(UPDATE: A judge has ruled the trials will be moved out of Monona County to Woodbury County. The trial for Jamie Allen is scheduled to begin on February 3, 2026.)

ONAWA, Iowa (KTIV) – A western Iowa man charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed his wife will have his trial moved. The trial of 50-year-old Jamie Allen of Onawa will be granted a change of venue. On the trial’s first scheduled day, potential jurors were given questionnaires. After those questionnaires were reviewed, the defense made a motion for a change of venue. He faces on count of first degree murder in connection with the death of Stacey Allen.

The state resisted the motion for a change, but the court ruled that, based on the extent of knowledge or opinion of the case by prospective jurors, a substantial number of potential jurors could not be impartial.

According to court documents, there would be a substantial likelihood that a fair and impartial trial could not be preserved with a jury selected from Monona County. The judge then dismissed all potential jurors. The trial will be rescheduled to a later date, not yet determined.

The investigation was handled by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, which concluded, “On May 10, 2024, at approximately [5:40 p.m.], Jamie Lee Allen, having malice aforethought, willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation killed his wife, Stacey Maria Jean Allen, with a firearm, outside of their home.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Insurance Division issued a warning regarding fraudulent Medicare accounts Wednesday. Letters have been sent out to Iowans on Medicare who may have been impacted by the scam. Those impacted will receive a letter stating the following:

“We’re writing to inform you of an incident involving your personal information related to your Medicare.gov account. To help make sure your privacy is protected, we will mail you a new Medicare card with a new Medicare Number in the coming weeks. The incident involved currently unknown bad actors who accessed your data from an unknown source to fraudulently create Medicare.gov accounts. We’re sending you this letter so you understand this incident, how we’re addressing it, and additional steps you can take to protect your privacy. Your current Medicare benefits or coverage aren’t affected by this incident.”

According to a release, 103,000 Medicare beneficiaries across the U.S. have had a fake Medicare.gov account created using their personal information. CMS is working to deactivate affected accounts.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI-TV)  — Before the end of the year, Kum & Go will no longer exist anywhere in Iowa. Starting later this week, the beloved convenience store brand will get a makeover, turning every Kum & Go in Iowa into Maverik.

The rebranding comes after the Utah-based Maverik bought the chain from the Krause Group in 2023. Many Kum & Go stores outside of Iowa have already transitioned to Maverik.

The transition begins in western Iowa with the Neola Kum & Go location closing on Friday and reopening as Maverik on Tuesday. Other area Kum & Go stores that will make the transition include:

The first Des Moines metro-area location will close July 25 and open July 29 after undergoing the rebrand. All 96 Iowa Kum & Go locations will be rebranded to Maverik by mid October.

OMAHA, Neb. [KETV] — A Judge in Douglas County, Nebraska has allowed a western Iowa man charged in a fatal July 11th crash, to be released on bond. 22-year-old Christian Stephens, of Earling, will be allowed to live nearly an hour away in rural Iowa while he faces charges. His attorney also requested continuous alcohol monitoring, meaning he’ll report to Omaha twice daily for tests.

The crash occurred at around 2:10-a.m. on July 11th, on westbound I-480 near 14th Street in Omaha. Police said their preliminary investigation revealed a pickup driven by Stephens was traveling the wrong direction on I-480 when it struck a car nearly head-on. The impact caused the car to catch fire.

Stephens posted 10% of a One-million-dollar bond and was released from jail. Prosecutors charged Stephens with two counts of motor vehicle homicide for the deaths of 21-year-old Nicholas “Nico” Humbert and 15-year-old Adrianna Estrada.

He’s also charged with three more counts of DUI causing serious injury — to two teenage girls in the Buick Sedan he’s accused of crashing into, and a passenger in his Ford pickup.

(Radio Iowa) – Next week’s RAGBRAI — the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa — will cross into a neighboring state for the first time in the event’s 52 year history. Monday’s route from Milford to Estherville includes a 15 mile stretch in Jackson County, Minnesota. Ryan Krosch, the county’s administrator, has been in charge of planning to host over 10-thousand bicyclists. “I had heard of RAGBRAI, but I did not realize how large of an event it was…I was a little overwhelmed, but we pulled together a lot of volunteers and staff to greet the bicyclists and looking forward to the opportunity showcase Minnesota and Jackson County.”

Over 20 food and beverage vendors will be set up at a local park. “Brown Park South is just north of the Iowa border and is nestled between two lakes,” Krosch said, “Pearl Lake and Loon Lake.” Krosch says riders will be invited to use Pearl Lake to carry a RAGBRAI tradition into another state. “The bicyclists will be able to take their bikes and dip that into Minnesota waters,” Krosch says. Ceremonial tire dipping has been part of RAGBRAI for years.

Many cyclists start the route on the western edge of Iowa by dipping a tire in the Missouri River and ending seven days later in eastern Iowa with a tire dip in the Mississippi. Krosch will be working with his staff and local law enforcement to make sure the bicyclists have a smooth ride through Jackson County — and he’s not at all tempted to join the two wheeling. “I’m not a bicyclist, but I do actually have an uncle here in Minnesota who is participating,” Krosch says, “so looking forward to seeing all the folks come and hope they have a good time.”

Iowa State Patrol Trooper Kevin Krull says there’s been a good deal of communication to law enforcement agencies up north about how to direct traffic when thousands of bicyclists pedal up north. “The nice part is it’s only going to be one county, so it’s basically dealing with one county’s sheriff’s department and the state patrol in that area,” Krull said. “We’re going to pass the ride off to them and they’re going to assist while they’re in Minnesota and then they’ll pass them back off when they come back in.”

Krull is one of 14 state troopers who coordinate with local law enforcement to direct traffic along the RAGBRAI route. “I remember that one year I was at the bottom of a large hill near a four-lane highway. It was definitely a workout to make sure that the riders were all safe and that nobody got hurt,” he says. “…With us being there, it notifies the riders that, ‘Hey! There’s a change. Be prepared!’…If nothing else, a lot of the state patrol officers that are doing traffic control will have a music selection for you to listen to.”

A spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety says some troopers will have a radio tuned to a local music station, but Krull and a partner who’ve been directing RAGBRAI traffic for years develop their own play list.

WINTERSET, Iowa — The chairwoman of the Madison County Supervisors, Heather Stancil, has filed a lawsuit against Madison County Sheriff Jason Barnes. Her action comes as Stancil is under investigation following a Facebook comment that raised concerns of election misconduct and voter intimidation. According to KCCI-TV, the lawsuit claims that Barnes “violated procedures in Iowa law that requires him to investigate alleged election misconduct at the direction of the attorney general, not on his own initiative, and to keep any report of his investigation confidential.”

The investigation stems from a Facebook post made by Stancil in response to a petition for a special election, instead of appointing to fill the county auditor’s position. In her comment, Stancil stated that if a special election were held, she would “work to find ways to offset that additional cost to taxpayers by shrinking government.”

On Monday, the Madison County Sheriff said that the sheriff’s office is fully aware of the online public statement and that the statement and a preliminary investigation were forwarded to the Iowa Attorney General’s office.

Stancil’s attorney does not have any public comment outside of the complaint.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, discussed recent changes to the law, with regard to setting the size limits of fireworks used within the City, and hours of sale for fireworks. In his City Council Agenda notes, City Administrator John Lund has said there are two questions that have been raised as the result of recent legislative action: “Does the City have the authority to set size limits for fireworks within the City?,” and “Can the City set business hours for the sale of fireworks?”

He said according to Iowa League of Cities Deputy Director of Services Mickey Shields, the Legislature intends to prevent local governments from placing restrictions specifically on fireworks vendors. While a city may have some leeway to regulate general business hours through zoning ordinances, such regulations must apply broadly and not single out specific types of businesses, such as those selling fireworks. Even then, Shields advised caution, given the current legal landscape surrounding fireworks sales and state law. Regarding the size and type of fireworks, Shields said a section of the Iowa Code outlines general restrictions on what qualifies as “consumer fireworks” and includes provisions for other categories. He said also, the State Fire Marshal has authority over what vendors can sell through the state’s permitting and licensing process.

Atlantic CC meeting, 7-16-25

A citizen of Atlantic voiced his displeasure with the way some of his neighbors have been using fireworks, and the resulting debris left on his property, along with the danger of a fire starting on his outdoor furniture and deck caused by the reckless use of fireworks.

He said it essentially boils down to being respectful of your neighbor and aware of the costly danger in using fireworks.

No action was taken by the Council during their meeting. In other business, the Atlantic City Council passed the second reading of an amended ordinance with regard to “Parking Violations.” The Ordinance (#1060) says “Uncontested Violations of parking restrictions…shall be charged upon a simple notice of a fine, payable at the office of the City Clerk.” The fine amounts to $30 for all violations EXCEPT snow route parking violations and improper use of a persons with disabilities parking permit. Those fines are $50 and $100, respectively. Any fines not paid within 30 days, will be increased by $20.

The Atlantic City Council passsed also, a Resolution “Assessing unpaid fees and costs to property taxes,” in cases where City employees have to deal with property cleanup and mowing, nuisance abatements, emergency services or utility disconnections, or other municipal services performed, due to non-compliance by the property owner. There are currently 10 properties where fees amounting to a total of $10,903.28 have not been paid.

(Creston, Iowa) – A collision this (Wednesday) afternoon in Creston resulted in a police-estimated total of $2,500 damage, but no one was injured and no citations were issued. Authorities say a 2018 Freightliner semi tractor-trailer driven by 19-year-old Cameron Jennings, of Prescott (IA), was traveling south on Lincoln Street in Creston at around 2:35-p.m., and turning left onto Townline Street.

As Jennings turned too sharply, the trailer struck a 2007 Chevy Tahoe SUV, driven by 34-year-old Brandi Craft, of Atlantic, as Craft was waiting in the left lane at the stop light on westbound Townline at the intersection with Lincoln Street.

Creston Police say Jennings’ failure to keep in the proper lane and operator inexperience were contributing factors in the collision.

(Radio Iowa) – Racing and Gaming Administrator Tina Eick says the money bet on sports went up in Iowa in the fiscal year that ended June 30th.  “The amount wagered in the last fiscal year was almost two-point-nine billion dollars ($2.9). That’s up nine-point-three percent (9.3%) over the last fiscal,” Eick says. Eick says there were some records set for the amount wagered that is known as the handle.

“Fiscal year 2025 marks the first time that a single operator, Draft Kings took in more than one billion in handle on its own in the state of Iowa,” she says. There were several monthly betting records set. “November in particular set an all time record for handle at 315 million dollars, ” Eick says, “and we set records for revenue in eight out of the 12 months.” A majority of the money bet is paid out in prizes, but the sports gambling operators and the state also got a cut.

“Revenue on that for the operators was over 240 million dollars, and tax dollar wise to the state, that was over 16-point-two million dollars, which is up just over 13 percent,” she says. Iowa was one of the first states to start sports betting in 2019, and Eick says as the industry grows, there continues to be more options. “New leagues are still being requested and approved for wagering from the Commission on a regular basis,” she says. “So we’re covering everything from those standard markets that everybody knows and loves, football, March Madness, to obscure European table tennis.”

While sports wagering has grown, Eick says it still lags behind casino revenue in Iowa. The last fiscal year taxes on casino wagering were approximately 345-million dollars, compared to 16-point-two million from sports wagering. Eick says Racing and Gaming also wants to be sure that no one gets in over their head in any type of gambling and there is help available.

If anyone finds themselves or a family members in need of those resources, information on the self exclusion program can be found on the Commission website,” she says. You can also go to yourlifeiowa.org or call 1-800-BETS-Off to get free confidential help.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission has approved an update of rules on septic systems. Eric Wiklund of the D-N-R’s Water Quality Bureau says the change involves aerobic treatment units or A-T-U’s, which are an alternative to the normal septic tank systems. “An aerobic treatment unit is like a small activated sludge plant where you don’t have the physical media in there. They’re using aeration and mixing to create that environment where the microbes will consume the material and produce clean water at the other end. They use oxygen where the other ones use a media,” Wiklund says. Wiklund says the update drops the requirement that A-T-U’s run its water through a soil absorption system or a sand filter as a third step before discharging treated water.

“It ends up being kind of a prohibition A-T-U’s because if you can use soil absorption, you’re already required to do it, so if you have to use soil absorption on an A-T-U, you probably can’t because of the way that the soils are or just the groundwater. So it really has put them at a disadvantage,” he says. There were some people who spoke out against the change, saying the water from the aerobic units could lead to pollution. The majority of people who spoke at the Environmental Protection Commission meeting said they supported the change as studies show the treated water meets the same standards of other methods. Wiklund says the rules are now the same for whatever is used.

“All these alternative units, whether they’re media filters or aerobic treatment units, they all have to meet the same standards for testing in Iowa. And we want everybody to be able to. meet that same standard and be treated equally.” Wiklund says. The change came after the governor mandated agencies review their rules to cut burdensome regulations. Wiklund says the change allows for the use of new ideas. “We want innovation to be available to come to Iowa. So if there’s new treatment technologies and they meet that same standard, that same national standard, they can all be utilized in Iowa, ” he says. Those who spoke out against the rule change also say the aerobic systems require more maintenance and if that is not done there can be polluted water released. Wiklund says the extra maintenance is figured into the rule change.

“In the case of the A-T-U’s, everybody knows they do need more frequent maintenance, typically twice a year. So the rule supports that. If the manufacturer requires maintenance twice per year, then our rule is going to require maintenance twice per year. The counties are required to track those maintenance agreements and ensure that the maintenance is occurring,” he says. Wiklund estimates there are more than 10-thousand septic systems in Iowa, though he says it’s hard to get a count. He says the can be individual homes, or groups of homes that share one system together.

The new rules will go into effect in August.