(Radio Iowa) – A group called the Nishnabotna Water Defenders will meet Sunday in Red Oak to review the recent settlement for last year’s fertilizer spill at Red Oak co-op that killed hundreds of thousands of fish. Last week, Iowa’s attorney general announced NEW Cooperative in Red Oak has agreed to pay a 50-thousand dollar penalty to settle the case, plus another 50-thousand dollars will go to environmental conservation efforts in Montgomery County.

Nishnabotna Water Defenders co-chair Terry Langen says that’s woefully inadequate given the spill’s impact on the river.”The DNR’s initial findings were close to a million fish that were killed, not to include frogs, mussels, snakes that they visibly saw dead and floating at that time,” he says, “but then continued to die.” Iowa officials say over 750-thousand fish died along a 50-mile stretch of river and Missouri officials say along 10 miles of the river in their state nearly every fish was killed.

March, 2024 fish kill on Nishnabotna River (Photo by Mike Peterson, Shenandoah)

The spill happened in March of last year when a valve on a fertilizer tank was inadvertently left open for two days. An estimated 265-thousand gallons of liquid nitrogen flowed through a drainage ditch into the East Nishnabotna River. Langen says it does not appear the settlement requires the 50-thousand dollars worth of conservation measures be focused on the river. “That is a payment to the Montgomery County Conservation Board to be used for projects including habitat and prairie restoration, controlled burn equipment purchases, habitat management, and native tree planting — so none of that is even outlined into the order to have to go to the Nishnabotna River at all,” Langen says.

“That’s up to the Montgomery County Conservation Board’s discretion on where those monies will be spent.” Nishnabotna Water Defenders Secretary Jodi Reese says the settlement lacks safeguards for the river’s future.  “No mention of monitoring, anything like that in the future which really concerns our group which was really formed to speak for the water and the people who use the water,” Reece says, “which is actually all of us.”

Shortly after the spill last year, NEW Cooperative officials announced they’d been working with the state officials to speed up a response to the spill, including building a series of dams and excavating a considerable amount of soil from the creek that goes into the river to prevent further contamination.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Attorney’s Office has released a report on the outcome of court cases for June 30, 2025, July 14, 2025 and July 28, 2025. View the report in the pdf link below:

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DES MOINES, IA — Representatives Zach Nunn (IA-03) and Jim Himes (CT-04) today (Tuesday) introduced the Taskforce for Recognizing and Averting Payment Scams (TRAPS) Act, bipartisan legislation to protect Americans, especially seniors, from payment fraud by creating a coordinated federal task force dedicated to preventing scams. In a news release, Nunn said “Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, and too often, Iowa families—especially seniors—are the ones paying the price. In just the past year, Iowans lost over $52 million to scams ranging from fake investments to romance cons. The TRAPS Act brings law enforcement, regulators, and industry together to stop these criminals before they strike and gives victims a better chance at justice.”

Payment scams, fraudulent schemes in which bad actors manipulate victims into voluntarily sending money, are rising at an alarming rate. Iowans reported more than 3,900 fraud complaints last year, with losses exceeding $52 million across a range of scam types. In 2024 alone, the U.S. experienced a 25% increase in fraud from the previous year – underscoring the urgent need to address this growing concern.  Hines said in the news release:

“Congress should be focused on passing legislation that makes a real impact on our constituents. That’s why I’m proud to join Congressman Nunn in introducing the TRAPS Act, which will save Americans money by streamlining federal efforts to prevent payment scams. Families lose billions of dollars each year to fraudulent schemes, and I hope to see this legislation passed quickly into law so that we can move towards more meaningful protection for our constituents.”

Nunn says criminals are exploiting new technologies to reach more victims with emotionally manipulative schemes, such as romance or investment scams. In January 2025, the Iowa Department of Public Safety issued an alert warning of a resurgence of “grandparent scams”, where fraudsters pose as grandchildren to manipulate elderly Iowans into urgent money transfers. Currently, there is no unified federal strategy to disrupt these scams before they occur, leaving local law enforcement and families with limited resources to respond after the damage is done.

The TRAPS Act addresses this growing threat by:

• Establishing a task force led by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and composed of members from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, and other federal agencies
• Including representatives from financial institutions, credit unions, digital payment networks, consumer groups, scam survivor advocates, and the tech sector
• Requiring the task force to examine fraud trends, coordinate prevention efforts across agencies, and propose legislative or regulatory solutions
• Issuing annual reports for three years to guide federal action and improve victim support services

In addition to the Iowa Bankers Association and AARP, the bill is endorsed by Early Warning Services, the Electronic Transactions Association, Iowa Credit Unions, American Bankers Association, Consumer Bankers Association, the Defense Credit Union Council, and America’s Credit Unions. The TRAPS Act is led in the Senate by Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), who introduced companion legislation, S. 2019.

Text of the bill can be found here.

(Radio Iowa) – As the nation faces a worsening shortage of airline pilots, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he has some ideas about how to solve the problem, though he’s still undecided about a proposal that would allow for a single pilot to fly commercial jets. “There’s something a little scary for me of just having one pilot in the cockpit, but I can sure understand why we’re trying to find a solution to the shortage of pilots,” Grassley says. “My answer to that is to extend the retirement age for people that are healthy.”

Under FAA guidelines, commercial airline pilots in the U.S. face a mandatory retirement age of 65, though Grassley says just raising the age may not be sufficient to reverse the trend. “Another way I would do it would reduce the number of hours that you have to have to become a pilot,” Grassley says, “because it was increased from 500 to 1,500 hours because of some accident in Buffalo, New York about probably five to ten years ago.”

Learfield file photo

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been sent separate letters from 45 U.S. senators and more than 150 House members urging him to oppose the single-pilot proposal. One of the letters warns: “The presence of two rested, well-trained and qualified pilots on the flight deck remains a key pillar of aviation safety.” Iowa Senator Joni Ernst signed the Senate letter, but Grassley did not. In part, Grassley says there may’ve been a miscommunication, in addition to his being undecided on the issue. “I don’t want to be opposite Joni Ernst because I’m answering your question without full consideration of all the debates,” Grassley says. “I assume that I was asked to sign it and either overlooked it, because I didn’t make a decision not to sign it.”

It’s not just a domestic pilot shortage, as a report from Boeing projects 674,000 pilots will be needed worldwide over the next 20 years to meet a growing demand for air travel, with 123,000 of those pilots just in North America.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa family is suing an online gaming company, alleging it played a role in the kidnapping of a 13 year old girl. According to the lawsuit, a 37-year-old man posed as a teenager on Roblox, a platform that lets users create and play games online. The lawsuit alleges the 13-year-old was sexually abused and trafficked across several states after the man kidnapped the girl from her grandmother’s home in West Des Moines in late May. The man is under arrest in Tennessee.

The lawsuit calls Roblox a “digital hunting ground” for predators that falsely markets itself as a safe online platform for kids. In a written statement, Roblox says the safety of children is a top priority and it invests significant resources in technology to protect the tens of millions of gamers who use the platform daily.

ATLANTIC, IA, AUGUST 1, 2025 — Since 1954, fire fighters have united communities to collect critical funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) – one dollar at a time – through the Fill the Boot program. This year, fire fighters from Atlantic Fire & Rescue will continue this legacy during MDA’s 75th anniversary, marking 71 years of support from fire fighters nationwide. Dedicated fire fighters from Atlantic Fire & Rescue will take to the streets and other locations with boots in hand, asking pedestrians and motorists to help transform the lives of children and adults living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and other related neuromuscular diseases. The event will take place on August 9^th during Atlantic Fest.

Over the past seven decades, fire fighters have raised more than $710 million for MDA, helping fund over $1 billion in research. These contributions have fueled significant advancements in medical research, including the development of more than 20 FDA-approved treatments for neuromuscular disease since 2015. “For 71 years, fire fighters have proudly supported the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s mission to help families live longer, stronger lives, and we are honored to continue this partnership during MDA’s 75th anniversary,” said Tom Cappel, Chief and Fill the Boot Coordinator for Atlantic Fire & Rescue. “Every dollar raised in our community helps fund life-changing research and care that makes a difference for families nationwide.”

In addition to Fill the Boot, fire fighters volunteer at MDA Summer Camp, providing children with neuromuscular diseases a week of fun and independence.

Community members are encouraged to visit fire fighters during Atlantic Fest or donate online at https://filltheboot.donordrive.com/teams/20140#donate (or scan the QR Code below) to support this vital cause.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Cass County, this (Tuesday) morning, discussed an Ordinance pertaining to the Veterans Emergency Assistance Program, and a burial policy. Cass County Veteran’s Affair Director Mitch Holmes said the policy was last updated in 2016, and this current version is simply an update and “clean-up” of the policy.

The Board approved the update as presented. The revised policy was previously approved by the County Veterans Affairs Commissioners. The Board voted to allow/disallow military, homestead, homestead 65 and disabled veteran tax credits and exemptions on a case-by case basis, as recommended by Cass County Assessor Shana Platt. And, the Supervisors set the (standard) credit card limit for Cass County Environmental Control Agency Director Chris Jahnke at $2,500.

In other business, the Board received Quarterly reports from Cass County Veterans Affairs Director Mitch Holmes, and Cass County Conservation Director Micah Lee for the Quarter ending June 30, 2025. In his report, Holmes said there were no new claims for the Quarter.

Board Chair Steve Baier asked Holmes, just out of curiosity, how many Federal dollars are coming into Cass County.

In his report, Micah Lee said with regard to new, modern beach area restrooms at Cold Springs State Park, there were recent issues affecting progress of the project.

Lee said also, the number of participants in the Cass County Conservation Board’s Youth Fishing Derby at Cold Springs Park on June 14^th, was down.

The Board received also, a monthly report from Cass County Community Services Director and Mental Health Advocate, Debbie Schuler, for the months of June and July, 2025. The Cass County Board of Supervisors next, regular meeting will be held August 26th, at 9-a.m.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Three people were injured over the past week in separate Guthrie County accidents. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, 87-year-old Franklin Ray Mains, of Guthrie Center, suffered suspected serious/incapacitating injuries during an accident involving a riding mower at around 2:20-p.m. on July 31st. Authorities say Mains was riding a John Deere 4×4 tractor-sized yard mower westbound on a steep slope, while mowing the grass. The mower lost traction and rolled-over an unknown number of times and landed on Mains, who had been ejected from the machine. The mower came to rest on its wheels. It was still running, with the PTO (Power Take Off) running, when law enforcement arrived on the scene. Franklin Mains was transported by Panora EMS to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. The mower sustained about $500 damage, according to the report.

Sunday afternoon, a 13-year-old female from Guthrie Center and her 17-year old passenger, suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries, after the vehicle she was driving left the road on a curve and entered a ditch before striking a tree. The accident happened as the pickup the teens were in was traveling north in the 2500 block of 160th Trail, in Guthrie County. Authorities say the vehicle was traveling too fast to negotiate the curve. Both teens were transported to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines by Panora EMS. The pickup sustained $5,000 damage and was declared a total loss.

And, no injuries were reported following a single-vehicle accident this (Tuesday) morning, in Guthrie County. According to the Sheriff’s Department, a 2023 Freightliner semi driven by 57-year-old William James Hounsom, of Indianola, was traveling north on Highway 25 at around 5-a.m., when the semi struck a cow on the road. The semi sustained $2,500 damage. The cow, owned by Austin Willms, of Guthrie Center, was valued at $750.