United Group Insurance

Atlantic High School Students Attend World Food Prize Iowa Youth Institute

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

Des Moines, Iowa (April 29, 2024) – Atlantic High School students attended the 13th annual World Food Prize Iowa Youth Institute (IYI), where 277 students representing 89 Iowa high schools gathered with 85 educators at Iowa State University to explore pressing global food security challenges and professional opportunities in STEM fields. ISU President Wendy Wintersteen said “Iowa State University is proud of its longtime partnership with the World Food Prize to provide this premier educational program. The Iowa Youth Institute is an opportunity for high school students to connect with Iowa State expertise, resources and scholarships. We are pleased to see how this program ignites students’ passion to help address one of society’s most complex challenges – global food security.

The IYI, a cornerstone of the Foundation’s esteemed youth programs, is dedicated to inspiring the next group of global leaders to pursue influential careers in STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It attains this goal by fostering connections among students, faculty from Iowa State University, and industry professionals with a focus on addressing critical issues in global food security.

“We live in a world where some days it’s easy to be hopeless,” said Amy Akers, teacher at Southview Middle School. “But this event is so hopeful. I feel the energy of these young changemakers. I hope they walk away feeling empowered by the experts and peers that truly listened to them.”

Before the event, students conducted research on food insecurity within a chosen country, crafted a research essay, and provided a personal recommendation for solving the identified problem. During the event, students presented their findings to leading experts and faculty members from Iowa State University.

Attending Atlantic High School Students:

Lauren Comes | Animal Agriculture in the Central African Republic (CAR)

Lily Johnson | Malnutrition in Somalia

Each participating student is eligible for a $1,000 scholarship towards Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, with the opportunity to apply for the esteemed Wallace-Carver Fellowship program in collaboration with the USDA. Exceptional participants from Iowa will also secure a spot working with scientists and policy experts from around the world at the three-day World Food Prize Global Youth Institute in October. The Iowa Youth Institute strives to reach every school in Iowa to encourage students to pursue career paths in science, technology, and policy to help fight world hunger.

World Food Prize Foundation logo

World Food Prize Foundation President/Ambassador Terry Branstad said “It’s empowering to see the future champions of food security in action. Through events like the Iowa Youth Institute, they are demonstrating their ability to rise to the challenges of the past, the present, and the future.”

About the World Food Prize: The World Food Prize is an international award that honors individuals who have improved the quality, quantity or availability of food worldwide. The Prize was founded by Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, recipient of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize, for his work that contributed to increases in agricultural outputs which was termed the Green Revolution. Since then, the Prize has been awarded to 53 distinguished individuals during the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue. The Dialogue, also known as the Borlaug Dialogue, is a week of events dedicated to an issue surrounding food insecurity or hunger each year.

LARRY M. PHILLIPS, 80, of Anita (Graveside Svcs. & Celebration of Life, 5/23/24)

Obituaries

May 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

LARRY M. PHILLIPS, 80, of Anita, died May 2nd, 2024, at Des Moines VA Medical Center. A Graveside service with full military honors for LARRY PHILLIPS will be held 11-a.m. May 23rd, 2024, at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter. Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Anita has the arrangements.

Following the graveside service, a Celebration of Life gathering will be held at the Anita American Legion from 4:30 to 6:30 pm also on May 23rd.

Memorials may be directed to the Larry Phillips Family, to be designated to many of his favorite local organizations, and may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. Box 523, Atlantic, IA 50022.

Council Bluffs man arrested on 1st Degree Murder charges

News

May 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department, today (Friday), announced an arrest in connection with a Murder investigation. The Council Bluffs Police Department (CBPD) Criminal Investigation Division arrested 30-year-old Dequanta R. Zachary, of Council Bluffs. Zachary was charged with two counts of murder in the 1st degree (class A felony) and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon (class D felony).

On April 28th at around 12:18-a.m., CBPD was notified of a man down at the 2100 block of S. 29th Street. Upon arrival, officers found 36-year-old Deonte Ivory, who was pronounced deceased at the scene. At 7:02 a.m., CBPD was notified of a second man down on the 3200 block of S. 24th Street where 25-year-old Michael Anderson was also found deceased. Subsequent autopsies revealed that both Ivory and Anderson died of gunshot wounds.

Officials say, “After a swift and extensive investigation, CBPD Detectives were able to identify a suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle was later recovered in Mills County.”  The investigation also revealed that Zachary, Ivory, and Anderson were associates. CBPD Detectives located Zachary in Blair, Nebraska, on April 29th, where he was taken into custody with the assistance of the Blair Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. At that time, Zachary was arrested for an outstanding first degree theft (class C felony) warrant, issued by the Council Bluffs Police Department.

CBPD Detectives presented the case to the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s and the aforementioned murder and weapon charges were filed. Zachary is now being held at the Pottawattamie County Jail.

The public is reminded by police, that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.” The CBPD would like to thank the community and law enforcement partners who assisted in this investigation. Thank you to the members of the public who came forward with information. The public is always strongly encouraged to come forward and say something if you see something.

Thanks also go to assistance provided by the Mills County Sheriff’s Office (IA) and Omaha Police Department (NE), Blair Police Department (NE), and Washington County Sheriff’s Office (NE). Finally, the CBPD is grateful for the tireless efforts of the detectives in the Criminal Investigation Division. To any individual intending to do violence in the City of Council Bluffs, rest assured you will be identified and held accountable.”

Storm Lake Police seek community involvement in stopping violent juvenile fight videos

News

May 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — The Storm Lake Police Department took to social media on Thursday to address a recent uptick in youth violence as juveniles in the area have been recording and sharing videos of them fighting each other, officials said. In their statement about the recent issue, the police department said that they have recently seen an uptick in youth violence in public areas. They said that they are specifically seeing juveniles fighting each other, recording these fights, and posting them on social media platforms.

“This trend is dangerous,” the police department said. “By recording and sharing these fights, our youth are not only putting themselves at risk, but they are also normalizing and sensationalizing violent behavior. That is not the community we want to foster.” The police department is asking parents to talk with their kids about the situation, inform them of the consequences, as well as monitor what they are up to.

The police department also said in their statement that going forward, arrests may be made when these fights happen. “Understand that moving forward, if three or more people gather in a public place and any of them act in a violent manner, with intent to commit any public offense, they could be arrested and charged with unlawful assembly. This includes individuals gathering to watch, record, or participate in a fight or any other public offense,” SLPD said.

They also said that recording illegal activities such as these fights may also result in the police department seizing juveniles’ cell phones. “We encourage members of the public to call the police when they see fights occurring within our community. If you see something, say something,” SLPD said. “Let’s work together to stand together against youth violence.”

Arson fire in Fort Dodge under investigation

News

May 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

FORT DODGE, Iowa [KCCI] — Two best friends turned co-business owners are in shock after security footage shows someone setting the clothing in their Fort Dodge business on fire early Thursday morning. Dreyzon Phillips runs Fear to Dream, where he designs apparel. Taj Lowrey runs Just for Kicks, where he designs shoes. Together, the two opened a store called FTD in Fort Dodge last October.

Video from a security camera shows the moment someone broke the front window of their shop and stepped inside Thursday at 1 a.m. Seconds later, the person can be seen using what appears to be a torch to light the clothing on a few racks on fire. Not even a minute later, the flames can be seen growing and some falling to the ground.

Lowrey and Phillips say they didn’t know what was going on until 8:30 in the morning. That’s around the time both say they received a call from the person who owns the shop next door and their landlord. Both 21-year-olds quickly made it to the store and saw that the fire was out.

The Iowa National Guard Confirming the Divestment of the 133rd Test Squadron in Fort Dodge

News

May 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa National Guard, say “As anticipated, the Director of the Air National Guard (ANG) has released a Force Structure announcement that divests the 133rd Test Squadron’s mission located in Fort Dodge. We anticipate that this will result in the eventual closure of the unit and Air Guard facility in Fort Dodge.” The statement went on to says “The Iowa National Guard is among a handful of states impacted by Air Force and ANG’s force-restructuring decisions which are driven in large part by the need to modernize and reprioritize our national defense capabilities and redefine mission sets. There is no official timeline with this confirmation from the ANG, but we are working with the community of Fort Dodge to honor the history of the 133rd and to prioritize the care of our people with future opportunities within the Iowa National Guard.”

The National Guard will maintain its presence in Fort Dodge with 107 Soldiers of the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion 194th Field Artillery and a full-time force of seven employees at the Field Maintenance Shop (FMS).

Full deactivation of the 133rd may take years to complete and is dependent on Department of Defense resources to fully execute and comply with all related regulations and polices. Officials say “Our priority currently is to ensure that all affected Air Guardsmen/women are afforded options to continue their careers with the Iowa Air National Guard. This diverse team brings a wide range of skills and views to the table enhancing the overall unit capabilities as a test squadron.”

Tens of thousands removed from Iowa Medicaid

News

May 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – State officials say about 233-thousand Iowans are no longer receiving Medicaid coverage after a year-long review. Federal guidelines established at the start of the COVID pandemic prevented states from removing most recipients from the Medicaid program, but that rule ended a year ago. Elizabeth Matney is the state Medicaid director. She says about 50-thousand Iowans who were notified they’d be removed from the Medicaid program in the past year are still enrolled after officials confirmed they qualified for the benefit.  “There is a fairly expedited process to get back on and those are the individuals that, you know, we see reinstated.”

Kelly Huntsman is the C-E-O of Primary Health Care, a federally qualified health center that operates clinics in central Iowa. She says some of their patients missed state notifications and didn’t realize they had lost coverage until they showed up for an appointment.  “When the state sends out, you know, the letters, sometimes they’ve changed addresses once or twice since then,” she said. “And many of our patients are non-English speaking.”

State officials say based on recent state and federal data, they believe most of the 233-thousand Iowans who are no longer enrolled in Medicaid were eligible for other types of health coverage.

Law clarifies county jurisdiction in some drug overdose cases

News

May 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A new policy going into effect this summer clarifies the prosecution of cases when illegal drugs acquired in one county lead to a person’s overdose in another county. Representative Jon Dunwell of Newton said one of his constituents has personal experience with this kind of situation. “This mother lost her 24 year old daughter. Her daughter was heading back into getting some treatment (but)…she was going to take her last little bit of drugs,” Dunwell told Radio Iowa. “She bought some drugs in one county, but she died in another county.”

The law, which goes into effect July 1, says a person who supplies drugs that cause an overdose can be charged in the county where the drugs were obtained or in the county where the death or serious injury occurred. If both county attorneys are building a case, the county in which the drugs were obtained would have the primary right to proceed with a prosecution Dunwell said in his constituent’s case, it wasn’t clear that either county could bring charges and, in the end, no one was charged. “The one county had some concerns about the case and the other county thought they could get it through,” Dunwell said, “so this would allow either county to do it.”

The bill passed the Iowa House and Senate unanimously. Dunwell and his constituent were at the Capitol this week to watch the governor sign the bill into law in a private event. “She’s sitting there with the governor. The governor has her granddaughter on her lap and she says: ‘I never thought I could make a difference,’” Dunwell said.

The child was four years old when her mother overdosed.

Heartbeat Today 5-3-2024

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

May 3rd, 2024 by Jim Field

Jim Field visits with Kate Olson about the Cass County Master Gardeners Plant Sale on May 11 and the Bus Trip on May 22.

Play

Creston woman arrested on a Theft charge

News

May 3rd, 2024 by Ric Hanson

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department say a woman was arrested Thursday evening on a Theft charge. 40-year-old Judy Kay Gunter, of Creston, was taken into custody at the Creston Wal-Mart Store, at around 6:40-p.m., for Theft in the 5th Degree. She was cited, and released at the scene on a Promise To Appear in court.