(Radio Iowa) – Students from three Iowa high schools are among 100 teams nationwide competing in this month’s American Rocketry Challenge. It’s the Aerospace Industry Association’s flagship program, designed to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Jayce Abens is one of six members on the team from Webster City High School which will compete in the finals in Dayton, Ohio. “We compete to fly to a specific altitude and flight time, which they give us at the beginning of the season,” Abens says. “This year, we’re flying to 800 feet and 40 to 43 seconds.”

Photo via Rocketcontest.org

Each rocket is carrying fragile cargo. “We carry one egg as a payload,” he says. “It can’t be broken at all, otherwise, you’re disqualified.” After many months of test launches, the practice paid off as the team’s qualifying numbers were exceptional. “This year, we qualified with a score of 15 off of three qualifying flights,” Abens says. “We get a point per foot off of our altitude and four points per second out of the time range. We were right on time and just a few feet off for each flight.”

The finals are ordinarily held in Washington D-C but due to the pandemic, they’re being held in ten different cities this year between June 11th and 20th. Teams from Maharishi High School in Fairfield and Cedar Falls High School will compete in the challenge in Brighton, Wisconsin. Webster City and Maharishi were both in the 2019 national finals as well, while the team from Maharishi is all-girls. In addition to competing for the title of national champion, teams are also competing for $100,000 in prizes.

A woman was arrested and a man is wanted,  in connection with a Montgomery County drug investigation. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Monday, said 38-year-old Marcellia Marie Wilson, of Red Oak, was arrested late Friday morning for delivery of methamphetamine, following the execution of a search warrant at 205 South 2nd Street in Red Oak. Wilson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $10,000 bond.

Marcellia Marie Wilson

The sheriff’s office is also asking for public assistance in locating another suspect, 33-year-old Michael Dean Wilson, who is wanted on drug charges and parole violations. He is described as a white male approximately 6 feet tall, 240 pounds. Michael Wilson could be driving a bronze or tan 2000 Chevy Blazer with either no plates, or Iowa license plate #GLT401. He could also be operating a gray 2004 Yamaha 1100 V Star motorcycle. The suspect is believed to be in Montgomery, Mills or Page counties.

Anyone with information on Michael Wilson’s whereabouts should contact their local law enforcement, or the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 712-623-5107.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, says this is a make-or-break moment for our republic and now is not the time to give up on election reform legislation that cleared the U-S House earlier this year.  “The fact that we cannot see that bill getting passed right now, that the senate is struggling to pass that bill — I’m astounded that anybody who is an elected office that takes influence out of elections…and allows people to have free and fair voting,” Axne says.

The bill includes new campaign finance disclosures and would require at least 15 days of early voting in every state. Axne says the measure as a necessary response to this political moment. “Right now we have some people who I work with who don’t even believe we have a valid president,” Axne says. Axne plans to personally urge West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin to change his stance on the bill. Manchin announced Sunday he won’t vote for an election bill that has the backing of just one party.

“I’m going to talk to him,” Axne said. “Listen, I take a lot of hard votes in states like Iowa. I think people who are authentic and true to their convictions and are representing the people who they serve, they’re going to make it back and I think anybody who stands up for the constitution and for people’s right to vote, they’ll make it back.” Axne spoke to about three dozen people last (Monday) night at a town hall forum in West Des Moines

(Radio Iowa) – With the forecast calling for high temperatures statewide in the 80s and 90s all week, many Iowans will be heading to their nearest municipal swimming pool for a cool dip. Some pools and water parks remain closed, however, due to a lack of lifeguards. Red Oak City Administrator Brad Wright says they just opened a new outdoor aquatic center last Friday with ten staffers, but they could use at least five more lifeguards.

“Communities all around are dealing with the same thing,” Wright says. “Some pools are unable to open because of staffing, others are opening at a limited capacity. We continue to work on that, and try to find ways to encourage young kids to come out, get certified and work for us.” Wright says the word “excitement” doesn’t adequately express his thoughts over the facility’s opening. The project entailed a massive overhaul of the original pool, complete with modern amenities.

Red Oak Aquatic Center (Tess Nelson/photo)

“We basically tore out the north third of the pool. So, what was a three-foot depth area, we replaced that with a zero-depth entry area,” Wright says. “There’s a couple of water features for little kids to run under — mushrooms and stuff that pours water on your head. There’s a couple of slides — a family slide, and a large slide for the bigger kids.” Construction of the aquatic center in Red Oak was completed in the summer of 2020 but due to COVID-19 and some minor complications, it stayed closed until this past weekend.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports numerous arrests took place over the past week;

• Last Saturday night, 76-year-old Jerry Floyd Crossley, of Silver City, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail; 32-year-old James Thomas Hume, of Sidney, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Bond: $10,000.
• Friday afternoon, 36-year-old Megan Renee Daugherty, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear (FTA) on a Fugitive From Justice charge. No Bond.
• Thursday afternoon, 33-year-old Samantha Renee Martin, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for being a Fugitive from Justice. No Bond; Thursday morning, 27-year-old Diego M. Juaquin, of Omaha, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Bond: $1,000.
• Last Wednesday, 58-year-old Vicki Kay Delezene, of Omaha, and 48-year-old Walter Jay Colvin, Jr., of Council Bluffs, were each arrested on a charge of Interference with Official Acts. Their bonds were set at $300 each.