(Radio Iowa) – Diamond Vogel Paint in Orange City announced last week it is going to sell of the company owned stores that sell what it calls its architectural paint that is used by homeowners and contractors. Diamond Vogel C-E-O Jeff Powell says they determined its the best move for the future of the company.

“The retail environment is has been challenging for several years and it’s just a very difficult challenging decision for us because we’ve got such great employees,” he says. The employees will be offered positions by the company that is purchasing the retail stores. Powell says they have been a regional player for this type of paint, and plan to supply it to the new retail owners.

“At this point in time, we’re going to continue to manufacture those great Diamond Vogel architectural products to supply to those locations. So yes, you’ll still be able to get Diamond Vogel paint and it’ll be coming out of the Diamond Vogel factory,” Powell says. Powell says they will now focus more on industrial customers and the industrial products manufactured in Marshalltown. He says they hope to expand the reach of those services.

“We are more, more national, less regional and we certainly have opportunities to expand that to be both national and potentially international over the long term. But yeah, it’s a much wider geography that we supply those particular products,” he says. Powell says the company buying the retail stores hopes to expand into more areas outside the current regional reach, and that will keep the Orange City plant going.

“We aren’t anticipating any changes at that manufacturing site at this point in time and if all things go well, we hope to maybe even expand that in the future,” Powell says. The company was founding in Orange City in 1926.

(Radio Iowa) – The U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs says more needs to be done to improve veterans’ health care. Secretary Doug Collins toured the V.A.’s Central Iowa Health Care Center in Des Moines today (Monday) and talked about efforts to reshape the system. “We’re trying to get better decisions quicker,” Collins said. “We’re making better decisions on where we put personnel and how we put our money.”

U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins (official photo)

Earlier this year Collins set a goal of cutting the V.A. payroll by 80,000 workers by September 30, but in July Collins said due to retirements, normal attrition and a federal hiring freeze, a new workforce reduction target of 30,000 employees will be reached without any layoffs. That’s 6.2% of the V.A.’s employees.

During his stop in Des Moines, Collins said there are structural issues that hinder the V.A. health system’s ability to serve patients. “Whether it be how quickly it takes us to get someone hired, how we can add new facilities, how we can add things to our repertoire, and also working with our community and our community docs,” Collins said.

Collins is a former chaplain in the Air Force Reserves. Collins represented Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives for eight years before President Trump appointed him to head the Department of Veterans Affairs.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a man from Adel man was sentenced on Friday, September 5, 2025, to 108 months (nine-years)  in federal prison for transportation of child pornography.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip that an account, later determined to be associated with 55-year-old Douglas Harsh,received files containing child sexual abuse material. Law enforcement seized electronic devices during a search of Harsh’s Adel residence. The investigation showed that Harsh was a member of an online chat group whose members shared images and videos of child pornography including content of prepubescent children.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Harsh will be required to serve a seven-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Harsh was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation Internet Crimes Against Children, and the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The 33rd Annual Coca-Cola Days in Atlantic will be held September 26th and 27th. The event is the second largest collector’s show in the United States and includes a tailgate barbecue open to the public, a Show, Swap & Sell, Coca-Cola themed raffle and many more activities for all ages.

The theme for the 2025 Coca-Cola Days is “Catch the Wave” a beach theme. The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce says the Coca Cola Days committee brainstormed ways to celebrate the theme through raffle items, which include Coca-Cola beach towels, beach umbrella, IGLOO cooler, JENGA game and bags board.

Chamber Programs Director Kelsey Beschorner says “Coca-Cola Days is a fun tradition for our community, and this year’s ‘Catch the Wave’ theme lets us add a little extra summer spirit. From beach-inspired raffle prizes to many tables of collectibles at the swap meet, there’s lots of fun in store.”

2025 Coca-Cola Days t-shirts are available for purchase online now until September 14th at https://cocacoladays2025.itemorder.com/shop/home/. The t-shirts are a District Tee with a soft, polyester and cotton blend. T-Shirts can be picked up on the day of the event, or at the Chamber following Coca-Cola Days. For an additional fee, your purchase can be shipped right to your door.

Raffle tickets are available at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce for $5 a ticket or 5 tickets for $20. The winner will be announced Saturday, September 27th at 2 PM at the Show, Swap & Sell meet at the Cass County Community Building. Tickets will also be available for purchase that day, and the winner does not have to be present to win.

For more information on Coca-Cola Days or a full list of activities, please visit www.atlanticiowa.com, call the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 712-243-3017 or email chamber@atlanticiowa.com.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports there were two arrest in his county last week. Friday night, Deputies arrested 18-year-old Brandon Steve Molina-De-Leon, of Des Moines. He was taken into custody at around 11:35-p.m., following a traffic stop in Orient. Molina-De-Leon was stopped after being clocked traveling 80-miles per hour in a 55-mph zone, at the intersection of 300th Street and Henry A. Wallace Road.

An investigation determined Molina-De-Leon was driving with a revoked license for an OWI offense. Authorities say his record also showed four indefinite withdrawals in effect for suspension related to non-payment of Iowa fines. He was arrested for: Driving while license denied/revoked for OWI; Possession of Alcohol under the age of 21/1st offense, and speeding. He was additionally cited for possession of vape products. Molina-De-Leon was released early Saturday morning on a $1,000 bond.

And, on Sept. 4th, Adair County Deputies arrested 48-year-old Brandon James Corkrean, of Orient, on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation/Failure To Appear. Corkrean was released the following day on a $2,000 bond.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Police in Council Bluffs have issued a report on a citywide traffic initiative that was conducted during the evening hours on August 30th. Officers with the Council Bluffs Police Department along with the Iowa State Patrol and Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office conducted the Labor Day weekend initiative that focused on speeders and drunk driver.

During the project there were 269 citations and warnings issued. There were also four drunk drivers taken off the streets.

Last year, in the final four weeks of summer, 45 people died on roadways in Iowa; nearly 30% of those fatalities were caused by impaired driving. Authorities say there will be more of these safety projects in the coming weeks.

(Radio Iowa) – The centennial celebration of the Harlem Globetrotters includes four stops in Iowa next year. The Harlem Globetrotters, founded in 1926, played their first games in the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago. The team now plays over 400 games a year in countries around the globe and is embarking on a “100 Year Tour.”

They’ll be at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines on February 12th, at Alliant Energy Powerhouse in Cedar Rapids on February 13th and at Dubuque’s Five Flags Center on Valentine’s Day. The Globetrotters’ tour will swing back to Iowa on March 4th for a game at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City.

Over 750 players have been on the Globetrotters roster over the past century. That includes Robert Karstens, a Davenport native who was the third white man to play on the team. The founder of the Globetrotters saw Karstens play at a gym in Davenport and Karstens replaced a black player who served in the Army Air Force during World War II.

Karstens was the team’s “designated showman” in 1942 and part of ’43 — and he stayed on as team manager for the next 11 years. He’s credited with creating some of the Globetrotters’ iconic routines, including the yo-yo basketball and a behind-the-back trick shot.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – Page County Sheriff Charles McCalla has released a report on arrests that took place from Sept. 3rd through the 7th.

On Sunday (Sept. 7), Page County Deputies arrested 34-year-old Christine Whitney McGlade, of Villisca, for OWI, and Interference with Official Acts.

Last Friday (Sept. 5th), 52-year-old Gary Lynn Runyon, Jr. of Coin, was booked into the Page County Jail to serve time.

Five people were arrested in Page County on Sept. 4th:

• 21-year-old Lance Jo Harmsen, and 27-year-old Jason Lee Sarabia, Jr., both of Clarinda, were booked into the Page County Jail on Assault charges.
• 24-year-old Dunick Edward Garcia, of Clarinda, was booked into the Page County Jail on a warrant for Failure to Appear.
• 33-year-old Jessie Marie Patterson, of College Springs, was booked into the Page County Jail on Sept. 4th, on a warrant for Violation of Probation.
• and, 18-year-old Carly Jean Carnine, of Clarinda, was arrested for Assault and False Imprisonment.

On Sept. 3rd, Page County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 45-year-old Timothy Scott Fletcher, of Coin, on a warrant for Violation of Probation.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Fire Department said a malfunctioning washer in a laundry room Sunday night at a dorm on the Southwestern Community College Campus, caused light smoke, setting-off a commercial fire alarm. The incident occurred a little after 10-p.m. at the Spartan Suites dormitory. Authorities say all students successfully evacuated the building.

Firefighters arrived and detected light smoke on the second floor, which appeared to be coming from the laundry room. By 10:15 p.m., additional resources were requested to assist with the investigation, and to clear the smoke. The investigation revealed that the source of the smoke was a malfunctioning washer.

Firefighters used fans to evacuate the smoke and the alarm system was reset, allowing students to return safely to their dorm rooms. No injuries were reported. (Photos: Creston FD Facebook page)