ATLANTIC, IA — The Iowa Department of Education has recognized Atlantic High School’s welding program as a model for successful career and technical education in the state. The program enrolls between 40 and 50 students each semester and
prepares them for high-demand skilled trades through hands-on instruction, strong community partnerships, and direct pathways from the classroom to the workforce. Students begin by learning essential safety procedures and foundational techniques. They then advance to multiple welding methods, including stick, MIG, torch, and plasma cutting.

In collaboration with local employers such as Vermeer and Industrial Steam, the district has developed an apprenticeship model that mirrors real-world workforce needs. Students who complete the program graduate with the skills and experience necessary to enter a registered apprenticeship, with many earning their certification just months after leaving high school.

“Our welding program is a powerful example of what career and technical education can do for students,” said Eric Miller, welding instructor. “It allows students to discover their strengths, develop real-world skills, and step confidently into high-demand careers. We are proud of the partnerships that help make this possible and of the students who continue to inspire us with their success.”

Atlantic CSD’s approach aligns with the Iowa CTE framework, which emphasizes practical learning, employability skills, and clear routes into high-wage, high-skill occupations. For students seeking alternatives to traditional four-year college pathways, the program offers a meaningful, results-driven option. Program graduates continue to stay involved, returning to the welding classroom to mentor current students and even offering scholarships to those pursuing trade careers after graduation. These lasting connections help to build a strong cycle of learning, leadership, and local workforce development.

The full story is available at the Iowa Department of Education’s website, at:

https://educate.iowa.gov/headline-story/2025-11-14/atlantic-high-school-welding-program-provides-cte-golden-ticket-students

(Radio Iowa) – State officials have denied the Satanic Temple of Iowa’s request to hold a holiday party in the Iowa Capitol on December 13.

Adam Steen, a Republican candidate for governor, denied a similar request last year when he was director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Service. “No more marketing to children,” Steen said today. “No more trying to get them to create satanic symbols, sing satanic hymns, partake in satanic rituals, no more having youth involved in costume contests that depict weapons used to abuse youth. This is not religious expression. It’s not free speech. It is evil.”

Steen held a rally at the Capitol early this afternoon that was originally billed as a gathering to challenge Governor Reynolds to issue the denial. “What could have been a call for those in Iowa to stand up and fight back has turned into a celebration,” Steen said, to cheers.

Adam Steen, a Republican candidate for governor, speaks at statehouse rally on Nov. 24, 2025. (RI photo)

The Satanic Temple of Iowa is suing Steen for rejecting their party plan at the Capitol when he was director of the Department of Administrative Services. The group has said their 2024 celebration would have promoted tolerance and acceptance of diverse religious beliefs. A year before, in 2023, the group’s display in the Iowa Capitol’s rotunda was vandalized by a Mississippi man who later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation. Steen, as a state agency chief, had approved some holiday displays in the Capitol that year, including the Satanic Temple’s array of candles and a pagan idol.

“I did that because it was not a matter of whether or not it was harmful to minors,” Steen said today. “It was a static statue and I did not want to fight a free speech issue at that time.”

Steen has called on two other candidates for governor to join him in denouncing what the Satanic Temple had planned to do in the Capitol next month. A spokesperson for Democrat Rob Sand’s campaign was not immediately available to respond. Republican Randy Feenstra issued a written statement. “As a Christian, I’m grateful to Governor Reynolds for keeping the despicable satanic display out of the Iowa Capitol,” Feenstra said.

(Radio Iowa) – Des Moines police say a local woman faces multiple charges after she allegedly fired shots at a car containing her fiancé and an eight-year-old child. Investigators say a Des Moines man claims his fiancée used a handgun and shot at his car during a domestic dispute on Sunday night. He said he was in the front seat and his daughter was in the back seat. Officers say there was a bullet hole in the rear passenger door. No one was hurt.

Police arrested 28-year-old Lakeisha Powell after recovering what they believe was the handgun used, a shell casing and other evidence. Powell is jailed on charges including: child endangerment, domestic abuse assault with a weapon, and two counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Red Oak man was sentenced on November 21, 2025, to 27 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography.

According to public court documents, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received CyberTips that an account, later determined to be associated with Tracy Brian Schooling, 51, uploaded files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement seized electronic devices during a search of Schooling’s Red Oak residence. A forensic examination of the seized electronic devices showed that Schooling used the devices to possess images and videos and produce images containing child sexual abuse material. In total, Schooling possessed more than 300 videos and 300 images containing child sexual abuse material.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Schooling will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Schooling was also ordered to pay $27,000 in restitution.

United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigation-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Child Exploitation Task Force, with assistance from the Red Oak Police Department.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

(Red Oak, IA) – The Red Oak Police Department is pleased to announce their 10th Annual Toys for Tots Event — serving children and families who may not otherwise experience the full joy of the holiday season.
Last year, over 187 children from Montgomery County received toys to brighten their holidays. Let’s make this year even more special! You can help by making donations of new, unwrapped toys for children ages -14, from now through Dec. 17, 2025. Monetary donations can be made in the form of checks payable to: Behind the Shields, at Venmo @Behindtheshields .

Toy Drop-Off Locations include:

• Red Oak Police Department Fareway Red Oak Express
• YMCA Vals Sugar Shack Dollar General
• Tractor Supply Family Dollar MCMH
• Red Oak Library Bomgaars Villisca City Hall
• Honeyman Drug (Villisca) Anderson Vet (Villisca) FMTC (Villisca)

Children ages 0–14 may be signed up to receive toys. Please bring your child’s birth certificate or medical card. Sign-Up can be accomplished Thursday, December 4, 2025 | 3:30–5:30 PM at the Red Oak Fareway Store. Deadline to sign up: December 5, 2025.

LET’S MAKE THE SEASON BRIGHT!
Together, we can ensure every child in our community enjoys the magic of the holidays. For more information, please contact: Amber at the Red Oak Police Department
712-623-6500.  The Red Oak Police Department THANKS YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR LOCAL FAMILIES!

(Glenwood, IA) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports six arrests took place between Nov. 17th through the 22nd. Most recently:

• On Saturday, 11/22: 30-year-old Jacob Ryan Riesland, of Logan, was arrested on Bunge Avenue for Public Intoxication (Bond $300).
• On Nov. 19th: 55-year-old Armando Ramon Rocha, of Bellevue, NE, was arrested on I-29 near Pacific Junction, for Theft in the 1st Degree (>$10,000). (Bond $10,000); and, 36-year-old Jason Alan Mabbitt, of Manning, was arrested in Malvern, for: Operating a vehicle w/out the owner’s consent; Unauthorized use of a credit card (>$1,500 but < $10,000). (Bond $12,000).
• On Nov. 18th: Deputies in Mills County arrested 48-year-old John Shannon McCreary, of Council Bluffs. He was arrested in Glenwood for OWI/1st offense, with bond set at $1,000; 45-year-old Suzanne Kay Labastida, of Pacific Junction, was arrested on the 18th, for Possession of drug paraphernalia; Driving While Barred, and on an Out-of-state/county warrant. (Bond $2,300).
• And, on Nov. 17th, 50-year-old Cynthia Ann Unger, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in Mills County, for Driving While Barred. (Bond $2,000)

(Sioux City, IA)  – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa reports a man from Carroll, 52-year-old Paul Diamond Sanchez, pled guilty on November 20th, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in federal court in Sioux City.

At the plea hearing, Sanchez admitted that from July 2024 through May 2025 he and others distributed methamphetamine in the Carroll, Iowa area. On two occasions in the summer of 2024, defendant distributed a total of over 25 grams of pure methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. During a traffic stop in October 2024, Sanchez had over 9 grams of pure methamphetamine in his pants pocket which he admitted he planned to sell to another person.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a pre-sentence report is prepared. Sanchez remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Sanchez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Manning Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.

(Greenfield, IA) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Cass County (IA) was arrested over the weekend, on drug charges. 46-year-old Shawn Glen Wolverton, of Atlantic, was arrested Saturday evening for Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or Subsequent offense, and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. He was taken into custody following an investigation into a report at around 5:12-p.m., Saturday, about an unresponsive male in a vehicle that was in the middle of the road in the 2000 block of Pinewood Ave., in Adair County. When an Adair County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived on the scene, he saw Wolverton passed out behind the wheel in the driver’s seat of his vehicle, the engine running and not in park.

EMS personnel knocked on the window of the vehicle and tried to get Wolverton to wake up. When he did wake up, he drove his vehicle a few feet before coming to a stop. EMS reached through the driver’s side window and put the vehicle in park before shutting it off. The deputy’s report said Wolverton was acting strangely by bouncing around the vehicle. After he got out of the vehicle, the report says Wolverton kept trying to reach through the back left window and pulled away from the deputy.

Once inside the deputy’s vehicle, Wolverton was checked-out by EMS and cleared. He was also questioned by the deputy. During a probable cause search of the man’s vehicle, the deputy found a black, partially opened sunglasses case with a meth pipe inside. A small zip-style bag with suspected methamphetamine was also found in the sunglasses case. At the Adair County Jail, Wolverton reportedly admitted to using meth and possessing the drug. His previous convictions on controlled substance charges occurred in 2012 and 2015 in Polk County, and in Adair County in 2015. The report said he has numerous other drug charges and convictions.  Wolverton was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports also, 31-year-old Samantha Marie Delong, of Orient, was arrested at around 2:15–a.m. on Nov. 16th, following an investigation into a vehicle found in a ditch at the intersection of Highway 92 and Stuart Road, in Adair County. Delong was found in the vehicle and denied being injured. During questioning, she admitted to having had a couple of beers in Stuart. A Standardized Field Sobriety Test and Preliminary Breath Test resulted in her arrest for OWI/1st offense. At the Adair County Jail, her breath-alcohol test results measured .167%, or slightly more than twice the legal limit for intoxication. DeLong was released from custody shortly thereafter, with a citation.

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say the weather shouldn’t cause any major troubles for Iowans prior to Thanksgiving, but National Weather Service meteorologist Ashley Bury says there could be a wintry storm system moving in right -after- the holiday. “Models are indicating that there could be some snow moving into the area as we get into Friday and into the weekend,” Bury says. “It’s still several days out, but it certainly looks like there could be accumulating snow potential, so it’s definitely something to watch over the next few days and adjust travel plans, if needed.”

After temperatures much warmer than normal in the past week, Bury says it’ll be significantly colder in the week ahead, with highs forecast for Thanksgiving Day only in the 20s and low 30s, with lows in the teens.

(Radio Iowa) – Three Democrats running in Iowa’s second congressional District are promising to address the high cost of living Iowans are facing and make sure they have access to health care. State Representative Lindsay James of Dubuque; Kathy Dolter, retired Army nurse and pastor Clint Twedt Ball, a former non-profit executive, spoke at the forum in Manchester yesterday (Sunday). James, who is also a Presbyterian minister, says Iowans are being hurt by moral failures in Washington.

“People are making impossible choices in our state because of their economic realities, and they are doing so in the wealthiest country in the world,” James said, “and I believe that all of us in this room will agree that that is not right.” Twedt-Ball says Democrats will have to appeal to the rising numbers of independents to win. “There is just way too much money in politics,” Twedt-Ball said, “and we have to do everything we can to move that out of politics so that we can have a relationship with voters that they see as authentic and real.”

Dolter says congress should protect union rights and the federal government should require employers to provide pensions or 401k plans. Two other Democrats who have announced they’re running in the second congressional district did not attend the forum, which was hosted by Delaware County Democrats. Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, who currently represents the second district, is running for the U-S Senate.