(Glenwood, IA) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 4:15-a.m. on Nov. 25th, of 49-year-old Lisa Marie Elliott, of Malvern. The woman was taken into custody in Malvern, for OWI/1st offense. Her bond was set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – The Trump Administration has signed a settlement granting state election officials free access to a federal immigration database for the next 20 years. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says on the eve of the 2024 election, the Biden Administration denied the Iowa Secretary of State’s request to do a cross check to ensure non-citizens had not registered to vote. Bird sued the federal government for access to that information and discussed the lawsuit during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S. “We want to make sure that the system we have in place makes it easy for that kind of verification to happen, “Bird said, “so that we can make sure that if someone is a new U.S. citizen that they fully can enjoy their right to vote, but also that there is no illegal voting.”

Bird says it is clearly illegal under state and federal law for non-citizens to vote and this settlement will help Iowa safeguard the integrity of elections for years to come. “We want to know that when Election Day comes and the votes are counted that no illegal votes are mixed in with legal votes, cancelling a vote out, even if it’s just one,” Bird said “Elections come down to some pretty tight margins sometimes and we want Iowans to have faith in the outcome of their election.”

The settlement indicates that within 90 days the state of Iowa will have access to the federal immigration database — well before Iowa’s Primary Elections in June.

(Guthrie Center, IA) – The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, today (Monday), released reports on five, non-injury accidents that took place between Nov. 13th and the 25th.

• At around 5:45-p.m. on Nov. 13th, an SUV driven by 64-year-old James M. Schultz, of Casey, struck a deer in the 1500 block of Highway 25. The vehicle sustained damage estimated by authorities to be around $7,500.
• At around 8:50-p.m. on Nov. 20th, a car driven by 21-year-old Angel Berndardo Gonzalez-Rodriguez, of Omaha, struck a deer on Luna Avenue, that popped-out of a ditch in front of his vehicle. The car sustained an estimated $1,500 damage.
• The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says at around 4:20-p.m. on Nov. 27th, a car driven by 19-year-old Colin Trent Adams, of Stuart, crashed into a ditch off of Wax Trail near 340th Street. Authorities say Adams’ car was traveling too fast for the gravel, went out of control, and rolled onto its top, sustained $5,000 damage. None of the three occupants in the car were injured. The State Patrol assisted sheriff’s deputies at the scene and in the follow-up investigation.
• At around 4:10-p.m. on Nov. 24th, a 2023 Mack semi hauling a grain hopper and driven by 60-year-old Robert D. Barker, of Coon Rapids, and a 2014 Dodge RAM pickup driven by 67-year-old Nicholas J. Miller, of Lake City, collided on Highway 25, near the railroad bridge underpass. The Sheriff’s Office says  the pickup was traveling south on HIghway 25 and was hauling a homemade trailer carrying a large roll, and was slowing down while going under the railroad bridge, when the semi failed to stop or reduce speed. The semi struck the pickup/trailer on the rear, causing an estimated total of $20,000 damage.
• And, on Nov. 25th at about 12:36-p.m., a Guthrie County Deputy was dispatched to the scene of an abandoned vehicle with its airbags deployed, in a field, near 3471 28oth Road. An investigation determined the vehicle has been involved in a collision, causing disabling damage. After speaking with the vehicle’s registered owner, 39-year-old Donald P. Felgate, of Panora, he advised he had driven straight off a curve in the road, due to dense fog in the area. The accident took place at around 12:01-a.m. The car sustained an estimated $10,000 damage.

No citations were issued with any of the aforementioned accidents.

(Radio Iowa) – The top two leaders on the board that oversees the three state universities will step down Thursday. Board of Regents president Sherry Bates of Scranton took over as interim president in January of 2024 when then president Michael Richards stepped down, and then was elected permanently to the post. Bates first joined the board in 2014, and her latest term expires in April of 2029. She says in a statement she wants to spend more time with her family.

Board president-pro tem Greta Rouse of Emmetsburg first served as a student regent from 2008-2012. She was later appointed to six-year term on the Board again in April of 2021. She did not say why she is leaving the board.

The Regents will meet Wednesday to elect new leadership.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans are online and looking for holiday shopping deals on this Cyber Monday, but Bao Vang, at the Better Business Bureau, warns that scams are on the rise, especially at this time of year. Vang says, “If someone is splashing ‘sale,’ ‘limited-time,’ or ‘deal,’ just think twice about whether this is luring you instead of actually being a legitimate sale.” She’s urging Iowans to make certain before they click “buy” that they’re on a retailer’s actual website, and not a fake mock-up.

“A lot of websites out there that are quickly made,” she says, “or can be put up relatively easily will mimic other sites and can steal photos, images, and products from other places.”

Vang recommends consumers do as much research as possible on the products and the sellers before buying anything.

Many Iowans were expected to be online looking for holiday shopping deals on Cyber Monday, but Bao (rhymes with COW) Vang, at the Better Business Bureau, warns that scams are on the rise, especially at this time of year.

(Greenfield, IA) – A man wanted on a Polk County warrant for Possession or carrying of dangerous weapons while under the influence, was arrested Saturday afternoon in Stuart, by the Iowa State Patrol. The Adair County Sheriff’s Office says 29-year-old Floriberto Zurito Cortes, of Des Moines, was being held in the Adair County Jail on the warrant, with a cash-only bond set at $2,000. He was also being held on an Immigration/ICE detainer and arrest warrant.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports also: 24-year-old Kaitlyn Marie Hess, of Stuart, was arrested Nov. 26th in Stuart, for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend. Following an investigation, Hess was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault causing bodily injury/1st offense. She was released from the Adair County Jail the following day, on bond.

And, a traffic stop near Greenfield for speeding and equipment malfunction (License plate light out), Nov. 26th, resulted in 19-year-old Rylan Joseph Faust, of Dexter, being cited. Faust was issued a citation for Driving While License revoked for OWI test failure. He was also issued written warnings for speeding and equipment violations. Faust was released from the scene of his traffic stop, with the citation and warnings as issued.

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say more snow is on the way today (Monday) after the Thanksgiving weekend storm brought flying flakes to much of Iowa, with the deepest accumulation reported at 16-and-a-half inches in Fort Dodge. National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Lee says a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect through 9 o’clock tonight for two dozen counties across Iowa’s southern third. “We are looking at snowfall accumulations down in southern and southeastern Iowa,” Lee says, “up to around two or three inches near the Missouri border.” Temperatures were quite cold through the weekend, with wind chills dipping below zero, but Lee says it may warm up into the upper 20s on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“It’s all going to come crashing down Wednesday night and into Thursday, it’s going to get very cold,” Lee says. “By sunrise on Thursday morning, you’re going to see air temperatures down around 15 below.” Keep the snow shovels handy, as Lee predicts still more snowfall is possible. “It does look like a little bit more snow Tuesday night and into Wednesday, but it should just be light accumulations, a dusting,” Lee says, “otherwise, it’s pretty dry at least through Thursday if not beyond.”

The Iowa State Patrol took more than 850 emergency calls over the weekend, including 210 calls for wrecks which left at least 20 people hurt. In Independence, a car ran off the road Sunday and hit a house, killing the driver. Also, a passenger jet skidded off a taxiway at Des Moines International Airport on Saturday night, forcing the state’s busiest airport to close for 12 hours.

DES MOINES – This holiday season, State Treasurer Roby Smith is inviting family and friends of IAble account owners to give the gift of financial freedom to an individual in their life. IAble, Iowa’s Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) plan, helps people with disabilities, and their support system save for qualified expenses while protecting essential benefits. Smith says “As the holiday season approaches, many of us are thinking about how to give meaningful gifts. Contributing to an IAble account is a powerful way to support independence for people who have a disability. In addition, it’s a gift that can make a lasting difference well beyond the holiday season.”

Giving to an IAble account enables family and friends to assist and actively participate in enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities. Additionally, any Iowa taxpayer can deduct up to $5,800 in contributions to an IAble account from their state income taxes for 2025.

Connect with the Treasurer on Facebook, Instagram and X, to stay informed of updates and news.

More about IAble:
IAble, administered by State Treasurer Roby Smith, provides eligible people with disabilities and their support systems a way to save money while maintaining crucial benefits for federally means-tested programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid. Funds in IAble accounts can be used to cover qualified disability expenses like assistive technology, support services, medical bills and much more. If you or a loved one could benefit from an IAble account visit IAble.gov.

For more details about IAble, review the Plan Disclosure Booklet.

(Creston, IA) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report four men were arrested on separate charges over the holiday weekend. Two of the men were arrested on Assault charges early Friday morning at a motel, in Creston: 27-year-old Moises Robles, of Brownsville, TX, and 28-year-old Marco Antonio Trevino Solis, Jr., of La Joya, TX, were arrested at around 5:50-a.m. Friday. Both were charged with Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness. Both men were transported to the Union County Jail. Each was being held on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

At around 2:15-a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, 36-year-old Timothy Michael Nelson, of Albion, was arrested in Creston, for Possession of drug paraphernalia and Poss. of a controlled substance/3rd or subsequent offense. Nelson posted a $5,300 cash or surety bond, and was released from the Union County Jail.

At around 6:40-p.m., Friday, Creston Police arrested 35-year-old Jason Edward Sparks, of Creston, on three outstanding warrants from Adams County, for Failure To Appear. Sparks posted a $150 cash-only bond and was released from custody.

(Radio Iowa) – With Thanksgiving behind us now and a whole month of holiday happenings ahead, Iowans are hearing a lot about the importance of being mindful and practicing gratitude, but what does that really mean? Christie Harris, a wellness education specialist at Emplify Health by Gundersen, says it may sound like touchy-feely rhetoric, but there’s a lot of science behind trying to have a more optimistic outlook on life. “We’re learning about the role that emotions play, and what we’re finding is that when gratitude is such a powerful emotion, that when we can practice that more, it has a lot of wonderful mental, physical and emotional benefits for us.”

The November election is in the rear-view mirror, but there’s still a lot of division, disagreements and bickering, especially on social media. Harris suggests if you make a concerted effort to rise above the arguments, it can have real health benefits. “There’s so many things in life that it’s easy for us to get caught up in the negative things that are happening,” she says, “however, usually even in bad situations, there’s things that we can find some sort of spark or some sort of ray of hope from, and those are the things that we’re grateful for.” That could include being grateful for friends, for having a roof over our heads, or just being alive. Harris suggests taking a simple notebook and creating a gratitude journal to write in before going to sleep. Some of us wake up in the middle of the night and have all sorts of foul thoughts.

“If we can change that around, and we stop and we think about a few things that we’re grateful for, we write them down in our journal,” Harris says. “That’s getting the biochemicals in our bodies to be released. That is going to help us to be able to allow that autonomic nervous system to calm down, and allow us to be able to hopefully get a good night’s sleep.” The journal can also be something to look back on to cheer up when having a bad day. Harris says research is finding that being grateful can boost the immune system, and may increase life expectancy.

Emplify Health by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.