COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced last week, two individuals were sentenced to prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. 43-year old Erik M. Barber, of Council Bluffs, and 36-year old Lacey Jo Smalley, of Clarinda, were sentenced to prison for 18 years and 16 years, respectively. Previously, the Court sentenced the leader of the conspiracy, Jason Paul Rodriguez, to 30 years in prison on March 12, 2020.

Authorities say Rodriguez organized and led the large-scale drug trafficking operation from 2016 until his arrest in April 2019. Rodriguez and his co-conspirators distributed more than 220 pounds of methamphetamine in Omaha and Western Iowa. Barber was a major distributor of methamphetamine for Rodriguez.    Smalley was also one of Rodriguez’s primary distributors.

The sentencings were the result of a lengthy investigation by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement originating in Page County regarding distribution of methamphetamine delivered
from Council Bluffs, Iowa. The investigation revealed that Rodriguez, Barber, Smalley, and others were distributing large amounts of methamphetamine in numerous locations throughout Southwest Iowa and Omaha.

This matter was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Council Bluffs Police Department, Clarinda Police
Department, Page County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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A man from Adams County was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, Monday morning. Creston Police report 51-year old Darryn Dugan, of Nodaway, was arrested on a Union County warrant for Harassment in the 3rd Degree. He was subsequently released from the jail on a $300 bond.

“X” marks the spot where high pressure is located. Graphics courtesy Aaron Saeugling.

The latest climatological/agricultural data show a high pressure system over the south central and parts of the southeastern U-S, is keeping southwest and southern Iowa abnormally dry, and adding stress to the crops during their peak growing season. Aaron Saeugling, ISU Extension/Outlook Field Agronomist based in Lewis, reports Atlantic, Greenfield, Glenwood, Creston and Clarinda are in the top five for rainfall deficit in southwest Iowa, with Atlantic short nearly 7.7-inches, for the period covering April 1st 2020 to July 14th, 2020.

See the data below:

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The National Weather Service reports severe thunderstorms are possible across much of the area this afternoon and tonight. There is a slight risk of severe storms primarily this afternoon and evening but storms may linger overnight. The main time-frame is from 3-until 11-p.m.  Large hail, damaging wind and heavy rainfall are the main threats. Unfortunately, for western and parts of southwest Iowa, there is only a marginal to slight risk of excessive rainfall, while some areas could see anywhere from one-to-three inches of rain.

Tornadoes are a secondary threat with today’s weather. Hot and humid conditions will exist this weekend. Heat index values may be in the 100 to 105 degree range. Additional thunderstorms are forecast Sunday evening. Some storms may be severe but the specific threats and timing of which will be better determined in the coming days.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Insurance Division is beginning a series of Fraud Fighting webinars Wednesday featuring at topics to help older Iowans. Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen says his office has held informational sessions for several years. “To talk to people, to educate them on how they can go about protecting themselves as well as their neighbors from fraud,” he says. “Due to social distancing requirements this year, we’ve kind of taken it upon ourselves to find new ways by which to do that, and that is the idea behind these webinars.”

The first webinar Wednesday from 1-2 p-m will include information on Medicare. He says the scammers have not let up in this area. “And its really important that seniors and older Iowans understand that so they can help be alert to what it is that can happen — and then to also assist us in law enforcement to identify those frauds,” Ommen says. This webinar will also include information on how to avoid financial abuse. “Many older Iowans as they get along in years, they look for people around them to try to help them with some of the decisions that need to be made,” according to Ommen. “And that sometimes includes executions of powers of attorney and appointment of guardians and others to assist them.”

Ommen encourages seniors to join online and share their stories. “Some of the best meetings that we’ve had — and we hope to replicate that again in these webinars — is to give older Iowans the opportunity to participate in a conversation and essentially educate each other as to what is going on,” Ommen says. He says it can be helpful to learn from others and know that you are not alone in your concerns.

You can sign up to participate at IowaFraudFighters.gov. The other seminars are July 22nd, 10–11 a-m, and it focuses on consumer scams online. On July 29th from noon to 1 p-m there is a webinar for family members or other caregivers of Iowa seniors and provides tips for caregivers to recognize the red flags of Medicare fraud and investment scams

(Radio Iowa) – New Iowa State University research suggests young people between the ages of 16 and 24 have been hardest hit by job losses during the pandemic. I-S-U economics professor John Winters says the analysis indicates 37-and-a-half percent of those younger workers lost their jobs this spring. “Young workers actually had the largest employment losses among any group,” Winters says. “Black workers, Hispanic workers had much larger employment losses than whites and then we also found differences by education, so less educated worker had larger losses and lower income workers had larger employment losses.”

The percentage of American teenagers in the workforce has been falling over the past two decades and Winters says there are a number of theories as to why that’s happening. “But obviously the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly exacerbated that, ” Winters says. “The employment rates for teenagers in the 16-17, but if you also go up to 18-19 (year olds), employment rates for those young people have fallen dramatically.”

The research Winters and an I-S-U graduate student conducted also suggests many workers who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic have stopped searching for work. “It probably means that the official unemployment rates are actually understating the true magnitude of the pandemic on employment outcomes,” he says. In a separate study, Winters and two I-S-U graduate students found a link between job losses and coronavirus cases — the higher the infection rate, the greater the percentages of layoffs in a metro area.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Prison officials say pathologists will determine whether coronavirus killed an inmate in a northwestern Iowa prison as the state deals with increasing numbers of people infected with the virus. A news release from the Iowa Department of Corrections says 62-year-old Ronald Eugene Holdworth died Saturday morning as he was being taken from the prison to a hospital. Officials say the State Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine whether COVID-19 was a factor in his death. The Fort Dodge Correctional Facility has reported more than 100 inmates and nine employees have tested positive for the virus.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Detectives have charged a man with murder in the June 28 shooting death of another man outside a Des Moines area bar. Polk County sheriff’s deputies charged 35-year-old Gordon Jerome Johnson with first-degree murder and intimidation with a dangerous weapon. Johnson, of Des Moines, was held in the Polk County Jail. Johnson was charged in the death of 29-year-old Sir William Beckish, a chef and former restaurant owner. The shooting happened just before 2 a.m. as a large crowd gathered outside the Karma Bar, just north of the Des Moines. Deputies who had been called by the bar’s staff heard gunshots and then found Beckish had been wounded. He was taken to a hospital but died. Two woman also suffered gunshot wounds but survived.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The board chairman of Make-A-Wish Iowa says the charity’s CEO and president has been fired after the organization discovered financial irregularities during an internal audit. Board chairman Joshua Norton said a statement late last week that Jennifer Woodley had been dismissed. Norton says Rachel Reams, a vice president with the organization, will serve as the interim CEO while the board conducts a search for a new leader. Norton declined to give details on the nature of the financial irregularities. Woodley was named CEO of the group less than a year ago, in August 2019. A publicly listed telephone number for Woodley could not be found Monday.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Crews rescued a kayaker who swamped his boat on the Cedar River, authorities said.Responding rescue workers responding to a call at about 4:20 p.m. Sunday found the boater sitting on the top of a wing dam, a barrier that only extends partway into a river, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported. Fire Chief John Bostwick said crews launched a Zodiac boat from Washington Park and brought him to safety without injury.