Audubon, Iowa) – Residents in the City of Audubon have a chance to conveniently dispose of their unwanted electronics and appliances. The City’s “Clean-Up Day” will take place on Friday, Oct. 10^th. Your garbage or unwanted items should be placed at the curb Thursday, but not earlier than 24-hours before pickup.Items accepted include general garbage, electronics, appliances, and more.

Large items, including TVs, electronics, kitchen appliances, washers, and dryers will require a pre-paid sticker to cover dumping fees. Stickers can be purchased at City Hall. Call 712-563-3269 to get pricing information.

Items will NOT be accepted, due to hazardous/safety concerns include:

• Tires
• Yard Waste
• Chemicals
• Paint
• and major construction materials.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest at around 9:35-p.m., Thursday, of 26-year-old Christian Garcia Vazquez. The Creston man  was arrested at his residence and charged with Public Intoxication. Vazquez was taken to Union County Jail. He posted a $300 cash or surety bond, and was released.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – As the fall harvest starts across Iowa, the risk of wildfires in crop fields increases. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says parts of Iowa are seeing dry conditions with the risk of the relative humidity dropping to dangerous levels for wildfires and ignition sources in the fields.  Ready to harvest standing crops contain very low moisture, a condition which can create fuels that are receptive to ignition and at risk of rapid rates of fire spread. The DNR encourages farmers to get reacquainted with fire prevention practices to keep your farm ‘firewise.’

The following simple steps for a safer harvest can save time and money.

• Properly prepare machinery to reduce the chance of a field fire from an overheated bearing (check the manufacturer’s recommendations). A spark from an improperly lubricated combine can instantaneously ignite dry plants and field debris.
  Check that all fire extinguishers carried on the machinery are fully charged with loose powder inside. If the powder is not loose, remove the extinguisher from its bracket then thump the canister with a rubber hammer until the powder moves when shaken.
  Make sure the size of the extinguisher is appropriate for the size of the machinery. You may need larger and/or additional extinguishers. Also make sure you have the correct extinguisher for the type of fire to be extinguished. There are two types of extinguishers, the powder extinguisher for electrical and petroleum-based fires and the water extinguisher for vegetative fires. You may need to carry both kinds of extinguishers.
• Keep equipment clean. Check and remove combustible harvest debris from motors, exhausts, ledges and brackets several times a day. A portable gas-powered leaf blower is great for blowing debris from the various surfaces of the combine.
  

  Combine harvesting corn. (ISU Extension photo)

  

  Combine/Field fire east of Earling. File photo)

• Service grain storage and drying equipment. Storage facilities are like your bank vault. Protect their contents by properly servicing all bearings, belts, motors and drags. Dryers frequently cause fires; have a qualified service technician perform the necessary maintenance before drying grain. Keep weeds mowed around the facilities to discourage a fire from spreading. All extinguishers should be handy, fully charged, and the proper size and type for the area.
• Turn off interior lighting in overfilled bins. A grain fire will start if the grain surrounds the bulb. Turn off the light’s breaker to avoid accidentally turning the light on. This also applies to hay storage facilities.
• Handle hay properly. Improper hay storage commonly causes or complicates farm fires. Preventative measures greatly reduce this risk.
  Planning proper hay storage is crucial. Store hay away from combustibles such as gasoline, fertilizers and pesticides, as well as open burning areas like burn barrels, brush piles and vegetative burning. Arrange round bales in groups of 10 or fewer and place at least 100 feet away from structures. Leave 30 feet of mowed grass, bare ground or rock between the bale groups, creating a solid fire break.
  Many hay fires occur by spontaneous combustion of moist hay, usually within six weeks after baling. Plan to bale hay at its driest stage and do not bale in the morning dew or too soon after a rain.
  Check stored hay frequently for hot hay or an internal hay fire. Be aware of a caramel or strong burning odor, a visible vapor or smoke, a strong musty smell, and/or hay that is hot when touched. If any of these occur, call the fire department immediately and do not move the hay. Moving it exposes overheated or smoldering hay to oxygen, speeding the fire.
• When tilling in the fall, till a 30 foot break around building sites, remote bin sites and outside storage facilities to minimize fire spread, and around fields if there is excess fine fuels in the area. Remove weeds and other combustibles around structures and stored equipment.
• If a fire occurs, remain calm, call 911 immediately. Provide clear, concise directions to your location. Many field and bin sites do not have 911 addresses, so be prepared to identify an intersection or landmark to direct responders.

To help control field fires until firefighters arrive, remain calm and act swiftly. Quickly disk a fire break approximately 15 feet wide around the fire. Be cautious when doing this as smoke will starve and stall a motor and will make hazards and bystanders difficult to see. To assist with a structural fire, make sure there are no flammable objects nearby and if the circuit panel is safely accessible, turn off the building’s electricity. If time allows, evacuate any livestock to a distant pasture. If possible, spray high-pressure water on any surrounding vegetation or structures, discouraging spreading embers. Do not take risks.

After using any equipment to fight a fire, check air filters, ledges, nooks and crannies for burning debris. For more detailed information, visit www.iowadnr.gov/fire.

Remember, in a fire emergency, call 911 immediately. Do not wait until all your means of fighting the fire are exhausted. Every minute impacts your losses.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Brewers Guild executive director Noreen Otto says sales in the industry have stalled as traffic at breweries has slowed. “You know, we’re seeing just less socialization across the board really throughout all generations. People just really aren’t coming out and sharing a drink together, which is concerning,” she says. Otto says brewers are the only ones seeing flat numbers. “Summer used to be this huge grooming time and every patio was full, and you know we’ve just seen that change a little bit,” Otto says. “So great crowds and great traffic and lots of enthusiasm for our industry, but maybe not in the huge numbers and it’s not just craft brewing. We’re hearing that kind of across hospitality and events.”

Otto says people are not planning ahead as much and they’re seeing more last minute ticket purchases for events. They are trying to adapt with new creative events at tap rooms. “Things like silent book clubs, and painting parties, trivia nights. But also more non alcoholic beverage options, more ABV (alcohol by volume) options than ever. So the lagers that are just like a four and a half five percent, we’re seeing really diverse flavors,” according to Otto. Otto says one of the things they are emphasizing is the breweries add to the local economy. “Whether the brewery is in downtown Des Moines or out in one of our amazing rural communities, when you buy an Iowa craft-made beer, the economic impact is really felt here in the community,” Otto says. “A lot of our breweries participate in community events. You know, we just had a brewery up in Le Mar, Iowa raise a couple of thousand dollars for their local Rotary.”

She says other breweries have given micro grants for neighborhood improvements.  Otto says it’s good for everyone’s mental health. to get back out in our communities. “We think it’s pretty important to come out and share a drink with people, share a water with people, share a, beverage, come and sit next to people. That level of socialization is really important and it’s missing more and more from American life, she says. Otto says the COVID epidemic acerbated what has been a trend toward more isolation from others.

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WBAY) – Kwik Trip – which has stores in Iowa and five other Midwestern States, has announced it’s getting rid of pennies at its 900 convenience stores. Instead, cash transactions will be rounded down to the nearest five cents, to the advantage of customers paying in cash. Credit card and digital transactions will remain the same.

For example, a $1.04 cash purchase in the store will round down to $1.00, but a credit card purchase of $1.04 will still cost you $1.04. Kwik Trip says stores will enact the new cash transaction policy as their penny supplies are exhausted, indicating stores will be going “penniless” at different times.

“This change reflects our ongoing focus on guest experience. We apologize for any confusion this may create for our guests” president/CEO Scott Zietlow said. Kwik Trip says its register systems have been updated to automatically apply the rounding rules on cash transactions.

In a statement, the company cited a lack of guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury after the decision to stop minting new pennies. Kwik Trip said the policy is in effect “until a permanent legislative solution is enacted.”

According to its website, Kwik Trip serves almost 12 million people every week. It has stores across Wisconsin, Minnesota, northern Michigan, Iowa, Illinois and South Dakota.

(Radio Iowa) – The Des Moines School Board will meet this (Friday) morning to consider legal action related to the district’s former superintendent who faces federal gun possession charges and a deportation order. Immigration agents arrested Ian Roberts last Friday. Des Moines School Board President Jackie Norris says the board will review the process used to hire Roberts and consider how to recoup damages from those who contributed to the district’s current situation. The district hired a consulting firm that recommended Roberts in 2023 and another company conducted a background check.

A Des Moines law firm reviewed Roberts’ payroll documents. The board president says from misrepresenting his citizenship status to degrees that did not exist, Ian Roberts appears to have misled people in Des Moines and other states where he worked. The Pennsylvania district Roberts left to take the job in Des Moines is considering legal action as well.

Des Moines defense attorney Alfredo Parrish says he’s scheduled to meet with Roberts at the Polk County Jail early this (Friday) morning. Parrish spoke with several dozen Roberts supporters in a Des Moines church last (Thursday) night. “Don’t forget the complexity of the situation we’re in and don’t give up hope,” Parrish said. “…Because someone is charged with something, particularly an immigration type of situation, don’t look at them any differently.”

Parrish is seeking to reopen Roberts’ immigration case and Parrish says his client will plead not guilty to the gun possession charge.

(Radio Iowa) – Court records indicate the former Des Moines superintendent who now faces federal gun charges lost his authorization to work in the United States well before he was hired to lead Iowa’s largest school district.

Ian Roberts, who was born in Guyana, has been charged with being an illegal alien in possession of firearms. A-T-F agents found three guns in a search of his home after his arrest last Friday. A loaded gun was also found in his Des Moines Public Schools vehicle and court records indicate that gun was purchased in Arkansas by a woman believed to be Roberts wife. Between 2001 and 2018, Roberts submitted four applications to become a legal permanent resident of the U.S. — all of which were rejected. He had been authorized to work in the U.S. for four years — but that ended on December 18, 2020. That’s two and half years before Roberts was hired to be superintendent in Des Moines.

The criminal complaint against Roberts contains other details. Roberts renewed his passport from Guyana last year and had it with him when he drove to work last Friday. The car agents found parked in Roberts’ garage is registered to a woman in Texas. The deportation order issued to Roberts in 2024 was in the back seat of the car, under a floor mat. The Des Moines Register is reporting that shortly after Roberts was hired in 2023, local deputies served Roberts with a restraining order issued by Jackson County, Missouri, which is part of the Kansas City metro.

A spokesman for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office told the newspaper a Missouri court had sealed the protective order, so it’s contents are not public.

(Radio Iowa) – Over three dozen people are being laid off from a Dubuque bank that was recently acquired by a bank based in Kansas City, Missouri. U-M-B Financial Corporation purchased the Dubuque bank early this year. Thirty-eight employees were notified yesterday (Wednesday) that they’d be laid off November 1st.

With the purchase of Heartland Financial Services — which had operated Dubuque Bank and Trust — the Kansas City bank now operates in 13 states.

(Radio Iowa) – Today (Thursday) marks six years since a Fort Dodge pastor was murdered outside his church, while a groundbreaking ceremony will be held tomorrow on a new public structure designed to honor his memory. Pastor Al Henderson served St. Paul Lutheran Church, and was also chaplain for the Fort Dodge police and fire departments, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Patrol. T-J Pingel is spearheading the pavilion project.

The Pastor Al Pavilion

“We wanted to have a memorial here somewhere in the area for Pastor Al,” Pingel says. “He was buried in Boone, and there’s a lot of people in the community that wanted a spot just to remember him and celebrate his life and all that he did for them.” The Pastor Al Pavilion will be built on a particularly scenic area of Kennedy Lake Park just north of Fort Dodge. The groundbreaking on the 100-thousand dollar project is scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Pastor Henderson

“We’re hoping to have the actual kit for the shelter here soon, where they can put up the physical structure,” Pingel says, “so that hopefully depending on weather, we can have that done this year still. If not, we’ll get it done first thing in the spring.” The pavilion’s brick work will also be done early next year, along with things like plaques and name plates honoring the donors.

Donations for the project are still being accepted at the SOS (Serving Our Servants) Facebook page.

(Radio Iowa) – A Mexican man who gave a fake name when he was arrested for drunk driving in northwest Iowa has pleaded guilty to illegally re-entering the country. Forty-nine-year-old Jesus Banuelos-Lepe had been living in the small town of Maurice when he was picked up for drunk driving in Sioux County in July.

Prosecutors say he’s been deported five times and had a 2007 felony conviction in Oregon for transporting an illegal alien. He’s currently in the custody of U.S. Marshals and could be sentenced to up to 10 years in a federal prison.