(Radio Iowa) — Authorities spent yesterday (Thursday) digging in a Waterloo suburb, apparently looking for evidence in the month-long search for a missing Arizona man and his step-daughter, who are believed to have been murdered. The property being searched is at the end of Timber Oak Road, a cul-de-sac, in a quiet Evansdale neighborhood. Officials dressed in white hazmat suits carrying shovels and digging equipment could be seen near a chicken coop on the undeveloped property. The FBI and officers from several local agencies were involved in the search. Late Thursday afternoon, police in Chino Valley, Arizona, confirmed the digging was connected to the disappearance of 45-year-old David Batten and 28-year-old Elissa Landry, who have been missing since April 19th.

Landry’s boyfriend, 24-year-old Mitchell Mincks, formerly of Waterloo, is a person of interest in the Arizona homicide case. On April 28th, he was arrested on unrelated charges at rural Waterloo home. Authorities say two pets belonging to Landry were found in Waterloo last month and her missing vehicle is also believed to be in the Waterloo area.

The Creston Police Department reports 31-year old Lance Keaton Wood, of Lexington, MO., was arrested Thursday morning in Creston, on a warrant for Failure to Appear April 30th, on a prior charge of Public Intoxication. Wood was seen by the Union County Magistrate, plead guilty and was released. Police said also, a man residing in the 800 block of N. Spruce Street, reported Wednesday, that someone had keyed the passenger side of his 2014 Toyota Tundra pickup. The damage was estimated at $200.

(Radio Iowa) — A University of Iowa study finds tiny tree pollen particles can hang in the air for a long time after a rain shower, causing grief for allergy and asthma sufferers. U-I chemistry professor Betsy Stone is the study’s author who led a team into the rainy outdoors of Iowa City on 28 separate days early last year. Rain events ranged from light showers to thunderstorms and even severe weather that spun off a tornado — and all brought down pollen.  “We logged many different rain events in the spring of 2019 and we found that they stuck around two-and-a-half to 11 hours after the rain ended,” Stone says.

The research found the harder the rainfall, the longer the pollen fragments would remain suspended in the air. She notes there’s a difference between pollen and pollen fragments, as the smaller granules can make their way deep into the lungs and worsen a person’s allergic reactions.  “Pollens are relatively large atmospheric particles. They’re 20 to 100 micrometers in size. With that size, they have a little bit more weight and that causes them to settle out of the atmosphere due to gravity,” Stone says. “Pollen fragments are about 100 times smaller than an intact pollen and they can actually stay in the atmosphere much longer.”

A weather phenomenon that’s sometimes seen during thunderstorms can send pollen far up into the sky. “An updraft will take particles from near the surface up into the upper atmosphere where they’re going to be exposed to higher humidity,” Stone says. “Under those very humid conditions, a pollen grain can rupture, releasing hundreds of tiny particle fragments and those fragments can come back down to the earth’s surface when it rains.” People who suffer from allergies or asthma should take note, she says, and do their best to stay indoors when the raindrops are falling — and immediately afterwards. “The highest concentrations of pollen fragments, and the highest potential for human exposure, would be when it’s raining, especially when it’s raining very, very hard,” Stone says. “So, if people are able to avoid the very strong rainfall and the period of time right after the storm, usually an hour or two, the pollen fragment levels drop down considerably.”

The study was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and was published online in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

Dwayne and Terri Vennerberg, life-long residents of the Stanton area, are bringing a Swedish-American coffee house named “Fika Coffee Hus” to Stanton’s downtown later this year, according to Stanton Community Development Director, Jenna Ramsey. The coffee shop, bakery and pop-up space will be located at 313 Broad Avenue in Stanton. Stanton has always been known for its Swedish traditions including the tradition of inviting people over for a cup of coffee. Ramsey says the tradition is important to continue in the Stanton Community and important to its culture.

Terri Vennerberg says “This certainly is an exciting adventure for us and something we want to make part of the fabric of the community. I’m sure many know this, but for those who don’t, Fika is a Swedish verb which means ‘to meet over coffee’ and that is what we want to bring to our area. We will offer a comfortable place to meet with friends over handcrafted coffees and teas along with tasty bakery treats. We will have Wi-Fi and items from a variety of vendors.”

The building is owned by Farmers Mutual Telephone Company (FMTC) which will rent the space to the Vennerberg’s for the coffee adventure after construction/remodeling in the building is complete in late summer or early fall. The Fika Coffee Hus will offer many opportunities including, specialty coffees including Stanton’s “own” coffee, baked goods, cooking classes, and items by area vendors. The goal is to have a variety of items for purchase but to also provide pop-up space to area vendors to promote local entrepreneurs.