(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Primary Election will be upon us in less than a day. Secretary of State/Elections Commissioner Paul Pate spoke with KJAN News about the day, it’s importance, and what it means for incumbents and challengers for County, State and Federal positions.

While the General Election determines who steps into office on January 1st, 2023, Pate says the Primary set the stage for the nominating process.

The Primary serves as a way whittle-down the number of candidates for a given seat, before the General Election in November.

An incumbent who doesn’t win the Primary, will not be on the ballot for the November General Election, but that person does have the option to their name as a Write-in. Otherwise, their current term in office will expire at the end of the year.

Almost 65,000 people have voted absentee in this year’s primary election. This outpaces absentee vote totals from the previous midterm primary in 2018. ALL absentee ballots MUST be received by your county auditor no later than 8:00 P.M. on Election Day. The main thing Sec. Of State Pate wants Iowans to know one more thing….

The polls open at 7-a.m. Tuesday and close at 8-p.m. We’ll have the local election results on-air and on the web at kjan.com, as soon as they are released from the County Auditor’s Offices.

Washington, D-C: A Judge in Washington, D-C , Monday (June 6), set the trial date for a mother and son from the Des Moines metro area, who were allegedly involved in the January 6^th 2021 riot in the nation’s capitol. During the hearing, Judge Thomas Hogan ruled Deborah and Salvador Sandoval will be tried together. Their defense teams argued their cases should be tried separately because they say the two did not travel to Washington together and were not in the capitol building together. The judge denied that motion.

The unknown element at this time, is where the trial will occur. Attorneys for the pair want the case moved back to the Southern District of Iowa because they say they cannot get a fair trial in Washington, D.C. due to political opinion. Des Moines-based defense attorneys for Salvador Sandoval, William Kutmus and Trever Hook cited a survey that states 73% of respondents believe anyone who occupied the capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, should be convicted of insurrection.

Judge Hogan said he would likely deny the change of venue request, but did not rule on the motion Monday. He denied a motion to drop one of Salvador’s charges. Attorney’s had claimed the charge of obstruction of an official proceeding is not applicable because the Jan. 6, 2021, certification of the Electoral College was not an official proceeding. Hogan ruled otherwise.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs today (Monday) announced 17 projects and individuals in 14 Iowa communities received the state’s highest honors for historic preservation during the 2022 Preserve Iowa Summit held last week in Mason City. The summit, presented annually by the department’s State Historic Preservation Office, is the state of Iowa’s premier conference for professionals and volunteers involved in historic preservation.

During the awards ceremony on Thursday, the State Historical Society of Iowa’s Board of Trustees awarded four projects – in Bettendorf, Council Bluffs, Davenport and Mason City – with a Preservation Project of Merit Award, which recognizes projects that exemplify the best practices of historic preservation, meet federal standards, and make use of state tax credits for historic preservation. The board also presented Leah Rogers of Mount Vernon with the Petersen-Harlan Lifetime Achievement Award for her 40-year career in historic preservation, scholarly research and educational outreach programs.

In addition, the nonprofit group Preservation Iowa presented 12 awards for “Preservation at its Best” in Bloomfield, Centerville, Des Moines, Dubuque, Keosauqua, Mt. Pleasant, Newton, Red Oak and Sioux City. The annual awards honor properties and educational efforts that meet the highest standards of preservation practices. “Preservation Iowa is thrilled to honor the people and projects that truly demonstrate preservation’s power to change the future,” Preservation Iowa board president Bruce Perry said. “These awards honor thousands of volunteer hours and more than $120 million of investment in Iowa’s economy. Without the combination of private funding, historic tax credits, grant awards, and public dollars, projects like these would be impossible.”

Western Iowa/Area award recipients include:

Margaret Keyes Award
Project: McCormick Harvesting Machine Company Building, Council Bluffs
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This award recognizes outstanding preservation of a larger historic preservation project that uses tax credits from State Historic Preservation and Cultural & Entertainment District programs. The award is named for a nationally recognized historic preservationist who led the restoration of the Old Capitol in Iowa City.  Built in 1894, the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company originally served as a farm-implement warehouse. After an extensive renovation spearheaded by Pottawattamie Arts, Culture & Entertainment (PACE), the building is now the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center, with nearly 95,000-square-feet that houses a 280-seat theater, rehearsal and exhibition spaces, artist studios, teaching kitchens, classrooms and more. By the end of 2023, the building is expected to serve more than 54,000 patrons annually with an estimated $4.6 million impact on the local economy.

Residential (Single-Family) Structure Award
Project: Dearborn House, Red Oak
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With just a single historic photo and some correspondence from the original homeowner’s family, the home’s current owner, Cecelia Lock, and her project team began a complete renovation of the exterior after a hail storm in March of 2020. They used insurance money and private funds to remove aluminum window wraps, screens, downspouts and vinyl siding; restore the original cedar siding; and rebuild two porches to return this Red Oak home to its former glory.

Large Commercial Award
Project: Warrior–Davidson/Warrior Hotel, Sioux City
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Owned by Restoration St. Louis, the 10-story Warrior Hotel was built in 1930, served as a hotel until 1972 and then was vacant for 40 years. It was redeveloped in 2020 with a $72 million investment including State Historic Tax Credits. The hotel now offers 146 rooms, including full-service amenities with a restaurant, bar, exercise centers, hotel lobby, ballroom, banquet kitchen and commercial retail space. Careful attention to detail and preservation standards has created a catalyst for Sioux City’s downtown redevelopment.

(Radio Iowa) – Authorities are investigating a hit-and-run accident near Duncombe on Sunday night which may have involved a police officer. It was determined that one vehicle had left the scene. There were no injuries reported. As a result of the information developed during the investigation, Sergeant Bryce Presswood with the Fort Dodge Police Department has been place on administrative leave until further notice. Both the Webster County Sheriff’s Department and Iowa State Patrol are continuing to investigate.

Any further action will be determined pending the outcome of the full investigation.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Department reports Deputies conducted nine arrests over the past week:

At around 1:45-a.m. Friday (June 3), 44-year-old Clinton Lewis Casteel, JR., of Stuart, was arrested by Stuart Police following the execution of a search warrant at an apartment on SW 7th Street in Stuart, He was charged with Assault while display a Dangerous Weapon; Possession of drug paraphernalia; a Drug Tax Stamp Violation, & Drug Trafficking (5-grams to 100kg of Meth). The actual amount listed in the report was 16.58 grams of a substance believed at the time, to be meth. Casteel remains held in the Adair County Jail on a $25,000 cash or surety bond.

On June 2nd at around 10:11-p.m., 33-year-old Mike Ray Crumm,of Omaha (formerly of Ames), was arrested in another county on a Adair County warrant for Eluding and Driving Under Suspension. His cash or surety bond was set at $1,000. Earlier that same evening, Adair County Deputies arrested 45-year-old Jeremiah Lee David Parcher, of Creston, in Orient, on three outside agency warrants, including one felony warrant. He was transferred to the Union County Jail.

There were numerous arrests May 30th in Adair County:

• 35-year-old Samantha J. Zoucha, of Bellevue, NE, and 22-year-old Drew Darin Steckelberg, of Adair, were arrested at a residence in Adair, following a domestic incident. Each was charged with Domestic Assault w/bodily injury/1st offense. Zoucha was released the next day on her Own Recognizance. Steckelberg was released the next day on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.
• 43-year-old Clinton A. Anders, of Chicago, IL, was arrested at the Adair Kum and Go Store, for Theft in the 2nd Degree. He’s accused of driving a stolen vehicle. Anders remains in the Adair County Jail on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.
• 48-year-old Eric Wayne Whitting, of Stuart, was arrest by Stuart Police May 30th, for Driving While Barred. He was later released on a $2,000 c/s bond.
• 35-year-old Geoffrey Laverne McBurney, of Des Moines, was arrested in Adair County on an Adair County warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Barred, charge. His bond was set at $2,000.

On May 29th, 42-year-old Gildardo Garcia Sotelo, of Clive, was arrested by Police in Adair, for OWI/1st offense. He was also cited for having no valid driver’s license.  Sotelo was later released from the Adair County Jail on a $1,000 cash/surety bond. And, on May 28th, 56-year-old Michael William Magers, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense in Orient.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A District Court Judge in Cass County has ordered the sentencing date for an Atlantic man charged in a stabbing incident, to be continued until next month. Judge Michael Hooper set the date as July 11^th at 9-a.m., in Cass County District Court. He also ordered a Pre- Sentence Investigation to take place in the case of 20-year-old Michael Gehling, who was to have been sentenced today (Monday), on a Class-C Felony charge of Willful Injury.

He was originally facing the Willful Injury charge AND a Class B Felony charge of Attempted Murder, but the latter charge was dismissed when Gehling agreed to plead guilty May 6^th to the lesser charge.

Gehling was arrested by Atlantic Police Department on April 7^th, for the incident that took place in the area of 6^th and Pine Streets during the early morning hours of Monday, April 4^th. The victim was transported to the Cass County Hospital and was later transported to UNMC hospital in Omaha with a serious injury.

(Radio Iowa) – Former President Donald Trump has endorsed three Iowa Republicans who are unopposed in tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) Primary election. Trump endorsed Governor Kim Reynolds, Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion this weekend. On Sunday, Trump re-stated his endorsement of Senator Chuck Grassley, who has a primary opponent. Trump publicly endorsed Grassley at a rally in Des Moines in October.

In written statements, Trump said Reynolds is an America First Conservative who has his Complete and Total endorsement. Trump called Hinson a fierce advocate for the America First agenda and Trump said Feenstra was an unwavering advocate for farmers and the ethanol industry.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture has lifted the restrictions on live bird exhibitions. The Ag Department canceled all live bird exhibitions at fairs and other gatherings of birds on March 23rd as the avian influenza outbreak picked up. The Department issued a notice Friday that it has been 30 days since U-S-D-A has confirmed any new bird flu cases — and they were lifting the restrictions. The bird flu has been confirmed at 19 sites across the state — with 15 of those commercial chicken or turkey operations.

It is believed this outbreak was spread by wild birds during their migration. The Ag Department asks bird owners to remain vigilant in their biosecurity practices preventing contact between their birds and wild birds and reporting sick birds or unusual deaths to state and federal officials.

(Radio Iowa) – Food pantries across Iowa are seeing an increase in demand as inflation continues to have an impact on Iowa families. Food Bank of Iowa spokesperson, Annette Hacker, says the dollar isn’t going as far as it used to. “With these record food fuel and housing prices, it really is leaving a lot of Iowans many of our neighbors hard-pressed and having a hard time making ends meet,” Hacker says.

Hacker says she’s talked with many of their partners and affiliates about the problem. “And they’re all telling us the same thing — they’re seeing greater need and more people coming to shop at the pantries — and in fact, some people they haven’t seen in a couple of years who once again are needing help,” she says. Hacker says anyone who wants to help can by making a donation. “We appreciate all kinds of support at Food Bank of Iowa, whether that’s food, friends or funds. That’s really the trifecta there, but the fact is we can do a lot more with money,” she says.

Hacker says they get the most out of the money donated, and their cost is 40 cents for one meal. “You think about what you can do at the grocery store — 40 cents doesn’t go very far — but we can source a meal or one-point-two pounds of food for about 40 cents. We really do stretch those dollars far,” she says.

For more information, go online to foodbankofiowa.org.

(Radio Iowa) – A custom-Iowa-built R-V is back on the road as the state’s mobile history museum. Michael Morain, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, says the State Historical Society of Iowa’s vehicle is fully outfitted to bring a wide array of interesting items from Iowa’s past directly to Iowans. “The new exhibit has 56 historical artifacts that explore 13,000 years of Iowa history,” Morain says. “All of that is within the 300 square feet of the Winnebago.”

The mobile museum debuted in 2017 and over the course of three years made 175 stops in all 99 counties, attracting some 65-thousand visitors, including more than 11-thousand students. The R-V is now on its second three-year statewide tour with a completely different exhibition inside.  “It is all-new so even if you think you’ve seen it, but wait, there’s more!” Morain says. “The theme for this exhibit is Iowa’s People and Places so it’s a pretty broad framework but there is a new collection of exhibits that were curated by the experts at the State Historical Museum and there’s some great stuff in there.”

The state’s massive underground vault contains some 209-million items relating to Iowa history, so he says it’s an exceptional challenge to narrow it down to a few dozen items for the mobile museum. The latest array is widely varied. “One of my favorites is one of the space suits that astronaut Peggy Whitson wore into space,” Morain says. “There are knitting needles that an Iowa First Lady used to knit clothing for Civil War soldiers and World War One soldiers. There’s a menu from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s visit to Des Moines during the Cold War.”

Other items on display include a birchbark lunchbox a Cerro Gordo County boy used in the 1870s, a Meskwaki cradleboard from the late 1800s, and a University of Iowa pennant from Edward Carter of Monroe County, the first African American to get a medical degree from the University of Iowa, in 1907. Here’s a partial list of the mobile museum’s upcoming stops:

• June 7-9: Sac City, Sac City Public Library
• June 11: Jefferson, Bell Tower Festival
• June 17-19: Adair, Adair Sesquicentennial

Learn more at: iowaculture.gov.