A woman from Creston reported to police on May 6th, mail was stolen from the mailbox at her residence in the 800 block of W. Mills Street. Creston Police say the woman was missing a package from Amazon that contained a child’s backpack. The loss was estimated at $35.

The 7:06-a.m. broadcast news from Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University expert on cybersecurity says the hacker attack on the southern gas pipeline could have been a lot worse. Professor Doug Jacobsen says the attack could have been a lot worse. “The good news with this pipeline is they didn’t get control of the pipeline. If they had gotten control of the pipeline they cold have overpressurized the pipe. You could paint a hundred bad, bad scenarios,” he says. Media reports say the pipeline company paid five million dollars to the hackers. Jacobsen says technology has made hacking more tempting.”Early forms of ransomware have been around for probably 15 years. We didn’t see it much because we didn’t have Bitcoin — so it was hard to make a transaction without being traced. Bitcoin enabled anonymous transactions,” Jacobsen says.

He says instantly backing up data helped fight ransomware, as companies could wipe computers and install the backed up data and get back to work. He says now those who use ransomware are saying they will release the sensitive data to get companies to pay. Jacobsen says the introduction of malware has changed too as the defense against it has gotten better. He says that’s led to other ways of getting employees to be fooled into letting hackers in. “We actually don’t see this stuff come in too much as attachments any more, because we’ve done a good job of creating tools to detect that,” according to Jacobsen. “So it migrated away form a lot of email attachments, and have moved to driving you to a website where you end up downloading this malware.”

He says hacks against individuals are very uncommon for one reason. “They are not worth enough money to make it worth it to these organizations to do this. It’s a pretty sophisticated tool they employ and they are after the big score,” Jacobsen says.

Jacobsen says the hackers have focused on businesses that need their computer systems to operate — such as hospitals — to look for that big payoff.

A central Iowa man was arrested Thursday on a charge of Animal Neglect, in connection with the alleged neglect of a puppy who was discovered with a collar deeply embedded into her neck. The Animal Rescue League of Iowa reports 21-year-old Jeremy Bronigan, of Des Moines, was booked into the Polk County Jail on a $300 bond. The puppy, named “Junie,” remains at the ARL under the close watch of three staff veterinarians and the rest of the ARL’s “Miracle Medical Team.”

Officials say Junie was rescued from near death at Bronigan’s home. He’s accused of never adjusting her collar as the puppy grew up and it dug into her neck like a vise, causing pain and infection. The A-R-L says the wound on Junie’s neck was one-and-a-half inches wide and less than a half inch from her jugular.

(Left) Jeremy Bronigan and “Junie.” (ARL photo)

(Radio Iowa) – An innocent motorist was killed last (Thursday) night in a high-speed police chase in central Iowa. Des Moines police pulled a van over about 6:45 PM for expired license plates and discovered the woman at the wheel had active warrants for failure to appear in court on theft and marijuana charges. Police say the woman, identified as 35-year-old Ashley Hennings of Des Moines, sped away from the traffic stop, leading police on a chase that went about a mile.

That’s where Hennings’ van hit a car broadside, killing the car’s driver, while Hennings fled on foot. She was captured minutes later. The name of the 53-year-old man who was killed is being withheld. Hennings faces a long list of charges, including reckless driving causing death.

ATLANTIC, IA (May 13, 2021) – Produce in the Park kicks off the 2021 farmers market season on June 3rd. Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoege says the market is excited to have live music, prepared foods, and community groups at the park in 2021.

Produce in the Park is a community-oriented farmers market held every Thursday evening (4:30-6:30 PM) from June 3 through September 30 in the Atlantic City Park. Shoppers at the market will find delicious fresh produce, baked goods, meats, farm-fresh eggs, and a variety of crafting products such as candles, soaps, and lotions.

Produce in the Park also offers the chance to learn about community organizations, and plenty of space to relax and distance while enjoying live music and dinner in the shady city park. “Produce in the Park is a great place to chill after work on Thursdays,” commented Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bailey Smith. “Grab dinner and relax in the shade while listening to live music. Don’t forget to bring your lawn chair!”

While Produce in the Park is welcoming community organizations back to the park in 2021, safety remains a top priority. To minimize the spread of COVID-19, Produce in the Park asks customers to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets, maintain a respectful six-foot distance from others, and mask when distancing isn’t possible.

Produce in the Park 2021 summer farmers markets are sponsored by the Atlantic Community Promotion Commission, First Whitney Bank & Trust, Cass County Tourism, the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, Cass County Health System, and the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

Produce in the Park continues to accept vendors for the 2021 season. Both food and craft vendors are invited to join the market. Vendors can register for the entire season, or sign up for just a few weeks. More information on vending at Produce in the Park can be found at www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com. Questions on vending can be directed to Market Manager Brigham Hoegh at produceintheparkatlanticiowa@gmail.com or (712) 249-5870.

Stay up to date on the latest with Produce in the Park by signing up for the Produce in the Park newsletter at www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com, and following Produce in the Park on Facebook @ProduceInThePark and Instagram @ProduceInTheParkAtlanticIA.

Two people were injured Thursday night in Guthrie County, when a pickup rear-ended a tractor. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2009 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 23-year old Kaleb Michael Borders, of Copperas Cove, Texas, was traveling north on Justice Road, north of 140th Street at around 8:42-p.m., when it struck the rear of a northbound 1970 International 856 tractor, driven by 60-year-old Steven Kevin Derry, of Audubon.

Borders was transported by Mercy One Helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. Derry was taken by Bayard Fire and Rescue to the Audubon County Memorial Hospital.

The crash remains under investigation. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by Guthrie and Greene County Sheriff’s Deputies.

(Radio Iowa) – Two brother farmers from Iowa will spend time in prison for tax evasion. Sixty-one-year-old Scott Stecher, and 58-year-old Doug Stecher or Clarion were each sentenced to one month in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion in December. The brothers admitted that they diverted income from their farming operations to hide it from the I-R-S and evade paying income taxes from 2011 through 2013.

The information shows Doug Stecher hid 719-thousand dollars of income paid 240-thousand dollars less in income tax. Scott Stecher hid 448-thousand dollars of income and paid 183-thousand-785 dollars less in income tax as a result.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans with a private pool or hot tub who have leftover chlorine disinfectant from last year are lucky. One-and-a-half MILLION pounds of chlorine was destroyed in an explosion last fall at a plant in Louisiana and Iowa Parks and Recreation Association C-E-O Steven Jordison says that has caused the price of chlorine tablets to spike this year. “I think that the realization is that because pools are now opening up for the spring, summer and fall season, reality has now set in from the incident tha that happened last fall,” Jordison says.

There are two other factors driving up demand for chlorine tablets. Jodison says an estimated 300 swimming pools impacted by the February storm that struck Texas are being replaced, repaired and refilled — plus the number of backyard pools rose dramatically due to the pandemic.

“If you still have chlorine from last year and it is a triclor or diclor and there are going to be different street names for this whether you go to a Menard’s, a Walmart, a Target, a Lowes, a Thiessens — whatever your local retailer might be — they’ll have different names for that chlorine. It will have a stabilizer in it, so if it’s granular, it’s safe,” Jordison says. “You can still use that chemical that you’ve got to get going to start with the season.”

If hoarding becomes an issue with the pellets or tablets of chlorine that are used in private pools and hot tubs, Jordison says be careful if you buy online. “Make sure exactly what you’re getting, the strength that you’re getting and how quickly they’re going to be able to flip it for you to be able to receive,” Jordison says.

Some people with their own pool or hot tub use systems that convert salt into chlorine. Pools owned and operated by cities, hotels, home owners associations and recreation facilities use a different kind of LIQUID chlorine disinfectant and Jordison says it is NOT made at the plant in Louisiana that was damaged last fall.

(Radio Iowa) – A recent cancer patient returned to a Sioux City hospital today (Thursday) to give a special thank you to the nurses who took care of him. Russ Guthridge of Aurelia and his wife released 50 white doves outside of St. Luke’s UnityPoint Health Center as a sign of love, new beginnings, and blessings to his caregivers. “I wanted to show how much I appreciate the nurses and what they did for me. I was here three weeks, and without the nurses, it would have been very difficult,” Gutheridge says. Haley Brewer is one of the nurses who cared for Gutheridge.

“This is beautiful, you know we’ve never had anything like this at St. Lukes. I’ve never gotten to see something like this. It was just a wonderful, wonderful way to say thank you,” Brewer says. The doves took off, circled the hospital and began their 60-mile flight back to Aurelia. Gutheridge has trained the doves for nearly 15 years — and says they always find their way home.

“We turn them loose for weddings, funerals, special occasions,” Gutheridge explains. “They know exactly where they are and how to get there.” He says the birds also take part in racing events and can return home from up to 600 miles away.