(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst pressed an Air Force general during confirmation hearings on Tuesday about what Ernst called an unfulfilled promise the military made to Sioux City. Ernst questioned General David Allvin, who is nominated to be the 23rd Chief of Staff for the Air Force. She said the promise was made 20 years ago to expand the runway at Sioux City.

During the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Ernst said the lack of a runway upgrade puts the future of the National Guard in Sioux City in jeopardy.

Ernst called the potential loss of those guard members unacceptable, and Allvin responded that he’d get the runway project reviewed.

The general called the 185th a fantastic organization and promised to work with the secretary of the Air Force to pause any discussion to change the 185th’s mission until the assessment is complete.

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Wednesday) announced her appointment of David Faith as a district judge in Judicial Election District 5A.

Faith, of Indianola, Iowa, is a deputy attorney general at the Iowa Office of the Attorney General.  He received an undergraduate degree from Concordia College and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Faith fills a vacancy created by the retirement of District Judge Randy Hefner.  Judicial Election District 5A includes Dallas, Guthrie, Jasper, Madison, Marion, and Warren counties.

Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn is co-sponsoring a bill that would require suicide awareness and prevention training for most school employees in every state, at least every other year.

All but two states have laws that encourage school personnel to take suicide prevention training, but Iowa is one of only 17 states where it’s mandatory for school staff each year. It’s a requirement Nunn supported when he was a member of the state legislature.

Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, is co-sponsoring the bill with a Democrat from Alaska. It would require suicide prevention training for all licensed staff in public and private schools that serve sixth through 12th grade students.

Nunn says the key to the training for educators is to identify resources to help students who express feelings of hopelessness or signs of depression.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Police Detectives in Council Bluffs are attempting to identify the person wanted in connection with a death investigation. Authorities say that at around 3:10-p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7th, Council Bluffs police and fire departments were dispatched to 2712 South 24th Street, in Council Bluffs, at the Super 8 Motel, for a report of an unresponsive person. An investigation revealed that an adult female died at the hotel under suspicious circumstances. Final results of the autopsy are still pending.

Authorities said the victim who has been identified as 35-year-old Natalia Manriquez Sepulveda was found dead at the Super 8 Motel near Interstate 80 and 24th Street. She was an employee at the motel.

The Council Bluffs Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying a person of interest in the investigation. The person is described as a black male in his late 30s or early 40s, who may frequent the Super 8 Motel. Pictures of the individual wanted for questioning are shown in this story.

Specific details of the investigation are not being released at this time, as the investigation is on-going.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Council Bluffs Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 712-328-4728. To remain anonymous, they may call CrimeStoppers at 712-328-7867 or submit an on-line crime tip at https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/FormCenter/Police-Department-2/Online-CrimeStoppers-Tip-70

(Radio Iowa) – The Ankeny-based convenience store chain Casey’s reports a good first quarter. C-E-O Darren Rebelez (Reh-bell-ez) talked about the results in a conference call for investors.

He says the company saw gas sales increase slightly, while maintaining a gas margin of nearly 42 cents a gallon. Rebelez has said in the past the company has been able to take advantage of big changes in gas prices, but he says they maintained their margin this quarter without that happening.

He says the amount of profit they make on gas has remained strong.

Rebelez says in-store says were up more than eight percent– driven by sales of their new thin crust pizza.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports three arrests:

Tuesday morning, 35-year-old Margaret Jo Williams, of Creston, was arrested for Burglary in the 3rd Degree. Williams was taken to Union County Jail then transferred to Adams County Jail. Bail is set in the amount of $5000 cash only.

Early Tuesday afternoon, 36-year-old Brandon Hurshel Whitfield, of Creston,  was arrested at his residence and charged with Violation of a No Contact or Protective Order. Whitfield was taken to Union County Jail. Bail of $300 cash or approved surety was posted.

And 28-year-old Chelsea Mae Madison, of Shenandoah,  was arrested early Tuesday morning in Creston, for Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order. Madison was taken to Union County Jail. Madison was released per Magistrate.

Red Oak Police report that just after 7:30 pm on Tuesday, September 12, they arrested 68 year old Randal Joe Barr of Red Oak on a charge of animal abuse, a serious misdemeanor.  Barr was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

Experts say river levels are so low the state’s fish population is stressed — and conditions could cause more fish kills. Meteorologist Jim Lee at the National Weather Service office in Des Moines says there’s not been enough rainfall to replenish rivers.

In many areas, river levels are so low canoeing and kayaking is not recommended because boats would scrape the river bottom. Lee says some of Iowa’s river basins are at 10 percent of normal capacity.

The first frost happens across Iowa during the first half of October and experts say if lakes and waterways were to freeze at these low levels, oxygen levels will be lower — and fish could suffer. Lee says it doesn’t appear weather patterns will change in the next couple of weeks or perhaps even longer.

In July, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported nearly 21-thousand Shovelnose Sturgeon had died along a 60 mile stretch of the Des Moines River in southeast Iowa. D-N-R biologists determined the fish kill was caused by low water levels and high-water temperatures. It was the largest fish kill in the region since 2012. In late August, the D-N-R estimates up to five-thousand fish were killed along a 74-mile stretch of the Upper Iowa River in Winneshiek County.

(Creston, Iowa) – A collision in Creston late Tuesday morning caused a total of $7,000 damage, but no one was injured. Creston Police report a Chevy Traverse driven by 76-year-old Rosalie Culbertson, of Creston, was traveling east on Adams Street, and leaving the stop light at the intersection with Elm Street, at the same time a Buick SUV driven by 68-year-old Cynthia Johnson, of Creston, was entering the intersection while traveling south on Elm from the stop light.

Neither driver saw the other. Johnson’s SUV struck the Chevy on the driver’s side. The accident happened at around 11-a.m. No citations were issued.

(Radio Iowa) – The director of the Iowa D-O-T says the report by American Road and Transportation Builders Association ranking Iowa number one in poor bridges doesn’t tell the whole story. Director Scott Marler says there are four-thousand-558 structurally deficient bridges or poor bridges in the state — but that doesn’t mean they are unsafe.

Marler says Iowa ranks at the top in part because of the number of bridges here.

He says a majority of the poor bridges are on the rural road system.

Marler says counties are faced with significant and difficult decisions about which bridges to replace. He says only 26 bridges on the primary road system that the D-O-T oversees are in poor condition. Marler says they’ve reduced the number of poor bridges from 256 in 2006. And 21 of the 26 poor bridges on the primary system are slated for repair in the next five year road improvement program.