Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater issued a report on arrests and incidents from the past week. On August 15th, 28-year-old James Dean Michelson, of Creston, was arrested by Stuart Police for Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense (marijuana and methamphetamine), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. His arrest was the result of a traffic stop on the Stuart Road at around 7:15-a.m. A device used for smoking meth, along with other items for drug use were found in the vehicle. Michelson was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

As previously reported, on August 16th, 42-year-old Dustin James Seeley, of Lenox, was arrested on a felony charge of Murder in the 1st Degree. He was being held in the Adair County Jail on a One-million dollar cash-only bond. Also arrested August 16th, was 41-year-old Christa Jeane Swalley, of Denver, CO. Her Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charge, and a warrant out of Colorado were summarily dismissed, when authorities in Colorado refused to extradite her. Swalley was released the following day.

On Aug. 18th, 45-year-old Scott William Richard Funke, of Grimes, was arrested on Adair County warrants for Violation of Probation. He was later released after posted a cash or surety bond. 32-year-old Zachary Taylor Stream, of Des Moines, was arrested Aug. 20th in Stuart. He was taken into custody on a warrant out of Marion County, and transported by that county by their Deputies.

Sheriff Vandewater reports also, 43-year-old Mark David Osberg, of Stuart, was arrested August 20th, for OWI/1st offense, cited, and later released by Stuart Police. 39-year-old Sara Michelle Llamas, of Wonder Lake, IL, was arrested Aug. 21st, for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, following a traffic stop on I-80 near Stuart. Llamas was cited and then released at the scene of the traffic stop.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson and an Arkansas senator who’s among the potential 2024 G-O-P presidential hopefuls visited with veterans in Independence this weekend. Hinson says the Biden Administration had intelligence reports that Kabul would fall to the Taliban and congress must investigate. “Instead of talking about spending $3.5 trillion more dollars, we should be trying to find solutions to the problems happening in Afghanistan right now,” Hinson says.

President Biden says it’s time to end the war and there would have been chaos if the departure of U.S. forces had been delayed. Hinson says congress should investigate why American military equipment is ending up in Taliban hands and she says any arbitrary deadline for withdrawal should be shelved until all Americans and allies in Afghanistan are evacuated.

SHELBY – After a year off, Iowa farm history will again be showcased September 11th & 12th at Carstens Farm, during the 39th Annual Carstens Farm Days.  Threshing, sawmill operations, crafters and vendors, a quilt show and of course, tractors.  The Farm Days show has something for everyone throughout the weekend. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause disruption.  Please do not attend Farm Days if you are ill or feverish.  There are many ways that you can proactively keep yourself and others safe and we honor your individual choices when it comes to masks.  Face coverings will not be required while at Carstens 1880 Farmstead; however, we support each visitor’s individual choice with regard to this matter.

Horse, steam and gas power: Come see steam engines powering antique threshing machines, antique machinery, a parade, crafts, and entertainment.  Over two hundred restored antique tractors will be on display.  The original Carstens farm buildings will be open for tours.  The buildings will be alive with demonstrations that will bring back memories for older visitors and teach valuable history lessons to young people.

Food for all: A Friday evening pulled pork sandwich dinner will be hosted by the Friends of the Shelby Stone Arch Trail Committee.  Proceeds of the Friday evening dinner will go to the trail committee.  The dinner will be served from 5:00 – 7:30 pm.  All good days begin with a good breakfast and to start Farm Days off right, a great breakfast is planned at 6:30 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday.  Snacks and lunch options provided by the Minden Meat Market will also be available.  Various non-profit local groups will be offering refreshments and delicious desserts all weekend.  Homemade ice cream will be in plentiful supply during Farm Days.  Serving B & K Ice Cream will be Carstens board member Ben Ausdemore and his wife Katie.  This is a treat visitors won’t want to miss! On Saturday beginning at 5:30 p.m. enjoy Staley’s Chicken for a delicious dinner at the farm.  Proceeds from the dinner will go toward on-going maintenance at Carstens 1880 Farmstead.

Allis-Chalmers Tractors and Equipment Will Be Featured: Allis-Chalmers equipment of all types will be featured during Farm Days. Allis-Chalmers produced a full line of tractors, engines and farm implements from the late 1800 to 1999.   Allis-Chalmers tractor and implement owners are invited to bring their exhibits to display throughout the weekend. Horsepower-testing, sawmill operations and field demonstrations will occupy tractor exhibitors all day.  Over 250 pieces of vintage equipment were on display during the 2019 Farm Days show.  Visitors will enjoy watching most of the restored tractors as they go through the parade each afternoon at 2 p.m.

Photo courtesy Terry Torneten | Region 13
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Quilt Show: A colorful display of quilts, wall hangings, wearable art and other types of quilting projects will be featured in the special event building at the farm.  Many talented quilters from around the area will allow their works of art to be displayed for all to enjoy.  Even if you have never displayed a quilt before, consider joining the fun and bringing a quilt to display.  Exhibitors are asked to deliver their quilts on Friday, September 10.   For details about the quilt show or to inquire about adding your quilt to the collection, please call Jan Hursey at 712-544-2662. Raffle tickets for the beautiful hand-stitched quilt, which will be raffled during Farm Days will be available during the quilt show.

Crafts, plants and treats galore: In case visitors run out of vintage tractors and other pieces of equipment to look at, there will be over fifty crafters and vendors on hand.  A wide array of crafts, plants, vintage and antique items will be available.  From unique wooden creations to home raised honey, there will be something for everyone.  A very healthy crop of farm-grown potatoes will also be available for purchase.  Proceeds from the sale of potatoes will help make improvements to the farmstead.

Sunday Worship: On Sunday morning a non-denominational worship service will take place at 9:00 a.m. on the lawn in front of the Carstens home.  Worship will be led by Trinity Lutheran Church, Avoca.  Everyone is welcome to join in the worship service.

Admission: Admission is $5 per day for everyone nine years and older.

Carstens 1880 Farmstead, Inc., a non-profit group of local volunteers, oversees an 80-acre working farm museum exhibit located between Minden and Shelby, Iowa in Pottawattamie County.  The farmstead is the home of Carstens Farm Days, which is held the first weekend after Labor Day each September.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  For more information visit the web site: www.carstensfarm.com

A traffic stop Wednesday in Clarinda resulted in an arrest. The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports a Sheriff’s Deputy initiated a traffic stop on a person whom is known not to have a valid driver’s license. During the traffic stop, 41-year-old Phillip Jay McClish, of Clarinda, was arrested for Driving while license is suspended / revoked. McClish was transported to the Page County Jail where he was held on $491.25 bond pending further court proceedings.

A traffic stop in Glenwood, Sunday, resulted in the arrest of 42-year-old Mark Schepker, from Glenwood. He was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. Schepker’s cash/surety bond was set at $1,000.

An accident last week in Guthrie Center resulted in $1,000 damage to the local Dollar General Store. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, a 2017 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 24-year-old Christopher Stamp-Powders, of Guthrie Center,  struck the store when, as Stamp-Powders told deputies he “just wasn’t paying attention.” The truck hit the southwest corner of the store, sustaining about $2,000 damage. The incident happened at around 6:35-p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 18th).

Authorities say Stamp-Powders was not injured, and there were no citations issued.

(In an update to our earlier post) – A man from Shenandoah died as the result of a motorcycle accident Sunday night, in Fremont County. According to the  Iowa State Patrol, 40-year-old Ric West-Lytle was traveling east on Highway 2 at around 9:45-p.m., when for reasons unknown, his 2001 Harley Davidson XL200S entered the westbound lane and then went into the north ditch. The motorcycle flipped several times before coming to rest in the ditch. West-Lytle was ejected from the machine during the crash.

His body was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny. The accident remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – The National Association of Secretaries of State Task Force on Vote Verification has released six recommendations for states on handling post-election audits. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate was on the bipartisan task force and says the “best practices” are similar to what Iowa already does. “We do post-election audits, in fact, I am very proud of the fact we did 99 post-election audits — one in each county,” Pate says. “And the hand count matches exactly what the tabulator said, and I think that speaks to the integrity of our process.

The recommendations include how to handle ballots and being transparent in releasing the results.”It is imperative that the public has total confidence in the process and the results,” Pate says.  He says the public is now demanding more information. “They want to know more than just that you ran a safe election. They want you to share with them what steps are you using,” according to Pate. “The fact that we have bipartisan teams working side-by-side who can observe the process from beginning to end. The fact that the machines are certified in front of other people and tested and retested. Our ballots get hand-counted in the post-election audits.”

Pate says another key recommendation is to get the process set long before the voting starts. “Let’s set the rules for an election well before the election — none of this midstream stuff. That’s when you start creating doubt with the public,” Pate says. “My role as Secretary of State, I am a referee, I don’t get to wear a uniform. If you are at a sporting event don’t change the rules in the middle of the game and go ‘hey you know we are going to rethink that’.”

The task force released its recommendations late last week.

(Radio Iowa) – Union organized Labor Day events in several Iowa cities are being cancelled because of the pandemic. The Hawkeye Area Labor Council has voted to cancel all Labor Day events in Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Iowa City, Marshalltown and Mason City. Rick Moyle, executive director of the Hawkeye Area Labor Council, issued a written statement. Moyle said with Covid case numbers sadly rising, the group knows it has a responsibility to do the right thing and does not want to contribute to the spread of what he referred to as “this evil virus.”

According to the Iowa Federation of Labor’s website, the annual Labor Day observances organized by union members also have been cancelled in Clinton, Des Moines and the Quad Cities.

(Updated 4:30-p.m., 8/23) – Candidate filings for City and School Candidates in Cass County began Monday (8/23).  All City candidates will file in the Auditor’s office and all School Candidates will file with the appropriate School Board Secretary.

Two people who had previously announced their plans to run for Mayor in the City of Atlantic, filed papers today.They include 3rd Ward Councilman Pat McCurdy and At Large Councilperson Grace N. Garrett, both of Atlantic.  In addition, 2nd Ward Atlantic Councilperson Kathy Somers filed her nomination papers for Mayor, Monday.

And, Shirley Jensen, of Atlantic, has filed to run for the City of Atlantic’s Park and Recreation Department Board of Directors. Additional candidate filings will be announced throughout the week, as they are made available to KJAN.