(Radio Iowa) – A jury has found the Chairman of the Kossuth County Board of Supervisors guilty of misdemeanor assault this week, following an incident with another board member back in July. Seventy-six-year-old Roger Tjarks (Tarks) was convicted on the single count of assault, a simple misdemeanor, following a one-day trial on Tuesday.

A criminal complaint filed on August 10th states that Tjarks pushed Supervisor Kyle Stecker, poked him in the chest and made verbal threats of wanting to physically harm the 26-year-old at the Kossuth County Courthouse around 9:30 a.m. on July 11th.

The supervisors had a regular meeting that morning that started at 8 a.m. A video recording of the meeting shows that a closed session was requested around 9:20 a.m. and it was during this closed session that the alleged altercation took place. Jurors heard from witnesses for both the state and the defense, as well as an audio/video recording of the incident.

The case was prosecuted by the Winnebago County Attorney’s Office due to a potential conflict of interest for the Kossuth County Attorney.

(Radio Iowa) – A survey commissioned by a travel agency that specializes in family travel ranks three Iowa communities among the county’s top 150 underrated winter vacation destinations. Wyoming-based Family Destinations surveyed three-thousand people considered experienced travelers to come up with a list of underrated places for families to visit in the winter.

Lesser known spots in Hawaii and Florida and Colorado made the list, but Pella, Iowa, also made the list, at number 15. Outdoor activities and eating Dutch pastries in Pella were mentioned. Elkader registered at number 136 on the list and Bentonsport in southeast ranked 139th.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak , today (Friday), report the arrest on an active Montgomery County warrant, of 40-year-old Terence Chevy Magill. The Red Oak man was taken into custody in the 500 block of 3^rd Avenue, and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. He was being held in the jail without bond.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and state and federal partners are reassuring voters of the many steps taken to provide a secure election. The State of Iowa has received national awards for its election cybersecurity efforts and was named one of the top three states in the nation for election administration.

“In Iowa, we take a holistic approach to election integrity and security – pre-election testing, paper ballots, post-election audits, enhancing cybersecurity measures, and partnerships with our Election Security A Team make that possible,” said Secretary Pate. “The public should be reassured that we are protecting the integrity of their vote in all 99 counties.”

Secretary Pate also reassured Iowans that their votes are cast safely and if anyone tries to impede that process in any way, election officials have local law enforcement on speed dial. “Intelligence and law enforcement communities at all levels of government have been tasked with ensuring our elections are safe and secure,” Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens said. “Iowans respect and actively exercise their right to vote and do so with civility and integrity. We take our responsibility to protect this right seriously and will be aggressive in deterring any criminal effort to compromise our system of government.”

The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management assists in monitoring Election Day activity. “Every voter in Iowa should have the opportunity to freely, safely, and securely cast their vote,” said John Benson, Director of the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “The department is proud to support Iowa’s election safety and security efforts.”

The State of Iowa works with the federal government to ensure elections are protected at every level. “Iowans should feel very confident when they go to the ballot box, that their vote will be counted as cast,” said Phil Kirk, Regional Director from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “They should have every confidence in the integrity of Iowa’s elections. And they should have confidence in the state and local election officials and their partners in the federal government who’ve been working in solidarity to ensure the security and resilience of our elections.”

Secretary Pate also partners with fellow state agencies to ensure top level cybersecurity protections. “In support of this year’s election, the Department of Management, Division of Information Technology, formerly the Office of the Chief Information Officer, will be monitoring cyberthreats. The State of Iowa Security Operations Center will provide 24-hour-a-day cyberthreat monitoring and heightened support during this year’s elections,” said Shane Dwyer, State of Iowa Chief Information Security Officer.

Secretary Pate and other speakers also urged Iowans to be leery of election misinformation and disinformation. Instead, turn to trusted sources for election information, which are the Secretary of State and county election officials. “I’d like to provide an additional thanks to local partners, including county auditors and the unsung heroes of elections, poll workers. They stepped up to provide a civic duty and put in long hours. It’s an important job and they do it because they care about our elections,” Secretary Pate said.

Next Tuesday is Election Day, and that means time is running out if you want to vote absentee. Woodbury County elections commissioner, Pat Gill, says timing is more important this election.

Gill says there’s not leeway for late ballots.

He says the absentee numbers in already are down, and he says the law change has contributed to that drop.

This election is for city council and school boards.

Farmers are nearly done with the harvest and those empty fields mean thousands of deer are losing their hiding places and they’re scampering onto roads — and into the paths of Iowa motorists. This is among the worst times of the year for car-deer collisions, and Iowa State Patrol Trooper Paul Gardner says they’ve already taken quite a toll this year.

Gardner says Iowans have likely heard the phrase, “Don’t veer for deer,” and he says it’s one they need to commit to memory — and take seriously.

So the odds finally caught up with you and you’ve hit a deer. What should you do next?

The incidence of car-deer crashes tends to rise around sunrise and sunset. Gardner suggests you use particular caution if you see a yellow “Deer Crossing” sign, as those are placed in areas the animals frequent.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A pedestrian who was struck by an SUV this (Friday) morning, in Council Bluffs, died from their injuries. According to Council Bluffs Police, at around 6:47-a.m., a 36-year-old man was walking near mile marker 1 on the Interstate 80 westbound express lanes, when he was struck by a 2020 Jeep Wrangler, driven by a 44-year-old woman from Council Bluffs. The pedestrian died at the scene. The female driver was uninjured.

The roadway was closed and traffic diverted to the local lanes for approximately four hours. The incident is in the early stages of investigation and the names are being withheld at this time.

Anyone who witnessed this crash is encouraged to call the Council Bluffs Traffic Unit at 712-328-4948.