KCCI in Des Moines reports attorneys for Cristhian Bahena Rivera announced Monday that they will request a new trial after someone admitted to killing Mollie Tibbetts. Bahena Rivera’s sentencing for first-degree murder is scheduled for Thursday. According to court documents, a state prison inmate came forward after Bahena Rivera’s guilty verdict in May. The documents say an inmate housed in a county jail heard from another inmate that he killed Mollie Tibbetts.

That inmate allegedly said Tibbetts was kidnapped for sex trafficking and bound and gagged in a trap house but that he was directed to kill Tibbetts once the search for her got too close. The man allegedly told the inmate that he was directed by the sex trafficker in charge to stab Tibbetts and dump her body near a Hispanic male to make it look like the Hispanic male committed the crime. The reporting inmate said he did not share the confession until he heard Bahena Rivera testify that two other men killed Tibbetts.

Records show another person came forward to law enforcement, stating the same person admitted to them that they had killed Tibbetts. State prosecutors said they learned about the alleged confession during the trial and do not believe it is credible. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said the confession is not credible and they firmly believe Bahena Rivera is solely responsible for Tibbetts’ death.

Bahena Rivera’s attorneys have requested this state inmate to testify. On Monday, a judge ruled that a Mount Pleasant inmate Arne Maki can be transported to Poweshiek County court on Thursday when the sentencing is taking place. It is unclear if Maki is the inmate who came forward. The judge did not rule on the request for a new trial.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says 29 Iowa State Troopers are in southwest Texas, in the city of Del Rio which is on the U-S-Mexico border. Reynolds sent the troopers after the governor of Texas asked for assistance in providing border security and the Iowa Department of Public Safety confirmed it could handle their troopers’ absences. “I’ll get a nightly update from the commissioner on what they’ve faced during the day,” Reynolds says. The state troopers arrived in Texas a couple of days ago and the governor says they’ll be there a total of 16 days.

Reynolds says the State of Iowa is covering the costs of the deployment. “We sat down with the commissioner before we sent them down to make sure that they felt they could not only handle the safety of citizens in the State of Iowa, but had the resources to go down there,” Reynolds says, “and they assured us that they did.”

South Dakota’s governor is using money from a private donor to pay the expense of sending South Dakota National Guard soldiers to the same city of Del Rio.

(Radio Iowa) – The Republican governors of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota say they’re taking steps to address the region’s workforce shortage. The governors met in the Sioux City metro yesterday (Monday) for the 17th Tri-State Governors’ Conference and spoke to more than 200 business leaders. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says businesses are adjusting to address the workforce shortage and government must, too.

“We want to be a partner in that,” Reynolds says. “We want to help Iowans retrain, reskill, match them up with the opportunities that exist across the state.” South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem says she, Reynolds and Nebraska’s governor were criticized for the way they dealt with the pandemic, but Noem says their approach should be a selling point to get potential workers to move into the region.

“The recruitment of workers is important outside the state to fill the needs that we have,” Noem says. “In South Dakota, tourism is our second largest industry and we’re being creative in how we fill that workforce need.” Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts says ending the extra federal money in unemployment checks will get more Nebraskans back in the workforce.

“Wages are driven by the market and I think employers should pay what the market is demanding to be able to employ people,” Rickett says, “but I also don’t believe that the government should be competing with employers on that.” The Tri-State Governors’ Conference which is held every two years in the Sioux City area. One business leader told the three governors that states must act because there just aren’t enough workers, not because of the pandemic, but because older workers are retiring and there aren’t enough younger workers to fill those jobs.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – AtlanticFest, presented by First Whitney Bank & Trust, will be held Saturday, August 14th rain or shine. AtlanticFest is an annual festival that serves as a fundraiser for the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. Bailey Smith, Executive Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce said “After having to cancel our annual celebration last year, we are so thankful to have so many generous sponsors and community members to help make this event possible this year.

“AtlanticFest is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Chamber. Our sponsors help cover a lot of the costs of the event, allowing us to raise funds through registration fees, pop stand sales and the 50/50 raffle. We use the funds from AtlanticFest to continue to grow community events while also supporting business-based programs. We’re really pleased to bring it back this year and offer the community a day of fun activities while supporting local businesses, civic organizations and the Chamber,” Smith added.

Downtown Atlantic will be filled with fun activities for the whole family to enjoy. Come early and enjoy a pancake breakfast or start the day off with a run in the Annual Road Race. There will be crafters from all over Southwest Iowa, as well as some of the best food vendors to help satisfy any appetite. Kids can enjoy activities in the park and with free entertainment throughout the day, you can’t go wrong.

New this year, the Annual Car Show will honor Kelly Schlake, previous owner of Atlantic Motor Supply (NAPA), with the Kelly Schlake Memorial Car Show, filling Chestnut Street with new and vintage cars. “Kelly was not only a huge supporter of Atlantic, but the Annual Car Show was always his favorite event of the year, which he was also a big sponsor of. When he passed away last winter, his family wanted to do something to honor his memory and we felt hosting the Car Show in his honor was the perfect fit,” Smith mentioned.

Registrations for the Car Show, Road Race, Craft Vendor, Activity/Information Vendor and Food Vendors are open now. If you are interested in being a part of AtlanticFest, please visit www.atlanticiowa.com or call the Chamber at 712.243.3017.