More area and state news, with Ric Hanson

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The Creston Police Department reports two arrests took place, Tuesday.  Authorities say 32-year-old Kian Cooper, of Creston, was arrested on the 900 block of N Sumner Ave for Driving While Barred. He was later released from the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond. And, 26-year-old Anna Wilson, of Creston, was arrested at the Creston Wal-Mart, for Public Intoxication. She was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $300 bond.

Creston Police said also, a woman residing in the 1300 block of Miller Street reported late Tuesday morning, that sometime over the past 24 hours, someone had stolen the rear license plate off of her vehicle while parked at her residence. The loss was estimated at $20.

Cass County Democratic Party Chair Sherry Toelle says if you are wondering about whether there is food insecurity and hunger in Iowa, the answer is yes. Toelle says while the Cass County Democrats cannot eradicate hunger in our county, they are trying to help meet some of the needs of our neighbors. In fact, over the past several months, they have donated $1200 in total to the four county food pantries, so that they can buy food items that are not donated to them, or buy special foods that some chronically ill people need, that are not usually donated to food pantries.

Toelle says the pantries are always very appreciative of donations, whether it be in actual food items or monetary donations. She said also,  “We encourage all other political and fraternal/civic organizations to also donate to the pantries”.

Terri Smith, Cass County Democrats Vice-Chair and the Lord’s Cupboard in Griswold Reps Barb Schroeder, Eleanor Tietz, and Joy Smith.

Kathy Kerns, Cass County Democrats Vice-Chair, and Anita Food Pantry Reps Pam Miller, JoAnn Poeppe, Jodi Irlmeier, Tracy Lett, and Teresa Chester.

Atlantic Food Pantry Reps Brad Osbourne and Ken Burkhart and Kathy Kerns, Cass County Democrats Vice-Chair.

Kathy Kerns, Cass County Democrats Vice-Chair; Cumberland Care & Share Pantry representatives Julie Brown, Becky Pelzer, and Diane Becker.

The news at 7:06-a.m., with KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County, Tuesday, reported the arrest of a man Monday afternoon, in Carson. 42-year old Kevin W. Hardy was taken into custody at around 4:35-p.m. at a residence in the 200 block of S. Dye Street, following a reported disturbance. Hardy faces charges that include Assault/Use or display of a weapon, and Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree, resulting in damage ranging from $300-to $750.

At around 4-p.m. Monday, an inmate in the Pottawattamie County Jail, 25-year old Adrian Cory Lee Rollins, of Council Bluffs, was presented with a warrant for Violation of Probation. He was then returned to the custody of Corrections Staff and taken back to his cell. Late Monday morning, 18-year old Alicin Madison Ross, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in the lobby of the Pott. County Jail. Ross was wanted for (Felony) Child Endangerment by Abandonment, resulting on bodily injury. She was booked into the Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – This week is National Agriculture Week and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the pandemic shined a light on the important job ag producers have. I am hopeful that maybe that’s one of those silver linings that come out of what we’ve experienced the last 12 months. Is that there is an appreciation for the fact that, that food just doesn’t magically appear on the grocery store shelf,” according to Naig. He says we realize that agriculture touches us all.  “We had restaurants shut down and people stopped traveling. All the meetings that we would go to and conferences where you would have food served breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Really that whole foodservice supply chain just shut down,” Naig says.

And the impact also became evident in grocery stores. “We had some situations where some of the food products we normally expect to find — and I think often times take for granted — weren’t available or weren’t available as readily as much as we normally would purchase,” Naig says. There were also shutdowns at meat processing plants brought on by the pandemic. Naig says food security remains a concern for many families who have had to visit their local food pantries and food banks for the first time during the pandemic. He says, fortunately, many Iowans, including farm and commodity organizations, food companies, and others stepped up to donate much-needed food supplies.

“That’s been one of the things I have been very proud of as I watched the agriculture community respond. And even though there’ve been challenging times and uncertain markets — they’ve stepped up to help their neighbors in need,” he says. Naig says we all need to continue to tell the story of agriculture.

Two men were arrested on separate charges late Tuesday, in Red Oak. Police arrested 22-year-old Dawson Allen Squires, of Red Oak, at around 8:10-p.m., on a warrant for Harassment in the 2nd Degree. Squires was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond. And, at around 5:45-p.m., 36-year-old Randon Daniel Phelps, of Red Oak, was arrested on a Montgomery County warrant for Failure to Appear, on an original charge of Driving while License denied or revoked. His bond was set at $5,000.

(Radio Iowa) – A guard and a nurse were assaulted and killed by an inmate at the Anamosa State Prison yesterday (Tuesday). State officials plan to hold a news conference this (Wednesday) afternoon in Anamosa to discuss the case.

Last night, prison officials said due to the criminal investigation, they can provide only limited information about the incident. Here’s what they have announced: an inmate assaulted staff and other inmates in the Anamosa prison’s infirmary. It happened at about 10:15 Tuesday morning. The inmate was captured by other staff who responded, but the gravely injured nurse and correctional officer died of their wounds.

Governor Reynolds issued a written statement, offering her deepest condolences to their families, friends and co-workers. She promised the state will exhaust every available resource to deliver justice to those responsible. AFSCME Council 61 is the union that represents state prison staff. Danny Homan, the union’s president, says he intends to do everything he can to honor the memory of two staff members who committed their lives to keeping our communities safe. Homan says he’ll have more to say about safety inside the state’s prisons as more information about the incident becomes available.

Over the past few years, the union has been calling on lawmakers to boost staffing levels inside the state’s prison system. Iowa legislators haven’t yet released their plan for next year’s budget for the Iowa Department of Corrections.

(Radio Iowa) The Iowa House has voted to establish new penalties for those found guilty of trespassing to set up electronic surveillance equipment on someone else’s property to secretly capture images or video. For nearly a decade, Iowa legislators have been trying to enhance trespassing laws in response to undercover operations in large scale livestock operations. Republican Representative Jarad Klein of Keota has worked on this latest version.

“Trying to address somebody that has ill intentions, that’s just trying to get access to somewhere where they’ve not been asked to be, they don’t have a reason to be there and then trying to get a video, trying to get a picture that they can then reproduce and use in a negative or hurtful way.” The bill also establishes a new criminal charge for “unauthorized sampling” — for collecting skin or blood samples from farm animals or samples from the soil, air and water on private properties.

The bill passed on a 72-to-24 vote. Critics say the bill could be used to shield those who are mistreating animals or it could prevent reporting of unsafe working conditions in Iowa meatpacking plants. Klein says employees who have a right to be on the property could still be whistleblowers. “All we are saying is that your private property is your property, if somebody comes on without your permission to take pictures and then put it back on the internet, it’s an aggravated misdemeanor up to Class D felony because we value private property rights,” Klein says.

A 2012 state law designed to block undercover investigations of livestock confinements and other farm operations was ruled unconstitutional. In 2019, the Iowa legislature made it a crime to use undercover videos to inflict financial harm on a farming operation, but a lawsuit has prevented that law from taking effect.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa state prisons officials say a nurse and a corrections officer have been killed in an attack by an inmate at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. The Iowa Department of Corrections says the attack happened Tuesday morning, when an inmate attacked several staff members and inmates in the prison’s infirmary. The department said that it was still collecting and confirming details of the assault but it can confirm “an inmate attacked multiple staff members and inmates.” As a result of their injuries, a correctional nurse and correctional officer died. The incident is under investigation by the department and state police.

DeWITT, Iowa (AP) — Police say human remains have been found in a pond in a rural area near DeWitt, about 20 miles north of Davenport where authorities have been investigating the disappearance of a 10-year-old girl since last summer. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, Davenport police and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation held a joint news conference Tuesday to confirm that a body had been found Monday by two people fishing. Officials have not identified the body and declined to speculate during the news conference on whether the remains could be those of the girl, Breasia Terrell. However, Davenport Police Chief Paul Sikorski acknowledged he had been contacted about the discovery of the remains because of his department’s investigation into the girl’s whereabouts.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — People could buy firearms and carry a concealed handgun without first obtaining a state permit in the state under a bill the Iowa Senate approved and sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds. The bill was approved Monday with only Republican support. Last week it cleared the House with the backing of only one Democrat. The bill would eliminate current state permit requirements and the accompanying background checks that ensure the person obtaining or carrying a gun isn’t disqualified from ownership due to past felonies or abuses. It now goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo woman faces theft charges after police say she stole nearly $30,000 in unemployment benefits from a relative. The Courier reports that 43-year-old April Ann South is charged with first-degree theft, identity theft and credit card fraud. Police say the theft occurred after the relative asked South for help in applying for unemployment last year. Police say the relative was told she didn’t qualify for unemployment, but was told in January by the Iowa Workforce Development that she had been receiving unemployment payments. Officials say the money was paid into a bank account set up in her name and spent using a pre-paid credit card. Police say surveillance videos show South using the card at different locations to spend more than $28,000 from the funds.