(Carroll County, Iowa) – A head-on collision at around 9:20-a.m. Wednesday (July 23) south of Dedham, in Carroll County, resulted in the driver’s of both vehicle being flown to hospitals in Des Moines. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident happened as a 2007 Chevy pickup driven by 34-year-old Joel Maloney, of Coon Rapids, was traveling east on Highway 141, west of Olympic Avenue. The pickup crossed the center line of the highway and struck a westbound 2017 Toyota Camry in the westbound lane near the north shoulder of the road. The driver of the Camry was identified as 26-year-old Haeleigh Busse, of Guthrie Center.

Both drivers suffered serious injuries. Both were flown by LifeFlight helicopter. Maloney was transported to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. Busse was flown to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. The crash remained under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol and Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.

(Mitchell County, Iowa) – The driver of an SUV died this (Wednesday) morning, after the vehicle was struck by a train in northeast Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol reports 62-year-old Kenneth Warrington, of St. Ansgar died in the crash that happened at around 10:15-a.m., southeast of Mitchell.

The Patrol says Warrington was driving a 1997 Ford Explorer north on Indigo Avenue, when he failed to yield to an eastbound train. His SUV was struck broadside on the driver’s side by the locomotive. Warrington died at the scene.  Osage First Responders and EMS assisted the Patrol at the crash site.

(Story from the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The state auditor’s office has released a new report detailing almost two dozen deficiencies in Iowa Workforce Development’s policies and practices. The report faults IWD for failing to comply with its own policies and procedures to ensure the timely filing of reports; failing to properly review and approve quarterly reports; and failing to properly check the accuracy of information generated for financial reporting.

Auditor of State Rob Sand has recommended the department revise its policies and procedures to better identify ineligible claims for payment and to ensure background investigations are routinely performed as part of the hiring process. Sand is also recommending the department ensure that financial reconciliations are independently reviewed and that the agency either comply with current state law or seek to have outdated laws repealed. The report notes that 19 of the 22 deficiencies are issues cited in previous years’ audits.

IWD officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report, but the state agency’s written responses to individual findings indicate that IWD attributes many of the cited deficiencies to staff turnover within the department.

Among the issues cited by the state auditor:

Detection of fraud: Earlier this year, Jodi Spargur-Tate, a former program director at Children and Families of Iowa, was alleged to have improperly spent $427,000 in taxpayer money that originated with a U.S. Department of Labor job training grant that passed through IWD.  Court records indicate Spargur-Tate has not been criminally charged in the case. According to the auditor’s office, it has repeatedly pointed out that since 2015, IWD has failed to oversee subrecipients of grant money such as CFI. In response to the new report raising the issue, IWD suggested CFI and others were also to blame, noting that “effective oversight requires reciprocal diligence by all stakeholders” and “at all levels.”

Internal oversight of federal funding: IWD is required to maintain effective internal controls over the award of federal money to ensure it is spent according to federal requirements. Part of the process involves the creation of financial reports, although auditors found that the total expenditures in those reports did not always agree with the state’s own accounting system. In total, the IWD reports “overstated $503,067,” the auditor found, adding that due to staff turnover IWD didn’t have adequate resources to ensure the reconciliation of financial records or ensure the records were properly reviewed and filed on a timely basis.

Cash management: Generally, a maximum of three days is considered acceptable between the receipt of federal funds and IWD’s disbursement of those funds. The auditor’s review of IWD records identified “excessive” cash balances in the millions of dollars. The auditor found that although procedures had been established to draw federal funds only in amounts sufficient to cover current needs, IWD did not review or update its procedures to account for federal draws associated with pandemic-related administrative programs and unemployment benefits.

Federal and state cost sharing: Some state expenses related to IWD work are funded through the federal government. IWD has a process for separately allocating certain costs to either federal or state programs based on a combination of the square footage and time devoted to the separate programs. Although IWD policies require certain elements of that cost-allocation process to be reviewed and updated quarterly, that work wasn’t always performed in 2024, affecting $892,043 in cost allocations, the auditor found. In response, IWD said that going forward, the quarterly review updates will instead be done annually unless there are significant changes that necessitate quarterly reviews.

Worker compensation: IWD failed to properly report “short time compensation” — payments to workers whose hours had been reduced to avoid layoffs — and other payouts throughout the fiscal year. “General ledgers were not maintained properly throughout fiscal year 2024,” the auditor found, and one account balance was overstated by $5.2 million while another was overstated by $5.1 million. The situation resulted in “undetected reporting errors and misstatements,” and increased the risk for further undetected reporting errors, the auditor concluded.

Accuracy of benefits: A program designed to determine the accuracy of paid and denied unemployment benefits calls for IWD to complete a financial review within 120 days of the end of a fiscal year. IWD management “decided to close cases if they were over 150 days old so that the Quality Control Department could focus on current cases,” the auditor found. However, Iowa Workforce Development did not have written instruction from the U.S. Department of Labor to close the cases and it was denied that relief by the DOL when it was requested, the auditor added. In its written response to that finding, IWD explained that after the pandemic the department had a complete turnover in benefit-accuracy management staff.

(Corning, Iowa) – A woman from Adams County has pleaded guilty in connection with an October 2023 shooting incident.

According to Iowa District Court records, 39-year-old Lisa Inman, of Corning, entered her written guilty plea on Tuesday (July 22nd). Inman was initially charged with conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, two counts of child endangerment, and obstructing prosecution or defense.

And, while it is currently unclear what specific charges Inman has pled guilty to, her sentencing hearing will take place on August 5th, at 9:30 a.m.

Lisa’s husband Cole Inman was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison for one count of Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon. Several other charges against him, including Attempted Murder, Child Endangerment, Reckless Use of a Firearm, and Obstruction of Prosecution or Defense, were dismissed by the court.

The charges stem from an incident in October, 2023, when Cole Inman allegedly chased a truck carrying several teenagers he thought were on his property and fired multiple rounds at the vehicle. Lisa and their children were in the car with him during the incident.

(Radio Iowa) – A heat advisory covers 97 of Iowa’s 99 counties through tonight (Wednesday) as heat indices may reach 105 degrees. The heat can be harmful to people — and pets. Sybil Soukup, with the Humane Society of North Iowa, says having your window cracked in your vehicle does absolutely nothing to help animals left inside. She says they’ve experimented with a thermometer in a car in the Humane Society’s parking lot.

“With the windows closed, the car got up to almost 140 degrees in a matter of 20 minutes. That will kill your pet. Your pet will die in that kind of environment,” Soukup says. “Cracking the windows lowered that temperature by about two degrees, so it does not matter. On a day like today when it’s just humidity, I don’t know if it makes much difference, because that humidity is just so hot.”

Radio Iowa photo

Soukup says if you see a pet in a vehicle, don’t immediately take matters into your own hands. See if the vehicle is running, and if it’s not, don’t try to break the window out to rescue the pet, call law enforcement to help assess the situation. “It’s illegal, and you could get charged with destruction of property. What I would do is call the police department in my community,” she says. “They will send out an officer who can then determine if a window needs to be broken or not, and they will take over and they will find the owner in the store or restaurant or whatever.”

Soukup says pets that are kept outside or left in parked cars are very susceptible to heat stroke, injury and even death in extreme conditions.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says the Senate Armed Services Committee has advanced a bill that would provide the money for a new runway in Sioux City for the 185th Air National Guard Refueling Wing. “What I have done is put into the National Defense Authorization Act the funding for the runway in its entirety, so that is in the form of an authorization,” Ernst says. ”

And my provision also requires that the Department of Defense brief congress on how they plan to preserve the 185th.” Earlier this year, the Iowa National Guard’s adjutant general said the project’s total cost would be 95 million dollars. While the National Defense Authorization Act does list spending priorities like this one, the money also has to be included in a separate appropriations bill that’s still being developed.

An Airman of the 185th Air Refueling Wing refastens a cover after checking the oil of a KC-135 Stratotanker during a training event at the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, Iowa, March 1, 2025. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Tylon Chapman)

“I’m going to just keep pushing until we get this activity done,” Ernst said. “…The bottom line is we’ve got this provision, it provides the authority for the runway to be funded completely and this is for those great men and women of the 185th and for the community.”

In 2003, the Air Force switched to having refueling tanker planes rather than F-16 fighter jets based at Sioux City’s airport. The F-A-A has determined the runway has about two more years of unrestricted use in its current condition and after that it will be too dangerous for the massive aircraft and crews to use it.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa man played catch for 24 hours straight to help people with disabilities take part in sports and recreation. Kevin Negaard is the founder of the Miracle League in Sioux City. The league includes a playground, splash pad, and rubber-surfaced baseball field at Riverside Park. Negaard decided to throw and catch for one whole day to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the organization and to raise money to resurface the all-inclusive play area.

Negaard started his quest Monday afternoon and hoped to raise $50,000 to help refurbish the Miracle League sports complex. A couple of years ago, he spent a year playing catch with more than 2,000 people in five different counties and raised more than $370,000 for the league.

DAVENPORT, Iowa –  The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports two Muscatine men were sentenced on (Tuesday) July 22, 2025, to federal prison for drug and gun crimes, related to an officer involved shooting in Muscatine on May 29, 2024.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, on May 29, 2024, Juan Aldo Beltran Delgado, 34, and Isidro Barajas, Jr., 30, drove to a residence in Muscatine, Iowa, to await the delivery of a package they expected to contain more than 4.5 pounds of methamphetamine. Law enforcement observed Beltran Delgado and Barajas pick up the package from the residence and attempted to stop their vehicle. Beltran Delgado was driving the vehicle and drove over 100 miles per hour through Muscatine, drove through multiple red lights, attempting to evade law enforcement. Ultimately, Beltran Delgado crashed into two other vehicles near Highway 61 and Cedar Street. After crashing, both Beltran Delgado and Barajas fled from the car on foot carrying firearms. Officers arrived in the area and Beltran Delgado shot at officers. Officers were able to take both Beltran and Delgado and Barajas into custody.

Beltran Delgado was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison, followed by a five-year term of supervised release, following his plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and carrying and discharging a firearm during an in relation to his drug trafficking. Barajas was sentenced to 32 years in federal prison, followed by a ten-year term of supervised release, following his plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, carrying and displaying a firearm during an in relation to his drug trafficking, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Department of Public Safety, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Muscatine Police Department, Cedar County Sheriff’s Office, Muscatine County Drug Task Force, Johnson County Drug Taskforce, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, during their meeting this (Wednesday) morning, received a Semi-Annual Report from Adair County Treasurer Brenda Wallace, who summed-up the report…

Afterward, the Board approved publishing of the report. In other business, the Board discussed the formation of a Steering Committee for development of a County Comprehensive Plan. Board Chair Nathan Baier said at least 15 people from a cross-section of the County are needed…

Supervisors Matt Wedemeyer and Jodie Hoadley volunteered to serve on the Committee. The Board will discuss the matter further during their meeting next week During the meeting on July 9^th, the Supervisors approved a Comprehensive Plan agreement between the County and SICOG (The Southern Iowa Council of Governments).

2025 Board of Supervisors
Left to Right: Jodie Hoadley, Jerry Walker, Nathan Baier, and Michael Christoffersen. Not pictured: Matt Wedemeyer. (Official Adair County website photo)

The acted to approve a plan and contractor, for the demolition of the Grandstand at the Adair County Fairgrounds. Nathan Baier commented…

Baier said demolition is expected to start sometime this week or early next week. The grandstand will be razed due to its age and safety concerns. A new grandstand will be erected in its place.

And, the Adair County Supervisors acted to pass a resolution directing the advertisement for sale, and approving electronic bidding procedures, along with the distribution of the Preliminary Statement, with regard to $5-million in General Obligation Urban Renewal Bonds, Series 2025. Auditor Mandy Berg said the bonds will fund essential urban renewal projects under the county’s Northwest Wind Farm Urban Renewal Plan, including shoulder widening on N51, as well as bridge and culvert replacements. The annual increase in property taxes as the result of the issuance on a residential property with an actual value of one hundred thousand dollars is estimated not to exceed $26.81. However, the actual increase may vary depending on future bonding actions and changes in other levies.

(Radio Iowa) – Thousands of cyclists on the Register’s Annual Bicycle Ride Across Iowa left Forest City very early this morning to hopefully complete the 70 mile trek to the next host city of Iowa Falls before the most intense heat of the day. Walt Weiland of Fresno, California, was relieving to make it to Forest City yesterday. “I love coming back to Iowa again and just connecting with all the folks from all over the world and it was a great challenge today, Weiland said, laughing. “It was 76 miles and I barely made it, but I’m quite happy to have done it.”

This isn’t a solo RAGBRAI trip for Weiland. “I’m with a group of friends and it’s kind of a party all across Iowa, basically,” Weiland said. “So I’m enjoying the heck out of it.” Weiland added that Iowa’s humidity “is bad,” but he’s used to higher temperatures of 100 to 110 degrees back home in Fresno.

The RAGBRAI route officially opens at 6 a.m. every day. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory, starting at noon today that includes the route to Iowa Falls.