(Radio Iowa) – Iowa D-N-R veterinarian Rachel Ruden is studying the impact of a viral fungal pathogen on the state’s rattlesnake population. “It affects snakes kind of broadly and the vipers, so things that include rattlesnakes specifically,” she says. “So they have seemingly worse outcomes than other types of snakes.” Ruden has been doing some testing of rattlesnakes. “So we’re doing these skin swabs to kind of understand how much of the fungus we have on the landscape. You know, in that population and kind of what it’s doing to that population over time,” Ruden says. Ruden says Iowa doesn’t have the number of rattlesnakes seen in other states.

“They are fragmented across the state already, so we don’t have big contiguous, connected populations. In places locally, they’re doing well,” Ruden says. “Overall, we’ve lost a lot of our habitat and you know our numbers really for the different rattlesnake species. But some are doing better than others and it kind of depends on the place.”

Ruden has been working in southeast Iowa, but isn’t disclosing the exact location to protect the rattlesnakes.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department say a drivers’ age, and possibly impaired vision, along with sun glare, may have played a role in a non-injury accident Friday morning at the intersection of Highway 25 and Adams Street, in Creston.

Authorities said a 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan driven by 89-year-old William T. Lewis, of Carson, was turning right onto Adams Street at around 6:15-a.m. Williams told Officers that he believed a car was in his way, so he made a wide turn. His vehicle struck a 2004 Chevy pickup driven by 22-year-old Anthony Anderson, of Creston, as the pickup was sitting stationary and waiting to turn right. Anderson told Police there was a car in front of the minivan, but no vehicle on the side of the road that would have caused Lewis to turn so wide at the intersection.

Damage from the collision amounted to a police-estimated $8,000. No citations were issued.

(Radio Iowa) – A former Illinois congressman who served in key roles in the Clinton, Obama and Biden Administrations has made a trip to Iowa to explain his goals for the Democratic Party nationally — and Rahm Emanuel suggests recent special election wins in Iowa are a harbinger for 2026 and beyond. “I want the rest of America to know what Iowa’s doing, not the other way around. You guys are leading the way, so congratulations to you on that,” Emanuel said. “…I want you guys to have some confidence. People bet on winners and Iowa is where winners are made.”

Emanuel is the latest prominent Democrat to make public remarks in Iowa, where Democrats had kicked off presidential campaigns until President Biden called on the Democratic National Committee to move the Iowa Caucuses out of the lead-off spot.  “I have spent 30-plus years helping three different presidents (with) different responsibilities…trying to unrig a system that is rigged,” Emanuel said. “Well, I’m here to tell you, in confession, I’m done unrigging it. I’m going to rig it for the people that work hard and play by the rules.”

Emanuel, who is mulling a run for president in 2028, spoke to about 400 people at a fundraiser for state Representative Sean Bagniewski of Des Moines this weekend. Emanuel, who served as President Biden’s Ambassador to Japan, criticized politicians from both parties for failing to sound the alarm about this month’s report showing a national decline in student test scores. “Being over in Japan…I learned a lot about America, learned a lot about that region and there is nothing China’s doing that scaring me,” Emanuel said.

“I look back here and what we’re not doing is what scares me, so get our heads squared on, think about our next generation just your parents do, just like you do and let’s get our game together and think about tomorrow and act on it.” Emanuel raised concerns about President Trump’s tariff policies and he criticized the Trump Administration’s plan to provide a 20 BILLION dollar loan to Argentina. Emanuel says it’s a blank check for a country’s that’s undermining U.S. soybean farmers by selling 20 shiploads of soybeans to China this past week. China had been the biggest overseas market for U.S. grown soybeans.

“How’d they get $20 billion are you guys can’t keep a hospital open in rural Iowa? How did they get $20 billion like that,” Emanuel said, snapping his fingers. “That’s why Washington needs a 2-by-4 and somebody that knows how to swing it.” The president of the Iowa Soybean Association says the economic lifeline provided by the U.S. to Argentina is poorly timed and inexcusable.

Senator Chuck Grassley has questioned why the U.S.A. should bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers biggest market.

(Radio Iowa) – The state education department plans to review hiring procedures in the Des Moines School District after the district’s superintendent was arrested Friday morning and faces deportation. The U-S Department of Homeland Security says 54-year-old Ian Roberts is a native of Guyana who was living illegally in the U-S and a judge issued a deportation order in May of last year. State officials say Roberts checked the box that said he was a U.S. citizen when he applied for a state license to serve as superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district. The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners conducted a criminal history check and state officials say no deviations were identified and it was up to the school district to check Roberts’ immigration status. The Des Moines district says Roberts completed an employment verification form and submitted the required documentation when he was hired.

Des Moines superintendent Ian Roberts is being held in a Sioux City jail after his arrest Friday by ICE.

Board president Jackie Norris says the district hired a private firm to conduct a background check on Roberts. “That is done for every person who is hired by the district and periodic reviews are conducted on a regular basis for all current employees,” Norris said. The school board met Saturday and voted to place Roberts on paid administrative leave. “No one here was aware of any citizenship or immigration issues that Dr. Roberts may have been facing,” Norris said. “The accusations ICE has made against Dr. Roberts are very serious and we are taking them very seriously.”

Roberts is being held in the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City. A few dozen protesters gathered outside the jail on Saturday.

Jeanette Hopkins is a retired teacher from Sioux City.

Hundreds protested outside the Federal Building in Des Moines late Friday and a crowd gathered in a Des Moines church as a show of support for Roberts. Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa/Nebraska chapter of the N-Double-A-C-P, says Roberts deserves justice.

Governor Kim Reynolds released a written statement Saturday, calling Roberts’ arrest shocking — particularly his attempt to flee from arresting officers and the loaded gun, knife and cash found in his Des Moines Public Schools vehicle. Reynolds says those who believe immigration laws are optional are dangerously wrong and the law must be enforced, every time. State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat who’s running for governor, says laws matter and facts matter and Sand says he’s alarmed that government figures from both parties have lept to conclusions when a lot is still unclear in this case.

(Fayette County, Iowa) – A teen was injured Sunday afternoon when the minibike she was riding struck a minivan. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened at around 3:05-p.m. at the intersection of West Sacramento Avenue and S. Mill Street, in Wadena,

The Patrol reports 13-year-old Rylee Joanne Chmelicek, of Fairfax, was riding the minibike eastbound on W. Sacremento Avenue, and failed to yield at the posted stop sign. The minibike struck a 2021 Toyota Sienna in the front passenger fender/wheel area.

The teen was flown from the scene to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics by Gunderson Air. A report on her condition was not available.

Wadena 1st Responders and Wadena Fire assisted at the scene.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, are set to discuss during a Special Meeting, and possibly take action on approving: A lease for the Willow Heights facility, and, Support for Vision Atlantic. The latter was previously discussed during the Board’s regular meeting in May, following a request from Vision Atlantic President Christina Bateman,

With regard to Willow Heights facility, the land was sold in 2023, but the building on the grounds, which previously served people who have a mental or intellectual disability, substance abuse or other disabling condition, was closed nearly two-years earlier, due to federal and State requirements. Later discussion included proposals for the building to be renovated for Senior, low income, veterans’ housing. Despite those talks, the building remains unsold.

The Vision Atlantic group, meanwhile continues to work on their initiative that includes an $84 million project incorporating 142 new housing units, expansion of the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, and a new child care development center. This past June, the Supervisors approved the earmarking $150,000 from the County’s share of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds for Vision Atlantic, specifically focusing on the child care center aspect of the project.

Vision Atlantic has a fundraising goal of $39 million, which will be used to construct the YMCA expansion and child development center. To date, they have raised $26 million of that goal, thanks to an $8.6 million lead grant from the Charles E. Lakin Foundation and significant support from local donors. Vision Atlantic’s Project Committee is actively working to secure the remaining $13 million needed to meet their fundraising goal.

Tuesday’s Cass County Board of Supervisors meeting will be held in their board room at the Cass County Courthouse, beginning at 9-a.m. You may attend in-person, or watch online via Zoom, at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2899195216?pwd=R0hSa2FOOTh0NUdra1ZSdVhVWHpMUT09.

The Meeting ID is 289 919 5216 and the Passcode is 012064.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – State regulators have taken action against three mental health professionals who have been accused of  having sex with clients. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports one of the cases involves Kristal Klaahsen, previously known as Kristal Lake, who worked as a substance abuse counselor at Manning Regional Healthcare Recovery from November 2014 through September 2020.

While working in Manning, Klaahsen was accused of engaging in several inappropriate actions, including pursuing a sexual relationship with a client, requesting a client to undress in front of her, and engaging in a relationship with a client’s husband.

On May 10, 2021, the board charged Klaahsen with making suggestive, lewd, lascivious or improper remarks or advances to a client. Klaahsen later agreed to voluntarily surrender her social work license and wait a minimum of one year prior to seeking reinstatement.

On Feb. 24, 2025, Klaahsen filed a reinstatement request with the board. On April 29, 2025, the board notified her it intended to deny that request. The board alleged she had not only engaged in a sexual relationship with a former client, but also claimed, without elaborating, that she had engaged in a sexual relationship with a client’s spouse and had breached client confidentiality

On May 28, 2025, Klaahsen appealed the board’s notice of intent to deny her application for reinstatement and requested a hearing. She argued she had learned from her mistakes and was successful in her current employment as a hospital discharge planner and had received an award for efficiency, advocacy and excellence.

At a July 29, 2025, hearing on the matter, Klaahsen testified about the therapeutic process she has undergone and the progress that she had made since surrendering her license. The board commended Klaahsen for her progress but added that it did not believe she had “adequately addressed the issues that led to the voluntary surrender of her social work license.”

Other Iowans recently sanctioned by the Board of Behavioral Health Professionals include:

— Giovanni Demezier of Dyersville, who agreed to voluntarily surrender his license after being charged with unethical conduct, failure to comply with the national association’s code of ethics, and engaging in sexual activities or sexual contact with a former client. The agreement follows a board decision in May to issue an emergency order suspending his license. Demezier has denied the allegations. A trial-setting conference is scheduled for Oct. 21, 2025.

— Amanda Brune, who was recently notified of a board decision to deny her request to have her license reinstated. Board records show that in 2005, Brune, formerly known as Amanda Zwack, was accused of having close, personal relationships with clients and having sexual intercourse with one client while working for New Beginnings in Maquoketa and Clinton. The Iowa Board of Substance Abuse Certification subsequently revoked Brune’s certification.

In March 2025, Brune applied for reinstatement of her mental health counseling license. In June 2025, the board indicated it intended to deny the application, which led to Brune requesting a hearing on the matter. That hearing is now scheduled for Oct. 20, 2025. (Read the entire report researched and written by the Iowa Capital Dispatch, HERE)

(Creston, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Union County say the driver of a pickup truck – who was wearing his seat belt – escaped injury during a single-vehicle accident Friday night. Authorities report 19-year-old Kody Scott Exline, of Afton, was driving a 2005 Dodge Dakota pickup eastbound on REA Road at around 9:10-p.m. They say he was driving too fast and lost control of the vehicle on the S curves, just to the west of Osage Street. The pickup entered the south ditch and came to rest on the driver’s side. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $2,000. No citations were reported.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak say officers arrested a man on an assault charge, Saturday afternoon. 50-year-old Martin Leroy Lafollette, of Red Oak, was arrested a little after 1-p.m. for Domestic Abuse Assault with intent to inflict injury, an Aggravated Misdemeanor. Lafollette was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

(Manson, Iowa) – Two people are dead and four others were injured during a collision Saturday night in northwest Iowa’s Calhoun County. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at around 9:50-p.m. on Iowa Highway 7, about three-miles east of Manson. Authorities say a van driven by 46-year-old Wilfredo Quevedo Mesa, of Storm Lake, was westbound on Hwy 7 when the vehicle crossed the center line of the road and was struck in the eastbound lane by a pickup, driven by 21-year-old Conner Darr, of Manson.

Following the collision, both vehicles left the road in a northeasterly direction. The van rolled into its side upon entering the ditch. The pickup entered the ditch and struck a utility pole before coming to rest in the field. Three people in the van who were sitting on patio furniture purchased prior to the collision, and were not restrained by seat belts.

Two of the van passengers, 26-year-old Alondra Bravo and 34-year-ol Jorge Perez Hechavarria, both of Storm Lake, died at the scene. Three other passengers in the van: 8-year-old Luis Bravo, 46-year-old Marina Escalante, and the driver, Wilfredo Mesa (all of Storm Lake), were injured and transported to separate hospitals. Conner Darr was transported by Ft. Dodge Fire/Rescue to Unity Point Hospital in Fort Dodge.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by Calhoun County EMS, Life Flight, and Ft. Dodge F/R.