(Radio Iowa) – It’s not yet clear if Republicans in the Iowa House will pass a bill to block lawsuits alleging Roundup causes cancer if the pesticide’s label follows federal guidelines. President Trump last week cited the Defense Production Act as he issued an executive order to ensure a steady supply of glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup. Pat Grassley, the speaker of the Iowa House, says he hasn’t assessed that order’s impact on Iowa.

“My understanding is the president wants to see these products made in America,” Grassley told reporters, “kind of something we’ve been talking about.” Both Grassley and House Republican Leader Bobby Kaufmann said before the 2026 legislative session started that Iowa farmers are better off having Roundup made here, since 70 percent of the Roundup sold in North America is made at a plant in Muscatine. Senate Republicans passed the Roundup protection bill last year and

Senator Majority Leader Mike Klimesh says he hopes the House G-O-P takes action this year. “Companies should not be held to a legal standard for something that they’re not allowed to put on the label by the EPA,” Klimesh said. Democrats in the legislature have opposed the bill. Representative Austin Baeth, a Democrat from Des Moines, is a doctor of internal medicine. “The optics of it are horrible for anybody to be in support of this bill when Iowa is in the midst of a cancer crisis,” Baeth said.

Georgia and North Dakota are the only states that have passed laws to protect Bayer from lawsuits alleging Roundup caused cancer. Last month the U-S Supreme Court agreed to hear Bayer’s appeal to block thousands of lawsuits alleging the weed killed caused cancer and other serious illnesses

(Radio Iowa) – Health care providers say Iowans should continue to take precautions to stay healthy amid high respiratory virus activity in the state, especially from the flu and R-S-V. Janae Brown, a nurse practitioner at UnityPoint, says most folks should know the drill but some need a reminder.

“Wash your hands. Stay home when you’re sick. Stay away from infants and elderly people, especially if you’re sick,” Brown says. “Try to utilize the urgent cares and family practice clinics as much as possible over the ER.” Brown says emergency rooms in the Des Moines area continue to see high numbers of people with respiratory virus symptoms, and there can be long waits due to overcrowding.

“If you’re having symptoms of the flu or RSV or COVID, go to your urgent care, go to your primary care provider,” Brown says. “Save the ER for chest pain, weakness on one side, loss of vision, severe abdominal pain.” According to state data, only about 30 percent of Iowans received a flu shot so far this season. Brown says it’s still not too late to get the shot, as respiratory virus activity can linger until summer.

(Glenwood, IA) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports four arrests occurred last week. Saturday afternoon, 40-year-old Sherrie Ann Schoenfelder, of Fremont, NE, was arrested in Council Bluffs for: Manufacture/Delivery/Possession with intent – LSD, and OWI/2nd offense. Her bond was set at $2,000.

Wednesday evening, Mills County Deputies arrested 41-year-old Shawna Kay Bolton and 56-year-old Russell William Davis, both of Pacific Junction. Bolton and Davis were each charged with Possession of Drug paraphernalia and Ongoing Criminal Conduct- Enterprise. Bolton was additionally charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance-3rd or subsequent offense. Davis was charged also, with Theft in the 2nd Degree (Value >$1,500 but < $10,000). Bolton’s bond was set at $26,300. Davis was being held in the Mills County Jail on a $30,300 bond.

And, on Feb. 16th, 19-year-old Collin Darrell Ollis, of Bellevue, NE, was arrested in Glenwood, for Reckless Driving. Bond was set at $300.

• $4,000 in direct funding support
• 12 hours of required in-person training (minimum of two team members)
• Optional one-on-one coaching with Healthy Cass and Volunteer Iowa
• Support planning and hosting a local Day of Service (held between August and September 30, around September 11)
• Increased organizational visibility and strengthened community partnerships

• Application Deadline: April 1, 2026 at noon
• Training Sessions: 12 hours (in-person; minimum two participants per organization)
• Day of Service Window: August–September 30, 2026

CLARINDA, IOWA, February 23, 2026: The Page County Attorney’s Office announced today (Monday) that 52-year-old Gary Wayne Hilgerson, of Shenandoah, entered pleas of guilty to one count of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, a class C felony, and one count of Indecent Contact with a Child, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Judge Maggie Reyes sentenced Hilgerson, in accordance with his plea agreement, to a 10-year sentence of incarceration for the sexual abuse charge and a 2-year sentence of incarceration for the indecent contact charge. These sentences will be served consecutively, for a total of up to 12 years of incarceration in the Iowa Department of Corrections. Hilgerson will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.

This case was investigated by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, with help from the Shenandoah Police Department, and prosecuted by the Page County Attorney’s Office.

Gary Wayne Hilgerson

(Atlantic, IA) – Officials with Vision Atlantic, today (Monday, Feb. 23rd) report the Knights of Columbus recently donated $3,000 in support of Vision Atlantic’s transformative community development project, which includes a new housing development, child development center, and YMCA expansion. “The Vision Atlantic Project, involving building a child care center and renovating the YMCA, fits well with the Knights of Columbus’ principles of Charity, Unity, and Fraternity,” shared member Phil Hascall.

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Vision Atlantic, through extensive research and surveying of the community and surrounding region, identified three areas that will help increase Atlantic’s population: expanded childcare, quality housing and quality of life amenities. Infrastructure for the 142 mixed unit Camblin Hills housing development and 300 capacity child development center is almost complete, with construction of 48 homes currently underway. Construction of the child development center and YMCA expansion is slated to begin in 2026.

Pictured: Doug Leonard, Trustee; Gary Richter, Treasurer; and Tim Ellis, Grand Knight.
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Vision Atlantic has a fundraising goal of $39 million, which will be used to construct the YMCA expansion and child development center. To date, they have raised $34.1 million of that goal, thanks to an $8.6 million lead grant from the Charles E. Lakin Foundation and significant support from local donors. In addition to their grant support, the Lakin Foundation has created a separate investment fund of $23 million that will be used to construct homes in the Camblin Hills housing development. The capital will be used as a line of credit, and as the dollars are paid back, the Foundation will donate up to 5% of the interest paid back to Vision Atlantic, who will use those dollars to operate the child development center.

Vision Atlantic’s Project Committee is actively working to secure the remaining $4.9 million needed to meet their fundraising goal. If you are interested in helping transform Atlantic, whether it’s through monetary donations or acts of volunteerism, please contact Vision Atlantic at visionatlanticiowa@gmail.com. Visit www.visionatlantic.org and follow on Facebook for behind-the-scenes access to project updates and in-depth information of the project scope.

Vision Atlantic is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to empower growth, enhance lives, and build a thriving community together through the economic development of Atlantic, Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is part of new daily national lotto game along with 30 other states. Lottery C-E-O Matt Strawn says the “Millionaire for Life” game kicked off Sunday and you pick five numbers. “And then there is one millionaire ball that you need to choose between the numbers one and five. And in the game, there are nine different ways to win,” Strawn says. The game cost five dollars to play and starts with a prize of eight dollars, and has a second prize of 100-thousand dollars. Strawn says this is the first new lotto type game in several years. He says it is like other lotto games where you can take a lump sum, or play it out as long as you can.

“It is for life, but the floor, if you will, there is a guarantee, I believe it’s a guaranteed 20 year minimum payment. So for life means 20 years or longer,” he says. Strawn says some players wanted a game with a large prize that has better odds than the games where the jackpots get into the billions, and that’s what this gives them. “Take Powerball, for example, one in 292 million to one to win the jackpot. In Millionaire for Life, it is one in 22-point-nine million chance to win that one million dollars a year for life top prize. So significantly, better odds on the grand prize,” Strawn says”.

The drawings for the Millionaire for Life game are that 10:15 p-m central time every night.

(Sioux City, IA) – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa reports a former Iowa paramedic from western Iowa who tampered with vials of narcotic pain medication was sentenced on February 17, 2026, to more than two years in federal prison. Teresa Marie Johnson, age 53, from Manilla, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 5, 2025, guilty plea to one count of tampering with a consumer product.

Johnson was a licensed paramedic who took fentanyl from her employer, a county ambulance service. The ambulance service used the fentanyl to alleviate the serious pain that patients were suffering in car accidents and other emergencies. Beginning in late 2024, Johnson tampered with the ambulance service’s fentanyl stocks on three occasions in order to take it for her own use. After investigators analyzed one of Johnson’s tampered vials from the county ambulance service’s inventory, they discovered it contained only 9.6% of its declared value of fentanyl. They also reported evidence of an adhesive-like material on the flip-off cap, vial crimp and top stopper surface, at least two punctures on the bottom stopper surface, and other breaches to the vial. One of Johnson’s fellow paramedics reported occasions when medication was administered “and the desired response did not happen.”

Before committing her tampering crime, Johnson had a criminal history. Johnson has five prior misdemeanor theft convictions in state court. She also received a deferred judgment in state court after pleading guilty to a felony forgery crime. As a part of her plea agreement, Johnson agreed to forfeit her State of Iowa paramedic license to the United States.

Johnson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Johnson was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment and fined $5,000. She was also ordered to repay $6,000 in court-appointed attorney fees and costs. Johnson must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

Johnson was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.