KNOXVILLE, Iowa (KCCI-TV) — A Knoxville school associate fired for a post about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk is now suing the district. KCCI repots Stacey Sumpter says the school violated her first amendment rights. Following Kirk’s death in September, Sumpter posted a comment on her personal Facebook page: “Normally I would say Auf wider sehen; but since that technically means ’til I see you again’ … So since I never wish to see you again, to you; I say goodbye,” the comment reads.

Court records show she was fired days later. Sumpter is asking the court for reinstatement and damages. In a court filing, Sumpter claims she was never given a hearing or other opportunity to present her side of the story. Court documents say “Since her termination, there has been no administrative review that would afford Ms. Sumpter the very due process promised to her by District policy.”

The district says it does not comment on pending litigation.

(Des Moines, Iowa; KCCI-TV]) – Officials with the Iowa National Guard say their mission to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement is being extended. A spokesperson confirmed to us the added assistance will continue to Sept. 30, 2026. The mission has not changed since Gov. Kim Reynolds first directed the Iowa National Guard to assist ICE. At that point, Reynolds said:

“Just as we supported Texas when the Biden Administration left them to defend the border, Iowa will continue to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws — this time, by working with the Trump Administration to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in our state,” Reynolds said in a news release announcing the mission. “By providing administrative and logistical support, the Iowa National Guard will free up local ICE officials to continue their work outside the office to enforce the law and keep our state safe.”

The National Guard is providing clerical, administrative and logistical support to Iowa-based ICE officials. They will not engage in law enforcement.

(A report by the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – An Iowa Department of Natural Resources study on food waste in the state found that Iowans on average, throw away 200 pounds of food each year.  The study identified a number of ways that households and businesses can reduce their food waste and in turn, help food insecure households, the environment and the economy.  Preventing food waste by producing, buying and serving only what is needed is the best way, according to the study, to reduce food waste.  Other methods it identified include donating or upcycling food before it goes bad, feeding it to animals and livestock, composting food scraps or putting them through an anaerobic digestion system and applying the product to the land.  Some of these solutions, according to the report, can be implemented in the near future while others have a longer start-up time, or require changes in state and local policies.

DNR determined in a 2022 study of landfill materials that food waste, comprising unsold food from stores, table scraps, uneaten prepared food, kitchen trimmings and byproducts from food and beverage processing facilities, was the number one material in Iowa landfills. The same study found that 19% of landfill material in Iowa is loose or packaged food waste. Of the average 200 pounds of food per year per person that Iowans dispose of at home, 25% is still packaged. When including commercial food waste into the calculation, Iowans dispose of 300 pounds of food waste, per person, per year. The Iowa rate is lower than the average rate for the U.S., which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates is between 492 to 1,032 pounds per person per year.

EPA also estimates the average family throws away about $3,000 worth of food, or 11% of household food expenditures, annually.  Further, the study said food waste emits air pollutants as it sits in solid waste landfills. The best way to reduce food waste that ends up in landfills is to manage the amount of waste in homes and businesses, according to the study, which suggests also, that at home, residents: eat their leftovers, keep track of the items in their refrigerators and pantries, plan meals, be creative with meals to use what is about to spoil, store food properly and purchase in quantities that can be consumed before they spoil. Restaurants can audit their waste streams and adjust their menus, wholesale orders and portion sizes to reduce food waste.

The study points out that while households and commercial businesses throw out food, 1 in 8 Iowans face food insecurity. Food banks and food pantries often receive donations from grocery stores or wholesalers of food that is about to pass its expiration date, which can be one way of  reducing food waste. The study surveyed six food-rescue organizations in Iowa, including Food Bank of Iowa, which accepted more 26 million pounds of rescue food in 2023 to be distributed across its 55-county region. The surveyed organizations identified that the majority of this food is able to be used and given out at food pantries, though the process presents some barriers. It’s difficult to always provide culturally relevant foods and some stores are reluctant to donate their food for fear of being held liable for accidentally donating spoiled food.

Based on the information gleaned from the study, DNR recommends the state improve education and training strategies around food donation, establish requirements for certain businesses to donate food and increase tax credits available for donating food.  Composting is another strategy for reducing food waste. The study found that in 2024, approximately 2,925 tons of food waste were managed with composting in Iowa.  This means, per the study, that most facilities are operating “well below” permitted limits and that the state’s composting capacity is “not being fully utilized.”  Surveyed facilities cited permitting, contamination due to the inclusion of non-compostable items like glass or plastic, and cost as the major limiting factors to increasing compost capacity.

Solutions presented by the study include: legislative requirements to compost food for certain businesses, partnerships to purchase or rent composting equipment, grants and incentives to pre-process food waste. Once food scraps are composted, the study found that waste facilities generally do not have a hard time selling the compost to homeowners, businesses and farmers that want to apply the nutrient-rich product to their fields and gardens. Similar to composting, anaerobic digestion also breaks down food scraps into a usable product: biogas. According to the study, some Water Resource Recovery Facilities in Iowa pull organic material from wastewater streams and process it via anaerobic digestion. Of the nine sites surveyed by the study, four use the produced biogas onsite for things like heating boilers and electricity generation, while others sold the biogas.

The study suggests greater development, marketing and procurement of the practice at facilities in the state to help manage food waste. The study points out that composting facilities and wastewater facilities with anaerobic digestion are concentrated to areas of higher population in the state, which means some regions don’t have access to these processes. There are only five composting facilities in Iowa and three water resource recovery facilities that accept food waste.DNR noted that residents and businesses can add smaller compost or anaerobic digestion infrastructure on site or in their backyards to help reduce food waste that ends up in a landfill.

Another solution the study suggested is the implementation of a “sharing table” at schools. This practice has been implemented in other states and allows students to put their un-opened packaged food on a table in the cafeteria to be donated, rather than tossing it in the garbage. The study also called for greater education in schools around food waste, and incentives to businesses that implement food reduction efforts.  DNR said it plans to continue to measure food waste in Iowa to “to assess effectiveness of the State’s efforts to reduce food waste.”

The study was funded through an EPA Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grant.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors held a very brief Special Meeting this (Friday) afternoon with regard to a request to Order a recount of the Atlantic School District Director At-Large race from the November 4, 2025 City/School Election.

In attendance in the Supervisor’s Board Room were Supervisors Steve Green and Wendy Richter, along with Cass County Auditor/Election Commissioner Kathy Somers. Supervisors Mark O’Brien and Bernard Pettinger joined electronically. O’Brien made the motion to act on the Order as requested.

(The qualifying request was made by from candidate Justin Williams, who received less than 1% difference of the votes cast than the winner.)

Cass County Board of Supervisors Special meeting, 11-14-25

The Board’s approval allows the recount to take place beginning at 9-a.m. Monday, Nov. 17th. Because there were no other, additional qualifying requests for a recount, no action was taken on that part of the special agenda, Friday.

(Clarinda, IA) – Page County Attorney, James L. Varley reports the following activities in the Iowa District Court for Page County for the week of October 20, 2025.

• 32-year-old Samuel Robert Good, of Cedar Rapids, pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance, Marijuana-1st Offense. The Defendant was fined and ordered to pay court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.
• 55-year-old Charles Thomas Harmsen, of Clarinda, pled guilty to False Imprisonment. He was sentenced to 33 days in the Page County Jail, with credit given for time previously served and fined $430. The fine was suspended, and Harmsen was ordered to pay any fines, penalties, and surcharges not suspended.
• 33-year-old Dy Ifraim, of Clarinda, pled guilty to two counts of Assault on Persons Engaged in Certain Occupations. For each count, the defendant was sentenced to 1 year of incarceration, to run concurrently with each other, and fined $430. The fines were suspended. The term of incarceration will run consecutively to the term he is currently serving. Ifraim was ordered to pay court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.
• 25-year-old Bryce Robert Neal, of Nodaway, pled guilty to Operating a Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated-1st Offense. He was sentenced to two days in jail and was given credit for time served for completing the OWI 1st Program. A fine of $1,250 was imposed and Neal was ordered to pay court costs, surcharges and court appointed attorney fees.
• 62-year-old Thomas Thakadipuram, of Shenandoah, plead guilty in Page County District court, pursuant to an Alford Plea to Count I: Theft in the 1st Degree and Count II: Theft in the Fourth Degree. On Count I, he was sentenced to 10 years of incarceration and fined $1,370. Both were suspended and Thakadipuram was placed on probation for 3 years. For Count II, he was sentenced to 90 days of incarceration, with all but 14 days suspended and fined $430. The sentences will run concurrently. Thakadipuram was also ordered to pay court costs, surcharges, court-appointed attorney fees and victim restitution.
• 18-year-old Braylyn Andrew Wilcoxson, of Clarinda, pled guilty to Simple Assault. Wilcoxson was sentenced to 7 days in jail and fined $105. The fine was suspended, and he was ordered to pay court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.
• 37-year-old Nathan Andrew Wilcoxson, of Clarinda, pled guilty to Child Endangerment. He was sentenced to 2 years of incarceration, suspended and fined $855, also suspended. Nathan Wilcoxson was placed on probation for 1 year and was ordered to complete a Substance Abuse Evaluation, Mental Health Evaluation and follow-up with all recommendations.

**All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.**

(Radio Iowa – Three fire departments fought a fire last (Thursday) night that destroyed an abandoned, century-old farmhouse south of Storm Lake, near the Buena Vista/Sac County line. At about 9:30 p.m., the Storm Lake Fire Department was dispatched after a passerby spotted flames. When fire fighters arrived, the two-story house was fully engulfed in flames. The Newell and Early Fire Departments provided additional water to fight the blaze.

Century-old farmhouse near Storm Lake destroyed by Nov. 13, 2025 fire. (Radio IA affiliate KAYL photo)

MidAmerican Energy crews shut off power to the property. Buena Vista County Secondary Roads crews later brought in an excavator to know down unstable portions of the home that continued to smoulder. Crews used thermal imaging cameras to check for hot spots and the fire was brought under control. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – As NextEra Energy moves ahead with plans to reopen the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in eastern Iowa, concerns are being raised about waste storage and water use. The Iowa Utilities Commission held an informational meeting Thursday where NextEra officials spoke to residents. Rich Patterson, of Cedar Rapids, says he wants to know more about the potential impacts on the water supply during a drought if a data center is built nearby.

The Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo, Iowa. (Photo: NextEra Energy)

“You’re going to go again, taking water from the river. We have droughts,” Patterson says. “I remember 1988, there will be droughts. We are going to want to drink water and make coffee and take showers.” Though Google has not announced plans for a data center near the plant, NextEra did sign an agreement to provide Google with most of the plant’s energy. Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell says restarting the plant would provide an economic boost for the surrounding community and the state.

“Here in Linn County, we’ll see the benefits firsthand, from new residents and families putting down roots to local businesses, restaurants and service providers thriving with increased demand,” O’Donnell says. “The plant will also generate millions in local tax revenue.”

NextEra Energy needs approval from the Iowa Utilities Commission to start construction on the project near Palo next year.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Nov. 14, 2025 – The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) announced today the final traffic shift for the Interstate 80/I-29/I-480 corridor in Council Bluffs, marking the substantial completion of the Council Bluffs Interstate System Improvement Program. The shift is scheduled to occur overnight, weather permitting, on Monday, Nov. 17. This milestone marks the substantial completion of the Council Bluffs Interstate Improvement Program.

“As the Council Bluffs Interstate System Improvement Program construction is ending, we recognize the transformative investment made in our region’s transportation infrastructure,” said Iowa DOT District 4 Engineer Scott Schram. “This project has delivered lasting benefits to our community—enhancing safety, mobility, and economic vitality.”

The Iowa DOT extends its sincere thanks to the Council Bluffs community and all motorists for their patience and cooperation throughout this multi-year construction effort. Your support has been vital in helping us reach this milestone.

What to Expect

Beginning at 9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17, eastbound I-80 will be temporarily closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. as crews implement the final traffic configuration. The interstate is expected to reopen by 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Occasional lane closures in the spring will be needed to finalize permanent markings.

Motorists are advised to use caution, reduce speed, and be attentive to new signage and traffic signals as they navigate the new layout. This final phase will significantly improve traffic flow and safety by moving traffic to its final configuration.

About the Program

The Council Bluffs Interstate System Improvement Program began in 2008 as a multi-phase initiative to modernize and improve approximately 14 miles of interstate through the Council Bluffs metropolitan area. Over the years, the program has delivered major upgrades to interchanges, bridges, and traffic flow—enhancing safety and supporting regional growth.

Program information is available at www.CouncilBluffsInterstate.IowaDOT.gov.