the T-Bone Gravel Sampler Ride. (Photo submitted)

Dave and Barb Chase led a group of riders on a 1.5-mile ride around the Schildberg trails on their tandem bike. Over 70 people attended the trails day event.

Cass County Conservation and Nishna Valley Trails remind area residents and visitors that trails in Cass County can be used year-round. A Cass County trails map can be found online at: https://www.atlanticiowa.com/experience/cass-county-trails-map-2/. Hard copies of the map can be found at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.