(Radio Iowa) – The Manchester City Council has approved the site plan for a proposed custom meat processing facility in the city’s industrial park. Todd Summers owns and operates a meat locker in Earlville, but Manchester City Manager Tim Vick says that facility needs some upgrades. “He’s looking at maybe just doing a much larger facility here in Manchester,” Vick says, “and so there are multiple phases that we are looking at.”

Site plan for proposed Manchester Locker (provided by City of Manchester)

Vick says phase one of the plan would be to develop 15 acres and build a 26-thousand square foot facility.  “Animals would come in. They’ll be slaughtered, processed and out of the door,” Vick said. Vick says the business — which would be called The Manchester Locker — would also have retail space to sell meat directly to customers. Summers — who’s planning to operate a meat locker in Manchester — bought Dan’s Meat Locker in Earlville last year. It offers custom meat processing of beef, pork, lamb and deer and makes retail sales of everything from steaks to homemade sausage.

U-S-D-A records show there are nearly 150 licensed processing plants for meat and poultry in Iowa.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a pursuit early this (Tuesday) morning, ended with the driver of the vehicle taking his own life. According to the report, Mills County Deputies located a vehicle parked dangerously on the Interstate 29 overpass just south of Highway 34, at around 1:08-a.m. After conducting a welfare check, deputies located a man inside the vehicle. The subject took-off in his vehicle and later stopped at different overpasses at Rist Avenue over I-29.

When deputies arrived, the male subject was outside of his vehicle. Despite assistance from Mills County Deputies, the man took his life. Efforts by deputies and Glenwood Fire and Rescue personnel to save him, were unsuccessful. Charles Webb, of Shawnee, KS, was declared deceased at the scene.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating the incident at the request of the Mills County Sheriff’s Office.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Officials with the Glenwood Police Department report the arrest Monday night, of 20-year-old Christian Nathaniel Caskey, of Glenwood. Caskey was arrested for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $2,000.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office has issued a report on arrests that took place from Sept. 8th (2025) to Oct. 8th (2025). Beginning with the most recent arrests:

• 39-year-old Brandy Nicole Strange, of Farragut, was arrested Oct. 8th in Coin, for Public Intoxication.
• 24-year-old Raymond Rex Gist, Jr., of Des Moines, was arrested Oct. 6th in Clarinda, on an outside agency warrant.
• 45-year-old Matthew Ross David Buckridge, of Wall Lake, was arrested in Clarinda, for Violation of Probation.
• On Oct. 1st, Page County Deputies in Clarinda, arrested 30-year-old Alex Junior Rivera, of Osceola, for Domestic Assault w/Bodily Injury-1st offense.
• And, on Oct. 29th, 50-year-old Brian Keith Huseman, of Coin, was arrested in Clarinda on two-felony counts of a Controlled Substance Violation. He plead guilty and was sentenced to serve time at a Residential facility until maximum benefits are achieved.

Other arrests in Page County include:

• On Sept. 29th: 20-year-old Hannah Jean Hall, of Clarinda, was arrested in Clarinda, for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree.
• On Sept. 24th: 53-year-old Bradley J. Woodruff, of Shambaugh was arrested in Braddyville, for DUS, OWI/1st offense and PCS 3rd or subsequent offense.
• On Sept. 23rd: 45-year-old David Alfonso Clark, of Red Oak, was arrested in Clarinda for Harassment in the 3rd Degree.
• On Sept. 16th: 52-year-old Matthew Robert Howie, of College Springs, was arrested for Domestic Assault w/Bodily Injury-1st offense.
• And on Sept. 8th, Page County Deputies arrested 46-year-old Shaun Joseph Goines, of Villisca, for Probation Violation.

DES MOINES – Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections, today (Tuesday), said 21-year-old Lemuel James Hamilton Jr., who was convicted of Robbery 2nd Degree in Polk County, failed to report back to the Fort Des Moines – Bldg. 68 as required on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025.

Lemuel James Hamilton Jr.

Hamilton is a 5′ 11″, 391-pound American Indian male. He was admitted to the work release facility on Aug. 14, 2025. Persons with information on Hamilton’s whereabouts should contact local police.

For more information on the state’s work release program, please see Iowa Code 904.901-904.910.

(Radio Iowa) – The Sioux City School Board has voted to hire a Cedar Rapids law firm to conduct an investigation of a school employee without revealing the name of the employee or the reason for the investigation. The item was on the consent agenda, but was moved to the regular agenda, and during public comments Kristi Macanamy spoke. “This is unprecedented. I can’t remember a time when this has happened in the past and been posted in consent agenda as it was tonight,” she says. After discussion, board member Jan George said he requested the item be put on the agenda.

“This is the best way that gives everyone protection in a safe environment,” he says. “And I know you guys want to know all the dirty details, but that’s not going to happen. That protects everyone, and that’s all I can tell you.” The move to hire the law firm for the investigation passed 4-1 with one member abstaining.

The cost of hiring the investigator was not revealed, but the agenda item says the cost will be paid from the district’s general fund.

(Radio Iowa [updated]) – State Auditor Rob Sand says he welcomes a request to audit Des Moines Public Schools, but state law does not give him the authority to launch an investigation on his own or do so in response to state legislators.

“Our is ready to receive a qualifying request from a elected official of the school district, from an employee of the school, from a petition from 100 people who live within the school district boundaries and if do (get) that, we will conduct a review because we do think there are important questions that need answering,” Sand said this morning.

Three Republican members of the Iowa Senate recently sent Sand a letter, asking him to evaluate the process the Des Moines School Board used to hire Ian Roberts, was arrested by immigration agents last month and faces federal gun charges. Sand says the state auditor’s office only has the authority to investigate local entities when the request comes from someone within the city, county or — in this case — school district. None of the senators who sent the letter live in Des Moines. “They can request issues of spending by a state department…That’s it,” Sand said. “You’ll notice that none of them requested us to investigate what was going on with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners who actually approved a license for Ian Roberts to teach. That might be partisan politics.”

State Auditor Rob Sand speaking at a news conference on Oct. 14, 2025. (RI photo)

Sand, a Democrat who is running for governor, made his comments during a news conference this morning in the state auditor’s office. Sand told reporters he has spoken to a couple of people at Des Moines Public Schools about the process of filing a request for a special investigation by the state auditor’s office. “We are here today to make sure that every DMPS employee and people who are citizens who live in the DMPS jurisdiction, if they want to do a petition, are all aware of how this works,” Sand said.

State law requires annual audits for all public school districts in Iowa. Many use private auditing firms or CPAs. Sand indicated if his office gets a request to conduct a special investigation of the Des Moines Public School District, it would not be a re-audit, but would focus on specific issues surrounding the now-former Superintendent — including a contract with a consulting firm connected to Roberts.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The second suspect charged in the July 31st shooting death of a woman in Earling has waived his rights and entered a plea of guilty to a Felony charge of Murder in the 1st Degree. According to online court records, 33-year-old William Joseph “Joe” Leal plead guilty in Shelby County District Court on Monday, Oct. 13th. His sentencing is set for Oct. 29th.  On October 3rd, a woman charged as an Accessory in the death of 32-year-old Theresa Kenkel, of Earling, also entered a plea of guilty.

The trial for Leal and 35-year-old Ashley Elizabeth McWilliams had been set to begin November 4th. McWilliams will be sentenced for Nov. 17th.

Both subjects were arrested on August 1st, following the discovery of Theresa Kenkel’s body at a residence in Earling, when Deputies conducted a requested welfare check.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County, today (Tuesday), discussed an attorney retention agreement with Hopkins and Huebner, P.C. For Human Resources and Labor legal services. Brent Hinders, an attorney and managing shareholder with the firm, was on-hand to discuss the agreement, the services for which would be paid for on an hourly basis, as needed.

After brief discussion, the Board passed a motion to approve the agreement as presented. The firm will take over following the retirement in December of the current HR/Labor Attorney. Hinders said their firm handles a wide array of HR and Labor Law services.

Those services are more important now than ever, Hinders said, when taking into consideration changes in the Open Records Law. Following discussion on that topic, the Board heard from Richard Mullen, with Resilient Recovery Counseling, a Villisca-based recovery treatment program, who provided an update on IRRT (Integrated Resource and Recovery Team) services and programs that began In Montgomery Count on Sept. 17th.

MC BOS meeting 10-14-25

He said also they’ve been conducting a lot of outreach effort to explain what the program is.

The counseling services are available to persons in Montgomery County who are 14-years of age and older, in conjunction with Montgomery County Public Health. Previously Mullen has stated the services are available to anybody whose life has been impacted by a substance abuse or opioid disorder.

The Board received also, a regular update from County Engineer Karen Albert.’

And, they acted on setting the November Montgomery County Board of Supervisors regular meeting dates and times, in lieu of election day and Veterans Day. The dates will be as follows:

The November 4^th regular meeting will be held the following day (Nov. 5^th), and the meeting on the 11^th will instead take place on the 12^th, both at 9-a.m.

Auditor Jill Ozuna reminded the Board and residents, that the first day for Absentee Voting in the Nov. 4^th City/School Elections, is on Wed., Oct. 15^th. The first-tier canvass of election results, she said, will be on Nov. 12^th.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Association of Realtors reports a nearly six percent increase in the number of homes sold in September compared to the same month a year ago. The president of the Iowa Association of Realtors says even though the interest rate on a 30-year mortgage is actually higher than it was a year ago, buyer confidence appears higher due to five straight months of rate reductions, a slower rise in home prices and a continued increase in inventory.

Compared to September of last year, there were 13-point-six percent more Iowa homes for sale last month. And that year-to-year comparison shows the average number of days a home is on the market was 25 percent higher in September. The median sales price for an Iowa home in September was 245-thousand dollars. That’s slightly lower than it was in August.