(Iowa DNR News) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced the first-ever collection of the federally endangered pallid sturgeon from the lower Des Moines River. The discovery of two pallid sturgeon this spring came a week a part during the Iowa DNR’s annual spring sturgeon sampling effort. The sampling has been conducted since 2014, but until this year, only shovelnose sturgeon, and an occasional lake sturgeon, have been collected. “To find a pallid sturgeon was a surprise, but to find a second one in nearly the same spot a week later was truly remarkable,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau.

Pallid sturgeon are one of the rarest and most endangered species in North America. They were placed on the federal endangered species list in 1990 due to slow and continual declines in their populations throughout the Missouri and lower Mississippi River basins. The declines were due to limited natural recruitment often attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation caused by dams, which blocked migration routes for spawning adults and reduced or limited critical flow needed for larval development. While pallid sturgeon have been the focus of recovery efforts in the Missouri River, they have never been officially documented in the Des Moines River. “The presence of these wild, likely decades-old sturgeon, alongside other native sturgeon species preparing to spawn, reinforces the value of this river stretch,” Larscheid said.

Pallid Sturgeon (U-S Fish & Wildlife photo)

While the discovery is monumental, Mark Flammang, fisheries biologist for the Iowa DNR, said the wild population remains critically small and is not self-sustaining. “Nearly nine out of ten pallid sturgeon collected from the Iowa section of the Missouri River were originally stocked from a hatchery. Finding two naturally reproduced individuals is a game changer for how the Iowa DNR and its partners manage the Des Moines River. This is a positive milestone, but does not mean the species has recovered,” Flammang said. Pallid sturgeon are slow-growing and late to mature, with females not spawning until they are 15-20 years old.

Anglers fishing in this stretch of the river who may incidentally catch a sturgeon will need to know how to identify the different species. The Iowa Fishing Regulations includes images identifying characteristics for the lake sturgeon, the pallid sturgeon, and the shovelnose sturgeon. Pallid sturgeon have a smooth belly; its outer barbels are twice as long as the inner barbels; and the base of barbels is “U” shaped, with inner two set out in front.

Of the three, only the shovelnose sturgeon may be kept – the lake and pallid sturgeon must be immediately released unharmed.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken, Tuesday morning (Aug. 26th) updated the Board of Supervisors on the Secondary Roads Department’s projects and maintenance activities. Wolken began with an update on the bridge south of the Cass County Landfill.

The project is expected to be finished within a couple of weeks, depending on the availability of the guardrail sub-contractor. Wolken said work has begun on a bridge on Rockport Road, south of Massena. A pre-construction meeting was set to take place today(Tuesday) on Bridge #73, south of Griswold.

Trent Wolken said the start date on the N-28 Project is expected to begin sometime next month, with a 45-day window for completion.

A pilot car will guide traffic through the construction zone. He said also, the Roads Dept. has accomplished quite a bit of work on the paved road, gravel shoulders.

(Radio Iowa) – The Linn County Board of Supervisors is discussing changing the county’s zoning code to allow nuclear energy producers to set up shop. Supervisor Sami Scheetz says it is important for the county to have an avenue to use nuclear energy.  “I think expanding that is going to be really critical, not just at our county level, but statewide and nationally, when we think about the energy demands we’re going to see from A-I and other things,” Scheetz says. NextEra Energy is in the process of trying to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo to produce nuclear energy again. It was shut down after the 2020 derecho.

Duane Arnold Energy Center

County Planning and Development Director Charlie Nichols says the proposed changes give the county flexibility.  “Establishing dedicated zoning language would ensure that any future proposals, whether the Duane Arnold Energy Center or something else, are reviewed through a process that is transparent, consistent, and tied to our current county needs,” Nichols says. It was the first of three public hearings on the proposed changes.

All three supervisors voted for the ordinance that sets land use standards for nuclear energy generating facilities and waste storage sites.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be honored this weekend. Ralph Kluseman, the organization’s president, said 16 people from all regions of the state reviewed hundreds of nominations. “These bands, these solo artists, these inventors, the radio people — they can’t nominate themselves. That’s the most misunderstood part,” he said. “They have to be nominated by the fans themselves or the friends or the family or whatever. You know last year we had over 438 new nominations.”

The Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was established in 1997. Events kick off Friday night with a concert in the Roof Garden Ballroom in Arnolds Park on Lake Okoboji. The ballroom is the site for the Iowa Rocks Talent Contest on Saturday and the Hall of Fame Induction Concert on Sunday evening. There’s also a fundraiser for the non-profit Hall of Fame that night. “We’ve got a signed Eric Clapton guitar. We’ve got a signed Paul McCartney bass. some lyrics signed by Adele. I’ve got a Taylor Swift signed guitar,” Kluseman said. “We’ll let everybody see this stuff so they can make a bid on it during the concert.”

Over 2000 individuals and more than 550 concert venues, radio stations and other entities have been inducted in the Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame over the past 27 years.

2025 Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame Inductees: 
 

Band Category: Galaxy, WitcHazel, Wicked Liz & the Belly Swirls, Kory & the Fireflies, Sons of Gladys Kravitz, The Chevrons, Homegrown Band and Mirage 

Border Band Category: Skuddur, Indigenous

Venue Category: The Depot in Shenandoah, Ia., Ollinger Ballroom in Pocahontas, Ia.

Individual Category: Gary Lambert, Tory Stoffregen, Kenny Kugel (deceased), Mark Doyle, Dick Howard,

Scott Moore, Stacy Peterson, Chad Elliott, Tim Miller and Larry Hrubes

Promoter Category: Jimmy Thomas

DJ Category: Harry O’Neil

Radio Station Category: KGLI KG95 in Sioux City, Iowa

Support Person Category: John O’Connell (deceased), Mark Lage, Bill Julius

Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award: Luanne Reid

Matousek Lifetime Achievement Award: Jamie Poulsen

Spirit Award: Casey Freemyer, Ric Jensen,
D.A.D. (Hip-hop duo featuring Jason Reinert and Mark Koenig, with DJ Brandon Stowe)

John Senn Legacy Award:  Barb Lancaster

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors held a regular meeting this (Tuesday) morning, Aug. 26th). During their session, the Board received a monthly report from the Cass/Guthrie County Environmental Health Department, and a Quarterly Financial report from County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall. The Board set the dates and times for two public hearings on amendments(s) to the Veterans Affairs Emergency Assistance Program. Board Chair Steve Baier.

Baier said the meetings will be held in the Cass County Courthouse September 16th at 9:05-a.m., and again in October, if needed.

Baier mentioned because of some scheduling conflicts, the Supervisors will hold two weekly meetings back -to-back, instead of every other week, as normal.

In other business, the Supervisors discussed cost estimates for the remodel of the Cold Springs Park campground/picnic shelter. Steve Baier said the Conservation Board will have the final say on the cost. Cass County Conservationist Lora Kanning said Conservation Director Micah Lee has indicated his Board has roughly $12,000 available for the shelter roof. The Supervisors choose to allocate $19,000 from the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) toward renovation of the Shelter House.

The Board received a report on the results of the August 19th City of Lewis Special Election. Cass County Auditor Clerk Hannah Richter, as certified to the State, including Absentee ballots. The results showed David J. Raymond was the winner with 55 votes, as compared to Russell Miller, who had 47. The Supervisors then received the first-tier canvass results of the election. And, they received a regular report from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he doesn’t know if President Trump has the power to remove a member of the Federal Reserve Board, though Trump said on social media Monday night he’s firing Fed Governor Lisa Cook, an unprecedented move. “I don’t know for sure whether he has the authority to do it,” Grassley says. “The courts are going to answer that question.” Cook is refusing to step down. Trump says he’s firing Cook because of allegations she committed mortgage fraud, though no charges have been filed. The Federal Reserve is a panel that traditionally operates independently from partisan politics, and if the firing is upheld in the courts, it could cause a critical disruption of financial markets.

Grassley, a Republican, says: “The U.S. Supreme Court has hinted, and I want to emphasize the word hinted, that it’s probably a little more difficult for the president to fire somebody from the Federal Reserve Board than it is anybody else in his or her administration.” Grassley, who serves on the Senate Finance Committee, says he voted against confirming Cook for the Fed position a few years ago on the basis of her financial policies. He describes Cook as a “loose money person,” and he notes the Fed essentially has two objectives which should carry equal weight.

“One is to prevent inflation, and the other one is to make sure there’s full employment,” Grassley says. “I voted against her because she would tip the scale to the employment part of it, and that is the Fed taking action on loose money, which then would breed further inflation.” The term “loose money” refers to the policy of broadening the supply of money as a way to boost growth in the economy and make it easier to take out a loan.

Cook is the first black woman to serve on the Fed’s board of governors. She was appointed by then-President Joe Biden in 2022.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Forty-five percent of Iowa corn acres have reached the dent stage and soybeans are just beginning to color, with nearly all, or 90%, of the crop already setting pods, according to the latest crop progress and condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Corn and soybean crops are a day or two behind the five year average schedule on several progression stages. Corn in the dough stage reached 88% which is three days behind the average for the Aug. 18 through Aug. 24 reporting period. Corn acres rated 84% good to excellent and soybean acres rated 79% good to excellent, a slight drop from the previous reporting period for both crops.

The report also noted disease pressure continued to rise in Iowa crops. Field agronomists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach noted continued presence of southern corn rust and sudden death syndrome, along with a slew of other diseases and pests have been present across the state.  Oat harvest is nearly finished in the state at 97% completion, and nearly 80% of alfalfa hay acres have had a third cutting.

Corn growing in a western Iowa field in August 2023. (Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Farmers had nearly 6 days suitable for field work this week and enjoyed high temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s later in the week due to a cold front that pushed in.  “Farmers across Iowa enjoyed a welcome break from the rain last week along with cooler temperatures and less humidity,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a statement.  Naig said the cooler temperatures are forecast to hang around for the remainder of the month.

Despite the cool temperatures through the weekend, the average temperature for the reporting period was still 1.3 degrees above normal, according to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, who said temperatures were “unseasonably warm” for most of the period. Ames logged the highest temperature for the week, which at 97 degrees Fahrenheit was 16 degrees above the normal.  Northeastern parts of the state had “unseasonably” high precipitation totals early in the week, with some areas logging as much as 6 inches of rain.

The average precipitation across the state was 0.87 inch, just slightly below the normal of 0.93 inch.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Shawnna Silvius, Mayor of the City of Red Oak for the past two terms, announced today (Tuesday) that she will not seek re-election at the conclusion of her current term. Her news release said over the past four years, Mayor Silvius has served the community with dedication and vision, leading the city through significant progress despite unforeseen challenges. “I am proud of what we have accomplished together as a strong mayor, council, and staff team,” said Silvius. “From housing development to infrastructure improvements, strategic planning, and downtown revitalization, we have built a strong foundation for Red Oak’s continued growth.”

Red Oak Mayor Shawnna Silvius (Official photo)

She notes the following Key Accomplishments during her tenure as Mayor:

• Housing Growth: Expanded housing opportunities with a new subdivision of 33 townhomes under construction and 26 more planned, ensured the completion of the adaptive reuse of the 25-unit 1917 Lofts, completed a rural housing study, and strengthened the rental inspection program.
• Neighborhood Revitalization: Removed 25 nuisance and dilapidated properties, opening space for redevelopment and improving the community’s appearance.
• Grants & Investment: Secured a $500,000 EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant along with multiple state and federal awards.
• Infrastructure & Technology: Completed water and wastewater studies, implemented city-wide GIS mapping, and expanded residential fiber optic broadband access to soon complete countywide coverage.
• Planning & Strategy: Finalized the City’s Comprehensive Plan and launched annual council strategic planning to guide priorities.
• Downtown & Flood Mitigation: Advanced downtown revitalization through a new downtown assessment and re-engaged flood mitigation and levee planning.
• City Operations: Increased staff salaries, invested in critical equipment for all departments, advanced cross-department team building, introduced regular performance reviews, and launched a modern city
  operations software system.

Silvius also expressed confidence in Red Oak’s future leadership, highlighting her support for Tim Fridolph, who she appointed to serve two years as her Mayor Pro Tem and who is now running to succeed her.
“In the time I’ve come to know Tim, I am certain he will lead with transparency, integrity, and dedication,” she said. “He cares deeply about our residents and will continue building trust while guiding Red Oak forward.”

With her recent career transition and a desire to pursue higher-level political aspirations, Silvius said she believes this is the right time to step aside, while pledging to remain fully committed during the remainder of her term. “I hope Red Oak will continue to embrace change, progress, and the reinvestment that has been necessary to advance our positioning and growth,” she added.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Monday (Aug.25th), issued a report on arrests that occurred over the past week.

There were two separate arrests August 19th in Adams County: A traffic stop resulted in the arrest of 52-year-old Christopher Newcomb, of Corning, for Driving While Suspended; And, 34-year-old Derrick Maxwell, of Corning, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense, and two-counts of Domestic Abuse Assault Causing Bodily Injury, following a reported fight in progress.

Three people were arrested August 20th in Adams County: 22-year-old Colin Farrow, of Corning, was arrested on four active Adams County warrants for Failure to Appear; Adams County Deputies issued a Juvenile Referral for a 17-year-old female from Lenox, for Failure to Appear on a citation for Driving Under Suspension. The teen was referred to Juvenile Courts for further proceedings; and, 24-year-old Zoey Calkins, of Corning, was arrested by Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies, for Domestic Abuse Assault-Causing Bodily Injury – 1st Offense, Burglary – 1st Degree, and Theft – 4th Degree.

On or about August 23rd, 2025, at approximately 1:50 pm, Adams County Deputies arrested 55-year-old Rhonda Thompson, of Lenox, on an Adams County Arrest Warrant for Failure to Appear. Also arrested on or about the 23rd, was 46-year-old Justin Beckwith, of Corning, for Domestic Abuse Assault-1st offense.

*Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations and any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.*

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department say two people were arrested on separate charges, Monday. 46-year-old Lela Ann Churchwell, of Creston, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct – Loud Raucous Noise, Public Intoxication, and Interference with Official Acts.

And, 52-year-old Frank Tomas Infante-Silva, of Louisville, Kentucky, was arrested  for OWI/1^st Offense, and Possession of a Controlled Substance – Marijuana/1^st Offense. Infante-Silva and Churchwell were being held in the Union County Jail.