DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports a man convicted in Polk County on Burglary, Theft, Eluding and Escape, failed to report back to the Fort Des Moines Work Release Facility, as required, Saturday. 27-year-old Ra’Shaun Dontier McGee is a Black male who stands five-feet inches tall, and weighs about 185-pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on July 2, 2025.

Ra’Shaun Dontier McGee

Persons with information on McGee’s whereabouts should contact local police.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The 3rd Annual Bash at the Ballfields will be held this Saturday, August 30th, 2025, at the Atlantic Little League Sports Complex, beginning at 5-p.m. Atlantic Police Chief/event organizer Devin Hogue said Bash at the Ballfields was the result of a curve ball from Mother Nature on July 4th, 2022.

That first event was such a success, it has changed and evolved, leading to this weekend’s event.

Bash at the Ballfields features fun for the whole family, including face painting, bounce houses, a foam canon, bags games, and a 360-degree photo booth, to name just a few of the attractions.

There’s also a “glow party” with glow sticks, and ShiftATL will have a glow-in-the dark tattoo both.

2024 Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jason Erickson Reed will get the party started from 5-to 6:15-p.m. Fountains of Dane from the Omaha/Council Bluffs area, will take the stage from 6:30-until 9-p.m., and then again from 9:30-until 10:30-p.m. Plenty of food variety from food trucks will be available.

The Atlantic Little League board will have plenty of cold drinks on hand at the beer garden, and the City of Atlantic fireworks show provided by Wild Wayne’s taking place at 9-p.m., Saturday.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Rotary Club has announced that the annual Rotary Charity Dinner and Auction will be held on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at the Cass County Community Center. Rotary officials say this may look like a different time than it has been held in the past, because it is. The Anita Volunteer Fire Association Dueling Piano event will be on Saturday, November 22^nd which would have also been the auction date. After some thought the Rotary Auction Committee made the decision to move the date of the auction so the two events would not conflict.

The Rotary Charity Dinner and Auction raises funds that are then reinvested back into the community. Those funds have benefited such organizations as the Nishna Valley YMCA, the schools, the preschools, the Hospital Foundation, the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, scholarships for high school seniors and Iowa Western students, and many more organizations.

The event will include a dinner, cash bar, silent and live auction, beginning at 5:30 PM. Tickets are $50 each. Tickets can be purchased by contacting a Rotarian or Ted Robinson at First Whitney Bank. All are welcome to attend.

As in the past a raffle is held in conjunction with the auction. This year the proceeds from the raffle will be donated to the Atlantic Food Bank for the purchase of a commercial refrigerator/freezer. The tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100. First place prize is a 2025 Hustler Raptor XD 54” Mower. Second place prize is $500 and third place prize being $250. See any Rotarian or Food Pantry volunteers for your tickets.

So, get your calendar out and put both of these events on it. Watch for more information to come as the time gets closer for the events. If you have any questions regarding the Rotary Charity Dinner and Auction please feel free to contact Dolly Bergmann, 712-249-9275 or Tori Gibson, 712-254-1070.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The driver of a Subaru Outback was cited, but no injuries were reported, following a collision Saturday afternoon, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, the 2018 Subaru driven by 80-year-old Evelyn C. Nelson, of Corning, was traveling eastbound on E. Joy Street in Red Oak, at around 3:50-p.m., Saturday, when Nelson failed to yield at the stop sign with the intersection of 8th Street. Her vehicle struck a 2009 Chevy Silverado pickup broadside, as the pickup, driven by 65-year-old Lee Allen Edds, of Red Oak, was traveling north on 8th Street.

Damage from the collision amounted to $3,000 altogether. Both vehicles were driven away from the scene. Red Oak Police cited Nelson for Failure to Yield.

(Creston, Iowa) – A man from Creston was arrested Sunday morning on two-counts of Domestic Abuse Assault. According to Creston Police, 20-year-old Nathan Lee Novotny was arrested at around 9:10-a.m. in the 1500 block of W. Townline. In addition to the Assault charges, Novotny was charged with Interference with Official Acts. He was being held in the Union County Jail.

AMES, Iowa [KCCI/ISU Police]—More than half of the nearly three dozen people arrested or cited during “801 Day” in Ames had no affiliation with Iowa State University, according to ISU police. Police say 31 people were arrested and/or cited between 7 a.m. Saturday and 3 a.m. Sunday. The Saturday before classes start at Iowa State is commonly known as “801 Day,” a reference to an old rule that said fraternities and sororities were prohibited from having alcohol until 8:01 a.m. the Saturday before classes started.

Of those 31 people arrested or cited, 51.6% (16 people) had no affiliation with the university, police say. This follows a recent trend; last year, nearly 60% of the 36 arrested or cited had no affiliation with ISU. ISU police say all of the arrests and citations happened outside of sanctioned ISU events. There were no hospitalizations.

Thirteen people were arrested this year. Of the citations issued, 18 were for possession of alcohol under the legal age of 21 and two for unlawful use of license.

(Radio Iowa) – Fifty people from around the world became U-S citizens at the World Food & Music Festival’s Naturalization Ceremony in Des Moines Friday. Immigration Attorney Anne Johnson says it takes a long time for citizenship applications to be processed. She says people wait at least a year to get their green cards, and another five years to begin the application for citizenship. Some refugees may spend 17 years in a foreign refugee camp before they can even come to the U.S. “I can’t even fathom what they go through, and I think that our country is blessed with their values and their work ethic,” Johnson says. They waved U-S flags and posed for photos with the judge conducting the ceremony.

Twenty-two-year-old Ericlyn Bowa is originally from Côte d’Ivoire. “It means everything, especially in this new, like era of time. It’s really important for me to have my citizenship. It just makes me feel secure. I feel like I can do anything, go anywhere, and just have that freedom,” she says.

Immigrants wait at least five years to begin a citizenship application after getting their green card.

(Radio Iowa) – The Des Moines Symphony Orchestra is offering back-to-back free concerts over the upcoming Labor Day weekend highlighting the music of two popular, consecutive decades from the last century. Symphony spokeswoman Angela Schwartz says there will be plenty of space on the lawn of Lauridsen Amphitheater at Water Works Park to spread out a blanket for a picnic, or to serve as an impromptu dance floor. “Saturday, we’re going to be hearing some ’80s music, of all the classics. We’re going to be doing ‘Material Girl’ from Madonna, Billy Joel and even some Footloose,” Schwartz says. “Then on Sunday night, we have Disco Divas, so that’s going to be music of the ’70s, icons like Gloria Gaynor and Earth, Wind and Fire.”

The symphony also hosts the annual Yankee Doodle Pops concert on the West Terrace of the Iowa State Capitol grounds over the 4th of July weekend. It typically draws more than 100-thousand people and is Iowa’s largest single-day concert event. The Water Works Pops shows, now in their sixth year, won’t be nearly as packed, but the focus remains the same. “One of our goals is to get out of the Civic Center and get right into the community at a place where people feel comfortable and safe to just enjoy themselves with no strings attached,” Schwartz says. “Then, hopefully they’ll get a taste of this and they’ll come back to the Civic Center for some of our pops concerts, like some of the movies that we’re doing this year, or they’ll try out a master works concert.”

The open-air concerts under the stars have free parking and free admission, offering plenty of musical fun for all ages, even for those who weren’t around in the 1970s and ’80s. “We also have a costume contest that we’re doing,” Schwartz says. “I think it would be really awesome if people dress on theme and maybe get a chance at winning some symphony tickets and merch.” Shows both nights begin at 7:30. Conducted by Joseph Giunta the past 36 years, the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra is marking its 88th season as one of the nation’s leading regional orchestras.

(Creston, Iowa) – One person was injured during a single-vehicle rollover accident early this (Monday) morning, in Union County. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, 21-year-old Damon Michael Hayes, of Afton, was driving a pickup truck southbound on Owl Avenue at around 12:40-a.m.

Hayes told deputies as the pickup came upon a sharp curve at around 60-to 65-mph, he was unable to negotiate the curve. The vehicle entered the east ditch and rolled-over through several feet of barbed wire held up on fence posts before coming to rest.

Hayes suffered minor injuries but was able to exit the vehicle and walk on his own to a nearby residence to call for help. He was transported by his parents in private vehicle, to the hospital in Creston. His pickup, a 2002 Dodge RAM 1500, was declared a total loss. Damage to the barbed wire fence and posts, owned by Aaron Mathes, of Lorimor, was estimated at $500.

(Radio  Iowa) – The coop that owns the Kemps dairy plant in Le Mars and the Teamsters Union have reached a tentative agreement — and the strike at the plant that began late Thursday afternoon ended at 8 p.m. Friday. Adrian Macias is with Teamsters Local 554.

“There’s been a good, fair deal proposed on the table for us to bring back to our membership,” Macias says. “We’re putting everything together in detail for us to have a meeting this week coming up with all the employees and they’ll have an opportunity go through the whole deal and vote yes or no on it.”

The strike lasted about 27 hours and employees have returned to work. “A peaceful strike,” Macias says. “People were actually passing by, dropping off water, cookies, so it was good to see that from the community and we want to thank everybody that supported us and we want to thank the company also for coming to the table and giving us a good proposal.”

Dairy Farmers of America issued a statement about the tentative agreement, expressing appreciation to dairy farm families who have invested in the plant and jobs for valued employees. Dairy Farmers of America acquired the Le Mars plant nearly five years ago. This past December, a majority of the nearly 200 people employed at the facility voted to join the Teamsters.