UNIONVILLE, Mo. (KCCI] — An Iowa man walked away with only minor injuries after crashing his airplane Wednesday at the Unionville (Missouri) Municipal Airport. 49-year-old Cody Veach, of Corydon, said his single-engine plane crashed on an attempted landing after being hit by strong winds from nearby Lake Thunderhead.

He reported only suffering a few cuts and bruises. Federal Aviation Administration officials say people should stay away from the site because a ballistic parachute is in the wreckage.

The airport was closed while officials investigated the crash.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Area Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Touchdown Beer and Grill on Thursday, June 26th. The Ambassadors were excited to be a part of the ribbon cutting for a restaurant that has been in the works for a long time.

Touchdown Bar & Grill is a family-owned restaurant serving up everything from tacos to game day favorites. Along with their wide variety of food they also have a very popular drink menu including beer flights and specialty martinis. The Ramos family had a very humble beginning, taking them three years to finally open Touchdown, due to many issues with construction and supply chain issues. Throughout this they kept in mind their mission of creating a welcoming environment where anyone can come to get a high-quality meal in a laid-back atmosphere.

Ambassadors Pictured (Left to Right): Kelsey Beschorner, Jennifer McEntaffer, Jeff Christensen, Krysta Hanson, BJ Hart, Gabby Buresh, John Bricker, Anne Quist, Eunice Ramos, Sue Liston, Emily Kennedy, Alberto Ramos, Julie Waters, Chris Parks, Scott Bennett, Colt Doherty, Elaine Otte, Alisha Wagner, Dolly Bergmann, David Kalny, Keith Leonard, Rae Ome Conn, Lana Westphalen.

They offer great outdoor patio seating, as well as plenty of indoor seating for you and your friends when your favorite teams are playing. Since their official opening in early spring of this year, they have been a huge hit amongst the people of Atlantic, and they hope to continue bringing in new customers.

Touchdown is located at 1105 W 7th Street, Atlantic, IA, 50022. They are open from 11 am-10 pm, Monday-Sunday. For more information you can visit their website https://touchdownbeerngrill.com/ or their Facebook page, @TouchdownBeer&Grill.

(Radio Iowa) – It’s rodeo season in Iowa and Iowa Rodeo Cowboys Association president Rich Baker says the sport is growing in popularity. “It kind of keeps the rural way of life going,” Baker says, “and the idea of a cowboy and cattle has always been something that a lot of people like.” Beyond bull and bronc riding events, competitors on horseback do things like rope cattle or race around barrels. Baker says there’s been more interest in all the events.  “A lot more recently on the women’s side as well,” Baker says. “Breakaway roping has really progressed a lot to where there’s a lot of younger girls get involved in that and that’s helping to grow the sport as well.”

The Iowa Rodeo Cowboys Association is a non-profit that currently represents about 300 contestants in rodeos.  “We have some people that start in the amateur level and go on to the pro level and then sometimes from pro level come back, “Baker says. “It’s very similar to a farm system for baseball.” The organization started in 1976 with about 180 members.  “People wanting to be in the sport, but not necessarily being full-on professional having to competing against some at the best level, but have some of a more local, regionalized type of thing,” Baker says. “It’s kind of a family-oriented organization.” Baker’s father was a founding member of the Iowa Rodeo Cowboys Association.

(Photo courtesy of Iowa Rodeo Cowboys Association)

“About half of the original board was from the big town of Brighton, Iowa, which is where I still reside today,” Baker says. “He got me started into it and as I got old enough to go, started doing more — and I actually have a son now who’s in it, so it’s kind of a generational thing for my family.” The majority of outdoor rodeos happen in warmer weather. The Iowa Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctions between 40 to 60 rodeos each year. The season ends in September with the finals, to be held at the fairgrounds in Oskaloosa this year. “We basically take the top 15 in each of our events to that year-end finals,” Baker says, “and then crown a year-end champion in each event.” The top four in each category are awarded a belt buckle — and the winner in each event gets a saddle as well as a commemorative buckle.

In 2024, the audience for televised professional rodeo competitions ranked 7th among major sports, with an estimated 43 million viewers.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Officials with the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, today (Friday), said a 63-year-old man from Guthrie Center was arrested yesterday (Thursday), for alleged multiple crimes against an underage victim. The charges against Clinton Matthias are the result of an investigation by the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

Matthias was booked into the Guthrie County Jail, on charges that include:

• Sexual Abuse in the 2nd Degree – Class B Felony (two counts)
• Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree – Child Victim Member of Same Household – Class C Felony
• Lascivious Acts with a Child – Class C Felony/Aggravated Misdemeanor
• Indecent Contact with a Child – Aggravated Misdemeanor
  

  Clinton Lester Matthias (Guthrie County S/O booking photo)

The investigation is ongoing, and no further information will be released at this time. If you or someone you know is the victim of a crime, please contact your local law enforcement agency.

Please note: Criminal charges are merely accusations. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley sent a letter this week to the incoming postmaster general to voice concerns about how the U-S Postal Service is failing in its mission. Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson met last year with the outgoing postmaster, Louis DeJoy, and agrees consumers and businesses need to be able to rely on the U-S-P-S to deliver the mail in a timely and reliable manner.

“We have some serious reforms that need to be happening to make sure that not only rural Iowans can continue to receive their mail, but that our network remains resilient in a time when, obviously, people need access to these services,” Hinson says. “I look forward to working with Senator Grassley to make sure the post office is delivering for the people of this country.”

In a news release, Grassley says Iowans have reported issues with bills and checks not being delivered on time, missing mail and increased delays in mail pickup.

(Radio Iowa) – Cedar Rapids leaders are raising concerns tens of millions of dollars in federal funds for a key new bridge over the Cedar River may be in jeopardy due to the -name- of the bridge. Originally dubbed the Arc of Justice Bridge, it’s now just being called the Eighth Avenue Bridge. Some believe the change was due to the Trump Administration’s D-E-I rollbacks. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says she’s not aware of any threat to the bridge’s funding.

“We are working directly with the city of Cedar Rapids and with the administration and all that I know right now is that everything is still moving forward with that project,” Hinson says. “We’ve been working hard to make sure that that grant is delivered for the city.” The flood of 2008 cut off many routes through Cedar Rapids and it’s hoped the new Eighth Avenue Bridge will be high enough to allow for safe passage of traffic should there be a repeat flood of that magnitude. The city has already secured 56-million federal dollars for the project.

Cong. Ashley Hinson (File photo from Iowa PBS)

“I understand how important that bridge is, and you get back to the flood of 2008 and what happened there and the access over the Cedar River and how important that is,” Hinson says. “That’s why I’ve been continuing to fight for infrastructure and targeted infrastructure investments in the district like the 8th Avenue Bridge project.” Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said Wednesday in a Facebook post: “I wish I could merely worry about the bridge’s name. Instead, I’m worried about making sure those in our most vulnerable communities on either side of the bridge have a safe way to cross in good times and in, God forbid, bad times. Without a federal grant, we wait.”

Reports say construction on the bridge is supposed to start in 2027, with completion in 2030.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says a woman from Polk County was arrested on drug charges, Thursday evening. 41-year-old Jessica Jo England, of West Des Moines, was arrested at around 6:40-p.m., at the intersection of Maple and Adams Streets.

England was charged with possession of a controlled substance, criminal mischief, and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on a $3,300 bond.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa [KETV] — Council Bluffs police arrested a woman for allegedly not calling for help before a man died. KETV says according to court documents, 53-year-old Laura Timberlake-Sweeney spoke to the victim Rodney Campbell about a ride to a doctor’s appointment.

The affidavit said when she went out to his car he was slumped over in the driver’s seat. Prosecutors said she tried to wake him up and checked his pulse. Police said after that she went back inside the residence and did not call 911 until more than 24 hours later. Officers said when they got there, she had the victim’s keys and wallet in her possession.According to the affidavit, Timberlake-Sweeney said the reason she didn’t call for help was because her phone wasn’t working, despite it working later when she did call.

Timberlake-Sweeney faces a charge of failure to assist resulting in death and fifth-degree theft.

(Radio Iowa) – A gathering will take place in front of the Mason City T-V station where Jodi Huisentruit worked when she disappeared 30 years ago today (Friday, June 27). Former Minneapolis crime reporter Caroline Lowe is with the group Find-Jodi, which helped organize the event. “So, striking to me preparing for this anniversary is how raw and traumatized the feelings are of the people who are affected most directly that day,” she says, “her co-workers, her close friends, they, her family, you know, it doesn’t go away.” Omaha news anchor Brian Mastre worked with Huisentruit at K-I-M-T in Mason City. “She was focused and driven. And then it all ended,” he says.

Jodi Huisentruit (image via findjodi.com)

Mastre was one of the first to read the reports on the air about his 27-year-old colleague’s disappearance. “It’s hard to believe that not a lot has changed from what I said that day to today,” Mastre says. So far, there have been no arrests. However, authorities say one of Huisentruit’s neighbors, a person of interest, died last year. “Some people out there think the case ended there, too, but in the same breath. I mean, you’d think that if that individual had something to do with it, that he would have slipped up and investigators would have been on to it,” Mastre says.

Mason’s City Police Chief says officers continue to work on the case in the hope that they can provide answers to the family and the community. The Find-Jodi group has put up billboards and posters to ask anyone who may have information to come forward in hopes of finding a clue that could lead to finding out what happened. You can see more about the case at findjodi.com.