DES MOINES, Iowa — A member of the Des Moines Police Department Bomb Squad detonated an improvised explosive device that was found Thursday at Waveland Golf Course. KCCI-TV in Des Moines received multiple tips early Thursday afternoon from people at the Des Moines municipal course, saying they had been told to leave the grounds. Des Moines police confirmed that a golfer reported finding what they thought was a pipe bomb to Waveland staff just before noon, spurring the evacuation.

Sgt. Paul Parizek, spokesperson for DMPD, said responding officers determined the device was suspicious and potentially dangerous, so the Des Moines PD Bomb Squad was called-in. The confirmed the device was dangerous and used their equipment to detonate it on site. No other information about the improvised explosive device is currently available. Des Moines police say the area is secure and there is no evidence of ongoing danger in the area.

All access to the course was prohibited while emergency crews are on the scene. Everyone who was evacuated received a free pass to go back to Waveland or another municipal course.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says she doesn’t agree that a 20-year-old man from West Liberty who was deported back to Guatemala after seven years in Iowa did not get due process. Hinson says she supports President Trump’s call to deport criminal first. And I think that should be a priority, but that doesn’t mean that people who are here illegally, who are eligible for deportation should not be deported. And my understanding with that case specifically is that there was a deportation order for him. And so I believe he has had due process,” Hinson says.

The Republican from Marion spoke during her weekly conference call with reporters and says illegal immigration is the top issue she hears about from her constituents. Hinson says those here illegally should look at self deporting to be able to come back. “There are many mechanisms for people to self deport right now. The C-D-P One app, which is allowing for people to maybe have the chance to come back and experience the American dream, I would encourage people to to look into what the Department of Homeland Security is offering there,” Hinson says. “Because again, the number one issue I heard about is the border and safety and making sure we’re deporting people who are not here illegally.”

President Donald Trump has talked about allowing farmers to vouch for workers here illegally, while U-S Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins says there will be no amnesty for farm and in food production workers here illegally and facing deportation. Hinson says she heard what President Trump said about that last week and also talked with the U-S Ag Secretary about it. “I think what’s most important is we work toward a solution that provides a legal immigration workforce visa, so this is a workforce visa, not an an amnesty issue,” she says. “And we need to make sure we have those legal pathways for people to to come here to work in critical industries like agriculture.”

Hinson says it is possible to protect the integrity of the food system while also dealing with illegal immigration. “I think you can couple dealing with the deportation side with illegal immigration at the same time providing pathways for people to come here and work legally,” Hinson says. Hinson says she will continue working with the administration to reach that goal.

(Radio Iowa) – A groundbreaking was held today (Thursday) and renovation will soon begin, for the Des Moines mansion that will be a permanent home for the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa. The 20 million dollar project includes an event center, a museum, a speakeasy-style bar and cafe, plus space for Italian cooking classes. Jeff Lamberti is chairman the Italian-American Cultural Center of Iowa’s board of governors.

“While preserving and promoting our culture and educating folks about our rich history, we hope to create a destination for all of Iowa,” Lamberti said. A five MILLION dollar pavilion will feature bocce ball courts and Lamberti says it will be a site for national and international competitions. Lamberti is the grandson of an immigrant from Italy.

“Beginning in the late 1800s and continuing into the early 1900s, immigrants from Italy came to Iowa in search of the American dream just like immigrants from many other countries,” Lamberti says. “…They came to work in the coal mines or the railroads or as tailors or shoemakers and thru hard work they became part of the fabric and history of Des Moines and the state of Iowa.”

According to the National Italian American Foundation, about 50-thousand people living in Iowa have Italian ancestry. The property that’s being renovated is about two miles south of the Des Moines airport and sits on a bluff overlooking downtown Des Moines. “We get the opportunity the preserve and restore the historic Butler Mansion, which when it opened in the 1930s was called by one national magazine the most modern home in America,'” Lamberti said. The project is partially funded with a more than one-MILLION dollar grant from Polk County and a two MILLION dollar grant from the State of Iowa.

Governor Kim Reynolds says it’s a landmark development that will draw visitors to Iowa. “This facility will truly have something for everyone from families to wedding parties to national sporting competitions and I can’t think of a better location than the historic Butler Mansion…an architectural hallmark of this city and our state,” Reynolds said. “And this project will cement that iconic status even as it brings the mansion back to the cultural cutting edge.”

Matt McCoy, chairman of the Polk County Board of Supervisors, says his great grandfather was a tailor who came to America to make a better life for his family. “This center is more than just bricks and mortar,” McCoy said. “It will be a vibrant hub where generations will come together to celebrate the Italian language, art, music, food and values.”

Today’s (Thursday’s) event began with a prayer from a Catholic priest, who sprinkled holy water on the site before the ceremonial groundbreaking.

(Radio Iowa) – The executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association is thrilled over the Trump Administration’s plans for increased renewable fuel blending levels. Monte Shaw says the EPA released its proposed changes on Tuesday for the Renewable Fuel Standard for the coming years, and he says they’re very robust compared to previous years.

“The last rule was definitely below what it should have been,” said Shaw. “It’s kind of left the industry a little stagnant. And, these would be very robust levels — the largest we’ve seen. Fifteen billion gallons for conventional biofuels like ethanol, 24 billion gallons overall, so, a significant step up for the levels that biodiesel operates in, and things like that.”

Shaw says the standards set during President Biden’s administration hurt the renewable fuel industry. “The last rules under the Biden Administration woefully missed — I mean, they just missed,” he said. “It set the levels way too low for what was going on in the biodiesel and renewable diesel industries by billions of gallons. So, it really hurt the industry. Quite frankly, what the industry said was going to happen, happened. They (the Biden Administration) said, ‘Nah, you guys are too optimistic’ and low-balled it, and it hurt. We had biodiesel plants shut down.”

Radio Iowa file photo

Shaw hopes the improved RFS levels ease any discomfort President Trump’s proposed trade tariffs caused farmers. “We know farmers have faced a pretty rough two years,” said Shaw. “We know there’s going to be some disruptions to the markets based on how Trump wants to pursue his trade and tariff agenda. So, I think they looked at the RFS as something they could do for agriculture to provide some growth and stability while they pursue some other policies that can be a little tricky for agriculture.”

While calling the proposed levels “a great first step,” he urged the EPA to provide greater access to E-15 fuels by eliminating outdated regulations.

(Radio Iowa) – Another central Iowa town is losing its only grocery store. On its Facebook page, the Stratford Food Center announced that it will be closing its doors to its customers in the Hamilton County community. The post states that the store has faced challenges including the increase in prices, broken freezers and coolers, and the piling of debt. The Stratford Food Center opened for business in 2009.

Photo provided by KQWC

The announcement comes on the heels of the Webster County town of Dayton closing its store with the announcement made public in June. The Stratford Food Center will close its doors once all items are sold in their store.

(Radio Iowa) – Drought conditions continue to improve in the state. The latest U-S Drought Monitor shows most of the middle of the state has no drought conditions, which is about 64 percent — and is up from 57 percent last week. Less than four percent of the state has areas of moderate drought, including one county in northwest Iowa, six in the southeast, four in south-central, and two in eastern Iowa.

Around 36 percent of the state is abnormally dry, in sections along the eastern and western edges. Just 20 percent of the state had no drought conditions at the start of the year.

(Radio Iowa) – Another demonstration is planned this (Thursday) afternoon in Davenport, following a protest in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, after a West Liberty man was deported to Guatemala over the Fourth of July holiday. Members of the group Escucha Mi Voz, or Listen to My Voice, say 20-year-old Pascual Pedro Pedro was “unjustly deported by ICE without due process.” Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s aware of the case. “His advocates have been in contact with my office,” Grassley says. “I don’t know that he has been, and obviously we would need a privacy report, a statement from him, to get involved in his case.”

Today’s (1:30 PM) protest is planned outside the Davenport offices of Grassley, Senator Joni Ernst and Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Grassley, who’s in Washington D-C, did not say when he would meet with the group about Pedro Pedro’s case. “It’s been publicly reported that he was issued a lawful, expedited removal several years ago,” Grassley says. “That removal order was final and he since been staying in U.S. temporarily under certain conditions that I’m not sure that I can define.” Grassley says it’s the executive branch of government that carries out the nation’s immigration enforcement laws. “I’ll continue to pass along Iowans’ questions and concerns to the administration, if that’s what they want me to do,” Grassley says. “But I make law, I don’t enforce law. I can advocate for people, but I’ll have to go through the administrative branch of government.”

Wednesday’s protest was outside the Immigration Customs and Enforcement office in Cedar Rapids. Pedro Pedro reportedly had no criminal background and was swiftly deported, after spending the past seven years in eastern Iowa. Alejandra Escobar, with the nonprofit Escucha Mi Voz, spoke during the rally. “What happened in this office, we still don’t know the details, but we do know some things,” Escobar says. “One, is that Pascual was denied due process, a process that every single person deserves.” Escobar says Pedro Pedro was detained at an annual check-in at the Cedar Rapids ICE office and deported days later. His family found out when he called them from Guatemala City.

“Bring Pascual back now, where he belongs, in his community, in his church, with his family at home in West Liberty. Yes! Yes!” Pedro Pedro’s lawyer says when he entered the country at 13 years old, he was given an order for supervision that allowed him to stay, but ICE officers removed that order last week when they detained him.

(Additional reporting by James Kelley, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – The Army will be shutting down Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs at the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Dubuque and Buena Vista University. The University of Northern Iowa’s ROTC detachment was established in 1981. The University of Dubuque’s military program dates back to 1918 when the campus hosted the Students’ Army Training Corps. The University of Dubuque’s ROTC program was previously closed down in 1991, but reactivated in 2004.

Buena Vista University’s ROTC program has operated for the past 15 years. The Army’s plan will reorganize or shut down ROTC programs on 84 college campuses around the country and is part of a broader effort to streamline Pentagon operations.

The commanding general of U.S. Army Cadet Command says the moves will rebalance the Army’s requirements for officer commissioning, while being good stewards of taxpayer dollars.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – As mentioned in our previous report, the Atlantic School Board, Wednesday, approved 2025-26 Employment Contracts. School Finance Director Lisa Jones reminded the Board they had already approved the Certified Staff Contracts, and the District settled with the Classified Staff Union, Tuesday night, and those rates are set. Other positions in the District are not covered under a Union Contract, so they are recommended for approval by Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen. The overall cost to the District, Jones said, is roughly $418,00 for all contracts, including FICA, IPERS and salaries. It does not include insurance.

Contracts for those who are not teachers were expected to go out to staff today (Thursday). The cost of insurance for the District increased by more than one-third over last year.

Switching health insurance providers, she said saved the district around $100,000 this year.

The numbers, she said, bear-out the reason for the change in insurance companies.

The District, Jones said, will have to reassess its costs and contribution next year.

Atlantic High School

In other business, the Atlantic School Board, Wednesday, passed a resolution authorizing bids for the High School roof project. Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen…