The Ringgold County Sheriff’s Department reports a man and woman from Texas were arrested on warrants Friday evening. Authorities received a report at around 5:10-p.m. about a suspicious vehicle near the ATM at City State Bank, in Mount Ayr. The vehicle was located a short time later and was observed turning south onto County Highway P46. A traffic stop was initiated at 5:45 P.M. for defective equipment, a mile and a half south of Mount Ayr.

Julie Torres

During the traffic stop K9 “Heky” was deployed and alerted to the vehicle. A woman in the vehicle was identified as 35-year-old Julie Torres, of San Antonio, Texas. Torres had an active Felony arrest warrant for Failure to Appear on Drug Charges issued in Texas. She was taken into custody. During a pat down search drug paraphernalia and a small baggie of a substance that field tested positive for methamphetamine was found. She was subsequently charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance-Methamphetamine.

A man in the vehicle initially provided false information regarding his identity. Upon further investigation he was identified as 34-year-old Jacob John Kennedy, of Kerrville, Texas. Kennedy had an active arrest warrant for Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon- Family Violence issued in Texas. He was taken into custody, and faces additional charges including Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Providing False ID, and having no valid driver’s license.

Jacob Kennedy

Both subjects were transported to the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office and held without bond.

An incident at around 9:30-p.m. Saturday, on U Avenue in Villisca, resulted in the arrest on warrants, of a man from southern Iowa. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports Juan Esquivel, Jr., of Leon, was taken into custody on active warrants out of Decatur County, for Failure to Appear on charges of: Domestic Abuse/1st offense; Burglary in the 1st Degree, and Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree.

Esquival was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond.

Monona-Harrison-Shelby Counties: A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY FROM 10 AM TO 3 PM.

Sac-Crawford-Carroll-Greene-Audubon Counties: WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT TODAY FROM 9 AM TO 4 PM.

South winds at 25 to 35 mph will gust up to 45 mph this afternoon. .Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects.
Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

The strong winds will also contribute to erratic or uncontrollable fire behavior.

Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former Sioux City councilman has pleaded guilty to illegally storing and transporting several tons of toxic leaded glass processed by his now-closed recycling company. The Sioux City Journal reports that Aaron Rochester entered his plea Friday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to unlawful storage of hazardous waste and unlawful transportation of hazardous waste. He faces up to five years in prison on each charge. No sentencing date has been set.

With Ric Hanson.

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The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports three people were arrested Friday:

• 28-year-old Amanda Marie Borgmyer, was arrested on a valid warrant for Harassment 3^rd Degree. Borgmyer was booked into corrections and was released on $300 cash bond.
• 28-year-old Nathanial Allen Dishong, of Red Oak, was arrested on a valid warrant for Burglary 3^rd Degree, Criminal Mischief 3^rd Degree and Theft 4^th Degree. Dishong was booked into corrections on $500 cash bond.
• And, 24-year old Kyle Andrew Nicholson, of Red Oak, was arrested Friday on a valid warrant for Assault with Bodily Injury. Nicholson was booked into corrections and was held without bond.

Red Oak Police report three arrests, also:

• 30-year-old Chloe Marguirete Coburn was arrested at around 5:40 p.m., Friday. She was charged with domestic abuse assault — 1st offense. Coburn was transported to the Montgomery County Jail. She is being held without bond.
• And, an altercation in Red Oak led to two arrests Friday morning. Authorities say 19-year-old Chad Stanley Padilla and 23-year-old Steven Cody Esquivel, both of Red Oak, were arrested for disorderly conduct in connection with an incident at the Oak Creek Apartments. Officers were called to the location shortly before 8:40 a.m. on a report that two males were fighting in the apartment’s courtyard. Police say both suspects were engaged upon officers’ arrival, with one male restraining the other. The suspects were then separated, and taken into custody. The men were released on $300 bond, each.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court says there was enough evidence for a jury to conclude that a man shot and killed his mother in 2015, rejecting his appeal and leaving in place the jury’s $10 million verdict even though the man was later acquitted of criminal charges.. The court on Friday denied Jason Carter’s appeal of the civil case in which a jury found him responsible for the June 2015 shooting of his mother Shirley Carter at his parents’ farm home near Knoxville. Jason Carter, of Knoxville, and his father Bill Carter have been locked in legal disputes since Shirley Carter’s death. Carter later was charged with first-degree murder but a jury found him not guilty.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A panel of Iowa budget experts says they expect higher than anticipated state revenue this year and they remain cautious about predicting a quick recovery. The Revenue Estimating Conference on Friday increased the current year estimate of revenue to $8.07 billion or 1.9% growth from the previous year. That is up from a December estimate of 0.5% growth and $7.96 billion in revenue. The panel estimates state revenue will also increase in the following two years. If the estimated 3.8% growth for the 2022 fiscal year is realized, tax cuts approved in 2018 will not kick in. That’s because legislators require at least 4% revenue growth before lowering the tax brackets.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Firefighters in central Iowa have rescued a man trapped under a skid loader at a burial vault business in Waterloo. The Courier reports that the incident happened around 6 a.m. Friday when the hydraulics that operate the arms of the skid loader bucket failed, sending one of the arms crashing down on a mechanic and pinning him. Waterloo Fire Department Battalion Chief Ben Peterson says the bucket happened to be titled downward and hit the cement first, relieving enough weight from the arm that it saved the mechanic’s life. Petersen says crews cut the skid loader arm off the man’s back and took him to a hospital. His condition was not released.

INWOOD, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a 9-year-old girl is dead after the car in which she was riding rear-ended a school bus in northwest Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol said the West Lyon Community School District bus was stopped to pick up students when it was hit. In a statement posted on Facebook, the West Lyon Community School District said the victim was a third grade student. She has since been identified as Jessica Yeaman, of Inwood, according to a crash report. The Des Moines Register reports that the 17-year-old driver of the car suffered serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital in Sioux Falls. Her condition wasn’t immediately known.

(Radio Iowa) – Health care systems in rural Iowa are struggling, especially after a year of the pandemic, and an effort is underway in Congress to find a fix. Members of the U-S House are considering the Rural and Underserved Small Hospital Protection Act, known as the RUSH Act. Iowa Farmers Union president Aaron Lehman says rural facilities are having a hard time finding staff.

“You have to have boots on the ground in the health care system to make sure essential services can be met,” Lehman says. “As our rural communities try to see how their community can develop either from an economic standpoint or a social standpoint, if they cannot find the personnel for their health care system, everything else grinds to a stop.” The bill would make changes to how rural health clinics are reimbursed for services by the federal government, changes Lehman says are critical.

“Providing some clarity to that is the first step in addressing whatever inequities there are to get our rural health system up to speed,” Lehman says. “We really have to take a close look at it, but the discussion is going to be vital to us moving this ahead.” He says the pandemic brought on many of the difficulties facing rural health care providers as they attempt to meet the needs of underserved areas.

“They’re on the front lines and they don’t have all the ammunition they need in order to combat COVID issues,” Lehman says. “They’ve had to find all sorts of ways to work together because those resources don’t just sit across town. Challenges are huge and the pandemic has really exposed what our barriers are in our health care system.” Lehman says Iowa Farmers Union will continue to weigh in on the rural health care problem and is studying the legislation to see what will work best.