(MUSCATINE, IA) — Five small businesses from Main Street Iowa districts were awarded a combined $80,0000 in state grants Monday evening after successfully pitching their expansion ideas in the final round of the 2025 Open 4 Business contest.  The live pitch event, held at the National Pearl Button Museum in downtown Muscatine, featured finalists from Ames, Elkader, Mount Pleasant, Waverly and West Branch. Each entrepreneur had five minutes to present their growth strategy to a panel of judges. Awards were presented by Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and Iowa Finance Authority.

“These incredible business plans remind us why our Main Street programs matter so much,” Durham said. “They’re the engine that helps small businesses grow and stick around — and they play a big role in making our communities the kind of places where people want to visit, live and truly belong.”

Grant recipients include:  

• West Branch — The Honey Den, $25,000
• Waverly — Z’s Pizza & Diner, $20,000
• Elkader — DroneXperts, $15,000
• Ames — Torrent Brewing Company, $10,000
• Mount Pleasant — Preppin Mama, $10,000

Top honors went to The Honey Den, a boutique candy and gift shop opened in 2023 by Tiffany Frederick. Known for custom candy assortments with personalized labels, Frederick is expanding her wholesale and fundraising programs that support boutiques, nonprofits and schools nationwide. The grant will support professionally designed packaging, a commercial-grade label printer, expanded inventory, upgraded fundraising tools and targeted marketing.

This year’s contest drew 22 applicants. Of those, 12 were invited to interview virtually with a panel of judges, who then selected five finalists. On Monday, those finalists pitched live before Muscatine Mayor Brad Bark, who’s also president and CEO of the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Jacki Boldt, who leads the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program; Chris Deal, who serves on the Main Street Iowa board; and Karla Organist with the Institute for Decision Making at the University of Northern Iowa.

Open 4 Business supports the growth of existing small businesses in Iowa’s more than 50 Main Street communities. Now in its 11th year, the program has awarded dollars to more than 45 businesses. The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports seven arrests took place between July 28th and the 31st. Two of the arrests occurred on the 31st: 53-year-old Scott Michael Hardman, of Malvern, was arrested in Malvern for Eluding and Driving While Barred (Bond $3,000), and, 49-year-old Lee Alfred Miles, of Tabor, was arrested in Glenwood, for Violation of Probation (Bond $2,000).

On July 30th, Mills County Deputies arrested 29-year-old Shyanne Marie Dominguez, of Glenwood, for Driving While Barred. Two arrests occurred July 29th in Mills County: 31-year-old Paige Rae Wooley, of Red Oak, was arrested on a charge of having contraband (a weapon) in a Correctional Facility (Bond $5,000). Wooley was being held in the Mills County Jail following her arrest on July 28th for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving While Barred, and OWI/1st offense (Bond on those offenses $3,000).

31-year-old Patrick Clayton Giesting, of Malvern, was arrested July 29th for Failure to Appear (in court) [Bond $2,000].

And, on July 28th, Sheriff’s Deputies in Mills County arrested 44-year-old Ashley Marie Hall, of Red Oak, for Violation of Probation (Bond $5,000).

(Knoxville, Iowa) – Police in Knoxville arrested a man on a Class-D Felony, Threat of Terrorism charge, following an investigation into an incident at a Walmart Store. Authorities say 44-year-old William David Kisling, of Knoxville, was arrested after a warrant was requested and received, for the search of his vehicle and home. Evidence gathered during the search resulted in the felony Terrorism charge and a simple misdemeanor Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, charge.

Police say Officers and Marian County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a reported potential threat at the Knoxville Walmart Store. When the first law enforcement officers arrived on the scene, employees were evacuating customers. Evidence was collected at the scene, including video surveillance and discarded playing cards with hand-written messages threatening violence. Kisling and his vehicle were identified through a review of store video surveillance images. Afterward, officers went to the 200 block of Cinder Avenue in Knoxville, where they located both Kisling and his vehicle.

Kisling was being held in the Marion County Jail. Other agencies assisting in handling the incident included Knoxville Fire and Rescue, and Marion County Emergency Management.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston have arrested a man wanted on a warrant. Authorities say 20-year-old Nathan Lee Novotny, of Creston, was arrested on the outstanding warrant for Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp, and a Controlled Substance Violation. Novotny was transported to the Union County Jail and held on a $7,000 bond.

ADEL, Iowa – Aug. 4, 2025 – The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), in coordination with the City of Adel and the ADM Schools invites residents, business owners, and motorists to attend a Public Information Meeting about the upcoming construction of a new roundabout on U.S. 169 at the intersection with Common Place and the entrance to the new ADM High School.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 12, from 4:30 p.m. until 6 p.m., at the ADM High School Auditorium. Staff from the Iowa DOT, City of Adel, and ADM Public Schools will be present to share information about the project and answer questions from the public.

You can learn more about roundabouts by visiting the Iowa DOT’s website at https://iowadot.gov/modes-travel/roads-highways/highway-safety-features/roundabouts..

(Radio Iowa) – Trees weren’t the only thing knocked down by the derecho that blew through Iowa last week. Gary Knight sells sweet corn at stands in Cedar Rapids and Marion, and tells K-C-R-G T-V he knew some of his corn would have damage. “You know I’m almost afraid to go look at the corn the next morning to see what happened,” Knight says. Over 60 mile and hour winds ripped through the farm, knocking down ten percent of Knight’s sweet corn. “The most vulnerable corn is the corn that’s just ready or ripe, and it has the heavy weight on it. So when it blows down, it’s not going to come back up again,” he says. Some of the corn from those fallen stalks is salvageable, but Knight says he can’t harvest the corn with a machine because of the damage and will have to use the old-fashioned method of picking.

“Go out there by hand, walk through it, bend over, pick them and get them in the wagon. So it’s just a whole lot more work, and hard to find people who’ll go out and do that,” Knight says. The farm lost a total of five acres from the storm that’s now been classified as a derecho. “I’m going to call it ‘monsoon weekend,” Knight says.

That loss of product means some stands are closed for now. As they work to pick up the damage and the crops he said they do still plan to have sweet corn available through September.

(Radio Iowa) – A fourth Democrat has launched a campaign for the U-S Senate seat currently held by Republican Joni Ernst. Jackie Norris has experience on high profile Iowa campaigns and she taught government and history at high schools in Ames, Perry and Johnston. “It’s time for an educator in the Senate,” Norris said. “I’m a former teacher, school board member, a mom and I’ve seen invisible burdens that families are carrying on their shoulders.” Norris was elected to the Des Moines School Board in 2021 and currently serves as its chair. “When government cuts programs for hungry kids, they make it harder to access children’s health care, parents are working two jobs because wages are so low — government’s turned its back on families,” Norris said. “…And I am a mom on a mission to get things done and change the way things are done in D.C.”

Democrat Jackie Norris announces campaign for U.S. Senate (Photo provided by Norris campaign)

Norris says Americans are concerned about their personal finances and how expensive child care, housing and health care have become. “We’re dealing with some pretty significant issues around affordability and children’s mental health crises,” Norris says. “These are things that don’t have to be partisan. They have to be addressed.” Norris, a New York native, first came to Iowa to be finance director for Tom Vilsack’s 1998 campaign for governor. She was First Lady Michelle Obama’s chief of staff after serving as state director for Barack Obama’s 2008 General Election campaign. Norris also worked on Republican President George H.W. Bush’s “Points of Light” Foundation. “Americans are going to believe in government if they actually see us putting them ahead of our party loyalty sometimes,” Norris said. “…I’m going to fight like heck for the Democratic issues that I feel very strongly about and at the same time we also have to work together to get things done.”

Ernst has not yet announced whether she will seek reelection in 2026 and three other Democrats have started campaigns for the U.S. Senate this spring. Nathan Sage is executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, J.D. Scholten of Sioux City is a member of the Iowa House and Zach Wahls (like “walls”) is a state senator from Coralville.

EARLING, Iowa — A search warrant obtained by Omaha TV station KETV, revealed new details about a murder that took place in Shelby County last week. The incident happened Thursday, in Earling. According to the search warrant, 34-year-old Winston Leal and Theresa Kenkel were fighting when Leal grabbed a gun, shooting Kenkel. She died from her injuries. The warrant said Leal claimed Kenkel shot herself.

The documents state Leal and Ashley McWilliams drove to Council Bluffs, Iowa, then reported the shooting. Authorities arrested Leal for first-degree murder. He was denied bond. A judge held McWilliams on $50,000 bond for an accessory charge.

(Lyon County, Iowa) – Four people were injured during a collision Monday afternoon in northwest Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident happened on Highway 75 near 210th Street, south of Rock Rapids, at around 1:50-p.m. Authorities say a Chevy Malibu driven by a 15-year-old male from Hull (IA) was traveling south on Highway 75, when it crossed the center-line of the road and struck the side of a trailer being pulled by a pickup truck. The car then struck a Honda SUV head-on before coming to rest in the middle of the highway.

The SUV came to rest in the east ditch, and the pickup stopped on the north shoulder of the road, following the collision. A 13-year-old male passenger in one of the vehicles, along with 36-year-old Norma Niz-Niz, both from Hull, the driver of the SUV, 62-year-old Kathleen Goedken, of Rock Rapids, and 90-year-old Lucy Hoppe, of Rock Valley, were all injured in the crash. The driver of the pickup, 66-year-old Russell Holzman, of LeMars, was not hurt.

Three of the accident victims were flown by helicopter to hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by Avera Air Care Flight and Sanford Air Med, along with Lyon County EMS.