(Radio Iowa) – The Humane Society of Northwest Iowa has launched a program to try to address the feral cat problem in Dickinson County. Free-ranging and feral cats can spread disease and prey on native wildlife. Haley Dirks, director of the Humane Society of Northwest Iowa, says several communities in the Iowa Great Lakes area have concerns about a growing population of stray cats. “It’s a pretty intense problem,” Dirks says. “…Honestly, the worst city I’ve seen so far is Arnolds Park itself.” The organization began a T-N-R program January 1st.

“TNR stands for trap, neuter, release,” she says. “For all of those stray cats that you see ,primarily the ones that aren’t necessarily friendly or they are not huge fans of humans, we help get them trapped, spayed and neutered and then we get them back out in the wild.” Dirks says an aggressive trap, neuter and release program in Palo Alto County has greatly reduced the feral cat population in that county.

Humane Society of NW IA photo

Some of Iowa’s larger cities, like Coralville, have similar programs. Cedar Rapids officials say there are more feral cats within city limits than after the 2008 flood and they’re seeking public input about a city ordinance to trap, neuter and release feral cats. Private donors have helped launch the program in Dickinson County, but Dirks says they’re looking for volunteers to help trap cats.

The U-S-D-A estimates there are as many as 100 million feral cats in the United States. Females have an average of five kittens per litter and males are responsible for seven pregnancies per year.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests occurring between Dec. 20 and Dec. 31, 2023. The report is as follows:

12-20-23: Michael Ray Jurgensen, age 39, Panama, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 2100 block of 23rd St in Harlan. Jurgensen was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault 1st.

12-22-23: Aaron Robert McCutcheon, age 38, Harlan, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 1100 block of Willow St.in Harlan. McCutcheon was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Child Endangerment, Possession of Controlled Substance Meth 1st offense, Gathering where Controlled Substances are used, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Bryan Joseph Schuemann, age 37, Harlan, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 1100 block of Willow St in Harlan. Schuemann was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent, Gathering where Controlled Substances are used, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substances, Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana 3rd or Subsequent, Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

12-23-23: Martin James Ellison, age 55, Exira, IA was arrested following a traffic stop in Elk Horn. Ellison was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, OWI 1st, Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle, and Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability.

12-24-23: Geremias Edgardo Salazar-Portillo, age 21, Council Bluffs, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Violation of Probation. Salazar-Portillo was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

12-25-23: Cassandra Jean Garcia-DeGroot, age 51, Harlan, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 1200 block of Street F32, Harlan. Garcia-DeGroot was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Child Endangerment.

12-27-23: Diane Marie Sparks, age 59, Harlan, IA was arrested following a traffic stop in Harlan. Sparks was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Driving While Barred, Failure to Provide Proof of Liability Insurance, Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle, Failure to Maintain Registration Plate, and Speeding.

12-29-23: Michael Joseph Stessman, age 48, Elkhart, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Violation of Probation;. Gerry Dean Ballantyne Jr, age 51, Harlan, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 900 block of Hill St in Harlan. Ballantyne was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault 1st.; Alan David Graham, age 69, Avoca, IA was arrested following a traffic stop in the 800 block of Hwy 59. Graham was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance 2nd, Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana 2nd, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, OWI 1st, and Failure to Maintain Registration Plate.

12-31-23: Anthony Joseph Koester, age 39, Harlan, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 1700 block of Exchange St. Koester was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent Offense, and No Valid Drivers License.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Council Bluffs Police Department has a new way for citizens and businesses in Council Bluffs to help us investigate crimes. Many homeowners, property owners, and businesses use camera systems to protect their properties. The Council Bluffs Police Department often requests to have owners check their systems to see if they captured an incident.  In an effort to make this process more thorough, CBPD has started a database for camera owners.  

• Participation is voluntary and you can remove your camera information from our database at any time.
• CBPD will only ask for contact information for the owner or business and what type of coverage you have available.  
• At no time will the Department ask for login information, or have access to your system.  
• Information collected and stored in our records management system will be encrypted, and will only be used as described below. 

Council Bluffs PD Shield

When an incident occurs in the area of a homeowner or business, CBPD officers or detectives may contact those near the incident to see if they have coverage of the incident. The homeowner or business may voluntarily release footage to the Department. Having your system listed in the CBPD database does not require an owner to release any footage to the Council Bluffs Police Department. Any footage released by a homeowner or business to the Department may be used in any portion of the investigative or court processes.

If you are interested in assisting us through this program, we ask that you click HERE to enroll your camera(s).

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man who possessed a firearm on school grounds during an Iowa Caucus event in Red Oak, was arrested Monday night. Red Oak Police say officers were called to the Red Oak High School. Upon further investigation, 53-year-old Raymond Lester Simmons, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 8:40-p.m. in the 1200 block of Boundary Street. Simmons faces a Class-D Felony charge of Carrying Firearms on School Grounds.

He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond. Red Oak Police were assisted by Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

(Red Oak, Iowa) — A pickup that caught fire Monday afternoon in Red Oak was declared loss, but no one was injured. According to Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce, crews responded to a report of a vehicle at 606 Riverview Driver, fire shortly after Noon, Monday.

Before firefighters arrived civilians on the scene tried to use a hose in an attempt to extinguish the blaze, but the engine compartment and dash were still on fire. Firefighters extinguished the remaining flames.

Photo courtesy of Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce.

Assisting the Red Fire Department at the scene, were officers with the Red Oak Police Department and the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Communications assisted in coordinating incident communications. ,

PERRY, Iowa (KCCI) – Officials from the Perry Community School District announced Monday that they’re postponing the plan to reopen schools after this month’s deadly school shooting. They said last week that elementary and middle school students would return to classes this week and that high schoolers would return date that would be determined later.

High school principal Dan Marburger, who was wounded in the shooting, died Sunday, leading officials to postpone the plan for students to return to classes. Officials said while the reopening plan is on hold until further notice, extracurricular activities for middle school and high school students will resume Tuesday.

Perry High School student Dylan Butler, 17, killed sixth-grader Ahmir Jolliff and wounded seven other people in the shooting on Jan. 4 before killing himself. Marburger, one of those seven, died 10 days later. Authorities have provided no information about a possible motive or how Butler, who they believe acted alone, obtained the firearms.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report a man was arrested Monday morning on a Polk County warrant. 41-year-old Nickolas Allen Treanor, of Creston, was arrested at the Creston/Union County Law Enforcement Center, on the warrant for Failure to Appear on an original, Probation Revocation, charge. That original charge was for Possession of a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance.

Treanor was being held in the Union County Jail, awaiting extradition to the Polk County Jail, where he must serve 30-days in jail.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Republican Party officials say it appears about one-hundred-eight thousand (108,000) Iowans participated in last (Monday) night’s Caucuses. That’s nearly 14-and-a-half percent of registered Republican voters. Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann is praising Iowans braved record-low temperatures after a blizzard blanketed the state to participate in community discussions about the future of the country.

It was the lowest turn-out since the Caucuses George W. Bush won 24 years ago. The record for Republican participation in the Iowa Caucuses was set in 2016, when 189-thousand Iowans participated.