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Rubio says Afghanistan withdrawal shows Biden’s arrogance and incompetence

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August 31st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A few hours after the last U.S. troops left Afghanistan, Florida Senator Marco Rubio told a crowd in Iowa the Biden Administration’s handling of the withdrawal was horrifying and indefensible. Speaking at an Iowa G-O-P fundraiser at the Mason City Municipal Airport last (Monday) night, Rubio said the pullout plan was based on assumptions that were not real.

“Why were those assumptions made? Number one, because of arrogance, because they knew better. They know better than everybody else, they went to certain schools, we’re the grown-ups, we’re in charge now, we’re the opposite of the people that were here before. We know what we’re doing, we’ve got this,” Rubio said. “That’s what they told everybody.” Rubio says the Biden Administration’s August 31st deadline for withdrawal had nothing to do with the safety of Americans and our allies there.

“They wanted a press conference on 9-11…just like they wanted a press conference right before July 4th to tell everybody the pandemic was over. The new freedom Independence Day…that was about, what, 10 days before they told everybody they had to wear three masks,” Rubio said and the crowd laughed. “So now, it’s the same thing with this.” Rubio says the country’s credibility has taken a huge hit over the past two weeks as the world watched what was happening in Kabul.

“This is so damaging to our country, so humiliating, so embarrassing on the world stage, and so immoral,” Rubio said. “…so immoral.” Rubio compared Biden’s handling of the situation to the failed attempt to rescue hostages from the U.S. Embassy in Iran after it was seized in 1979.  “It’s really inexcusable and both sides know it. Even Democrats know it and you don’t see them rallying to the White House’s defense,” Rubio said. “You cannot defend what is so horrifying and indefensible.”

Rubio finished third in the 2016 Iowa Caucuses behind Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. He was asked during last (Monday) night’s event if Iowa’s Caucuses should go first in 2024 and Rubio said yes before the host got done asking the question. Former President Trump told radio talk show host Todd Starnes yesterday that he plans to visit Iowa soon as well.

Ernst has visited with grandmother of Red Oak native killed in Kabul

News

August 31st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Joni Ernst says she’s talked to the grandmother of the Iowa native who is among the 13 U.S. soldiers killed last Thursday in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport. “The family is really hurting right now, but they are very grateful for the expressions of love and support that the communities are sending to them,” Ernst says. Marine Corporal Daegan Page grew up in Red Oak and Omaha.

Ernst, who is from Red Oak, says she hasn’t been able to speak with Page’s mother, Wendy, who traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware where the remains of Page and the other service members were received, but Ernst has spoken to Page’s grandmother Peggy, who is a close friend of Ernst’s mother.

“I told her that I loved her. You know, I love the family, our prayers are with them,” Ernst said. “And she told me: ‘Please tell everybody what an amazing young man Daegan was.'” Ernst says the Marine’s grandmother mentioned Libby, Ernst’s daughter who is a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point — and told Ernst to give Libby a hug.

“Peggy used to give Libby hugs all the time when she was a little girl,” Ernst said. “And she said, ‘because you never know when you’re not going to be able to give that child a hug.'” Page’s family has set up a Facebook tribute page in his honor and posted a statement of thanks for the support and generosity of people who are honoring the 23-year-old Marine.

Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s report, 8/30/21

News

August 31st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, Monday, said a man from Council Bluffs was arrested a little after 7-a.m. Friday, on Indecent Exposure and other charges. A Deputy observed 58-year-old Randy Joe Wilcox was completely nude when he riding his bicycle eastbound over the Avenue G bridge. When the deputy attempted to stop Wilcox, he turned around on his bike and attempted to flee back over the bridge westbound. The Deputy eventually caught up to the man. During the stop, items of drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine were found on Wilcox’ person. He was charged with Indecent Exposure, Interference with Official Acts, Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The Sheriff’s Office reports also:

  • 33-year-old James Perry Watkins was arrested after Deputies were called to the 100 block of 3rd Street in Neola on August 29th for a check welfare. Dispatch advised that a female had been assaulted by her boyfriend. Watkins was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault – Strangulation and Child Endangerment.
  • 40-year-old Angela Michelle Marsh was arrested after Deputies were called to the 200 block of Dye Street in Carson on August 28th for a disturbance. Marsh was charged with Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness.
  • 22-year-old Allee Rose Hart was arrested following a traffic stop at North 8th Street and Kanesville Boulevard on August 29th for Possession of a Controlled Substance (Marijuana) 1st Offense.
  • 50-year-old Timothy Jess Paulson Abboud was arrested on August 25th for Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense and Carrying Weapons.
  • 28-year-old Kenneth Lewis Pippin was arrested at Highway 59 and Highway 92 on August 26th for Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense and Driving While License Denied, Suspended, Canceled or Revoked.
  • 43-year-old Scott Wayne Casson was arrested on August 28th for Operating Under the Influence 3rd or Subsequent Offense and Driving While License Denied, Suspended, Canceled or Revoked.
  • 33-year-old Cory Robert Kyle was arrested following a traffic stop on August 27th for Driving While Barred.
  • 44-year-old Timothy Shane Peffer was arrested on August 28th for Driving While Barred.
  • 27-year-old Dalton Gaston, of Omaha, was arrested following a traffic stop on August 28th on a fugitive warrant out of Nebraska.
  • 51-year-old Steven Craig Pleas, of Council Bluffs, was charged on August 25th with Criminal Mischief 2nd after he broke several sprinkler heads at the jail.
  • and, 26-year-old Alberto Eduardo Elquezabal turned himself in on August 26th on a warrant for Violation of Probation.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s & Red Oak Police reports, 8/30/21

News

August 31st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a man and a woman were arrested on separate valid warrants for probation violation, Monday.  27-year-old, Clara Jane Heitshusen, of Farragut, and 28-year-old, Ozzy Ray Hunter, of Red Oak, were booked into Montgomery County Corrections and held on $10,000 cash bond, each.

And, Red Oak Police, Monday, arrested 48-year-old Tiffany Lea Palmer, of Red Oak, and a charge of Harassment in the 3rd Degree. Palmer was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

Council Bluffs Man Sentenced to Prison for Firearm Offense

News

August 30th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA — A man from Council Bluffs was sentenced Friday to spend 6.5 years in prison for being a Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. 26-year-old John Allen Lindeman, Jr., who was sentenced in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, will serve three-years of supervised release after completing his term of imprisonment.

On November 19, 2020, Lindeman eluded law enforcement by driving back and forth between Nebraska and Iowa. Deputies with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office eventually spotted Lindeman’s vehicle in a parking lot in Council Bluffs. Lindeman refused to exit his vehicle and instead reversed his car at a high rate of speed. He continued to resist until law enforcement was able to arrest him. Lindeman was found in possession of a pistol at the time of his arrest.

According to court documents, Lindeman pleaded guilty to Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm in April of 2021.
Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

Update: Student death on Simpson College campus

News

August 30th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Indianola, Iowa/KCCI) – Officials with Simpson College released new details Monday on the death of a student. College officials said Blaine Schumacher died by apparent suicide on campus. The college said officials learned of the Schumacher’s death on Sunday, but the time of his death remains unclear. Indianola police said Schumacher was 22.

According to Simpson, Schumacher was a senior studying neuroscience and was also a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. The college said his death is not linked to campus events.

“We are devastated to learn of the death of one of our own,” Simpson College President Marsha Kelliher said in a statement. “During this difficult time, our priority is to care for each other. Our thoughts and prayers are with Blaine’s family, loved ones and the entire Simpson College community.”

Religious life community and counseling services are available for anyone on campus.

With end of federal eviction moratorium, homelessness likely to rise in Iowa

News

August 30th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Housing experts are concerned Iowa could see a rise in people experiencing homelessness now that the federal eviction moratorium has ended. J’Nae Peterman is the director of housing services for Waypoint Services and part of her job is running the statewide hotline for housing resources. She says it averages about 550 calls per day from people in housing crises.

“I foresee that only increasing now that people begin to receive their notices,” Peterman says. “Also shelters are already at capacity and have been beyond capacity since the time of COVID.” Peterman says the state’s homeless programs are also at capacity and don’t have the resources to help the expected influx of people seeking assistance. A group of homeless intake specialists co-signed a letter to Governor Kim Reynolds this month, asking her to uphold an eviction moratorium in Iowa. Bernadette Beck is an intake specialist program manager with the Polk County Continuum of Care. She’s concerned without a moratorium, more people will lose their housing, especially since the pandemic complicated people’s finances.

“We’re going to see more people entering our system,” Beck says, “and the homeless crisis response system across the state of Iowa already has extensive waiting lists.” Beck says the state doesn’t have the capacity to absorb the number of people who may be affected by the end of the moratorium. There are more than 15-hundred families currently on a wait list for housing.

(By Kassidy Arena, Iowa Public Radio)

Iowa notified feds investigating ban on mask mandates in schools

News

August 30th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The Office for Civil Rights in the U-S Department of Education has opened an investigation into Iowa’s ban on mask mandates in schools. The federal agency has sent notices to Iowa and four other states that forbid schools from requiring students and staff wear face coverings. According to a news release, the investigation will explore whether students with disabilities who are at heightened risk for severe illness from Covid-19 are prevented from safely attending school in-person.

The U-S Secretary of Education says the department is hearing from parents of students with disabities and he says it’s unacceptable that state leaders are putting politics over the health and education of those students. The agency says schools have a legal obligation not to discriminate against students with disabilities.

On Saturday, the crowd at a Republican rally in eastern Iowa cheered Reynolds for signing the law that prevents local school officials from requiring that students and staff wear face coverings.

Reynolds made her remarks at Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson’s fundraiser in Central City. In a statement released this (Monday) afternoon, Reynolds says she trusts Iowans to make their own health care decisions and she’s accusing President Biden and his team of picking a political fight with a handful of governors to distract from his own failures.

Mollie Tibbett’s mother provides statement at Bahena-Rivera’s sentencing

News

August 30th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A statement from Mollie Tibbetts’ mother Laura Calderwood was read in court today (Monday) before the sentencing of Cristhian Bahena-Rivera — who was found guilty of first-degree murder in Mollie’s 2018 death. Sarah harms from the prosecutor’s office read Calderwood’s statement during the proceedings carried on Court TV.

The 20-year-old Tibbetts disappeared in August of 2018 and Rivera was arrested and led police to her body in a Poweshiek County cornfield. Calderwood outlined her statement the day the sheriff showed up with tears in his eyes to let her know they had found Mollie’s body. Calderwood said it shattered her world, and then she described in the statement how her mother had always faithfully believed Mollie would be found alive, and how she told her news.

Judy Calderwood’s unwavering faith had been brutally shattered by your senseless act of violence.” Harms wrapped up the statement as Calderwood described how the killing impacted their lives.

The judge then read the mandatory sentence for the first-degree murder conviction.

Bahena-Rivera sat in handcuffs and a striped jail jumpsuit and listened without showing any emotion during the proceeding. He declined his opportunity to make a statement, and has 30 days to appeal his sentence.

Multiple vehicle burglaries reported in Stuart & the area

News

August 30th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Stuart Police Department said Monday, 14 vehicles were burglarized in Stuart Saturday night into early Sunday morning.  Authorities say the vehicles were at multiple locations throughout the City of Stuart. In all, three of the victims reported missing items and the rest reported their vehicles were rummaged through but did not appear to have anything missing. It is believed that each of the vehicles were unlocked at the time of the burglaries. On the same night vehicle burglaries were also reported in the communities of Guthrie Center, Panora and Jefferson. It’s believed the cases are connected.
Yesterday (Sunday), Stuart Police officers recovered one item that had been reported stolen from a vehicle the previous night. Video evidence was also obtained at two separate locations showing the suspects. The Stuart Police Department is continuing to review video evidence from local businesses and residences. A group of possible suspects has been identified and an ongoing investigation involving several law enforcement agencies in Boone, Dallas, Greene, Guthrie, and Polk Counties is ongoing.
As a friendly reminder, authorities ask you to “please remove valuables from your vehicle, park in well lit areas, keep your doors locked, and consider getting video cameras installed on your houses. Most vehicle burglaries occur on un-locked vehicles and one of the best ways to deter vehicle burglaries is to keep vehicles locked and free of valuables. These crimes are often “Crimes of Opportunity” and suspects usually won’t risk the time and noise of forcibly breaking into vehicles.”
Stuart Police said also, this is an ongoing investigation, and they will update the community as information becomes available to share.