The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports numerous arrests took place over the past week, including four people who were arrested March 25th, on drug charges:

• 52-year old Dianne Marie Ricketts, of Bridgewater, was arrested on an Adair County Felony warrant for a Controlled Substance Violation, and a Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $10,000.
• 43-year old Whitney Lynn Smith, of Greenfield, was arrested on a warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense, and PCS/Marijuana – 2nd offense. Her bond was set at $2,000. She was released on bond that same day.
• 37-year old Joseph Ryan Somori, of Greenfield, was arrested on warrants charging him with: Possession of Drug Paraphernalia;PCS/Marijuana-1st offense; 2 counts PCS/1st offense & PCS/Methamphetamine-1st offense. His bond was set at $4,300.
• and, 59-year old Lorie Jane Jungers, of Bridgewater, was arrested on warrants for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, a Controlled Substance Violation, PCD/1st offense, and PCS/Cannabidiol/1st offense. Her bond was set at $10,000.

Adair County deputies arrested 20-year old Joel William Blazek, of Greenfield, March 21st, on a warrant charging him with Felony Sexual Abuse/3rd Degree, Child Endangerment, and Lascivious Acts with a Child/Solicitation, all in violation of his probation. His bond was set at $1,000.

52-year old Jodie Suzanne Walhovd, of Adair, was arrested March 25th, on an Adair County Felony warrant for three counts of Theft in the 1st Degree, and one count of Dependent Adult Abuse/Exploitation over $100. Bond was set at $10,000.

34-year old David Spencer Reeves, of Earlham, was arrested March 24th for Conspiracy to Commit an Aggravated Misdemeanor, Tampering with a Witness or Juror, and Contempt of Court/Violation of a No Contact Order. The Sheriff’s Office says Reeves was being held in the Adair County Jail, when he allegedly communicated by text message with his brother, regarding a witness and their family. Authorities say the men were conspiring to tell the victim that they would “Drop their mouth” with information regarding illegal activity, so that the victim would withdraw her statement against David Reeves. The two men also allegedly communicated with each other regarding contacting the DHS, as well as sending the victim’s photos to stores in Des Moines, saying that she shop lifts from those stores.

On March 17th, the victim provided a statement to Stuart Police regarding a message she received from Daniel Reeves, requesting she drop the charges against him, or the photos would sent to the stores telling them the woman was a thief. Daniel Reeves also allegedly said he called the DHS about drug usage by various family members in the home and around children. His bond on all the latest charges, was set at $5,300.

Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports also, 25-year old Tyler John Thielsen, of Guthrie Center, was arrested March 26th, for Driving While Barred, and 42-year old Sarah Heather Mathiews, of Orient, was arrested March 27th, for OWI/1st offense. Thielsen and Mathiews were cited for their alleged offenses, and released.

And, 44-year old Shawn Jason Parmenter, of Greenfield, was arrested March 24th on a warrant out of Union County. He was transferred to the custody of Union County authorities.

(Sioux City) – A man from northwest Iowa man plead guilty last week to driving under the influence, in connection with a 2019 crash that killed another man. According to the Sioux City Journal, 42-year-old Joshua Mahler plead guilty to a charge of OWI/1st offense.

Under the terms of the plea, Mahler was sentenced to a suspended term of 180 days in jail. Mahler will spend 60 days on electronic monitoring and a year of probation. Investigators say Mahler was driving an SUV Oct. 6, 2019, when he hit an off-road utility vehicle driven by 61-year-old Jerome Schueller.

Schueller died. Two boys ages six and eight riding with him, were injured.

Officials with Guthrie County Extension and Outreach are holding a STEM Fest (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) to promote awareness and understanding of the importance of STEM-related educational and career opportunities. They are asking businesses to have a “display station” where you will interact with the guests (youth and adults) to:

·Give a brief overview of your business

·Present a STEM hands-on activity that 10-15 kids can participate in at a time

·Possibly distribute artifacts that the youth can place in their backpacks (pens/pencils, something they make, bookmark, etc.)

·Consider giving the kids a “real world” problem from your business to solve

If you have a store front on main street, Guthrie County Extension would like to get youth in your doors and have your booth in your store. This free interactive event will take place Saturday, May 1, 10:00 am to noon. Located in the Panora Square, 115 W Main Street. This festival will be open to all youth and families, grades K—6th!

Organizers are asking all participants in attendance, presenters included, wear masks when social distancing is not available. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the event. If you are interested in participating, please call Guthrie County ISU Extension at (641) 747-2276. The committee has quite a few suggestions and will do what they can to help make your exhibit a success! They thank you for your partnership for the future of our children and communities!

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County, Monday afternoon, released some information with regard to a fatal accident that took place Monday morning, in Avoca. Authorities say at around 6:30-a.m., the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office and Avoca and Walnut Fire and Rescue responded to the 45000 block of State Highway 83 in Avoca, for a single vehicle traffic collision.  Upon arrival Deputies determined a 2005 Pontiac G6, with a single occupant/driver, was traveling west on State Highway 83.

The vehicle left the roadway on the right side, struck a utility pole, and came to rest in a farm field.  The driver suffered fatal injuries as a result of the collision.  The identity of the driver was being withheld, pending notification of next of kin.

The accident was being investigated by the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office Collision Investigation unit.

(Radio Iowa) – That giant container ship was finally freed in the Suez Canal earlier today (Monday), unclogging a vital trade artery which might mean a slight drop in gasoline prices in Iowa. Over the past few weeks, gas prices have been creeping upward in many Iowa communities, but not just because of the grounded ship. Nick Jarmusz, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says the reasons for the recent rise are pretty straightforward.

“The simplest way to explain it is actually that we’re beginning to get back to normal in a lot of ways,” Jarmusz says. That’s “normal” in both demand for gasoline and in our travel habits. A year ago, droves of Iowans were driving very little as COVID-19 closed down many offices and stores. “The prices we’re seeing now are pretty much right in line with what we’ve seen in the last two, three years, before last year,” he says. It’s simple supply and demand, as more people are now driving, the gas prices will rise.

The prices may seem high, but Jarmusz says they’re really not that inflated compared to where prices were -before- coronavirus arrived. “You can’t forget that a year ago,” he says, “we were experiencing an unprecedented drop in demand, as people were staying home and off the roads in huge numbers.” The statewide average price for gas is two-76 a gallon.

A year ago, Iowa’s average price was a dollar-80. Dubuque now has the most expensive gas at two-90 a gallon, while Davenport has the cheapest at two-71.

(Radio Iowa) – The deadline for INDIVIDUALS filing and paying Iowa income taxes has been moved from April 30th to June 1st. Federal officials recently extended the deadline for filing federal income taxes from April 15th to May 17th and now state officials are extending Iowa’s tax filing deadline by a month as well. The moves come after a key tax change was made in the American Recovery Act that cleared congress last month. Expanded unemployment benefits approved by congress last year — and provided by the federal government — have been exempted from federal taxes. The Iowa House has voted to do the same for state income taxes. The Iowa Senate has not taken a vote on the issue.

Iowa Department of Revenue director Kraig Paulsen says the new June 1st deadline for filing AND paying Iowa income taxes will help Iowans whose lives have been disrupted by the pandemic. Paulsen signed the order moving the tax filing deadline for individuals, including Iowans who make estimated quarterly payments to cover their income taxes. However, businesses are still required to meet Iowa’s April 30th tax filing deadline.

The Glenwood Police Department reports two arrests occurred Sunday. 31-year-old Joshua Ehser, of Lake Charles, LA, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance. His cash or surety bond was set at $1,000. And, 45-year-old Casey Helmer, of Karlsruhe, ND, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance along with Carrying Weapons. His cash/surety bond was set at $3,000.

Rescue crews on Monday found the body of a missing Iowa State University student involved in a Sunday boating accident at Little Wall Lake.  According to a report from KCCI, Hamilton County Sheriff Douglas Timmons said crews were able to recover the body quickly Monday morning thanks to some advanced technology. He said the Ventura, Iowa fire rescue team used advanced sonar technology Sunday night to create a 3-D scan the lake. They were able to identify a likely location of the body. Rescue crews resumed the search at 7 a.m. and were then able to recover the body at about 9:45 a.m., before weather conditions deteriorated due to strong winds.

Five students in all were involved in the accident. One was found dead Sunday and one remained missing. Crews resumed the search for the student Monday morning before discovering the body. Timmons said the names of the individuals will not be released until family members are notified. Iowa State University spokesperson Angie Hunt confirmed members of the Iowa State Crew Club were practicing on the lake when the boat capsized. Three of the five students were rescued.

ISU President Wendy Wintersteen released the following statement Sunday:

“The Iowa State community is heartbroken to learn of this tragic accident at Little Wall Lake. At this time, we are focused on providing support to club members, their families and friends. We ask that everyone keep them in their thoughts during this very difficult time. On behalf of the university community, I want to thank the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Story County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, Department of Natural Resources, Iowa State University Police Department, Jewel Fire and Rescue, Gilbert Fire, Mary Greeley Medical Center and community members for their response and continued search efforts.”

(Radio House) – House Speaker Pat Grassley says resolving the impasse over Iowa’s so-called Bottle Bill has historically involved finger-pointing among the interest groups involved — but lawmakers in the House may be nearing an agreement.  “If anything’s going to happen with the Bottle Bill, the legislature has to make a decision of what’s best for our constituents, what’s best for the long term viability of the program and just go forward,” Grassley says, “and the folks in the industry may not love that solution, but at some point we’re just going to have to do it.”

Grassley says a potential deal in the works would increase the amount of money for redemption centers. In addition, the requirement that grocery stores and other retailers that sell beverages accept the empties and pay back the nickle deposit could be waived. “If you choose to make that business decision, it’s going to probably cost you some money to pay someone else to take those cans, because in the state one of the pieces that we struggle with is is it’s not enforced that everyone that sells that product has to take them back,” Grassley says, “so I think requiring everyone to take them back or if you don’t want to take them back, you would either have to contract with someone or pay an additional fee to get them out of your store.”

Grassley, who is entering his 15th year in the Iowa House, is the grandson of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley and the younger Grassley says the elder Grassley opposes repealing the Bottle Bill.