Two people were arrested on separate charges over the past week, in Harlan. According to the Harlan Police Department, 33-year-old Paula Kathryn Koester, of Harlan, was arrested May 22nd on an active Pottawattomie County warrant, following a traffic stop. Koester was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.

And, on May 20th, 36-year-old Jeannie Kay Kleymann, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Pottawattomie County warrant, following a traffic stop. Kleymann was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

Today at 12:46 PM, Google reported a 6 min delay Eastbound, and a 10 min delay Westbound. Between Exit 34: County Road M16 and Exit 40: US 59 (Shelby). The roadway eastbound is reopened to traffic. Westbound remains blocked.

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports on 511ia.org, that Interstate 80 westbound, between Exit 40 (US 59) and Exit 34 (County Road M16 [Shelby]), is blocked due to a crash. A detour is in operation. At 12:11 PM, Google reported a 5 min delay Eastbound, and a 5 min delay Westbound. See map for detour(s).

(Radio Iowa) – Four lawsuits brought by the Attorney General in Davis, Marion, Sioux, and Taylor counties for violations of the “Iowa One Call” law have been resolved with civil penalties totaling 24-thousand-500 dollars. Attorney General spokesperson Ashley Kieler says they try to settle the suits before they go to court. “That is generally the hope with these lawsuits,” she says. The One Call law requires anyone who digs, excavates or trenches privately or commercially to first contact the Iowa One Call center to locate underground utilities. “It is noted in several of the lawsuits when these rules aren’t followed and excavation happens, sometimes utility lines that are under a great deal of pressure can be hit, and that can cause issues,” Kieler says. “I know in at least one of the lawsuits it was noted that residents around the area had lost power for a matter of time.”

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office also sent warning letters to six utility companies. “The warnings go out — they went to utility companies because it is their responsibility to respond to these requests for locating services. We receive complaints that wasn’t happening in a timely manner. They have 48hours to do so,” Kieler says. The warning letters went to Alliant Energy Group, Black Hills Energy, CenturyLink, Mediacom, MidAmerican Energy, and Windstream Communications. Kieler says the law applies to any digging that is done. “Even homeowners — if you are going to do some work in your background — it’s important that you make sure that there are no underground utilities for your safety and for those around you,” Kieler says.

The lawsuits that were settled are in Davis County, where Titan Soil, was accused of conducting excavations to repair a pond tile outlet and remove trees at a property in Bloomfield without giving the proper 48-hour notice. They agreed to a 65-hundred dollar settlement. The lawsuit in Marion County said on two separate occasions in December 2019 and June 2020, Van Den Broek Concrete failed to provide 48-hour notice and proceeded with excavations to remove and replace sidewalk and driveways in Pella. They paid seven-thousand-dollars. The lawsuit in Sioux County said I-D Excavating and Tiling failed to provide 48 hours notice of planned excavations to install drainage tile in Boyden. They paid a six-thousand dollar civil penalty. In Taylor County, the lawsuit said J-N-C Construction began excavations to install drainage tile without a 48-hour notice, and they paid a five-thousand-dollar civil penalty.

(Radio Iowa) – The man accused of murdering 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts in Brooklyn, Iowa nearly two years ago is claiming he was kidnapped by two armed men and the men put Tibbetts body in his trunk. Speaking through an interpreter, Cristhian Bahena Rivera answered questions from his defense attorney.

Bahena testified he and the men got in his car and they ordered him to track Tibbetts as she ran. Bahena claims he did not see who killed Tibbetts. Under questioning by the prosecutor, Bahena acknowledged his claims in court today contradict much of what he told investigators in 2018.

The prosecutor focused on the part of Bahena’s 2018 interview where Bahena described Tibbetts slapping him during a confrontation on the road.

Bahena testified today the two men had threatened his daughter and ex-girlfriend. Bahena told his defense attorney that was why he didn’t tell investigators what he said in court today.  “You did not plan to tell them what really happened.” “Right.” In cross-examination, Bahena told prosecutor Scott Brown he did not know who the men were.

“Other than these two men who you claim were at the corn field with you, you were the only other person at the corn field, correct?” Brown asked and Bahena replied: “Yes.” Bahena also told Brown the men sometimes pointed the gun at him, but he was never punched or stabbed by the men.

Testimony today concluded around two o’clock this (Wednesday) afternoon. The prosecutor can call rebuttal witnesses, but it’s possible closing argument could be delivered tomorrow (Thursday). The trial is being broadcast on Iowa media, as well as nationwide on Court T-V.

And you thought this year’s Best Burger Contest was over! The Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) and New York Beef Council (NYBC) are putting their state’s best burgers to the test in a battle for bragging rights of the ultimate best burger. The IBIC says consumers have a chance to cast their vote for either Iowa’s Bino Burger or New York’s Hot & Smokey Candied Bacon Burger. The voting is open now through 11:59-p.m. May 30, 2021. The 2021 Iowa’s Best Burger was recently awarded May 3rd, to Bambino’s in Ossian.

The Bino Burger has been referenced as “the burger-lovers burger”, featuring a juicy, all-beef burger patty topped with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. Customers can customize their burger from that foundation with bacon, eggs, onion rings, hash browns, and more. Selection of Iowa’s Best Burger was obtained through a phase of public voting. For a month, burger lovers went online and voted for their favorite Iowa burger joint. At the end of the month, the ten restaurants with the most votes were declared the “Top 10”. From there, three anonymous judges visited each of the restaurants, scoring the burger patties based on taste, doneness, and presentation.

On the Northeastern side of the country, Ale ‘n’ Angus Pub was named the Best New York Burger on May 10. The downtown Syracuse eatery earned the honor with their Hot & Smokey Candied Bacon Burger featuring an 8-ounce Angus beef patty with jack cheese, candied bacon, house-made onion spread, chipotle mayonnaise, and honey. Selection of New York’s final four were obtained through public nominations and online voting, with a team of judges choosing the overall winner following a cookoff.

Compared to Iowa, New York represents a dense population center that is further removed from how cattle are raised. In an effort to help bridge the gap between beef production in the Midwest and Northeastern consumers, the Best New York Burger Contest is made possible with funding from IBIC. Iowa’s Best Burger Contest is sponsored by IBIC through the Iowa State Beef Checkoff and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. Restaurants are an important and valuable partner of the beef industry.

Iowans to cast their vote for Bambino’s Bino Burger using the online nomination form on the IBIC website, or the Iowa Beef Council Facebook page. Remember, the nomination period will close at 11:59 p.m. on May 30, 2021. Officials say COVID-19 restrictions are changing and now is the time to go out and support your local restaurants. Many restaurants in the state have dine-in and carry-out options to meet your needs. After a challenging year for many restaurants around the country, we encourage consumers to rally their support behind restaurant owners and Iowa’s beef farmers by choosing to order a real-beef burger on May 28 to celebrate National Beef Burger Day!

(Greenfield) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning, passed a Resolution for a Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Amendment. There were no comments from the public during a hearing held prior to passage. Supervisor Board Chair Steve Shelley – with help from Auditor Mandy Berg – went through the list of appropriations where budget increases or adjustments were found:

The Board also accepted “With great regret,” the resignation effective June 4th, of Jennifer Erbes, who serves as one of three Clerks in the Adair County Treasurer’s Office. County Treasurer Brenda Wallace said Jen submitted her two-week notice on May 21st. On a related note, the Board approved advertising for a person to fill the open post.

In other business, Adair County Supervisors Board Chair Steve Shelley read a letter from Stuart area resident Curt Beane, with regard to the County’s Solar Farm Ordinance. Shelley said Beane had asked for clarification on enforcing the Ordinance going forward, with regard to an existing Memorandum pertaining to leases and easements in the Lincoln Township that were signed prior to passage of the Ordinance on May 5th.

The Board members said they had not seen anything with that regard, nor had Supervisor Twombly. Since the Ordinance is in the hands of the County Attorney Melissa Larson, the Board of Supervisor’s too no action, other than acknowledging receipt of the letter.

Atlantic High School Principal Heather McKay has released the list of award recipients from the recently graduated Class of 2021:

ACADEMIC LETTER recipients: First Row – Left to Right: Alexya Kern, Lia Lillard, Devin McKay, Brianna Wilson, Maycie Waters, Lex Somers, Dazia Sorensen, Grace Barkley, Kennedy Goergen, Reagan Watson, Olivia Engler, Haley Rasmussen, Mia Trotter, Sydney Sanny, Bryer Rose, Da’Jai Wesson, Alicia Pastrana
2nd Row – Jenna Pelzer, Beverly Dodson, Molly McFadden, Ariel Clark, Anna Wieser, Mallory Ericksen,Taylor McCreedy, Rivea Keen, Keagan Garcia, Genevieve Martinez, Dannan Mathisen, Rensia Narios, Jasmyne Oasay-Waddell, Shayla Luke, Grant Sturm, Joe Weaver, Drey Newell, Caroline Pellett
3rd Row – Bethany Anderson, Gwen Irlmeier, Hannah Carlson, Alyssa Derby, Cody Knoell, Keaton Juhl, Craig Alan Becker, Skylar Handlos, Garrett Reynolds, Tessa Grooms, Gunner Kirchhoff, Brendan Lillard, Joseph Sonntag, Nathaniel McLean, Madison Botos, Lauren Nicholas, Makynzie Steffens. Not pictured:  Dylan Bartlett, Colin Mullenix, Isabellah Peterson, Colten Tasto

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY: 1st row; Anna Wieser, Jenna Pelzer, Genevieve Martinez, Reagan Watson, Grace Barkley, Kennedy Goergen, Bryer Rose, Mia Trotter, Sydney Sanny, Haley Rasmussen, Dannan Mathisen
2nd row: Da’Jai Wesson, Brianna Wilson, Makynzie Steffens, Molly McFadden, Olivia Engler, Lauren Nicholas, Madison Botos, Caroline Pellett, Maycie Waters, Hannah Carlson
3rd row: Grant Sturm, Taylor McCreedy, Devin McKay, Craig Alan Becker, Alexander Somers, Garrett Reynolds, Nathaniel McLean, Alyssa Derby, Gunner Kirchhoff, Joe Weaver and Shayla Luke

4-YEAR STUDENT COUNCIL: 4-year Student Council: Craig Alan Becker and Anna Wieser
Class Officers: Mallory Ericksen, Genevieve Martinez, Alexander Somers and Sydney Sanny
Military: Joseph Sonntag and Devlyne Sunderman

FFA: 1st row: Drey Newell, Bethany Anderson, Caroline Pellett, Hannah Carlson, Taylor McCreedy
2nd row: Noah Vandevanter, Craig Alan Becker, Garrett Reynolds, Alyssa Derby, Gunner Kirchhoff and Cuyler Flood-Wachsmuth

NSDA:
1st row: Molly McFadden, Genevieve Martinez, Reagan Watson
2nd row: Olivia Engler and Lane Muell

THESPIAN: Thespians
1st row: Molly McFadden, Genevieve Martinez, Reagan Watson
2nd row: Olivia Engler, Henry McCalla and Lane Muell

QUILL & SCROLL: Quill and Scroll
1st row: Molly McFadden, Caroline Pellett, Kennedy Goergen, Haley Rasmussen
2nd row: Ariel Clark, Da’Jai Wesson, Mackynzie Steffens, Grace Barkley and Shayla Luke

(Radio Iowa)  A small group of space scientists from the University of Iowa is in coastal Virginia to witness the launch of a rocket with instruments onboard they designed and built. Earlville native Andrew Carton graduated from the U-I in May of 2020 with a degree in electrical and computer engineering. Carton now works with the U-I Space Physics program and helped develop elements inside VIPER, which is scheduled for launch late tonight (Wednesday). “VIPER is going to be testing a Navy broadcast signal for submarines,” Carton says. “Our job is to see if we can pick up their signal on our instruments and hopefully that will give the Navy some feedback as to whether their satellite is going to work across the globe.”

A Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket lifts-off from its launchpad. Image: NASA Wallops

Other instruments onboard will measure electromagnetic fields from radio waves traveling in the ionosphere, in hopes of better understanding the basic physics that occur in the envelope between Earth and space. The sounding rocket will be launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Carton says he’s thrilled to have been picked to see it blast off up close. “Most of my work during VIPER was testing the final flight board so I was really excited to get the opportunity,” Carton says. “For this to be my first rocket launch and get to go see it in person, especially after everybody has been locked up and no travel over the last two years, it’s a really great excuse to get out of Iowa City.”

The two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute rocket will carry the VIPER payload to an altitude of about 94 miles before it falls and splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean. “I think the cool thing is, it’s not as big and as grand as a space shuttle or a Saturn V or whatnot, but they do leave much quicker,” Carton says. “They say don’t blink with a sounding rocket because you’ll miss the whole thing. It just goes, so I’m really excited to see that and hopefully not miss it.”

The launch window is between 9:15 P-M and midnight/Eastern, so it should be a spectacular show, momentarily lighting up the nighttime sky.

(Radio Iowa) – The holiday weekend ahead is projected to be one of the busiest for Iowa’s highways in many months. Meredith Mitts, spokeswoman for Triple-A Iowa, says they’re predicting more than 37-million people nationwide will be traveling over the three-day Memorial Day weekend. Mitts says, “That’s still 14-percent below pre-pandemic levels but a significant step in the right direction toward traveling.”

There’s “pent-up demand” for travel this weekend, as Mitts says there’s growing confidence with more people getting vaccinated against COVID-19. “Most of the people who are planning on hitting the road for Memorial Day are hitting the road,” Mitts says. “They are going to be taking road trips and we are expecting about 34-million Americans, which is a 52-percent increase over 2020.”

That expected 34-million travelers figure compares to the 23-million who were vacationing last Memorial Day weekend. The motor club is also projecting nearly two-and-a-half million Americans will be boarding planes this weekend. That’s nearly six times more than last year.

Atlantic, IA – Cass County Board of Health Chairman, was recognized on Monday, May 24, 2021 for 51 years of service on the Cass County Board of Health. CCPH Director Beth Olsen says “Serving on a local board of health is an honorable and noteworthy task, and to do that for 51 years is astonishing. We can’t thank Dr. Wessels enough for his dedication to the health of Cass County residents and the support of Cass County Public Health. Olsen said also, “We were unable to safely celebrate Dr. Wessels in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are especially thankful for today, that we now get to celebrate 51 years.”

Dr. Gerald Wessels, DVM

Local boards of health are responsible for public health in their jurisdiction. They support the local public health vision, mission, and encourage community involvement in setting public health priorities. The Cass County Board of Health consists of five members: Dr. Gerald Wessels, Betty Johnston, Gary Dinkla, Mary Strong, and Cass County Board of Supervisors Representative Mark O’Brien.

(8a.m. Newscast)