CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – 100 people will be losing their job as a packaging company gets ready to close its location in Cedar Rapids. According to a listing on Iowa WARN, employees at Smurfit Westrock Company on Blairsferry Road NE were notified about the closing earlier this week.

Layoffs take effect on October 4. A this time, it’s not clear why Smurfit Westrock Company is closing the location. KCRG-TV9 reached out to the company early Friday morning.According to its website, Smurfit Westrock is a global leader in sustainable paper and packaging that operates in 40 countries and has more than 500 packaging converting operations and 59 paper mills.

Some of the products produced by the company include pizza boxes for Papa Johns.

(Radio Iowa) – A top executive in the ethanol industry says there have been key policy victories this year for ethanol producers — including the E-P-A’s proposed eight percent jump in biofuels production obligations for 2026. Emily Skor is C-E-O of Growth Energy, a trade association that represents nearly 100 ethanol plants — including 28 in Iowa.

“I would go back to day one of the Trump Administration and that is the first time that we had an executive order specific to ethanol and biofuel,” Skor said. “The president really enshrined biofuels as part of his domestic agenda.” In April, the Trump Administration waived the E-P-A’s ban on summertime sales of E-15 in about half the country. Then, in mid-June, the agency proposed 15 billion gallons of corn-based ethanol be blended into gasoline next year, along with increased production of soybean-based biodiesel.

“That’s the strongest proposed volumes that we have seen out of the agency,” Skor says. “We saw in that proposal a commitment to really prioritize domestic feedstocks, which is a big part of our conversation with the administration right now. That’s important to our growers and to our plants as well.” Under the proposed rule, the credits used to enforce compliance with the Renewable Fuels Standard would be heavily tilted to favor domestically produced biofuels.

Imported ethanol as well as imported corn, soybeans or other feedstocks used to produce biofuels here would have half the value. The E-P-A’s proposed Renewable Fuels Standard rules for 2026 and 2027 may become final by the end of October. Skor, a Minnesota native, has been C-E-O of Growth Energy since 2016.

(Pocahontas, Iowa) – A head-on collision early Thursday afternoon in northwest Iowa resulted in the death of a man from Colorado, and injuries to a man from Pocahontas. According to the Iowa State Patrol, the crash happened at around 12:02-p.m. on State Highway 4, just south of 600th Street, north of Pomeroy.

Authorities say a Subaru Impreza was traveling northbound on Highway 4, when for reasons unknown it crossed the center line of the road and hit a southbound Ford Explorer. The driver of the car, 31-year-old Darwin Benjamin Rosales-Castillo, of Westminster, CO., died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt.

The driver of the SUV, 65-year-old Ronald Meyer, of Pocahontas, was injured in the crash, but the report stated he was not transported to a hospital. Meyer was wearing his seat belt. The crash remained under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – A northern Iowa girls’ track coach has been arrested and faces felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and grooming.

Skyler Ahrens has been placed on administrative leave from his job at Lake Mills Community Schools. He was a gym teacher in the elementary and middle schools and the high school girls’ track coach. Ahrens was arrested last (Wednesday) night. In addition to the sexual exploitation charge, he’s also accused of disseminating obscene material by phone to a minor.

Court documents indicate Ahrens is accused of asking someone he thought was a 15-year-old girl to send him explicit photos, but he was communicating with a Winnebago County deputy who was online, posing as a teenage girl.

Lake Mills’ school officials say the alleged conduct is a violation of professional ethics and district policy and they are fully cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – The company planning to build a carbon pipeline through Iowa and neighboring states has a new leadership team.

The Iowa Capitol Dispatch was first to report that Joe Griffin, the new CEO of Summit Carbon Solutions, has signed letters sent to all landowners along the route. One version is a thank you to those who’ve agreed to let the pipeline run through their property. The other letter was sent to people who’ve resisted having the pipeline on their land and it promises revised routing and terms that better support the long-term interests of landowners. Summit CEO Joe Griffin said the new leadership team is focused on “respect” for landowners and this is “a new chapter” for the project.

A spokesperson for Summit has not responded to Radio Iowa’s request for more information, however the company’s new CEO testified in North Dakota at the end of July on behalf of a different company, so it appears he joined Summit just days ago. Summit’s new CEO is a CPA and an Oklahoma State graduate who’s worked in the natural gas industry, including a company owned by an investor in Summit’s carbon pipeline project.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-C-I, Thursday afternoon, released additional information on the shooting deaths of two people in Glenwood. The shooting victims have been identified as 38-year-old Brandon Oman, who died at the scene, and his wife, 35-year-old Stevie Oman, who died at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

The D-C-I says 71-year-old Dennis Burnell killed the couple.  Burnell lived on the same street as the Omans, and was arrested after leaving his  burning home. Burnell was injured and taken to the hospital where remains in critical condition.

The preliminary investigation suggests the shooting stemmed from dispute between the Omans and Burnell. According to property records, the victims lived across the street from Burnell. An investigation into the incident is continuing, with the Glenwood Police Department, Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and State Fire Marshal’s Division conducting the investigation.

HERE IS THE FULL IA DPS Press Release:

GLENWOOD, Iowa – On August 6, 2025, at approximately 7:30 p.m., the Mills County Emergency Communication Center received multiple calls referencing a shooting in the 400 block of North Grove Street in Glenwood, Iowa. Officers from the Glenwood Police Department, Mills County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa State Patrol responded. Upon arrival, law enforcement found the residence at 405 Grove Street on fire and two adult victims with gunshot wounds outside the residence.

The shooting victims have been identified as 38-year-old Brandon Oman, who died at the scene, and his wife, 35-year-old Stevie Oman. Stevie Oman was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where she later died from her injuries.

Dennis Burnell, 71, who resided at 405 North Grove Street, has been identified as the person responsible for the Omans’ deaths. Officers took Burnell into custody as he exited his burning home. Burnell was critically injured during the incident, was transported to a medical facility for treatment, and remains in critical condition.

Preliminary investigation suggests the shooting stemmed from an interpersonal dispute between the parties.

This is an ongoing investigation by the Glenwood Police Department, Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and State Fire Marshal Division. No further details will be released at this time.

(Radio Iowa) – Residents of Southside Des Moines are hearing an unfamiliar rumble in the skies. It’s not thunderstorms, but a squadron of World War Two-vintage aircraft. Jacques Robitaille, spokesman for the AirPower History Tour of the Commemorative Air Force, says they’re offering guided walk-throughs of the legendary flying machines, as well as charter flights from the Des Moines International Airport.

“Our queen of the fleet here is our B-29 Super Fortress,” Robitaille says. “It’s a large, four-engine heavy bomber that was used during the Second World War, infamously, or I should say famously known for, this was the type of aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb.” A P-51 Mustang, perhaps the most famous fighter from the war, is also on the tarmac, along with another bomber, the B-25 Mitchell, in addition to a few other famed fliers.

“We have a PT-13 Steerman which is a multi-wing or double-wing open cockpit airplane,” Robitaille says, “and we have a T-6 which is a trainer aircraft, and an RC-35, which is a double-wing Twin Beech.” It’s a rare treat to see these well-preserved showpieces of aviation history, he says, and their numbers are dwindling. The B-29, named Fifi, is among only two such bombers still flying anywhere in the world.

“During the course of the week, folks can come out to the ramp and see these planes up close and personal,” Robitaille says. “The smaller planes will be giving rides on demand all week long, and the bombers are giving rides on Saturday and Sunday, two rides each day, one at 9:00 and one at 10:30.” The tour’s mission is three-fold: to honor, to educate, and to inspire.

“We want to honor the men that flew these machines and the women who built these machines,” Robitaille says. “We want to educate the general public on the role that they played during the Second World War, the great war against authoritarianism and totalitarianism, as well as to inspire young people to pursue careers in aviation.”

Flights in the B-29 range as high as $2,000, but he says the cost to maintain the fleet is exceptionally high, especially for the all-volunteer corps of pilots and mechanics. The aircraft are staged at the Signature Flight Support ramp through Sunday.

AirPowerTour.org

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County (IA) Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday), provided an update to a situation that occurred during evening hours of August 6^th, 2025, in Atlantic. Authorities say a Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy was on routine patrol in Atlantic, near the intersection of 6^th and Birch Street.  A statement from the Sheriff’s Office said “The Deputy observed a male subject known as 46-year-old Joshua Mullen, of Corning, at the residence nearby.  It is also known to local law enforcement that Mr. Mullen had State and Federal warrants for his arrest.  Deputies were able to secure the suspect residence and an immediate perimeter.

Deputies and Agents of the State of Iowa’s Department of Narcotics Enforcement attempted to make contact with Mr. Mullen with no immediate success.  A search warrant for the residential property was applied for and granted.  While preparing to execute the search warrant, Mr. Mullen exited the property and was apprehended without incident.”

Mullen was transported to a detention facility where he will be held pending hearings.  The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the State of Iowa’s Department of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Cass County Communications Center, Cass EMS and the Atlantic Police Department.

“As a special note,” officials said, “this incident is entirely unrelated to the tragedy in Glenwood, which took place at nearly the exact same time.  There were no shots fired or no injuries in this incident within Cass County, Atlantic, Iowa.  With this being said, our thoughts and prayers are with the families, community members, first responders and all parties involved in this tragic situation.”

** All criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in the court of law.

(Radio Iowa) – Democrat Rob Sand says Iowans are justifiably frustrated about water quality issues and he might call for new regulations if he’s elected governor — but Sand says he’s investigating the issue before releasing a water quality plan.  “I think people would be right to be frustrated with me if we hit fall of next year and I didn’t have a specific plan for what I was going to do on this issue, but that’s not going to happen,” Sand said. “We’re putting together a plan. We’re taking time to learn.” Sand spoke with reporters after visiting the Des Moines Water Works this (Thursday) morning.  “This, to me, is part of the process,” Sand said. “I think that if you are going to be a candidate for governor, but if especially you are going to be a governor, you have got to have a really good understanding of the facts.”

Earlier this week, researchers who worked on a report about water quality and nitrates in the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers called for regulations to limit run-off from ag land.  “Those are some of the folks that I’ll be talking to and I want to hear what they have to say,” Sand said, “but I want to also make sure that I’m listening to lots of other voices and putting together a plan that is realistic and well-informed and achievable, where we know we can just make a difference instead of just necessarily shouting at each other.”

Republican Kim Reynolds, Iowa’s current governor, says regulation of farming practices is hardly ever the answer to water quality issues in the state. Sand isn’t ruling out regulations, but Sand says he doubts there’s a one-size-fits-all solution.”I think we’ve hit a new high for the magnitude of this problem and the folks in charge in Des Moines are literally moving in the wrong direction,” Sand said. “The legislature just defunded nitrate monitoring systems across the state of Iowa…so people who are frustrated should be frustrated. I’m frustrated. I want to be able to take my kids tubing where we’re home in Decorah in the Upper Iowa River without having to hesitate.”

Sand is the only Democrat currently serving in statewide office. He was elected state auditor in 2018 and reelected in 2022.