(Radio Iowa) – Two Iowans are among the nearly 200 elected leaders from across the nation attending the United States Conference of Mayors, underway in Tampa, Florida. Waterloo Mayor Quentin Hart says he and his counterparts are discussing solutions to a wide range of issues facing cities large and small. “Whenever I come here, this is one of the greatest places to be able to exchange ideas — or steal ideas — from other communities and bring them to yours,” Hart says. “I am looking forward. I am an open book. I’m taking notes for all of these different sessions to see what I can bring back and what actually fits for our community.”

Workshops for the mayors cover all sorts of topics, including housing, public safety, tariffs, climate protection, the economy, and infrastructure. One of the first sessions Hart attended was on children, health and human services. “The conversation was talking about mental health services for young people, health and well-being for young people,” Hart says. “How do we bring out the best for some of the youth in our communities? And, of course, that was near and dear to my heart, hearing all the things that are taking place on a national level.”

Mayor Quentin Hart (City of Waterloo photo)

Dubuque Mayor Brad Cavanagh is also at the event. With more than 85 percent of Americans living in U.S. metropolitan areas, Hart says mayors are on the front lines of today’s challenges. “Another area is just overall safety and how elected officials are somewhat living in a time where it’s challenging and there are safety issues for us and our personal families,” Hart says. “How can we make sure that we are safe and our families are safe as well?” Hart says last weekend’s shootings of two Minnesota legislators and their spouses — which left two of them dead — are weighing on many people’s minds.

The conference opened Thursday and runs through Sunday.

(Adair, Iowa) – Members of the Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center Community School District Boards of Education held a regular, joint monthly Board meeting Wednesday evening, in Adair. Superintendent Josh Rasmussen said during their session, he updated the Boards on some construction projects.

He said also, their staffing needs are almost fully met for the upcoming school year.

Both Boards agreed to renew their property/casualty insurance for 2025-26.

The Boards approved their audit services contract with Nolte, Cornman & Johnson, PC, and they issued TLC contracts for instructional coaches and mentors, as well as approved 28-E Operational Sharing Agreements between both Districts for the Superintendent, SBO (School Business Official), Curriculum Director, HR and Transportation Directors and other 28-E agreements for Elementary teachers. The AC-GC Boards passed the first reading of a cell phone use policy.

One of the discussion items the Boards had, according to Superintendent Rasmussen, was with regard to the Spring 2025 ISASP (Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress) data, which showed an overall increase in scores.

Rasmussen said also, with the 2024-25 school year wrapped-up, their attention turns now toward planning for next year. That includes a lot of people working to get the facilities cleaned-up and ready to go.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports a Creston man was arrested Thursday night. 34-year-old Alex Richard Cunningham was arrested for Violation of Probation. Cunningham was taken to Union County Jail and held without bond until making his initial court appearance.

(Radio Iowa) – A district court judge has struck down a lawsuit that challenged the language in the Linn County gambling referendum that allowed developers to build a casino in Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids mayor Tiffany O’Donnell says the ruling affirmed that Linn County voters knew exactly what they were voting for.  “These voters approved this back in ‘21 and have been dodging bullets and fists ever since,” she says. The lawsuit came after the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission decided not to act on the complaint about the referendum and went on to award the gambling license to Linn County. O’Donnell says the court ruling shows that was the right action.

“Really validates the will of the people here, and also validates the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, frankly.” O’Donnell says getting everything in place to build the new casino has been a long journey with multiple hurdles. The lawsuit by the operators of the Riverside Casino casino came after a market study showed it and other casinos would lose millions in revenue to the new casino in Cedar Rapids. Mayor O’Donnell has supported the casino since taking office and says they can now keep moving ahead. “Really now, this really does clear the path. I likened it to speed bumps-I knew there would be speed bumps along the way. We’ve had several. But this city, and you know, these people, are just fighters for what’s right and I couldn’t be more proud,” she says.

Work started on the Cedar Rapids casino soon after the gambling license was awarded in February.

(Radio Iowa) – Recent rainstorms are helping to improve Iowa’s soil conditions, though only about a third of the state is completely drought-free. The new map from the U-S Drought Monitor shows the amount of the state in abnormally dry or drought conditions has fallen in the past week from around 80 to just under 70 percent. State climatologist Justin Glisan says southwest Iowa remains a “problem child” with above average temperatures and below average rainfall.

“One of the driest parts of the state has been that southwest corner of Iowa,” Glisan says. “As we shifted into May, we did see a slightly more active weather pattern, but actually it was the first May since 2010 without a tornado reported. So, the lack of severe weather — that’s where we see drought and dryness across the state.” While spring officially ends later today (Friday), Glisan says meteorological summer started June 1st. Over the course of March, April and May, he says Iowa was two-and-a-half degrees warmer than normal, and two inches below normal for precipitation. Though Iowa broke a four-year drought in May of last year, Glisan says dry conditions are still impacting water levels.

“If you go back four to five years, most stations across the state are still missing out on about a year’s worth of precipitation,” he says. “So, this has impacts on aquifers, which we pull water out of, but also well fields and other water supply sources.” The new drought monitor map shows pockets of “moderate” drought in all four corners of the state. As corn pollination and detassling season approaches, Glisan says Iowa’s crops may become stressed.

“With those windy conditions and high temperatures, that’s where we can exacerbate dryness across the surface,” Glisan says. “So, we’re extracting soil moisture — that topsoil moisture — first. Plus, vegetative demand is increasing with corn and beans, as well. So, this is where we can get into a period of time of rapid drying at the surface.”

Glisan says that could cause stress in corn and soybean fields. On the positive side, he says most of the state remains in a lull in terms of severe weather.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police report a man was arrested early today (Friday), on an OWI charge. Authorities say 22-year-old Lee David Parcher was arrested at around 12:45-a.m. in the 200 block of W. Washington Street, for OWI/1st offense. Parcher was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two men from Red Oak were arrested Thursday afternoon on Theft charges. According to the Red Oak Police Department, officers arrested 54-year-old Clinton Joe Hans England and 44-year-old Luke Daniel Rinehart. The men were taken into custody at around 1:30-p.m., in the 300 block of 2nd Avenue.  Both were charged with Theft in the 3rd Degree. England was additionally charged with Burglary in the 3rd Degree.

England was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond. Bond for Rinehart was set at $2,000.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Thursday night, arrested a local man on an OWI/1st offense, charge (A Serious Misdemeanor).  Authorities say 54-year-old Todd Allen Konz, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 8-p.m. in the 1000 block of N. 4th Street. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans studying to become Certified Nursing Assistants are now able to take part of the C-N-A exam online. Larry Johnson, Junior — director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — says it means students don’t have to travel to a community college to take the written test. “With the changing workforce, with changing technology we saw the demand, and wanted to make sure it was available for Iowans,” Johnson says.

Iowa’s multiple-choice test for Certified Nursing Assistants has 100 questions. Johnson says the state hired two companies to administer the online test and ensure the person taking the test is the person who’d get the certification if they pass. “Iowans studying to become Certified Nursing Assistants are now able to take part of the C-N-A exam online. Larry Johnson, Junior — director of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — says it means students don’t have to travel to a community college to take the written test.

“With the changing workforce, with changing technology we saw the demand, and wanted to make sure it was available for Iowans,” Johnson says. Iowa’s multiple-choice test for Certified Nursing Assistants has 100 questions. Johnson says the state hired two companies to administer the online test and ensure the person taking the test is the person who’d get the certification if they pass. “The individual has to be in a room by themselves, have a computer with internet connection and then they have to scan their phone,” Johnson says, “so that way the proctor can make sure that they are in the room by themselves and it is the actual person taking the test that they say it is.”

The online option is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It went live in early June and Johnson says some have already signed up and taken the test online.  “Health care is a great profession and appreciate all the people that work in long-term care and as a CNA,” Johnson says, “and this is just one more option to get people certified so that Iowans can get the care they need.” An in-person clinical skills evaluation is still required for all aspiring C-N-As, too.

During that part of the exam, a nurse observes students doing things like taking a patient’s vital signs and following hand washing guidelines. The latest federal data indicates there were over 22-thousand C-N-As working in Iowa three years ago and, as the population ages, there will be increased demand for C-N-As in nursing homes and hospitals.

“The individual has to be in a room by themselves, have a computer with internet connection and then they have to scan their phone,” Johnson says, “so that way the proctor can make sure that they are in the room by themselves and it is the actual person taking the test that they say it is.” The online option is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It went live in early June and Johnson says some have already signed up and taken the test online.

“Health care is a great profession and appreciate all the people that work in long-term care and as a CNA,” Johnson says, “and this is just one more option to get people certified so that Iowans can get the care they need.” An in-person clinical skills evaluation is still required for all aspiring C-N-As, too. During that part of the exam, a nurse observes students doing things like taking a patient’s vital signs and following hand washing guidelines.

The latest federal data indicates there were over 22-thousand C-N-As working in Iowa three years ago and, as the population ages, there will be increased demand for C-N-As in nursing homes and hospitals.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources confirmed the recovery of a body Thursday evening from Clear Lake in Cerro Gordo County. The individual, identified as Dennis Blume, 54, of Fonda, Iowa, was located around 5:30 p.m. after an extensive search.

Authorities received a 911 call at approximately 1:30 p.m. reporting an unoccupied fishing boat circling on Clear Lake. DNR Water Patrol officers responded quickly and made contact with the witnesses who reported the incident. The witnesses were able to stop the boat, which contained the victim’s belongings.

Emergency personnel from the Clear Lake Fire Department, Ventura Fire Department, and the Iowa DNR conducted a coordinated search using sonar equipment locating the boat owner’s body at 5:30 p.m. The Clear Lake Fire Department utilized underwater drone technology to recover the victim’s body from the lake.

The incident remains under investigation.