(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the Adams County Communications Center received a 911 call at around 1:10-p.m. Sunday, about a tractor on fire at 170th and Orange Avenue. Upon arrival Deputies saw flames coming out of the tractor by the muffler. Deputies used a fire extinguisher to control the fire until the Fire Department arrived.

The Adams County Sheriffs Office was assisted by Corning Fire Department, Prescott Fire Department and Adams County EMS.

The cause of the fire was determined to be isolated to the cab of the tractor caused by hay under the cab.

Adams County S/O photo

(Boone County, Iowa) –  A collision between a pickup truck and a side-by-side utility vehicle Saturday afternoon in south central Boone County left one person dead and two others injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at the intersection of 280th Street and I Avenue, when the pickup and Honda UTV entered the uncontrolled intersection at the same time. Neither driver could see the other vehicle due to tall corn blocking their view. The accident happened at around 3:42-p.m.

Following the collision, both vehicles ended-up in a soybean field on the northwest corner of the intersection. The drive of the UTV, 55-year-old Bobby John Rodriguez, of Waukee, died at the scene. Two passengers in the UTV, 40-year-old Rebecca Sue Rodriguez and nine-year-old Noah Rodriguez, both of Waukee, were injured and flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Methodist Hospital. All three were wearing seat belts. The driver of the pickup, 74-year-old Wayne Melvin Reinhart, of Alleman, was not injured.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Nebraska was arrested Saturday evening (Aug. 9th) after the vehicle he was driving was clocked traveling at 105 miles per hour in a 55-mph zone on Highway 34, at the Montgomery/Adams County line. Authorities say 27-year-old Aljermaine Lee, of Bellevue, NE, was pulled-over at around 5:30-p.m., and following an investigation, was subsequently arrested for Child Endangerment and Reckless Driving. Lee was transported to the Adams County Jail and posted a $2,300 cash-only bond before being released.

Friday night, Adams County Deputies arrested 27-year-old Cody Lee Brandt, of Osceola, for Driving While Barred. He posted bond and was released.

Thursday night (Aug. 7th), Adams County Deputies arrested 19-year-old Logan McQueen, of Corning, for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. His cash-only bond was set at $300. 41-year-old Steven Lamer, of Creston, was arrested Thursday in Adams County, on an active warrant for Failure to Appear. Lamer was being held in the Adams County Jail.

Also arrested Thursday in Adams County, was 31-year-old Jacob Jones, of Corning, who was arrested at the Casey’s Store in Corning, for having 19 active warrants for Failure to Appear. His cash-only bond was set at $950. Two other men were arrested this past week in Adams County for Failure to Appear. On August 5th, Deputies arrested Joey Shires, of Corning, after he turned himself-in on one count of FTA; and, 30-year-old Brandon Brown, of Lenox, was arrested on two counts of FTA.

(Lee County, Iowa) [updated 8/11] – A collision between a car and an SUV Saturday evening in southeastern Iowa resulted in seven people being transported to the hospital. One of the victims was a 37-year-old from Mt. Pleasant. Four of the crash victims (ages 31, 51, nine & 8 years old) were from Richland (IA), and two (Ages 61 & 66) were from Fort Madison. Their names were being withheld pending completion of the accident investigation. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at around 5:15-p.m. north of West Point, in Lee County.

Authorities say a 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander SUV was traveling south on 240th Avenue when it failed to stop at the intersection with Highway 16. When the vehicle entered the highway, it was struck by a 2023 Chrysler 300 sedan that was traveling west on Highway 16.

The injured were transported by ambulances to hospitals in West Burlington and Fort Madison.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, West Point and Donnellson Police, and along with Lee and Henry County EMS.

(Washington, D.C., August 9, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced $152 million in investments for 19 rural development projects in communities across the State of Iowa. These unprecedented, coordinated U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) project will help boost Iowa’s economy, develop rural infrastructure, and encourage private investment in America’s heartland.

By the Numbers:

• Total Investment: $152 million
• Projects Funded: 19
• Sectors Impacted/Counties Impacted: 20

Healthcare Infrastructure – Investments supporting hospitals and medical facilities.

• Guthrie County Hospital – Receiving a $37 million loan to expand and renovate its facility. Funding will support:
  • A 16,000 square foot addition to include a behavioral health room in the ER, an MRI room, exam rooms, and lab space
  • Updates to the nurse call technology, new digital master and area alarm panels, and new sleep ventilators
  • A fire suppression system for the ambulance garage
  • Renovations to the dining hall and kitchen

Water and Wastewater Projects (locally) – Helping Iowa communities modernize systems and ensure clean, reliable access.

• Southwest Regional Water District (Page County) – Receiving a $2 million loan to replace 6-inch pipes with 10-inch pipes, reducing water loss and increasing supply capacity.
• City of Shenandoah – Receiving a $1 million grant and $8.8 million loan to improve water supply and distribution, including two wells and a new transmission main.
• City of Ute (Monona County) – Receiving a $30,000 Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households Grant (SEARCH) to evaluate the city’s water system and complete a preliminary engineering report.

Transportation & Street Improvements – Making local roads safer and more accessible.

• City of Halbur (Carroll County) – Receiving a $500,000 loan to repave city streets, and ADA-compliant curb ramps and street crossings, and improve safety for motorists and pedestrians.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – U-S Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, today (Saturday, Aug. 9 2025) announced an Atlantic man, Glen R. Smith, is her nominee for Undersecretary of Rural Development. Rollins made the announcement Saturday afternoon during the Governor’s Steer Show at the Iowa State Fair. (Audio courtesy O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa)

Glen R. Smith (right) listens as Ag Sec Brooke Rollins introduces him as her nominee for Under Secretary of Rural Development (Photo courtesy O. Kay Henderson – Radio Iowa)

Glen R. Smith has spent most of his life in rural America, engaged in farming and agri-business. In recent years, Glen has served on the Board of Directors of the Farm Credit Administration in Washington D.C. He is a graduate of Iowa State University. Glen and his wife Fauzan have four grown children and six grandchildren.

In 1982, Smith co-founded Smith Land Service, a company that specializes in farm management, land appraisal, and farmland brokerage services. He also owns and serves as president of Smith Generation Farms, Inc., a family farm operation in western Iowa that includes 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – A man from Page County arrested late last month on felony charges following a complaint about the alleged sexual assault of minors, is free on a $25,000 bond, after making his initial and preliminary appearances in Page County District Court. The initial appearance of 43-year-old Andrew James Rine, of Shenandoah, was held July 31^st, and the preliminary hearing on August 8^th.

Iowa online court records show Rine faces two Class-B Felony charges of sexual abuse in the 2^nd Degree, and two Class-C Felony charges of Lascivious Acts with a Child – by fondling or touching.

His arrest occurred at Rine’s residence in the 1600 block of Highway 2 on Wednesday, July 30^th. Rine was ordered by the Court to have no contact with the alleged victims. His next court date had not been set as of Friday (Aug 8^th).

An investigation into his case continues by the Page County Sheriff’s Office.

(Article written by Brooklyn Draisey with the Iowa Capital Dispatch) –  Grand View University in Des Moines has become the first university in Iowa to partner with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to embed its provider certification into the college’s nursing program, a move officials say will help to start addressing needs for mental health training in the health care profession.

The private university announced in a news release it is incorporating additional instruction into its psychiatric mental health course with training provided by NAMI staff for its bachelor of science in nursing, making it a requirement for all students in the program. Nursing department chair Lisa Laughlin said in an interview the education students will receive through the NAMI training will help break down biases and offer a new perspective on mental health conditions and treatment.

(Photo courtesy of Grand View University)

Students will undertake an additional 15 hours of education and training in their psychiatric mental health course, Laughlin said, working with three instructors who will provide their perspectives as a health care professional with a background in mental health, someone who lives with or is recovering from a mental health diagnosis and a family member of someone with a mental health diagnosis.

New instruction from NAMI blends nicely with Grand View’s existing curriculum, Laughlin said, as the university has always taken a holistic approach to its nursing education. According to the news release, nearly one in five U.S. adults are “experiencing a mental illness each year,” but less than half receive treatment. Laughlin said the new certification will only be a “drop in the puddle” of efforts by educators and the health care industry to address mental health needs, but it will help in drawing more attention to the problem.

According to Mid-Iowa Health Foundation, Des Moines University also partnered with NAMI in 2018 to train third-year osteopathic medical students in how to spot mental illnesses in patients and either treat them or refer to another caregiver. Mid-Iowa Health Foundation provided initial funding for the program.

(Article written by Robin Opsahl with the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird led a multi-state letter Friday questioning whether a new net-zero carbon emissions standard for businesses is illegal under state and federal law.

The letter was sent to David Kennedy, CEO of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a group that recently released its Financial Institutions Net-Zero standard. This standard is meant to aid financial institutions “in addressing their most significant climate impact through alignment and sector-specific targets,” according to the document, through actions like stopping or limiting investments in new projects related to fossil fuel expansion and addressing deforestation risks in existing investments.

This standard could run afoul of state and federal laws limiting ESG investment strategies — practices where investment firms account for “environmental, social and governance factors” when making investments, according to Bird’s letter. According to the law firm Morgan Lewis, there are 20 states with “anti-ESG” rules in effect as of 2023.

Bird also wrote SBTi and the businesses that commit to following the standard may be in violation of state consumer protection laws and federal and state antitrust laws, constituting an illegal boycott by deliberately cutting off investment and insurance for certain industries through their standard on oil, gas, and coal expansion. “Some economic arrangements are illegal because they are unfair or unreasonably harmful to competition; the ‘good intentions’ behind them are irrelevant,” Bird wrote.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird (Radio Iowa file photo)

The letter was co-signed by attorneys general from 22 other states — Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. It included a list of requested information and documents from SBTi on its communication with members about how it plans to meet net-zero carbon emission commitments, how the standard was developed, and how it is working with insurance companies to reduce emissions.

In a news release Friday, Bird called the standard from SBTi, which partners with the United Nations, the World Wide Fund for Nature and other organizations in providing advisory information, “the next attempt by radical environmentalists to coordinate companies to squeeze important American industries into eliminating carbon dioxide production by some future date.”

“SBTi is trying to redo President Biden’s radical green scheme,” Bird said in a statement. “If successful, they’ll hurt farmers, energy producers, and Iowans. Its program limits output of goods or services, and these unrealistic net-zero programs harm both American agriculture and industry. Making net-zero a goal actively harms Americans, creates risk for energy independence, and increases the cost of safe, healthy, nutritious food.”

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also took steps to investigate SBTi last week, announcing he would issue subpoenas to the advisory group and the CDP, an international nonprofit focused on environmental impact reporting. The investigation will look into whether these organizations violated state consumer protection and antitrust laws “by coercing companies into disclosing proprietary data and paying for access under the guise of environmental transparency,” according to a news release.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced late this (Friday) afternoon, that the suspect in the fatal shooting Thursday of two people in Glenwood, has died. 71-year-old Dennis Burnell, of Glenwood, was being treated for extensive burn injuries he sustained during a fire at his residence, Thursday. Law enforcement was informed today (Friday) that Burnell died at the Kansas University Medical Center’s Burn Unit. A forensic autopsy will be forthcoming.

PREVIOUS report:

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.