(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Sunnyside Pool in Atlantic are inviting the community to take a well-deserved break at its Sip and Dip event tomorrow (Thursday) evening. Sunnyside Pool Aquatics Coordinator Chelsie Rush says guests 21-years of age and older, can enjoy a relaxing, adults-only night at the pool with delicious dips to munch on, wine slushies and beer for sale, fun poolside games, and great music.

One of the night’s highlights will be the Human Slot Machine Fundraiser, a unique and entertaining way to support Sunnyside Pool while having a laugh with friends. Additional games, good food, and great company will make for the perfect evening of self-care and summertime fun.

Event Details:
Date: THIS Thursday, Aug. 14th
Time: 7-9PM
Location: Sunnyside Pool, 1000 Sunnyside Ln
Admission: $5 per person

Rush says you’re invited to “Bring a friend, enjoy some tasty snacks, and unwind in a laid-back, Luau inspired atmosphere. Some things will require cash, so dig out those dollars, it’s the perfect way to close out summer and support your community pool.”

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest on Tuesday, of 24-year-old Devyn Burnette, of Glenwood. Burnette was taken into custody for OWI/1^st offense. Bond was set at $1,000.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) [UPDATE – change to start date due to contractor schedule] – The Pottawattamie County Roads Department reports 1,420-feet of 210th Street will be closed to thru traffic from August 18th through October 2nd (weather permitting), for the construction of a new bridge. A detour route will be established from the intersection of 210th Street and Sumac Road; going east on Sumac Road to L34; then north on L34 to Teakwood Road; then west on Teakwood Road to 210th Street.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department say two people were arrested on assault charges recently. Late Tuesday night, 51-year-old Alin Armega, of Creston, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault-Impeding the flow of air/blood-Causing Bodily Injury. And, at around 1:17-a.m. today (Wednesday), 21-year-old Mustang Bryton Rogers, of Creston was arrested also, for Domestic Abuse Assault-Impeding the flow of air/blood-Causing Bodily Injury. Armega and Rogers were being held in the Union County Jail without bond, pending an appearance before the Magistrate.

(Sidney, Iowa) – A southwest venue that hosts family celebrations such as birthdays and weddings, sustained extensive damage early Tuesday morning, and is likely a total loss, according to fire officials. The Fremont County Emergency Management Agency says Whiskey Springs, a rustic barn establishment, caught fire at around 3:30-a.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters from Sidney were called to the scene at 2474 Bluff Road, north of Sidney, and upon their arrival, saw the venue was fully engulfed in flames. They promptly requested mutual aid from numerous area fire departments, including Hamburg, Riverton, Farragut, Tabor, and Nebraska City.

Whiskey Springs (photo from their public Facebook page)

There were no reports of injuries. The State Fire Marshal’s Office was requested to assist with an investigation into the cause of the fire, which, at last report, remained unknown.

(Radio Iowa) – June rail numbers showed a drop in the number of the intermodel containers that carry consumer goods across the state. D-O-T spokesman Stuart Anderson says those numbers can signal economic issues.  “And that was kind of an open question. Is that a sign of an inflection point in the longer term trend, or is that just a blip? At least based on the July data, that appears to be a blip,” he says. Anderson says that drop in intermodel numbers recovered in July.

“They went back up a couple percent in July compared to July of last year. And overall car loads are positive this month in July compared to July of last year,” Anderson says. “And that’s despite the fact that manufacturing sector is still pretty soft and flat.” Anderson says they will have to see what those numbers show for August to see if there is a trend up or down. Anderson says through August 4th the number of traffic deaths have been down. “The average over the last five years is about 193. And this year we’re at 150. So about 43 below the five year average, about 22 percent below,” Anderson says.

Anderson says the numbers for major injuries in accidents through August 4th was 744, or about six percent below the five-year average.

(Radio Iowa) – A sleep expert says Iowa parents should start pushing their kids’ bedtimes forward this week to get them adjusted to waking up early well before school starts. Dr. Allen Foster, a sleep medicine physician at Emplify Health by Gundersen, says it’s important for all of us to get a good night’s sleep. “When we’re not getting sufficient sleep, it impacts relationships, learning, emotional stability, and simply quality of life in total,” Foster says. “Even two nights a week of insufficient sleep is enough to be associated with a significant increase in depressive symptoms.” Foster says we all have different sleep cycles and sleep needs, depending on our age, but kids can be quite varied, compared to adults.

“Typically, we’re talking ten-to-13 hours of sleep is necessary for preschoolers, nine-to-12 for school-aged children and eight-to-ten for teens,” Foster says. “And adults, most of us need eight to sometimes nine hours, but as a society, we tend to be sleep-deprived, and children — teens especially — tend to be sleep-deprived.” Foster says kids may grumble about the earlier bedtime, but they’ll likely appreciate it once school bells ring, so the change from summer to fall hours won’t be so abrupt. “During the summertime, when they’re allowed to be on their own biological schedule, they’re going to be up later, and sleep in later,” Foster says. “Then, when school starts and all of a sudden you have to be up and in and trying to function and be performing cognitively and socially and emotionally, it’s much, much more of a challenge.”

Given the amount of sleep kids need to stay healthy, Foster says he’d really like to see more Iowa schools start classes later. “In reality, we shouldn’t start school before 8:30 in the morning for middle school and high schoolers,” Foster says, “however, unfortunately, probably 70% of kids have schools that start earlier than that.” He calls sleep the “silent architect” of health, immune function, cognitive and mental functions, and regulation of our emotional and metabolic systems.

Emplify Health by Gundersen has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Red Oak was arrested late Tuesday evening on a felony, Theft charge. 67-year-old Randall Dean Cooper was arrested at around 7:30-p.m. in the 1600 block of 200th Street, for Theft in the 2nd Degree, a Class-D Felony. Cooper was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has used a trip to Iowa to announce changes in federal regulations for vehicles that run on diesel.

For a couple of decades tractors, trucks and other diesel-powered vehicles have had systems that inject a fluid into the exhaust to reduce nitrous oxide emissions, but sensors immediately slow down and even stall the engine when that fluid runs out. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said it means diesel equipment shuts down unnecessarily, “which has led to so much in lost money for Iowa farmers and truckers and so much more.”

Under new EPA guidelines, diesel truck manufacturers are to change the technology by the 2027 model year so vehicles that run out of that emission-related fluid won’t have sudden power losses.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin speaks during stop at Nevada, Iowa, business. (RI photo)

Zeldin is reluctant to talk about another fuel-related issue — the EPA’s proposed ethanol and biodiesel production levels for the next two years. “A lot of people were happy with the numbers we came out with and that was a strong, early sign, however understanding that every single decision that I make — whether I say yes or no — is going to result in a lawsuit from whoever’s on the opposite side I’m going to be very clear: I’m not prejudging the result of this rule making,” Zeldin said. “We’re going through the public comment period and we’re looking to make the right decision on the other end.”

The end of the October is when the EPA is tentatively scheduled to announce the final ethanol and biodiesel production rules for 2026 and 2027. Senator Joni Ernst, who hosted Zeldin on his trip to Iowa, said the EPA’s proposed 8% jump in biofuels obligations is an exciting prospect. “I’ve heard from so many of our farmers across Iowa, the biofuels producers,” Ernst said. “They are really glad that EPA and President Trump have been supportive.”

Ernst and Zeldin spoke with reporters after spending time at the State Fair, speaking at a forum in Ames for entrepreneurs and touring Mid-States Companies in Nevada. The head of the Small Business Administration was also on the trip.