(Radio Iowa) — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and a retired farmer sparred during a town hall meeting in New Hampton today (Thursday). The man, who announced to the crowd that he was not a Republican, first told Biden he was too old to be president. The man said Trump was “messing around in Ukraine,” then he accused Biden of “selling access” when he was vice president by getting his son Hunter a job with an energy company in Ukraine.

“You’re a damn liar, man. That’s not true. I did not on any occasion,” Biden said and the man interjected: “I didn’t say you were doing anything wrong.” Biden replied: “You said I set up my son to work in an oil company. Isn’t that what you said? Get your words straight, Jack.” Early on during the exchange Biden stopped a staffer from taking the microphone away from the man. The crowd booed the questioner when he accused Biden of lacking a backbone. Biden at one point told the man he was too old to vote for him.

“Let’s do push-ups together, man. Let’s run. Let’s do whatever you want to do,” Biden said and the crowd cheered. Tomorrow (Friday), Biden will campaign with former Secretary of State John Kerry, who has just endorsed Biden’s 2020 bid. Kerry was the winner of the 2004 Iowa Caucuses. He was a Massachusetts senator at the time.

The amount of water being released into the lower Missouri River is being reduced ahead of winter, so flooded areas along the river will see some relief. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the amount of water being released from the Gavins Point dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border has been reduced to 57,000 cubic feet per second, and it will be cut further to about 27,000 cubic feet per second by mid-December.

The reductions will allow the river to fall below flood stage in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri by the end of this month.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three recent arrests.

On Thursday at 9:34am Deputies arrested 33-year-old Ashley Anna Wrinkle of Malvern on a Warrant out of Pottawattamie County for Burglary 3rd, Conspiracy to Commit Forcible Felony, and Theft 1st. Wrinkle was taken into custody and held on $25,000 bond.

At 11:10am Thursday Mills County Deputies arrested 35-year-old James Dean Borman of Shenandoah on a Warrant for Failure to Appear. He was arrested at the Page County Jail and held on $5,000 bond.

On Tuesday, December 3rd Deputies arrested 27-year-old Tyler Ryan Doty of Glenwood for Driving While Barred. He was arrested at 1:21pm on Locust Street in Glenwood. Doty was taken to the Mills County Jail and held on $2,000 bond.

A violent Iowa convict who was on parole is charged with driving across the state in a rental car, and fatally shooting a small-town female bank employee during a robbery. Valentino Williams, 35, of Coralville, is charged with first-degree murder and robbery in Wednesday’s killing of 43-year-old Jessica Weisharr, of Algona. Williams is charged with shooting Weisharr multiple times outside of the Security State Bank in Lu Verne, a northern Iowa town of about 250 people where she was working. Weisharr died at the scene. Investigators said surveillance video and witnesses tied Williams to the crime.

A review by The Associated Press has found that Iowa’s list of ineligible felon voters remains riddled with errors, omissions and wrongful additions that make it an unreliable indicator of who can and cannot vote and hold public office. The Des Moines Police Department, the State of Iowa and others are mistakenly included on the list due to data entry errors, along with dozens of people who were not convicted of felonies. Similar errors have caused dozens of lawful voters to be disenfranchised in elections since 2012. They’re resurfacing as civil rights advocates lobby lawmakers to end Iowa’s lifetime voting ban for felons.

A jury has found a Fort Dodge man guilty of murder in the 2018 shooting deaths of two Fort Dodge brothers following a three-week trial. The Messenger reports that 28-year-old Tanner King was found guilty Wednesday of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of 34-year-old El Dominic and 37-year-old Marion Rhodes on Oct. 22, 2018. Police say Dominic’s body was found in an alley and his older brother’s body was found in a nearby apartment parking lot. Police say King also fired a shot at another man but missed. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) — Industry officials are praising Governor Kim Reynolds for signing an executive order that all new diesel vehicles purchased for state fleets run on B-20 fuel, which is 20-percent biodiesel and 80-percent petroleum diesel. Iowa Soybean Association president Tim Bardole, of Rippey, says three new state snow plows will run on the blend.  Bardole says, “When different truck fleets and just the private consumer sees the snow plows when it’s zero out running B-20 and proves that it works and they can see it works, I’m hoping that definitely opens a lot larger market for the biodiesel industry in the state.”

Bardole says Iowa’s 11 biodiesel plants produced 365-million gallons of the fuel last year. “Iowa’s by far the largest biodiesel producer in the nation so it’s very important to our rural economy to have a strong biodiesel industry,” he says.  The association says biodiesel supports about 4,700 Iowa jobs.

Two Creston women were arrested late Wednesday night for Assault on an officer, and other charges. Authorities say 18-year old Georgia McKnown and 22-year old Kylie Jo King were taken into custody at around 11:34-p.m. in the 100 block of Manor Drive. Police charged both women with Interference with Official Acts, Public Intoxication, and Disorderly Conduct. Both were being held for Union County in the Adams County Jail.

McKnown faces additional charges that include Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree, and two counts of Assault on an Officer. Her bond was set at $3,200. King was additionally charged with Assault on an Officer. Her bond was set at $1,900.

And, 23-year old Keegan Williams, of Creston, was arrested Wednesday evening for Trespass, Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd of subsequent offense, and Public Intox. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $5,600 bond.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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