(Radio Iowa) –  The Kossuth County Speedway in Algona says it will no longer use a substitute track announcer after a video containing racially insensitive comments at the track last week went viral. In the video clip streamed by FloRacing, the announcer can be heard telling the crowd to stand for the national anthem before making comments about NFL players kneeling in protest. The announcer tells those listening to “Get the hell out of dodge” if they don’t want to stand for the National Anthem. He goes on to say that persons of a “darker toned skin color” want the NFL to play a different national anthem before games, something he does not agree with.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, officials with Kossuth County Speedway stated that they do not condone the comments made last week and will “not tolerate discrimination at our racing events and welcome fans of all color, gender, religion and creed to join our racing family.” Officials say the individual will no longer be considered for employment as a fill in announcer, and they look forward to proving to everyone they can and will do better.

A statement released Thursday afternoon by FloRacing, the platform where the event was broadcast online, states that the comments made last week at the Kossuth County Speedway “do not reflect our core values or have a place on our platform.” The statement also says the broadcast has been removed from their archive.

7:00 am – till gone Farm Bureau Breakfast – Courtyard
8:00 am 4-H/FFA Horse Show – Horse Arena
Supreme Showman Contest – Horse – Horse Arena
9:00 am Market Lamb Feeder Pen, Market and Bottle Lamb, Breeding Sheep Show
– Mid American Arena
10 am – 5 pm Quilt Show – Varied Industries Building
11:00 am Dog Agility – East side of Fair Shop Building
11:30 am Meat Goat Show – Mid American Arena
11:45 am Announce results On-Site Garden Contest – 4-H/FFA Center
12:00 pm Bucket/Bottle Calf Exhibitor Interviews begin – location to TBD.
Pride of Iowa Contest – 4-H/FFA Center
1 pm – 7 pm Mobile Glass Studios (glass blowing creations), location TBD
2 pm – 8 pm Toby KID Strolling Entertainment
4:00 pm Bucket/Bottle Calf Show – Mid American Arena
4:45 pm Ag Olympics – Courtyard
5 pm – 6 pm Discover the Fair Scavenger Hunt, Courtyard
6 pm – 10 pm Mechanical Bull Rides – Midway
8:00 pm Demolition Derby – Grandstand

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-O-T’s driver’s license center in Waterloo is closed today (Friday) and will reopen Tuesday in a new location. Darcy Doty, director of customer service for the Iowa D-O-T, says the new location is near the now-closed site inside Waterloo’s Crossroads Mall. “Being in the mall, we are required to follow the mall standard hours of operation,” Doty says, “so this gives us a little bit more flexibility in offering hours that are convenient for our customers.”

Doty says if the mall closed for any reason, the old driver’s license center had to close, too. The Iowa D-O-T operates 18 service centers in Iowa for driver’s license renewals, including Council Bluffs and Sioux City. “A lot of our moves are due to the lease in our current locations have ended and we’ve had an opportunity to look at some different locations that we feel are great for customer service and customer access,” Doty says, “good customer parking, that we have control over the opening of customer entrances, so that we can control those hours of operation.”

Late last month, the driver’s license center in Fort Dodge reopened in a new space. “Last year we were able to open a new facility in Mason City, just move from one location to the other with a new layout, look and feel,” Doty says. “…We are moving when it makes sense and also looking at our budget because we want to make sure that we are budget conscious as we look for new locations.”

Doty says 52 percent of Iowa driver’s license renewals are handled by an Iowa D-O-T service center. Iowans may renew their driver’s licenses at many county treasurer’s offices or at one of the D-O-T service centers. And some Iowans are able to renew online and those are processed by the D-O-T.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is set to receive up to 170 million dollars from a lawsuit settlement with four companies accused of contributing to the nation’s opioid addiction and overdose crisis. The state’s share comes as part of a 26 billion dollar deal involving drug-maker Johnson and Johnson and three opioid distributors who admit no liability as part of the agreement. Attorney General Tom Miller says the money will be spent primarily on treatment and education. “One of the things I want to do is use the money if the most effective way to treat people but also make sure that the benefits, the treatment, are throughout the whole state,” Miller says.

Opioid-related deaths in Iowa increased more than 30 percent last year to 213. “It’s not going to be enough money to solve the whole problem. We’re not going to have money to throw around,” according to Miller. “But we think there’s going to be enough money, if we spend it wisely, to make a real dent in this problem and to really help.”

Miller says the money will be paid over a period of 17 years and the final amount will depend on how many Iowa counties sign on to the settlement. He says around two-thirds have signed up thus far. Iowa is also part of settlements with the consulting firm McKinsey and a pending bankruptcy settlement with Purdue Pharma. All told, the state could receive up to 200 million dollars through opioid litigation.

(By Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman says the last day to file nomination papers for city office to appear on the November 2, 2021 city election ballot is September 16, 2021. Nomination forms available from County Auditor, City Clerk or online. City Elections and School Board Elections are held on the same day: November 2, 2021. For the majority of voters, the voting site will be the site used for the “General Election.” There will be separate ballot styles for the city and rural voters since only city voters cast a ballot for city offices. [As changed in 2019: The City of Marne will vote at the Cass County Community Building in Atlantic.]

City Elections will take place on November 2, 2021. NOTE: This year nomination papers for elected city office positions must be filed with the county auditor rather than with the city clerk. Nomination papers may be filed with the county auditor from August 23, 2021 thru September 16, 2021.

Becoming a candidate for elective city office:

• Nominations – Nomination petitions for a city office must be filed with the County Auditor not more than 71 nor
  less than 47 days prior to the regular election. (In 2021, the first day to file papers is August 23.
• The last day to file papers is September 16. The process for filing nomination petitions is as follows:
  • Obtain an original nomination petition and candidate’s guide from the city clerk, county auditor or online from the Iowa Secretary of State ( www.sos.iowa.gov ).
  • Obtain the nomination signatures of the required number of eligible electors of the city or ward, as the case may be. The minimum number of signatures required is 10 for all positions except those positions in Atlantic.
  • Atlantic votes under the Runoff provision and the minimum signature requirement on nomination petitions is determined by number of persons who voted for a specific position/office in the last city election in which that position was on the ballot:
  • Mayor 22 signatures; Council At Large 21 signatures; Council Ward 2 and Ward 5 10 signatures; and Park and Recreation 21 signatures.
  • A person may sign nomination petitions for more than one candidate for the same office/position.
  • Attach a notarized affidavit acknowledging the candidate’s eligibility.
  • File the petition with the County Auditor prior to 5 p.m. on September 16, 2021.

Each candidate who successfully files a completed nomination petition is assured a place on the ballot.

In Cass County, Iowa the following offices will appear on the ballots for the respective cities on November 2, 2021:
Anita: Three at Large Council seats (4 year terms). Incumbents: appointee Simon Jensen, Ben Daughenbaugh and Tim Wheelock; Mayor (remainder 4 year term ending 2023). Incumbent: appointee John Knutson; One at Large Council seat (remainder 4 year term ending 2023). Incumbent: appointee Mark Harris.

Atlantic: MAYOR (4 year term). Incumbent: David Jones; Council Ward 2 (4 year term). Incumbent: Kathy Somers; Council Ward 5 (4 year term). Incumbent: Richard Casady; Council At Large (4 year term). Incumbent: Gerald Brink; One Atlantic Parks & Recreation Board (4 year term – term begins November 16). Incumbent: Stuart Dusenberry.

Cumberland: Mayor (2 year term). Incumbent: Nancy Virginia Coughlin; Three At Large Council (4 year term). Incumbents: Darrin Hardisty, Michael Martin and Mike Hill.

Griswold: Mayor (4 year term). Incumbent: Brad Rhine; Two At Large Council (4 year term). Incumbents: Julianne Adams and Carol Preston.

Lewis: Two At Large Council (4 year term). Incumbents: appointee Mary Neece and Ryan Archibald; One at Large Council seat (remainder 4 year term ending 2023). Incumbent: appointee Teresa Comer.

Marne: Two At Large Council (4 year term). Incumbents: Angela Redler and Aaron Williams.

Massena: Mayor (2 year term). Incumbent: Phil Przychodzin; Two At Large Council (4 year term). Incumbents: Jackson Bissell and Douglas Venteicher.

Wiota: Mayor (2 year term). Incumbent: Ford Lillard; Three At Large Council (4 year term). Incumbents: Jeff Lillard, Charles Bechtold and Lamar Spies.

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman reports nomination papers for offices to be filled in 2021 can be filed (with the school board secretary) August 23, 2021 through September 16, 2021. All offices are four year terms. In Cass County, Iowa the following offices will appear on the ballots for the respective
school districts on November 2, 2021:

Atlantic Community School District

• Two At Large local directors Nominated and elected at large (Minimum of 50 signatures for nomination);
  Incumbents: Kristy Pellett Atlantic IA; Joshua McLaren Atlantic IA

CAM Community School District

• One At Large local director nominated and elected at large (Minimum of 21 signatures for nomination);
  Incumbent: Nick Kauffman Adair IA
• One North District local director (Must live in individual district; nominated and elected at large (Minimum of 21 signatures for nomination); Incumbent: Chuck Kinzie Anita IA
• One South District local director (Must live in individual district; nominated and elected at large (Minimum of 21 signatures for nomination); Incumbent: Gary Dinkla Massena IA

Griswold Community School District

• One District 3 local director – Must live in district; nominated and elected by district (Minimum of 10 signatures for nomination; Incumbent: Scott Peterson Griswold
• One District 4 local director – Must live in district; nominated and elected by district (Minimum of 10 signatures for nomination); Incumbent: Donald K. Smith Griswold
• Two At Large local directors – Nominated and elected at large (Minimum of 24 signatures for nomination); Incumbents: Aaron Houser Griswold & Robert D. Peterson Griswold

Election information, including the candidate nomination form, is available online at the Iowa Secretary of State’s website, from the local school board secretary’s offices and from the county auditor’s office. Check with your local school board secretary for local school board director district boundaries.

(In an update to our previous report w/regard to search warrants)

DES MOINES, IOWA — Twenty-seven defendants are facing federal criminal charges as part of a joint federal and state investigation of a heroin and fentanyl drug trafficking organization. Twenty-one defendants are from Des Moines, five are from Chicago, and one is from Knoxville.

Most of the defendants were arrested on July 21, 2021; three individuals have yet to be arrested. The following defendants are charged with federal drug offenses in two criminal indictments:
• Malek Shawn Holmes, age 21, of Des Moines
• Pierre Fontain Black, age 30, of Des Moines
• Deshawn Levell Greer, age 29, of Des Moines
• Desmond Lamar Howard, age 30, of Des Moines
• Carl Murphy, age 52, of Chicago, Illinois
• Earl Otis Clay, III, age 29, of Des Moines
• Gregory Izell Spight, age 42, of Des Moines
• Michael Byrd, age 28, of Chicago, Illinois
• Azim Abdul-Ahad, age 22, of Des Moines
• Ronald Harris, age 35, of Des Moines
• Derrick Fleming, age 27, of Chicago, Illinois
• Patrick Staples, age 28, of Chicago, Illinois
• Brandon Reed, age 28, of Chicago, Illinois
• Tabaris Brown, age 22, of Des Moines
• Dandre Cox, age 21, of Des Moines
• Daeante Dewayne Neely, age 28, of Des Moines
• Elijah Seymour, age 33, of Des Moines
• Felicia Olson, age 29, of Des Moines
• Sarah Hume, age 39, of Des Moines
• Andrew Price, age 29, of Des Moines
• Jason Beaman, age 46, of Knoxville
• Jamisha Canada, age 44, of Des Moines
• Tonie Canada, age 39, of Des Moines
• Rickey’a Dee Jackson, age 22, of Des Moines
• Devante Jave Taylor, age 26, of Des Moines
• Tyler Robert Wood, age 30, of Des Moines
• Zakar Jeffrey, age 28, of Des Moines

All defendants arrested on July 21 have or will soon appear in federal court on the charges. The charges stem from a months’ long investigation into heroin and fentanyl distribution within the Des Moines area. The charges carry maximum penalties of up to life imprisonment, with a ten-year mandatory minimum prison term as to Malek Holmes, and five-year mandatory minimum prison terms as to Pierre Black, Deshawn Greer, Carl Murphy, Earl Clay, III, Gregory Spight, Michael Byrd, Azim Abdul-Ahad, Ronald Harris, Derrick Fleming, Patrick Staples, Brandon Reed, Tabaris Brown, Daeante Neely, Felicia Olson, Andrew Price, Jason Beaman, Jamisha Canada, and Tonie Canada. The public is reminded that charges contain only accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose reasonable sentences under federal sentencing statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

The charges were announced by Richard D. Westphal, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. Investigating and assisting agencies include: the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force; Central Iowa Gang Task Force; Des Moines Police Department; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; Polk County Sheriff’s Office; Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Iowa State Patrol; Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center; Iowa State Patrol SWAT; United States Marshals Service; Central Iowa Drug Task Force; Drug Enforcement Agency; Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force East; Homeland Security Investigations; Altoona Police Department; Story County Sheriff’s Office; Ames Police Department; Norwalk Police Department; West Des Moines Police Department; Ankeny Police Department; METRO Star; SERT; Iowa 5th Judicial District; Federal Bureau of Investigation Chicago; Federal Bureau of Investigation Kansas City; Federal Bureau of Investigation Minneapolis; Federal Bureau of Investigation Omaha; and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF).

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

(Radio Iowa0 – Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra suggests the expansion of 5-G cellular communication could interfere with weather radar and the ability to get a decent forecast. Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, addressed the topic during this week’s meeting of the U-S House Science, Space and Technology Committee, saying it’s vital to have reliable eyes on the sky.

“Getting accurate weather information can save both lives and livelihoods of those in my district,” Feenstra says. “We saw several tornadoes last week in Iowa.” He says a report from the Government Accountability Office revealed multiple agencies must improve collaborative efforts to prevent interference with the ability to predict the weather. Feenstra says global positioning system satellites, which aid navigation, could also be impacted.

“A report…suggested that we have lost the ability to rely on GPS due to an outage,” Feenstra says. “It would cost our economy about a billion dollars a day if this happens. An outage during the springtime planting season could increase losses closer to $1.5 billion a day.” Feenstra says he’s working to find a remedy.

“I am currently drafting legislation, trying to find technological solutions to weather radar blockages and ghost echoes,” he says. Feenstra says 5-G expansion is important, but cannot come at the expense of accurate weather forecasting models that ag producers in his district rely on every day.

(Radio Iowa) – A nine-year-old from Spencer is preparing for a year of travel around the state as Li’l Miss Iowa. Caitlyn Barr participated in the pageant last year and won it this year. “My favorite parts have been meeting new people and having fun and I decided to come back this year because I didn’t win and I wanted to have that experience again,” she says. The pageant encourages contestants to focus on volunteering and community involvement.

“I volunteered at ‘Kindness for Covid’…One thing we did is we sang outside the hospital for Christmas,” she says. “That was really fun. I got to meet some new kids and we went to a nursing home and made signs for them, like one said, ‘You are loved’ or ‘Get Well Soon’ or ‘You are the best’.” During the pageant, Barr was recognized for having the best interview with the judges for contestants in her age group. Barr, who is entering fourth grade this fall, says after high school she’d like to be an Olympic gymnast and a cheerleader at the University of Northern Iowa.

Caitlyn Barr

“Then I’d like to be a teacher or a police officer, but I really want to be the teacher,” she says. The Miss Iowa Youth Program started 28 years ago for girls between the ages of six and 12. A Li’l Miss Iowa and a Junior Miss Iowa are crowned each year at a pageant held in Muscatine.

DES MOINES– Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Thursday) announced her appointment of Gina Badding as a judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals. Badding, of Carroll (Iowa), currently serves as a district judge in Judicial Election District 2B. She previously practiced law with Neu, Minnich, Comito, Halbur, Neu & Badding, P.C., in Carroll. Badding received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Judge Gina Badding (Iowa Judicial Branch official photo)

The Iowa Court of Appeals is Iowa’s intermediate appellate court. It is composed of nine judges and decides appeals from district courts across Iowa. Badding will fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Iowa Court of Appeals Judge Richard H. Doyle of Des Moines.