(Radio Iowa) A traveling exhibit called “Spirited: Prohibition in America,” just opened at the State Historical Museum in Des Moines. The exhibit chronicles the years when alcohol sales were forbidden across the country. Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs spokesman, Michael Morain, says they are holding some companion events that explore the history of alcohol in Iowa. The first one is September 13th. “There’s a lunch and learn session with a historian name Jerry Harrington from Iowa City. And he’s going to talk specifically about Governor Harold Hughes, he crusaded for the liquor by the drink law….but his personal story is interesting as the governor himself was a self-described recovering alcoholic,” according to Morain.

Harrington will talk about the fight to change that law that dominated state politics until 1963, when Hughes finally got the change passed by the Iowa Legislature. “He took a stand that said if we’re going to have this law we need to enforce it, but if we are not going to enforce it we need to get rid of the law,” Morain says. “So, his personal story intersected with Iowa politics in a dramatic way, in an interesting way in the 1960’s.” That event is from noon until one p-m, Thursday, Sept. 13th at the State Historical Museum of Iowa. There are two more alcohol-themed events planned.

They will screen the film on October 4th called “Whiskey Cookers.” It’s a documentary about the Templeton bootleggers. And the third event is an after-hours event called “History on the Rocks” that will discuss prohibition. They will have some special guests. “One of the guests is from Millstream Brewing Company over in eastern Iowa over in the Amanas Colonies — which is Iowa’s oldest microbrewery and it has been going since 1884,” Morain says. “It was doing microbrews before everybody else was doing microbrews.

The screening of “Whiskey Cookers” is from 5:30 to eight p-m Thursday, October 4th at the museum. The after hours event is from five to 7:30 p-m Thursday, October 18th. You can find out how to sign up for the events at The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs website.

https://iowaculture.gov/iowa-culture

(Radio Iowa) – Labor Day is often considered the kick-off for politicians’ sprint to the November election. The Iowa Libertarian Party has fielded a full slate of competitors for the six statewide offices on the November ballot. Jack Porter of Council Bluffs, the party’s 2018 candidate for governor, has run for secretary of state twice. Jules Ofenbakh of West Des Moines is the party’s nominee for Secretary of State in 2018.

“I am a lawyer. I am a businesswoman. I’m a Libertarian and, as you can all possibly hear by now, I am an immigrant,” she said. “I am that Russian that you want in charge of your elections.” Ofenbakh came ot the United States 26 years ago as visitors and sought political asylum. Sixteen years later, she become an American citizen and cast her first vote here at the age of 32. “I take the constitutional right to vote as a privilege,” Ofenbakh says. “lt is very important to me. It is near and dear to my heart…The fact that Iowans right now have their constitutional right impeded upon by a voter ID is appalling to me.”

Rick Stewart of Cedar Rapids, the party’s nominee for state ag secretary, is a retired businessman. “So what I know something about is economics, business and history…That’s what the secretary of agriculture needs to know. They don’t need to know how to farm,” Stewart says. “We’ve got 82,000 farmers who know how to farm. What the secretary of agriculture needs to know is how to stop the government from telling the farmers how to do their job.”

Marco Battaglia of Des Moines ran unsuccessfully for the party’s nomination for governor in the June Primary. Iowa Libertarians then nominated him to run for attorney general. Bataglia says he’s running to highlight the need for criminal justice reform. “We’re filling up our prisons by people that have committed crimes that most of us don’t think should be crimes at this junction, low-level drug crimes, things where someone is too poor to pay a fine and we’re locking them up because of that,” Battaglia says.

Battaglia, an independent journalist and musician, addresses the fact he’s a non-lawyer running to head the Iowa Department of Justice. “Few lawyers with JDs know and understand the historical context surrounding the Constitution,” Battaglia says. “Instead, they are taught case law which is extremely divergent from the founders’ intent.”

Libertarian Timothy Hird, an engineer from Des Moines, is running for state treasurer for a second time. Hird got three-and-a-half percent of the vote in the state treasurer’s race back in 2014. Fred Perryman, a sales manager from Cedar Falls, is the Libertarian Party’s candidate for State Auditor.

Six people were arrested over the Labor Day weekend, in Creston. Late Friday night, 28-year old Spencer Leitzel, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on three Union County warrants for: Failure to Appear (in court) on an original charge of Violation of a No Contact/Protection Order; Failure to Appear on an original charge of Domestic Abuse Assault by impeding air/blood flow, and Failure to Appear on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. Leitzel was being held in the Union County Jail on a $15,000 bond.

Saturday afternoon, 27-year old William Force, and 25-year old Tori Force, both of Creston, were each arrested for Violation of Protective Order. Both were later released from custody on their Own Recognizance. Also arrested Saturday, was 52-year old Douglas Ringgenberg, of Osceola. He was charged with OWI/3rd offense, and Eluding. Ringgenberg was being held on a $10,000 bond in the Union County Jail.

At around 3:35-a.m. Sunday, an unknown female was arrested in Creston for Providing False Identification Information to law enforcement. The woman was being held in the Adams County Jail, pending a bond hearing. And, Sunday afternoon, 51-year old Joel Weeks, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While Barred. He was later released on a $2,000 bond.

(7-a.m. News)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man and woman were injured when their elevated deck collapsed at their home in northeast Des Moines while they were grilling food. The Des Moines Register reports the incident occurred just after 5 p.m. Monday. Des Moines Police Sgt. Tina Kalar says rotted wood may have allowed the deck to fall away from the house. The 72-year-old woman was taken to a hospital for treatment of burns from the grill’s contents. Her 69-year-old husband was treated at an urgent care center.