(Radio Iowa) – An eastern Iowa school is being singled out by the U-S Department of Education. The 225-student Grundy Center Middle School is the only middle school in the state to earn the department’s Blue Ribbon Award for the year. Principal Michael Vokes says earning the honor for exceptional academic achievement is as much a result of what’s taught outside the curriculum as what’s taught within. “What I see with my staff is their unwavering commitment to do what they believe is best for their students and for their kids,” Vokes says. “We’re just talking about character traits and how do we positively walk through a situation.”

The Department of Education uses state assessments and national tests to determine school rankings. The school’s 5th through 8th grades placed in the top 15-percent of Iowa testing. Vokes says the award shows that public education works, especially when whole communities get on board. “It does take a village,” he says. “It does take partnerships between the community and our teachers and our school, and everyone else to make this thing work. There are no shortcuts. We have to really get to know our kids, get to know what they need and where they struggle, and then we have to do our best to meet those needs and help them be successful.”

The school’s 7th and 8th grades both tested near 100-percent proficiency at the state level, which helped secure the nomination.

(by Grant Winterer, Iowa Public Radio)

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports two men were arrested last Thursday. 37-year-old Jesus Martinez, of St. Paul, MN, was arrested at around 9:40-p.m. on warrants out of Minnesota, for Possession of 50-grams or more of cocaine or methamphetamine in the 1st Degree, Violation of Probation for failure to comply with a court-ordered treatment program, and for being a Fugitive from Justice. Martinez was being held without bond in the Adair County Jail.

And, at around 10:25-p.m. Oct. 5th, 52-year-old John Leroy Pace, of Clarinda, was arrested in Adair, for Driving while barred in Iowa. His arrest followed a traffic stop for speeding in Adair. Pace was Released on his Own Recognizance. The arresting Officer’s report said a passenger in the SUV Pace was driving, 33-year-old Calie Mace, was taken into custody on a Page County arrest warrant.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Police in Council Bluffs are asking for the public’s help in locating three white men who fled the scene of a stabbing incident, early Saturday morning. According to the Police report, at around 12:52-a.m., Saturday, officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of 2nd Avenue in Council Bluffs, for a stabbing that had just taken place. Police located the victim in the grass next to the street. The man was suffering from a stab wound to his lower right chest. The first officer on the scene applied a chest seal to the wound while waiting for medics to arrive.

The alleged offenders, who were described as being in their 20’s, left the scene prior to officers’ arrival, in a red SUV with a broken back window.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the Council Bluffs P-D Criminal Investigation Division at 712-328-4728. To remain anonymous, you can call Crimestoppers at 712-328-7867, or submit on-line crime tips through this link.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Drake University is the recipient of a $5-million dollar gift intended for the University’s Center for Public Democracy. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the announcement was made last Friday by Ron Olson, as he addressed the journalists in Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium during a press conference.

Ron and his wife Jane hope the university will continue to support students as they seek to address problems facing democracy in the U.S. The facility on the Drake campus will now be known as the Ron and Jane Olson Center for Public Democracy. The university plans to use the funds to expand its efforts to teach future generations about civic leadership and participatory democracy.

School officials say the center’s goal is to strengthen the practice of participatory democracy, through teachings in shared governance, healthy debate and collaboration for a better, collective future. Ron Olson says practices like civility and disagreement without aggression are increasingly rare in today’s political climate, and he hopes the center will instill them in young people who could soon become the country’s political leaders.

Scott Raecker, co-founder of the public democracy center and executive director of the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center, said the gift will be spread out across all areas of the center’s programming, from scholarships to programming both within the center and to engage other areas of campus to travel opportunities and bringing guests to Des Moines to interact with students. Funds will also go toward constructing a physical space for the center on campus.

The gift puts the university’s campus-wide fundraising campaign over $200 million. The Ones Campaign has a goal of raising $225 million to increase student access and opportunity, fund capital projects, enrich programs and more.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley spoke to a crowd of about a hundred people at Morningside University in Sioux City last (Sunday) night. The former South Carolina governor and U-N ambassador started her address by talking about the attack on Israel over the weekend by Hamas terrorists. Haley says, “Communities were bombarded, families were murdered, kids were taken out of their homes and taken hostage, the elderly were taken hostage, women were dragged down the streets.”

Haley says as Israel prepares for full scale war with Hamas, America must support its long time ally. “We always have to remember the importance of moral clarity, knowing the difference between right and wrong, and knowing the difference between good and evil,” she says, “that’s what we’re faced with right now.”

Haley concluded by calling for prayers for Israel, where reports say at least four Americans are among the thousand dead.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department has released a report on arrests that took place over the weekend.

Saturday night, 30-year-old Christopher Michael Murphy, of Creston, was arrested at a pub in Creston, for Providing False Identification Information, Consuming an Alcoholic Beverage in Public Place/1st Offense, and Disorderly Conduct-Loud Raucous Noise. Murphy was later released on $900 cash or surety bond.

Five arrests occurred Sunday, in Creston:

At around 1:50-a.m., 18-year-old Colby Dean Nelson, of Lenox, was arrested at the intersection of Spencer and Spruce. Nelson was charged with OWI 1st, Persons Ineligible to Carry Dangerous Weapon, Interference with Official Acts, Possession of a Controlled Substance-Marijuana 1st Offense, and Carry Weapon while Intoxicated. He was later released from the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a $4,300 cash or surety bond. About 15-minutes later, 19-year-old Jamison William Reed, of Creston, was arrested at the same location. Reed was taken into custody on a Polk County Warrant for Probation Violation on an original charge of Assault with bodily injury or mental illness. Reed was being held in the Union County Jail without bond awaiting while extradition to Polk County.

At around 4:18-a.m. Sunday, 20-year-old Hunter Michael Ray Patterson, of Creston, was arrested at the Creston Union County LEC for Disorderly Conduct-Loud Raucous Noise. Patterson was released on Promise to Appear. And, at around 5:15-a.m. Sunday, 25-year-old Isaac Wayne Hayes, of Creston, was arrested at the Creston Union County LEC for OWI/1st Offense. Hayes was later released on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

Sunday afternoon, 28-year-old Emily Louise Maxfield, of Melcher, was arrested at the Creston Union County LEC. She was taken into custody on a Union County Warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd Offense, a Class-D Felony. Maxfield was being held in Adams County Jail on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

(Villisca, Iowa) –  A teenage driver was cited following a collision Sunday evening, in Montgomery County. The Sheriff’s Office reports the accident happened at around 6:53-p.m. at the intersection of E. 6th Street and S. 2nd Avenue, in Villisca. Authorities say a 2012 Ford F-150 pickup driven by Riley Graham, of Stanton, was traveling westbound on E. 6th, and had entered the intersection with 2nd Avenue, when the 16-year-old driver of a 2008 Ford Edge failed to yield the right-of-way.

The SUV struck the pickup, causing minor damage to both vehicles, estimated at $4,000 each. The unidentified teen was cited for no insurance. They were also issued a written warning for failure to yield the right-of-way.

(Radio Iowa) – A-A-R-P Iowa and the Alzheimer’s Association are holding a joint statewide tour to present educational workshops focused on the importance of cognitive health. A-A-R-P State Director Brad Anderson says they want to be sure that older Iowans are doing all they can to stay healthy. “Our main overarching point that we would like to make to Iowans is it’s never too early, and it’s never too late to prioritize your brain health. And that’s the message we intend to get across,” Anderson says. They have identified six pillars of brain health, that are healthy habits people can implement every day, to boost brain health.

“Some of the things that we talked about are is the importance of being social, and the danger of social isolation,” he says. “We also talked about the importance of engaging your brain, managing stress, exercise, getting enough sleep is incredibly important. And we see more and more research about that.” He says those all go along with good nutrition. Anderson says the concepts may seem familiar. “If you think about it, it’s the same stuff that we would be talking about for heart health, yet, people don’t associate it with brain health. And so we’re talking about it in the context of brain health,” he explains. “And then Alzheimer’s Association is there to talk about support for people with dementia and people who have died been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.”

There are several workshops available. “Some of the stops are full, but there are still spaces available throughout the throughout the state. So we encourage you to check if you’re interested in the topic of brain health, go to AARP.org/IA and register for a stop near you,” he says.

Anderson says the registration is free and and you don’t need to be an A-A-R-P member to register.

(Radio Iowa) – Today (Monday), is Indigenous Peoples’ Day and some activists in Iowa’s Native American community want the holiday to permanently replace Columbus Day on the calendar. Trisha Rivers, Siouxland project director of the Great Plains Action Society, calls Columbus Day problematic, and she recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead on the second Monday in October. Rivers says, “The importance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day is that we still are here, after all of the atrocities that we have survived through as a people.”

Indigenous Peoples’ Day was recognized by Iowa’s governor five years ago, however, neither it nor Columbus Day are official state holidays. Rivers, who is based in Sioux City, is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. She says the annual celebration of Columbus Day perpetuates a false narrative. “That basically was the beginning of our genocide, the Indian boarding school era, and everything that has followed from that, that still impacts us as Indigenous peoples today.”

The Great Plains Action Society is a nonprofit group that focuses on social justice and political engagement. Members organized a celebration for Indigenous People’s Day today in Iowa City. The Native American Student Association at the University of Iowa plans a rally on campus as well.

(Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)