(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports 39-year-old Robert McAtee, of Glenwood, was arrested Wednesday. He was taken into custody for Aggravated Assault. McAtee’s  bond was set at $2,000 (cash or surety).

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa will -not- take part in the Center for Disease Control’s 2023 Youth Risk Behavior survey, which asks kids about their drug use, sexual behavior, mental health and other behaviors. Instead, the state will focus on its own Iowa Youth Survey to monitor at-risk behavior. Child advocates are concerned. Anne Discher, executive director of Common Good Iowa, says the Iowa Youth Survey doesn’t ask questions about students’ gender identity, unlike the C-D-C’s survey.

“It’s really the only one that allows us to see the specific needs of trans kids,” Discher says. “So we’re doing away with the opportunity to really have fine grade data around health and mental health that includes trans kids.” Discher says it’s important to ask questions about gender identity, given the recent passage of several controversial pieces of legislation by state lawmakers that affect transgender children.

“What it looks like to me is, we are going to make life harder for trans kids,” Discher says, “and then conveniently, we’re not going to gather any data that would prove that it actually the things we do make their lives worse.” Not all states participate in the C-D-C’s survey. Colorado, Florida and Idaho say they are also opting out of it, starting this year.

(reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa Senate have approved most of the elements in the governor’s wide-ranging education bill. The legislation would require educators to tell parents if a child asks to be known by a different name or gender at school and it would prohibit teachers from leading discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms. Senator Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Oskaloosa, says those topics are totally unnecessary for elementary students. “Parents and guardians that wish to have that conversation with their child can do so,” Rozenboom said, “…but to have that in the public school most of us, many of us believe is inappropriate.”

The Senate bill also calls for removing books from school libraries that describe or depict sex acts. Democrats in the Senate voted against the legislation. Senator Molly Donahue, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, is a teacher. “This country is supposed to be a country of freedom — freedom of speech, freedom of ideas,” Donahue says. “But those freedoms end when politicians begin censoring certain ideas because they find them uncomfortable.”

House Republicans have approved elements of the governor’s education package as separate bills. Republican legislative leaders now have to decide whether to approve the policies separately or together in one large bill.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports a woman from Ringgold County was arrested Wednesday afternoon for Failure to Appear. 25-year-old Casandra Dawn Allen, of Tingley, was taken into custody at a residence in the 500 block of N. Division Street a little after 3-p.m., and transported to the Union County Jail. She was subsequently released per an Order from a Judge.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Applications are now being accepted for the 14th Annual Trevor Frederickson Memorial Scholarship. Applications may be obtained from the Atlantic High School guidance office at 1201 E. 14th Street or the Atlantic High School website: www.atlanticiaschools.org. Fund spokesperson (Trevor’s mom) Melanie Petty says up to two $750 scholarships are available to those graduating from Atlantic High School in the spring of 2023. Applicants must plan to attend a college or vocational school, show involvement in school and/or community activities, supply a copy of their college acceptance letter, provide two letters of reference along with their 7 semester transcripts, and maintain academic achievement of 2.5 or better. The scholarships will be awarded at the Atlantic High School Class Night held in May.

Trevor Frederickson graduated from Atlantic High School in 2006. He went on to further his education at Southwestern Community College in Creston where he studied automotive mechanics and played baseball for the Southwestern Spartans. Two additional $750 scholarships will be available for Southwestern Community College students this fall. Trevor, who passed away in 2009, had plans of pursuing a career in law enforcement and returning to his hometown of Atlantic. Melanie Petty says “Anyone who knew Trevor, knew he valued family, life and community. Trevor continues to live on in our hearts and minds. To this day, Trevor is still giving back to the community he loved to be a part of.”

Trevor Frederickson

Funds for the scholarships are raised at an annual golf tournament. Plans are already in the works for the 15th Annual TFred Memorial Golf Tournament to be held on Saturday, June 17th, 2023. Organizers look forward to another successful tournament so they can continue to grant scholarships for many years to come.

(Radio Iowa) – A judge has approved a request from one of the teens accused of killing a Fairfield teacher to have the state pay for an expert witness when he goes to trial. Willard Miller’s attorneys asked for the expert witness and also filed a motion asking to suppress evidence from a search warrant of his home. K-C-R-G T-V reports the request for the witness was granted — and a hearing on the request to suppress the evidence is set for March 29th.

Miller is charged with first-degree murder along with classmate Jeremy Goodale in the death of their Spanish teacher Nohema Graber. Graber’s body in a park by the high school in November of 2021.

Miller’s trial is scheduled for April 21st. Goodale’s trial is set for May 15th.

(Radio Iowa) – Second quarter revenues for Winnebago Industries fell by 25-percent compared to a year ago. The outdoor lifestyle products manufacturer — with Iowa factories in Forest City, Lake Mills, Charles City and Waverly — reports second quarter revenue was just under 867-million dollars, compared to one-point-two billion in the quarter last year. Winnebago president and C-E-O Michael Happe says the benefits of a diversified outdoor portfolio and strong performance in the marine segment helped to offset a continued softening in consumer demand for recreational vehicles.

Revenues for the company’s motor home segment were down a little over three-percent from last year, the towables segment was down 47-percent, while the company’s marine segment was up just over 16-percent due to carryover price increases.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Wednesday night, arrested a man and woman on Child Endangerment charges. 23-year-old Zachary Lee Miller and 23-year-old Athea Makenna Ruth, both of Red Oak, were each charged with three-counts of Child Endangerment. Miller also faces a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd offense. He was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. Athea Ruth was being held on a $2,000 bond. The pair were taken into custody at around 10:30-p.m., in the 300 block of E. Elm Street, in Red Oak.

Separately, Red Oak Police arrested 22-year-old Noah Donald Groves, of Red Oak, on a valid Platte County, Nebraska warrant.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has overwhelmingly voted to require at least 90 percent of miles along proposed carbon pipeline routes be voluntarily secured before the government’s eminent domain authority could be used to seize the rest. It also would let farmers seek compensation years from now if crop yields are depressed in the area around a carbon pipeline. Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, is the bill’s lead sponsor. He says the pipelines have generated intense debate around the state and he calls pipeline opponents “freedom fighters.”

“The route of these pipelines in Iowa would impact thousands of fellow citizens, a great deal of farmland and many of our communities,” Holt says. Some of those who voted for the measure lamented that it did not go far enough in protecting landowners who do not want the pipelines on their property. Republican Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton, a bill backer, is blasting pipeline developers and the ethanol industry who’ve been calling for the bill’s defeat.

“When you use government funds to aid your project, when you wish to use the tools of government, such as eminent domain…expect uncertainty,” Kaufmann said. “…The notion that this legislation is going to kill the ethanol industry — there’s a lot of four letter words I could use to describe that and I will not do that — I’ll just simply call it B.S.” Republican Representative Henry Cisneros of Muscatine has the same concerns — but voted against the bill. Cisneros calls eminent domain theft.

“Your government is in a hurry to facilitate this theft so a single corporation can shovel more of our taxdollars into its bank account,” Cisneros says. Representative Chuck Isenhart, a Democrat from Dubuque, says if House members believe carbon pipelines have no public benefit, then the bill should have banned construction. “Don’t put the burden of the decision on a small group of landowners to hold out, resulting — no doubt — in a beseigment if the bill becomes law,” Isenhart said.

Representative Zach Dieken, a Republican from Granville, was a reluctant yes. He says the pipelines a cash cow for developers and he praises landowners who’ve refused to sign voluntary easements with pipeline developers.  “To those actively standing up for yourself and your freedoms, the rest of Iowa and America thanks you,” Dieken said, acknowledging pipeline opponents watching debate in the House balcony. “..I also want to apologize that I couldn’t do more and I’m sorry the government created by God to defend your God given rights was not courageous to do more.”

Summit Carbon Solutions released a statement saying the carbon capture projects will play a critical role in ensuring the long term viability of the ethanol industry and the future of Iowa’s ag economy. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says the bill is a mistake that will reduce ethanol production and depress corn prices.

(Radio Iowa) – Arrest warrants have been issued for two men police believe were involved in the murder of a Fort Dodge man nearly three months ago. Fort Dodge Police have issued a warrant for 31 year old Lakendrick Mosley of Des Moines. He’s charged with First degree murder. A warrant has also been issued for 27 year old Darwin Green of Fort Dodge for aiding and abetting murder in the first degree. Both men are still at large.

Lakendrick Mosley

Forty-six-year-old Montreail Dungy was killed on Christmas Day. Fort Dodge Police say they will not be releasing any additional information about the case and they’re encouraging anyone with information about Dungy’s murder to contact police.