Officials with the Stuart Police Department report two people were arrested on drug and other charges Saturday night following a traffic stop in the 1100 block of S. Division Street. During the investigation, approximately 10-ounces of marijuana was seized from the female driver, who is from Marshalltown.

The woman was taken into custody and charged with Felony Possession of a controlled substance with the intent to deliver, along with child endangerment. An adult male occupant of the vehicle from Des Moines, was discovered to have warrants out of Story and Polk Counties. He was also arrested on prescription drug charges.

Three young juveniles who were also in the vehicle were transferred to the care of family members. Both adults were booked into the Adair County Jail. No names have been released.

Evidence seized during the traffic stop: 10-oz of marijuana. (Photo from Stuart PD’s Facebook page)

Two men were arrested Saturday night in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 35-year old Joseph Aaron Nelson,and 28-year old Jason Michael Eppenbaugh, both of Red Oak, were arrested at around 9:40-p.m., for Disorderly Conduct and Interference with Official Acts. Nelson and Eppenbaugh were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond, each.

The executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says a just-revealed oil industry study shows a proposal by Texas Senator Ted Cruz could have a devastating impact on the ethanol and biodiesel industries in Iowa. I-R-F-A president Monte Shaw says the plan would give waiver credits to oil refiners for the Renewable Fuels Standard.

“That they could use for compliance with the program without actually blending the 15 billion gallons. And out point was…if you are not blending the 15 BILLION gallons — then you are not protecting the 15 BILLION-gallon R-F-S,” according to Shaw. He says the plan goes against the purpose of requiring a set amount of renewable fuel use. “It’s just a scheme,” Shaw says, “so, anything that reduces blending below 15 billion gallons even though you are quote-unquote complying with the R-F-S because you have these artificial waiver credits, still undermines the R-F-S.”

Shaw says President Donald Trump needs to know what the impact of the plan will be.
“The president needs to hear these facts, he needs to be aware of this study that was apparently made public — I doubt that they wanted it made public — because it undercuts all of their arguments that they’ve been using,” Shaw says. “And he needs to stand firm behind his promise to the Iowa voter and the Iowa farmer to protect the R-F-S.”

The Executive Director of the Iowa Biodiesel Board, Grant Kimberley, says the plan would cut biodiesel production by 300 million gallons.”This happens to be exactly or almost exactly what the state of Iowa produced for our entire biodiesel industry this past year,” Kimberley says. “So basically, you are talking about wiping out the entire Iowa biodiesel industry by doing this.”

Kimberly says there would be other impacts. “We’d see a 185 million dollars more in feed costs for livestock producers around the country — likely leading to an increase in food costs for consumers,” he says. And he says there would be other impacts on commodities. He says soybean farmers would see a reduction of prices by at least 15 cents a bushel.

The White House has scheduled a meeting for Monday morning (March 12th) to discuss the future of the R-F-S. Shaw says if the Cruz plan is adopted, Iowa State University has determined that corn prices would drop an additional 25 cents per bushel from already low levels.

(Radio Iowa)

(Updated w/name 6-p.m. 3/11) The Iowa State Patrol reports alcohol may have played a roll in a high speed crash that resulted in the driver of a vehicle being ejected, Saturday night in southeastern Iowa. 49-year old Terrance Koeppel, of West Des Moines, was traveling west at a high rate of speed on 155th Street at around 9:50-p.m., when his 2017 Audi Q3 went out of control.

The vehicle entered the north ditch, rolled into a power pole, and came to rest on its wheels. Keoppel, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected as the car rolled. He was transported by West Liberty Ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.

The accident remains under investigation.

Deputies with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office had a bit of excitement early this (Sunday) morning. Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports that at around 1-a.m., deputies with the Fremont County Sheriff’s office were checking on a 2011 GMC Sierra located on 240th avenue, just north of Hamburg. The truck was parked in the middle of the road on 240th ave.

As deputies were approaching the truck, the vehicle took off from deputies. Deputies engaged in a pursuit reaching speeds of 96 MPH. The pursuit continued south onto 250th ave reaching a level B maintenance road. The vehicle came to a stop at the Missouri / Iowa line on 250th ave.

Deputies were then able to arrest the driver, identified as 27 year old Zachary Spears of Hamburg. Spears was taken into custody without further incident and transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement center where he posted bond and was released.

spears,z (Photo courtesy Fremont County S/O)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A former youth counselor at Four Oaks juvenile facility in Davenport has been arrested after being accused of helping the escape of three juveniles offenders _ one of which she was involved with romantically. Television station KWQC reports that 19-year-old Hannah Rose Fitzpatrick, of Marion, Iowa, is charged with sexual misconduct with a youth offender in her custody. The charge is an aggravated misdemeanor under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of up to two years.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Seven companies have submitted 21 applications to operate medical cannabis dispensaries in Iowa. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that those were the applications that came in by Thursday’s deadline. Earlier this year, the Iowa Department of Public Health requested proposals from companies, intending to award licenses for up to five medical cannabis dispensaries throughout the state.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An organization is planning to spend $70 million to gradually demolish and rebuild a retirement community in northeast Iowa. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Friends of Faith Retirement Homes Inc. announced it’ll invest in reconstructing its independent living apartments and skilled nursing center. The senior housing nonprofit opened Waterloo’s Friendship Village in 1968. The city zoning commission voted Tuesday to endorse a zoning request for the project that’ll begin next year.

PANORA, Iowa (AP) — A western Iowa man faces kidnapping, sexual abuse and other charges after authorities say he beat and raped a woman. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office tells Des Moines television station KCCI that deputies were called to a Lake Panorama home near Panora after midnight Wednesday. A woman told them that 34-year-old Michael Mackenzie Taylor punched her in the face and choked her until she passed out, then forced her into nearby trees where he raped her.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An organization is planning to spend $70 million to gradually demolish and rebuild a retirement community in northeast Iowa. Friends of Faith Retirement Homes Inc. announced it’ll invest in reconstructing its independent living apartments and skilled nursing center. The senior housing nonprofit opened Waterloo’s Friendship Village in 1968, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported.

“There were a number of options that the leadership of Friendship Village looked at, and some involved moving away,” said Mike Young, attorney for Friends of Faith. “But they made the commitment to redevelop and reinvest in this neighborhood in these facilities where they’ve spent 50 years and are looking to spend 50 more years.”

The Waterloo Planning, Programming and Zoning Commission voted Tuesday to endorse a zoning request and special permit for the project expected to begin next year.

Friendship Village has stopped new admissions to prepare for the project, which will be developed in phases to avoid displacing existing residents during the process. The project involves replacing the about 100-unit independent living building with a new four-story, 73-unit building. It also includes replacing the existing 72-unit skilled nursing center on the campus.

“When it’s done, it will be a first-class facility that the neighborhood and the city and Cedar Valley can be very proud of,” Young said. The project does not affect other living facilities associated with Friends of Faith, including Village Place, Landmark Commons, Lakeview Lodge, Lakeview Landing or Rosewood Estate.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A former youth counselor at Four Oaks juvenile facility in Davenport has been arrested after being accused of helping the escape of three juveniles offenders — one of which she was involved with romantically.

Television station KWQC reports that 19-year-old Hannah Rose Fitzpatrick, of Marion, Iowa, is charged with sexual misconduct with a youth offender in her custody. The charge is an aggravated misdemeanor under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of up to two years.

Police say that on Feb. 2, Fitzpatrick helped three juveniles escape the facility by driving them to an address in Davenport. Police say she then engaged in a sex act with one of the offenders.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Seven companies have submitted 21 applications to operate medical cannabis dispensaries in Iowa. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that those were the applications that came in by Thursday’s deadline.
Earlier this year, the Iowa Department of Public Health requested proposals from companies, intending to award licenses for up to five medical cannabis dispensaries throughout the state.

Dispensaries are locations where patients and primary caregivers with valid medical registration cards can obtain the cannabis. A review panel will score the applications based on certain criteria. The health department plans to award the five licenses by April 1.

Democrats in the Iowa House staged something akin to a four-and-a-half hour filibuster Thursday to protest of the state’s new voter verification law. Representative Bruce Hunter of Des Moines authored half of the changes Democrats were seeking in the law. “Start creating laws in this state to make it easier to exercise your constitutional right to vote,” Hunter said. “…We’ve certainly done it with gun rights. It’s time to treat our voters at least as well as our gun owners.”

House Republicans rejected each one of the Democrats’ proposals. The debate came on what Republicans like Representative Michael Bergen of Dorchester described as a non-controversial measure to correct “technical errors” in state election laws. “There are a number of topics, discussion points that came up during our debate that, quite frankly, just are detracting from our bill,” Bergen said at the conclusion of the debate.

Bergen said the bill would make the state’s voting system “work better.” Democrats say the new law is causing confusion and Iowa’s secretary of state needs to do more to educate voters. One lawmaker said poll workers misinterpreted the new law when he and his wife went to vote in a municipal election this past week and initially tried to bar his wife from casting a ballot.

(Radio Iowa)