(Creston, Iowa) — An alleged incident involving a Creston Community School District employee’s social media post has resulted in the employee being placed on paid administrative leave.

Creston Superintendent Deron Stender, Friday, said on the District’s website and Facebook, that while specific details regarding the incident cannot be shared because it’s a confidential personnel matter, the administration is “Carefully reviewing the situation in accordance with Board policy and applicable laws, and we are consulting with our legal counsel throughout this process.”

The employee was placed on paid administrative leave “pending the outcome of this review.” In a previous message posted on the District’s page, the Superintendent Stender stated he was fully aware of a situation regarding a recent post placed on social media by a school employee, and that it didn’t reflect the values, beliefs or opinions of the district.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a woman from Red Oak was arrested late Friday evening on a warrant. Deputies arrested 38-year-old Sarah Kay Reafleng, in Red Oak, at around 7:15-p.m. She was taken into custody on an active warrant for probation violation.

Reafleng was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash-only bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Auditor’s Office, Friday (today), said Atlantic City Councilman Jim Behrens, whose 2nd Ward Council term expires January 1, 2026, has filed to run for re-election to his seat in advance of the Nov. 4th City/School Elections. There is currently no one running against him for the seat.

The deadline for candidates to file their papers ahead of the November 4th City/School Elections is 5-p.m. on Sept. 18th.

The complete list of candidates whose names will appear on the ballot in Cass County, for city offices in Cass County (as of Sept. 12th) include:

Anita City Council (Vote for 3):

• Deanna Andrews (Incumbent, term expires 1/1/26)

Atlantic City Council Ward 2 (Vote for 1):

• Jim Behrens (Incumbent, term expires 1/1/26)

Atlantic City Council Ward 5 (Vote for 1):

• Dana Halder (Incumbent, term expires 1/1/26)

Atlantic City Council At-Large (Vote for1):

• Jeremy Butler

Atlantic – Mayor:

• Rob Clausen

Cumberland City Council (Vote for 3):

• Tatiana Thielen
• Randall Anderson Jr
• Matthew Dolch

Cumberland City Council – To Fill Vacancy (Vote for 1):

• Dori A Borras

Cumberland Mayor:

• Rachel McCann

Griswold City Council (Vote for 2):

• Troy Nicklaus
• Jesse Doty

Griswold Mayor

• Brad Rhine (Incumbent)

Lewis City Council (Vote for 2):

• Russell Miller
• Jim Triller
• David Raymond

Massena City Council (Vote for 2) :

• Doug Venteicher

Wiota City Council (Vote for 3):

• Charles Bechtold

(Radio Iowa) – A group that’s been planning to open a public charter school in the small western Iowa town of Crescent is still looking for a site. The Iowa Board of Education originally granted a charter to the “Red Barn Schoolhouse” group, to start offering kindergarten through third grade classes this fall. This summer the board agreed to provide the group a one year extension. Sharon Oamek, a board member of the Red Barn Schoolhouse, says promising negotiations on a three-and-a-half-acre property in Crescent stalled when the owner died and his heirs set the sale price at 700-thousand dollars.

Oamek says their preferred option would be to buy the Crescent Elementary School that was closed two years ago by the Council Bluffs School District.

Their other alternative would be to spend 65-thousand dollars buying a site near the Crescent City Park that’s currently an alfalfa field alongside a wooded area that’s been left alone for 50 years.

The group’s construction plans indicate it will take a year and a half to build a new school on the open field. Oamek told the Iowa Board of Education the Red Barn Schoolhouse Charter School board hopes to sign a lease so they can start classes in January at the Hitchcock Nature Center, which is five miles north of Crescent. In 2023, there were fewer than 70 students in kindergarten through 5th grade when the Council Bluffs School District closed the Crescent Elementary school.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s electricity needs are expected to rise by 30 to 60 percent in the next 20 years, and a new report finds the state might be able to meet the demand and achieve 100-percent carbon-free electricity with renewable energy. Steve Guyer, senior energy policy counsel for the Iowa Environmental Council, says the Trump administration has severely shortened the timeline for wind and solar tax credits. Construction on large-scale projects needs to start before July to qualify.

Guyer says the operating costs for wind and solar are cheaper than coal and natural gas, even without subsidies, but tariffs on steel and other materials are already impacting prices. He says renewable energy from wind and solar rose to 67 percent last year in Iowa, but import taxes on materials, including a 50-percent tariff on steel, could dampen future growth.

According to the Iowa Environmental Council’s latest “Condition of the State” report, the projected boost in demand for power in Iowa is due in part to the needs of computer data centers or server farms.

Camp Dodge, IA – The Iowa Gold Star Military Museum, located at historic Camp Dodge, invites the public and media to view a restored 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA military motorcycle on exhibit from September 23 through October 11, 2025. Harley Davidson WLA motorcycles saw extensive service during World War II and were used for convoy escort, reconnaissance, message delivery and military police duties. Often the first U.S. military vehicle arriving in European communities freed from German occupation they were nicknamed “The Liberator.” Around 70,000 military WLA motorcycles were produced from 1942-1945.

The exhibit has been meticulously restored by John Quinnell and has won several awards including First Place Feature Bike at the 2022 Blackhawk antique motorcycle meet in Davenport, Iowa. In addition, the museum’s free indoor gallery, featuring interactive exhibits detailing Iowa’s military history from the early 19th century to the present, are also available for viewing.

A tank outside the Goldstar Museum. (RI photo)

Visitors can enter Camp Dodge through the main gate at 7105 NW 70th Avenue, Johnston, IA 50310. Photo identification is required for admittance to Camp Dodge for individuals 16 years and older.

Note: ALL motorcyclists (drivers and passengers) on Camp Dodge are required to wear personal protective equipment consisting of a helmet, eye protection, gloves, long pants, long-sleeved shirt or jacket, and over-the-ankle footwear while traveling on Camp Dodge. Motorcyclists without the required equipment may park their motorcycles at the NW Beaver Drive gate turnaround and walk to the museum (approximately three blocks).

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Iowa Association for College Admissions Counseling will sponsor a College Fair this coming WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17 (2025), at the Atlantic High School. The event takes place from 9-until 10:30-a.m.

52 representatives from post-secondary institutions will be in attendance at the College Fair. Those representatives will be present to speak about opportunities at the respective colleges, vocational and technical schools, as well as military services.

The Iowa Assoc. for College Admission Counseling has established College Day/College Night programs throughout the state, to provide a supportive environment for students to obtain information and appropriate counseling helpful in their college selection process. Students, parents and/or interested adults from Atlantic and the surrounding communities are invited to attend.

(Radio Iowa) – The calendar says it’s mid-September but it’s feeling a lot more like mid-July. National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Ansorge says we have several days of unseasonable heat ahead. “We’re looking at a warm-to-hot stretch of weather here from today through early next week at least,” Ansorge says, “probably going into the middle of next week, with highs any of these days well into the 80s, if not the 90s.” The forecast for many communities across southern and central Iowa calls for highs in the mid-90s, but he says it’s unlikely we’ll see many records set, if any.

“The only record that currently could be challenged or broken would be at Des Moines on Saturday and that’s where we have a record of 96 from 1939. Our current forecast is 95,” Ansorge says. “There aren’t a lot of record highs that we’re challenging with this round of heat, but it’s late in the season to have these kind of temperatures, so people will still want to take the typical precautions if they have outdoor events or plans.”

That includes wearing a hat, sunscreen, and light weight and light colored clothing, avoiding strenuous activities outside, staying in the shade as much as possible, and drinking plenty of non-alcoholic beverages. Your yard and garden may need a drink, too. “This heat’s going to last early to mid next week and then we do have a front that’s going to slowly move in,” Ansorge says, “and that’s when we could see some chances for showers and storms return to the forecast, as well as some seasonable temperatures by late next week.”

The average high temperature for today in Des Moines is 78 degrees, while the forecast calls for it to reach 93.

(Creston, Iowa) – A Union County man was arrested Thursday afternoon in his room at a motel, in Creston. The Creston Police Department reports 24-year-old Marcos Jesus Baylon, of Creston, faces charges that include Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness, and Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree. Baylon was taken to Union County Jail, where his bond was set at $11,000.

Creston Police said also, 41-year-old Jessica Jo England, of West Des Moines, was arrested Thursday morning at the Creston/Union County Law Enforcement Center, where she was charged with an outside warrant. England was taken to Union County Jail and later released on bond.