(Creston, Iowa) – Two people suffered minor injuries during an accident early this (Tuesday) afternoon, in Creston. According to the Creston Police Department, the accident happened at the intersection of Montgomery and Sumner Streets, at around 12:05-p.m.

Authorities say a Chevy Blazer driven by 86-year-old Carolyn Biere, of Creston, was traveling east on Montgomery Street and had stopped at the posted intersection, waiting for traffic. A crew was working on Sumner Street, which police say may have been a contributing factor in the accident, as they presented drivers with an obstruction.

Police say Biere thought she was clear to enter the intersection, but due to the crew’s location, did not see a Chevy passenger car driven by 19-year-old Willow Snow, of Creston, traveling north on Sumner. The SUV struck the car, causing both vehicles to become disabled.

Both drivers were cleared by medics at the scene. Damage to their vehicles amounted to $4,000 altogether. No citations were issued.

(Radio Iowa) – Dubuque is rolling out a new flood-fighting pump system that was tested by researchers at the University of Iowa. The system will include four pumps, with each being capable of removing 100-thousand gallons of water a minute from flooded areas, doubling the city’s current capacity. Jim Bousley is Dubuque’s project manager and says making sure there are sufficient backup pumps in case one fails is a key reason for the project.

“So as that detention basin goes up during a storm event, to have the ability to make sure that goes down quickly, and can be pumped quickly without any issues is a huge thing,” Bousley says, “because if you don’t, there are other parts of Dubuque that could be affected by flooding, possibly, if those pumps fail.” Troy Lyons is the associate director of the U-I’s hydroscience and engineering program, and he was hired to evaluate the pump system and make sure it meets national standards.

“This pump station has four pumps,” Lyons says, “and that’s, for one, to provide redundancy, but also to provide the peak amount of flow that’s needed to keep the water levels down in Dubuque during a flood event.” Flooding in Dubuque has damaged more than 13-hundred homes and businesses in recent decades and city leaders are preparing for projected increases in rainfall in the future.

The 26-million-dollar pump system is expected to be operational by August of 2027.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Council Bluffs Police Department is asking for your help in locating a man wanted on active felony arrest warrants. 55-year-old Timothy James Ehlers, of Council Bluffs, is wanted on the CBPD warrants for Willful Injury resulting in serious injury, Domestic Abuse Assault-Strangulation, and Harassment in the 1st Degree.

Ehlers is described as being a Caucasian male, 6-feet 1-inch tall, weighing 200  pounds. He is bald, and has blue eyes. (see the picture attached to this story).

Timothy Ehlers

If you see him or know where he is, call 911 immediately, or Council Bluffs Police Officer Tony Friend at 712-890-5150.

(A report from the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – A physician assistant charged with incompetence and over-prescribing opioids will be allowed to keep his license under the terms of a deal with state regulators. The Iowa Capital Dispatch says the Iowa Board of Physician Assistants recently alleged that licensee Chad Walker violated several state regulations at some undisclosed time in the past. According to the board, Walker was working at the Burgess Family Clinic in Mapleton, when he allegedly engaged in the inappropriate prescribing of narcotics, benzodiazepines and amphetamines. He also is alleged to have over-prescribed controlled substances, including opioids, to a patient.

In addition, the board alleges Walker failed to follow guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when prescribing controlled substances; failed to perform annual drug screens on patients in accordance with polices on controlled substances; failed to have checked the Prescription Monitoring Program on a regular basis for the names of his patients; and failed to prescribe a drug the board identifies as “nalozone” — the drug naloxone is commonly used to reverse the effect of an opioid overdose — for patients who had received high doses of opioids with concurrent use of benzodiazepines.

The board also alleges Walker “created documents and signed (them) on behalf of his supervising physician without her permission or knowledge.” The publicly available board documents give no indication as to whether any patients were harmed by Walker’s alleged conduct. As a result of the allegations, the board charged Walker with professional incompetence, prescribing opioids in dosages that exceeded what would be prescribed by a “reasonably prudent licensee,” and unethical conduct. Although the board has not disclosed when any of the alleged violations took place, board documents indicate the case against Walker was initiated in 2023. The Burgess Health Center’s website indicates Walker joined the Burgess Family Clinic in Mapleton in late 2016.

In order to settle the matter, Walker and the board recently agreed to a settlement that calls for Walker’s license to placed on probation for two years, during which time he can continue to practice subject to restrictions imposed by the board. Those restrictions call for Walker to complete eight hours of educational training in “Drug Enforcement Administration narcotics,” and to complete a course of unspecified duration in ethics and prescribing. Walker will also be required to meet with a worksite monitor for at least one hour each week. The monitor will review 20% of Walker’s patient charts each month. In addition, the board has issued a formal warning to Walker, informing him that any future violations may result in additional sanctions.

Walker is currently affiliated with Sioux City’s Thrive Wellness Center as a direct care provider.

(Iowa DNR News) – Iowa’s mourning dove season begins Monday, Sept. 1st, and officials with the Department of Natural Resources say with the mild weather in the forecast and a later teal season, experts are predicting a busy opening day. “Anytime the opening day falls on a holiday weekend, we see higher participation, and with the weather forecast and teal not opening until Sept. 6, we expect a lot of hunters to be out,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Last year, hunter numbers increased an estimated 3 percent to 14,000, but dove harvest fell 27 percent, to 143,000. Mourning doves are the most abundant game bird in the country, with a population estimated at more than 345 million. Hunters are reminded that if they hunt mourning doves or other migratory game birds that they are required to register for HIP annually, either through the Go Outdoors Iowa app on their smartphone or through a link at www.iowadnr.gov/waterfowl. Migratory game birds include doves, ducks, geese, coots, woodcock and snipe.

Mourning Dove

Doves are most often hunted in fields of mowed sunflowers, burned winter wheat, alfalfa or small grains and around farm ponds. “This is a good season to bring novice hunters along because there’s usually a good number of birds passing through, and a lot of action with mild temperatures,” he said. The Iowa DNR identifies state managed public areas with dove fields on its online hunting atlas with a pin on the nearest parking lot to the field.

As with all types of hunting, safety and communication is important. Know each hunter’s zone of fire, be aware of where everyone is and properly identify the dove before taking a shot. Be sure to pick up the spent shell casings – leaving them in the field is considered littering. Shooting hours begin one-half hour before sunrise until sunset.

(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.