CRESTON, Iowa – July 8, 2021 – The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston Construction Office reports a bridge deck and joint repair project on U.S 34 west of Red Oak between Iowa 48 and Montgomery County Road M-37 will require reducing traffic to one lane controlled with temporary traffic signals beginning on Monday, July 19, until Nov. 4, weather permitting.

Work will begin on the westbound lane of U.S. 34. A 15-foot height limit and 10-foot width limit restriction will be in place during this project.

(Radio Iowa) – A Webster County woman and her boy are home safe. Twenty-five-year-old Maria Towne and her three-year-old son Nylez Styler Towne of Moorland were reported missing July 1st. A family member posted on social media saying the boy had been originally turned over to DHS early Wednesday morning but by late Wednesday morning was safe with his family.

The family member went on to say, “I hope Maria gets the help she needs.” The post then commended the Gowrie Police Department for its help. The Gowrie PD issued an update Wednesday confirming both the mother and son were found safe and they thanked the public for their assistance.

(Radio Iowa) – An Ankeny man arrested after cleaning staff saw guns and ammunition in his hotel room in downtown Chicago proposed to the woman who picked him up from jail. Thirty-two-year-old Keegan Casteel has been charged with two felony counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

A hotel employee called police on the 4th of July after seeing a rifle and a semi-automatic pistol on the window sill of Casteel’s room. The 12th floor window overlooks Chicago’s popular Navy pier on Lake Michigan. Casteel was released after posting bond and video broadcast by Chicago TV station WLS shows Casteel, who was wearing a Kum N Go t-shirt, kneeling and making what appears to be a proposal to the woman who picked him up.

The couple did not speak to reporters and drove away.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Dallas County was arrested on numerous charges Saturday morning, in Stuart. Guthrie County dispatch received a call at around 5:05-a.m., from a woman who locked herself and her eight-month old child in a vehicle, with the woman’s boyfriend banging on the windows. When a Deputy arrived, the woman explained she and her boyfriend, 33-year-old Triston Michael Ladwig, of Waukee, had gotten into a verbal argument earlier in the morning, so she came to the home of her mother, in Stuart.

Triston Michael Ladwig (Guthrie Co. S/O photo)

She had called 911 earlier that same morning, because Ladwig allegedly broke into the house and that he had left. The man returned though, and allegedly caused about $300 damage to the exterior back door and interior bedroom door. He also allegedly took her cell phone when she tried to call 911. A mutual friend had dropped Triston Ladwig off at the residence, and was still in the driveway. When Triston reportedly left on foot with the woman’s phone, she locked herself-into the friend’s vehicle and used their phone to call 911.

Eventually, Ladwig was located back inside the residence, and was taken into custody. He admitted to using force to enter the residence and to taking the phone from his girlfriend. He also admitted the residence was not his, and that he did not belong there. Ladwig faces charges that include:

• Domestic Abuse
• Burglary in the 2nd Degree
• Theft in the 3rd Degree
• Child Endangerment
• Obstruction of Emergency Communications, and
• Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree.

He was released from the Guthrie County Jail July 5th, on a $9,000 surety bond.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Thursday, issued a report on arrests dating from June 28th through July 8th. Early this (Thursday) morning (7/8), 37-year-old Brad Michael Young, of Council Bluffs was arrested following a traffic stop on Highway 191, outside of Portsmouth.  Upon further investigation, Young was charged with Operating while intoxicated 1st offense, open container driver, failure to have valid driver’s license, controlled substance violation, failure to affix drug tax stamp, and prohibited act penalties.  He was transported to the jail and held on a $13,300 cash/surety bond.

This past Tuesday, two male subjects were arrested following a traffic stop along the 1400 block of Highway 191.  Authorities say 27-year-old James Andrew Eugene Cross, of Elk Horn NE, and 21-year-old Marc Anthony Aviles, of Omaha NE, were taken into custody after the K-9 unit was deployed and narcotics were found.   Cross was charged with two counts of possession of controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawful possession of prescription pills, and felon in possession of a firearm.  Cross was being held in the Shelby County Jail on a $5,000 cash/surety bond. Aviles was charged with possession of controlled substance and was being held on a $2,000 cash/surety bond.

On Monday: 56-year-old Michael Allen Pitt, of Logan, was arrested following a traffic stop along Highway 59 south of Highway 37. Upon further investigation, Pitt was taken into custody for possession of drug paraphernalia. He later posted a $300 cash bond, was and given a future court date.; 58-year-old Robert James Allmon, of Harlan, was also arrested Monday, following a traffic stop along Highway 44 and Oak Rd.  Allmon was charged with two counts of possession of controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and prohibited act penalties.  He was released from the Shelby County Jail the following morning, after posting the required $4,300 surety bond.

On Independence Day, 40-year-old Bryan Christopher Heller, of Avoca, was arrested in Shelby County following a call for a disturbance between two parties.   Upon further investigation, Heller was charged with Domestic abuse assault, driving while barred habitual offender, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operation vehicle without consent.   Heller being held in the Shelby County Jail on a $4300 cash/surety bond. Last Saturday, 33-year-old Joshua Adam Derengowski, of Shelby, was arrested following a call for a disturbance between a male and female party in Shelby.  Upon further investigation it was determined that Derengowski had allegedly assaulted a woman, causing her to lose consciousness.  He was charged with felony domestic abuse with strangulation and was transported to the jail, where remains held on a $20,000 cash/surety bond.

June 29th, 42-year-old Curtis Reinold Schutt, of Panama, was arrested following a call to Highway 191 south of Portsmouth for an accident between a tractor and car.   Upon further investigation it was determined the operator of the car was found to be intoxicated. Schutt was charged with operating while intoxicated 2nd offense. He was taken to jail without incident and held under bond until he was able to post the required $2000 surety bond and given a future court date.

And, on June 28th, two females were arrested following a traffic stop near F-32 and Peach Road in Shelby County.   19-year-old Haley Marie Briggs and 41-year-old Lisa Marie Briggs were taken into custody.   Lisa Briggs was charged with two counts of possession of Controlled substance, prohibited acts, possession of drug paraphernalia. Haley Briggs was charged with prohibited acts, operating while intoxicated 1st offense, possession of controlled substance, operating a non-registered vehicle, and no financial liability.  Both women were transported to the Shelby County Jail and released the following morning on their own recognizance. Lisa Briggs will be continue to be held in jail for failure to serve a past due 20-day jail mittimus.

(Radio Iowa) – Cattle producers see hope in a new beef processing plant coming to southwest Iowa in 2023, as ranchers often complain about limited choices when it’s time to sell their beef cattle. A new company, Cattlemen’s Heritage, will build a facility on the Mills-Pottawattamie county line to process 15-hundred head of cattle per day. Iowa State University livestock economist Lee Schulz says another player in the packing industry means “tremendous opportunity” for Iowa producers. “Locally, that should really help competition for the cattle that are available,” Schulz says. “Cattle can only travel so far and so the largest impact is going to be to producers in that area.”

Four big meatpackers control most of the beef slaughter and farm groups say less market competition means lower prices for cattle. The new plant should help to change those dynamics and Schulz says it’ll have ripple effects across the region. He says, “If that’s the new demand there, the other plants are going to have to bid higher prices or go out further distances to find cattle to supply their plants.”

Schulz says it’s hard to say how much the new plant will affect prices because markets and production costs are constantly changing.

(by Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

(Atlantic, Iowa – 8:a.m.) – This past fourth of July weekend, there were numerous displays of fireworks across the City of Atlantic, some of them quite spectacular. Others were not so impressive, such as the City’s paid fireworks display July 4th near the Little League Complex across from KJAN. By most accounts, the display lasted less than 15-minutes. Mayor Dave Jones addressed the matter, and complaints about citizen displays infringing on the rights of their neighbors, during Wednesday’s meeting of the Atlantic City Council.

Jones said the Atlantic Volunteer Fire Department is NOT responsible for fireworks. J&M Displays is responsible. Fire Department personnel were simply on-hand in case something went wrong. With all the displays taking place around town, Councilman Dick Casady was a bit confused as to which display he saw had been sponsored by the City.

Councilperson Grace Garrett was among those who thought the City sponsored display was “pretty short.” Councilman Gerald Brink asked why the display the City paid for was so short. City Clerk Barb Barrick said they were expecting more than what they got. Fire Chief Tom Cappel, she said, concurred.

Brink said, “If it’s not adequate, we should do something to at least make the show decent.” Mayor Jones said the City should draft a letter to the company who was hired to shoot-off the fireworks expressing our disappointment, and have the Fire Chief send it to J&M Displays. Councilman Jim Behrens suggested there may have been an issue with the computer-controlled display. In years past, fireworks were set-off manually, he said, making the show seem longer. Computer controls can last as long as needed, but if there was an issue with the programming, it could have set them off in rapid fire, instead of a more normal pattern.

Behrens said at the Fire Department meeting Tuesday night, they discussed other issues that popped up the Sunday night at the Little League Complex, as well as matters pertaining to the Wild Willy’s Fireworks Demonstration event on June 12th. The issues boiled down to a lack of communication.

He said “Next year we need to take a deeper look into allowing somebody to shoot fireworks off on City property.” With regard to Parks and Rec Department personnel being on-hand Sunday night, Behrens said they apparently were not asked to be there.

The 8:05-a.m. broadcast News.

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Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports on Friday, July 2nd, at 11:00 p.m. officers of the Clarinda Police Department served a search warrant on the occupants at 515 S. 10th St., lot #11 at the Maplewood Trailer Court. Police confiscated approximately 60 grams of a substance believed to be methamphetamine, cash, packaging material, assorted drug paraphernalia and a 2013 Chevrolet Impala

Officers arrested Lonny Ray Brown, age 43, Terry Mark Brown, age 64, and Hannah Madeline McCormick, age 23, all of Clarinda. Each faces charges that include conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, fail to have required drug tax stamps and unlawful gathering for the purpose of distributing and/or using controlled substances. The trio was transported to the Page County Jail and held without bond pending an initial appearance before a Page County Magistrate.

Reports have been forwarded to Page County Attorney’s Office for formal charging decisions.

The 7:07-a.m. broadcast News.

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