UNION COUNTY — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today (Wednesday), confirmed the recovery of a body from Three Mile Lake in Union County. The individual, identified as 41-year-old Ryan Woosley, of Creston, was found at 3:30 p.m.

The DNR was notified at 3 a.m. about a missing person who was last known to be at Three Mile Lake to night fish on June 16 and had not been heard from since. DNR officials discovered a car in the north boat ramp parking lot and an overturned boat in the lake. Initial searches of the lake by DNR law enforcement did not locate the victim. Local law enforcement joined the effort, utilizing a thermal drone to continue the search until daylight hours.

Ryan Woosley (Photo posted to a public social media by his daughter)

The Southwest Iowa Dive Team (Midwest Regional Dive Team – comprised of members from Union, Adair, Adams, Cass, Montgomery, Page and Ringgold Counties) was then called to assist with the recovery efforts. Utilizing sonar technology, the dive team successfully located the body, which was recovered shortly thereafter.

Severe weather that moved through the area on June 16 may have contributed to the incident.

The Iowa DNR was joined in the search and recovery by the Union County Sheriff’s Department, the Midwest Regional Dive Team,  Afton and Creston Police Departments.

(Radio Iowa) – Nearly four-thousand Iowa Army National Guard soldiers are in the midst of three weeks of rigorous summer training at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, Louisiana. The commander of the ground troops, Brigadier General Derek Adams, says this training should prepare them for anything.

“This training is, is the best. And most difficult that the army has to offer. And so if you train on the most difficult scenarios against the toughest adversary, you’re prepared to do any operation that would be called upon for the for the unit,” he says. Colonel Tony Smithart, the 734th Regional Support Group Commander, says troops from the Second Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Divisions and nearly 18-hundred soldiers from across the state who will soon be going overseas are among the soldiers taking part in the training.

“The key mission for the 734th Regional Sport Group is to build combat power for forces to flow into an assigned mission and we’ve received about six-thousand soldiers for the exercise, two-thousand pieces of equipment that the 734th R-S-G has received and moved into staging yards for the forces that are deploying to the exercise to be ready to do their mission,” he says.

This is the final training step for the soldiers who will be deployed overseas as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.

ATLANTIC- Cass County Relay For Life is hosting a Putt-Putt for a Purpose, a family fun event at Sunnyside Range in Atlantic on Sunday, June 29th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to come play a round of putt-putt for $25 for a 4-member team or $10 for an individual. The fun will also include a driving range contest for $5 for 3 balls. Prizes
will be awarded.

The event will also allow for cancer survivors, caregivers, and community supporters to enjoy camaraderie and a meal. Atlantic Hy-Vee will be graciously providing a free meal for attendees and Sunnyside Range will have their concession stand open for other goodie purchases. Thanks to Shift Atlantic for making Sunnyside Range available.

Luminaries will be displayed in memory or support of loved ones at the event and are available for purchase for $10 each. Please contact Jodi Christoffersen at jodichristoffersen@hotmail.com, call 712-254-1409, or visit relayforlife.org/casscountyia Survivors can also register at the website or call 1-800-227-2545 OPTION 4 in order to receive a 2025 Relay For Life Shirt.

General donations to Cass County Relay For Life can also be made on the website or by dropping off to Kristi Schmidtke at Rolling Hills Bank & Trust in Atlantic.

The Cass County Relay For Life Committee hopes to see all cancer survivors, caregivers, and community supporters on Sunday, June 29th at Sunnyside Range for an evening of fun, support, and fundraising. Thanks to the Cass County community for continuing to fight back against cancer.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Dignitaries and honored guests were present this (Wednesday) afternoon, for a groundbreaking ceremony for the new, Vision Atlantic/Camblin Hills Housing Development project. Vision Atlantic President Christina Bateman served as the program’s host. She began by recognizing the late developer Don Sonntag, and Atlantic visionary, the late Bob Camblin.

Bateman said for decades, Don Sonntag was “at the heart of commercial and housing development in our city.”

Austin Sonntag

Sonntag’s grandson Austin is also a developer.

Christina Bateman presented the Sonntag family with a “Legacy Award, in his honor. Bob Camblin, Christina Bateman said,  was a tireless advocate throughout his life for economic development in Atlantic.

Bon Camblin’s daughter Jenny

His youngest daughter, Jenny spoke of her father’s legacy on behalf of her family. She choked-up when she said her “dad would be extremely humbled and honored” if he was there today (Wednesday).

His family was also honored with a Legacy Award from the Vision Atlantic Board of Directors. Bateman acknowledged the City of Atlantic’s donation of the land, the Comes family, for being willing to sell the land and allow the project to become a reality, Snyder and Associates Engineers, and Carley Construction for laying the groundwork for the next steps in the project, along with many others. The 49-acre Camblin Hills Development will feature 142 new homes, a park with a playground, walking/bike trail, and the Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of Atlantic.

John Hoich

John Hoich, with the Lakin Foundation, spoke briefly prior to the groundbreaking ceremony on the newly constructed Lakin Foundation Boulevard. He said the goal of the Lakin Foundation is to grow cities, especially unincorporated towns, to save them from disappearing, and bringing people back to make all the communities they serve, thrive.

The Foundation and the Community Vision Foundation for Western Iowa partnered to establish a $23-million investment fund which Vision Atlantic will borrow from to build all 142 housing units. As the loan is repaid, up to five-percent of the fund balance will be donated back to Vision Atlantic, to establish a long-term community endowment fund which will support local needs such as affordable child care.

Attendees at the event also heard from Donna Dostel, with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa, and Debi Durham, Director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), prior to the official turning of gold plated spades with chunks of dirt, to signify the ceremonial christening of the site.

(UPDATE 4:12-p.m.) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources confirms that a dive team recovered the body of an adult man from a Union County lake on Wednesday afternoon. Earlier in the afternoon, a spokesperson for the DNR said the water search at Three Mile Lake was precautionary after authorities were told the missing man was going to be in the area.

The lake is located about 5 miles north of Afton.

Previous report:

(Creston, Iowa) – Members of the Midwest Regional Dive Team, with members from Union, Adair, Adams,  Cass, Montgomery, Page and Ringgold Counties, were called late this (Wednesday morning) to 3 Mile Lake in Union County, to search for a missing man.

Family members posted on social media that Ryan Woosley was fishing alone on the lake late Monday night in a John boat shortly before a storm hit the area. His car was located in the area, but Woosley has not been seen since. In addition to efforts of the Dive Team, a Police report was filed.

Photo posted to social media by the daughter of Ryan Woosley, who is missing from 3 Mile Lake.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s largest zoo is adding sharks to its Big Reef Aquarium for the first time. Two bamboo sharks, named Snoopy and Pluto, were introduced this week at Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. Zoo spokesman Alex Payne says the light brown, spotted sharks are slender and about two feet long, but they may eventually grow up to four feet.

“They’re cute little sharks, but they do like to hide, so you’ll find them around the bottom of the aquarium most of the time,” Payne says. “They’re a lighter color, so sometimes they’ll come out and you’ll see them pop out, and it’s pretty cool to be able to stand there and just watch them interact with the exhibit.”

Payne says the zoo’s excited for visitors to connect with this new species and appreciate the rich diversity that makes our planet’s oceans so extraordinary. “This is the first time that we have had sharks at the zoo,” Payne says. “We were looking for some new species to introduce into our aquarium and they were a perfect match. We have the size of aquarium that we could fit them in, and it adds something a little additional to the aquarium for guests to be able to interact and engage with.”

Bamboo shark (Blank Park Zoo photo)

Sharks have a reputation for being predatory, but Payne doesn’t expect any trouble with the other fish in the 15,000-gallon aquarium. “We make sure that when we do put animals together that they will interact with each other in a positive way,” he says. “Our keepers make sure that they work with the sharks and they’ll make sure that they’re well fed and have the enrichment items that they need to make sure that there won’t be any sort of conflict with the other animals.”

June 20th marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the classic shark horror film “Jaws,” and some Iowa theaters are holding special screenings this weekend, though Payne insists, it’s just a happy coincidence.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says President Trump is projecting “peace through strength” as tensions in the Middle East escalate. Trump has called for the “unconditional surrender” of Iran, while Iran’s leader said there will be “irreparable damage” if the U.S. military joins Israeli attacks. “I think America continues to stand with our allies, in this case Israel,” Hinson said this morning during her weekly conference call with Iowa reporters. “What we’re seeing with Iran is that they continue to chant ‘Death to Israel’ followed by ‘Death to America’ and the bottom line is Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

Hinson, a Republican from Marion, told reporters Trump has been clear about U.S. objectives. “I think these are some truly defining moments that (Trump) was meant to carry America through,” Hinson said. “…The bottom line here that is Israel does have the right to defend itself and Iran should never have a nuclear weapon and I think we’re all safer with Iran’s military officials eradicated.” More than a dozen Iranian military officials have been killed in Israeli strikes over the past six days. Hinson expressed support for Trump’s “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran. “That’s something that he ran on since the start and I don’t think it’s wise for Iran or anyone to threaten the United States, our allies or our interests,” Hinson said. “President Biden appeased Iran at every turn. Those days are over under President Trump.”

Two House members — a Republican from Kentucky and a Democrat from California — have introduced a resolution that would force Trump to get congressional approval to join Israel’s attacks in Iran. Hinson said while “people are right to be worried about messy foreign entanglements,” Trump may decide the U.S. has to take action to halt enrichment of nuclear material in Iran and she said that is the president’s decision to make. “As far as the House is concerned, congress is taking a look at legislative remedies to sever Iran’s financial pathways to nuclear weapons development and terrorist financing which is the other part of this conversation. That’s something that I think we all need to take seriously. They are the number one financier of terrorism and so I look forward to taking a look at a potential sanctions package,” Hinson said this morning.

Congresswoman Ashley Hinson speaking in Mason City this spring. (RI file photo)

Other members of Iowa’s congressional delegation recently made statements on social media in support of Trump’s approach and in support of Israel. Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull said, “We stand with Israel against terrorism,” last week. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Davenport said Iran is “escalating its nuclear program and fueling terror” and she supports Israel’s right to defend itself. Congressman Zach Nunn of Bondurant said Trump is “right to back Israel” with the goal of “crushing both Iran’s war machine and its nuclear ambitions.”

Yesterday afternoon, Senator Joni Ernst said on X that “a nuclear Iran is a threat to America.” On June 13, Senator Chuck Grassley posted this comment on X: “Iran was abt 2 get nukes Last night Israel acted 2 protect itself but its action helps protect US bc Iran says DEATH TO ISRAEL DEATH TO AMERICA.”

(Radio Iowa) – The state Environmental Protection Commission approved a new contract Tuesday with the University of Iowa Hygienic Lab to continue running air monitors. D-N-R Air Quality Bureau environmental specialist Wendy Walker told the Commission some of the monitoring is done to see if the state is meeting the E-P-A guidelines. “We also want to provide real time air pollution data. You’ve seen some of the pictures from the Canadian wildfires as it comes into the air, that is provided under this contract,” she explains. “We want to make informed decisions about what’s going on, what our background values are.” The contract is just under one-point-eight-four million dollars, up three-thousand dollars from last year. Walker says the monitors go beyond the basic air testing.

“We also have special purpose monitors that will provide some more of the public reporting data that we’re looking for, as well as background values, air quality mapping and compliance issues,” Walker says. Walker says they have the biggest focus on where the people are. “We monitor a large public large populated areas in your cities. We are also looking to see where ozone is coming in, down wind ozone monitors. We’re looking at what comes across our borders and the transportation of air pollutants,” Walker says. “Unfortunately, air pollution doesn’t pay attention to jurisdictional boundaries between countries or states or anything like that. So we want to know what’s coming in from where and what we’re actually sending out too.” Walker says some of the pollution they monitor is very small.

Iowa DNR graphic

“We have what we call particulate matter, ten microns and then two-point-five microns or less in size. A human hair is on average. 50 to 70 microns in diameter. So if you think about, look at your hair, it’s 50 to 70 microns. We’re looking at ten microns or less for two-and-half microns or less,” she says. Walker says the Hygienic lab will supply data and will also keep an eye on the monitors to be sure they are working correctly. “One time we had a monitor that went down because of bees. So you do have to go in and make sure that they are running OK and make sure that you have no insects or any other type of issues,” Walker says.

Walker says they have use the State Hygienic lab to test air quality for more than 30 years.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass/Guthrie County Environmental Health Executive Director Jotham Arber, Tuesday morning, provided a regular monthly report to the Cass County Board of Supervisors. He said as we approach the official start of Summer, on Friday, his department has been very busy conducting septic system inspections on new and current properties.

He septic systems that were installed within the past 40-years (Mid-1980’s), are coming to the end of their useful life. The other they’re thing they’re seeing, is issues with rural water supply, given the current state of the drought in this area.

Arber says depending on the type of your well, there are different procedures to rehabilitate it.

Some of the well issues property owners may have, can be remedied through the use of U-V (Ultra Violet) lights or filters. Another option may be to hook-up to a rural water system, if that’s available to you.

More information on septic systems and well water can be found on the Environmental Health Department’s website.

(Cass County Environmental Health Office)

(Radio Iowa) – Officials say nitrate levels are still high in central Iowa waterways that supply the Des Moines area with drinking water. It’s been nearly a week since the Central Iowa Water Works banned its 600-thousand customers from watering lawns to keep drinking water from violating E-P-A standards. Water usage has dropped, but Ted Corrigan, C-E-O at Des Moines Water Works, says the ban will remain in place. “We’re going to need your continued support,” Corrigan says. “This is likely going to be measured in weeks, not days.” Nitrate levels in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers are at their highest since 2013. Corrigan says the main source of the high nitrate levels is fertilizer from farm field runoff.

Christina Murphy, general manager at West Des Moines Water Works, says treatment plants are working at max capacity to filter out the chemicals, but she notes, central Iowans are using less water. “We estimate that there’s a 30% reduction in water that’s being consumed by our customers,” Murphy says, “obviously attributable to outdoor water use.” Murphy says the ban will continue in order to keep nitrates in drinking water below the federal standard. She says water works staff are not worried about additional restrictions.

Central Iowa Water Works is also planning multiple long-term projects to expand treatment capacity.