(Radio Iowa) – Volunteers are needed to help compile what’s known as Iowa’s Bumble Bee Atlas, an effort to gauge the state’s populations of the vital pollinators. Stephanie Shepherd, a wildlife diversity biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says it won’t take much time and it will be a tremendous help to researchers who study the tiny-yet-important insects. “Volunteers are basically trained and then asked to go out to a natural area that is at least two-and-a-half acres in size that has flowers and habitat for bumblebees,” Shepherd says, “and then spend 45 minutes looking for and catching bumblebees, and then submitting photographs of those bumble bees.” Volunteers don’t have to identify each bee they temporarily net, as experts will be studying the photos to determine the various species. She says there are between 300 and 400 types of bees living in Iowa.

“But the bumblebees are a group within there, and they’re a fairly smallish group,” Shepherd says. “We have anywhere between 14 and 17 species, depending on again, this is part of why we’re doing the Atlas, is to figure out exactly what we have here.” Distinguishing bees from bumble bees isn’t hard, she says, with a little training. Bumble bees are typically larger than your standard bee, they’re fuzzier, and they carry pollen in a way that’s obviously different. Shepherd says you should start by watching the first few training videos posted on the Iowa Bumble Bee Atlas website, then consider attending an in-person session. “We have a bunch of field training events around the state,” Shepherd says. “They’re not required, but people can come out and get some hands-on experience catching bumble bees, handling bumble bees, how to take photos, and generally just meet a bunch of other fun people who like bumble bees.”

Rusty patched bumble bee (Photo by Rich Hatfield, The Xerces Society)

This is the second year for the program and Shepherd says volunteers are needed in every one of Iowa’s 99 counties. “Bees are incredibly important pollinators,” Shepherd says. “I think everybody understands the importance of pollination and bees are probably our superstars of doing that. Bumble bees have some unique traits that make them especially valuable for pollination, and the more we know about them, the better we can do at making sure they have habitat available.”

The first of the eight training events is scheduled for June 21st in Peosta, with more to follow through July in: Ames, Waterloo, Dakota City, Anita, Okoboji, Moravia and in New Castle, Nebraska. Registration is free and pre-registration is required.

More information can be found:
https://www.bumblebeeatlas.org/pages/iowa?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/2a2cc3da7eb841ac8f5d29718b0c63d8?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man and a woman from Red Oak were arrested this (Thursday, June 5th) morning, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, the female, 23-year-old Carrington Jade Jackson was arrested at around 8:16-a.m. in the 600 block of N. Broadway Street. The male, 25-year-old Damon Allen Jackson, was arrested at around 8:45-a.m., in the 200 block of E. Washington Street. Both were charged with Violation of a No Contact Order. The pair were being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail, pending a court appearance.

Des Moines, Iowa  – Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections, today (Thursday, June 5) said a man convicted in Polk County of Burglary in the 1st Degree, and Assault on Peace Officers, failed to report back from Work Release to the Fort Des Moines Correctional Facility, Tuesday. 46-year-old Richard Elmer Steil was admitted to the facility in Oct., 2024.

Richard Elmer Steil

Steil is a white male, 6-feet 3-inches tall. He weighs about 281-pounds. Persons with information on Steil’s whereabouts should contact their local police department.

(Radio Iowa) – Business groups are urging Governor Kim Reynolds to veto a bill that would set new rules for pharmacy benefit managers that work with insurance companies to set prescription drug prices — and Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner says she’s surprised the legislation actually cleared the House and Senate. “It did seem like there should have been a solution that would make everybody happy,” Weiner said, “and it was one of these unusual times when a whole variety of different actors were working together to try and make that happen.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch photo

Fourteen Democrats in the Iowa Senate, including Weiner, voted against the bill. It would establish a dispensing fee of over 10 dollars that must be paid to small pharmacies for each prescription filled. And P-B-Ms could no longer require that patients get their prescriptions from online pharmacies. Business groups say the bill adds massive costs to employers and patients. Weiner wouldn’t be surprised if the governor vetoes the bill. “There was a ‘Goldilocks spot,'” Weiner said. “…In my view, they could have had a win for everyone that would have protected the smaller, independent pharmacies, that would not have raised costs too much in terms of insurance costs and I think unfortunately they somewhat missed that mark.”

Weiner made her comments during a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S. If the governor does veto the plan, Weiner expects legislators will tackle the issue again in 2026. “It’s definitely important for Iowans that we continue to have the smaller pharmacies, the pharmacies that serve rural areas, the independent pharmacies that complement the larger chains in the urban areas and it’s a challenge,” she said.

Over 200 Iowa pharmacies have closed in the past decade and pharmacists say more will close if the bill isn’t signed into law. Bill backers say P-B-Ms are manipulating a system they built, raising costs for patients while making independent pharmacies fill prescriptions at a loss.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says three people were arrested on separate charges, Wednesday. At around 12:15-p.m., 50-year-old Jason Michael Turk, of Creston, was arrested in the 300 block of Livingston, on charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana-1st Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Turk was taken to Union County Jail and later posted a $1,300 bond.

At around 5:40-p.m. Wednesday, Creston Police arrested 39-year-old Joshua Zachery Mohr, of Bellevue, Iowa, for Public Intoxication. He was taken into custody in the 1300 block of W. Mills Street and held in the Union County Jail on a $300 bond.

And, at around 9:40-p.m., Creston Police arrested 34-year-old Peter Kund Larsen, III, of Creston. He was taken into custody at his residence and charged with Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations, Obstruction of Emergency Communications, Remove Radio from Officer, Public Intoxication, and Domestic Abuse Assault/1st Offense. Larsen was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, until seen by a Judge.

(Radio Iowa) – State climatologist Justin Glisan says the rain we’ve gotten to start the month of June is important because we remain behind for the year. “For the state, about 82 percent of normal, a little over two inches below where we should be. So not dire deficits, but still, you’d think of the four-year drought from 2020 to 2024, we still see longer-term hydrological impacts,” Glisan says. Southwestern Iowa had only about 60 percent of normal rainfall by the end of May. Glisan says normal rainfall starts to drop down after June and that could let the drought seep back in. “If we do get into a warm stretch during the summer time with higher vegetative demand, and higher atmospheric demand, that’s where we could see drought conditions expand given those longer term deficits,” he says.

While there have been a lot of ups and downs through the first five months of this year, Glisan says it has all averaged out. “As of the end of May, we’re right around the average temperature of only two tenth’s of a degree above average, so near normal on the temperature side,” he says. Glisan says the short-term outlook for June could be good news. “We are seeing a lean towards a cooler signal where there’s a big blue bullseye across the Midwest, including Iowa and also, at least in the short term, trend towards weather conditions through let’s say the six to ten-day outlook,” he says. “And when you look at the eight to 14 day outlook, which gets us into the middle of June, basically near normal. So a slight lean towards cooler. And weather conditions for the state.”

Glisan says overall June outlook leans towards warmer temperatures, but there’s no clear signal on the precipitation side.

OELWEIN, Iowa — The mother of an eastern Iowa girl who was abducted and killed nearly 13 years ago is behind bars facing numerous drug charges. KCCI-TV reports the Oelwein Police Department arrested Misty Cook on Tuesday night after they found illegal controlled substances in a search.

Cook is the mother of Lyric Cook-Morrissey, who, along with her cousin Elizabeth Collins, was abducted from Evansdale in July 2012. The bodies of both girls were found five months later. An arrest has never been made in the case.

Misty Cook is charged with conspiracy with intent to manufacture or deliver methamphetamine and conspiracy with intent to manufacture or deliver marijuana. The case is still under investigation.

In 2023, Misty Cook was arrested in West Union on methamphetamine and marijuana charges. In 2014, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling meth.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG-TV) – As nearly 2,000 Iowa Army National Guard members prepare for a year-long deployment to the Middle East, the founder of a group that assists veterans emphasizes the importance of supporting their mental health upon return. President of “Salute to the Fallen”, John Thompson, told KCRG-TV the number of veterans they’ve assisted across the state is more than double from last year. While it’s a number he said doesn’t surprise him, he also said it’s an issue that needs to be talked about openly.

Thompson keeps track of all the veterans he receives a call for help, but state and national statistics are more than two years old. The VA reports 17 veterans die by suicide daily with Iowa’s rate slightly higher than the nation’s. Thompson said there’s a reason why the numbers he sees might be going up:  After five-years, the effects of withdrawing from Afghanistan are starting to be seen.

Thompson said with nearly 2,000 Iowa National Guard members deploying, this is the time to discuss veteran suicide and the difficulties veterans face when transitioning to civilian life.