(Mondamin, Iowa/KCCI-TV)  — A community in western Iowa is rallying behind a Vietnam War veteran trying to get back on his feet after losing his home.  During last week’s blizzzard, Mondamin resident John Bell lost power to his home, and fired up a wood-burning stove to stay warm. Then his house caught fire. The 79-year-old Bell was able to escape with his dog, “Baby,” but lost everything else, including his books and photo albums from his tour in Vietnam, and letters from the buddies he served with.

Neighbors took him in. Bell is currently residing now set up in a motel in Harrison County. Those same neighbors also started a GoFundMe to help Bell get a permanent place to stay. As of today (Wednesday), a little more than $6,900 had been raised.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – A newly filed lawsuit accuses Casey’s General Stores and an Iowa Board of Regents member of colluding with others as part of an illegal conspiracy to limit competition at convenience store fuel pumps. The lawsuit was filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa by a JF Acquisitions, a North Carolina company that builds and installs gasoline pumps found at convenience stores. The defendants in the case are Seneca Companies, based in Des Moines; OWL Services, a Michigan corporation; and Trive Capital Management, a Texas private equity firm. Although the lawsuit claims Casey’s General Stores and Iowa Board of Regents member JC Risewick are involved in the alleged conspiracy, they are not named as defendants in the case. Risewick is the chief strategy officer for OWL Services and the former owner of Seneca, according to Board of Regents records.

While significant portions of JF Acquisitions’ court petition are redacted from public view without explanation, the company argues that Trive has been consolidating the gas-pump distribution and servicing industry throughout the United States. Trive is alleged to have created OWL Services, which the lawsuit calls “a rollup of several fuel-dispenser distribution, installation and service companies.” In 2024, the lawsuit claims, Trive quietly added an OWL competitor, Seneca, to its portfolio and never publicly announced the deal or informed regulators of it due to “obvious competition concerns.” This lack of disclosure extended to a state conflict-of-interest report filed by Risewick, the Iowa Board of Regents member, the lawsuit claims.

Risewick allegedly disclosed his affiliation with Seneca and OWL, but not with Trive — a “potentially relevant omission given the fact that the University of Iowa Foundation is a limited partner in multiple Trive funds,” the lawsuit claims. Following Trive’s acquisition of Seneca, the lawsuit claims, the defendants allegedly engaged in “exclusionary and predatory conduct” aimed at cementing their combined market power and diminishing competition in the fuel-dispenser distribution and servicing market in Iowa and southern Illinois. JF Acquisitions alleges it has been “the chief target” of these “anti-competitive measures.” Specifically, the lawsuit claims the defendants have tried to exclude JF Acquisitions from the market by “cutting it off from the customer, supplier, and employee relationships that are essential” for JF to do business in Iowa and Illinois.

This store on Des Moines’ Park Avenue is part of the Casey’s General Store chain. (Photo by Clark Kauffman/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

The defendants allegedly did this by entering into what JF Acquisitions calls “an unlawful conspiracy — including each of the defendants and Casey’s General Stores, one of JF’s most significant customers nationally and the largest convenience store chain in the Midwest region — pursuant to which Casey’s has agreed with defendants that it will all but entirely boycott JF” in Iowa and southern Illinois. The lawsuit also alleges the defendants have engaged in a “smear campaign” against JF Acquisitions that has included misrepresentations concerning the latter’s capacity to legally service stores in Iowa and Illinois. Seneca, the lawsuit claims, has also attempted to “intimidate its workforce” through the unreasonable enforcement of broad noncompete agreements with hourly workers who service gas pumps. In one instance, Seneca allegedly sued a former employee who sought employment with a competitor. The worker was then ordered to pay more than $70,000, although the man’s total wages amounted to only $31,000 per year.

The lawsuit alleges that as part of the purported conspiracy, Risewick wrote to one fuel-distribution company “in an effort to thwart JF’s entry into the market.” The lawsuit appears to then quote from the Risewick letter, but all of the relevant text is redacted from public view. As further evidence of Risewick’s alleged role in the matter, the lawsuit alleges Risewick is “a close personal friend of Darren Rebelez, the chairman and CEO of Casey’s.” On Feb. 28, 2024, Risewick emailed Rebelez, the lawsuit states, “and suggested (redacted).” The lawsuit also appears to quote from “private text messages,” including one from the head of procurement for Casey’s to Risewick — although, again, the actual content of the purported text message is redacted from the court filing. Risewick was appointed to the Iowa Board of Regents on June 21, 2022, by Gov. Kim Reynolds. His term expires on April 30, 2025.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for monopolization and conspiracy to restrain trade in violation of the federal laws known as the Sherman Act, as well as conspiracy to restrain and monopolize trade in violation of the Iowa Competition Law and tortuous interference with prospective business relationships in violation of state law. The defendants have yet to file a response to the lawsuit.

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Northern Iowa is hosting a P-T-S-D Awareness & Suicide Prevention Conference today (Wednesday). It’s free and open to students, faculty, staff, veterans, friends and family members, health care professionals and anyone from the community. Henry Korf, U-N-I’s military and veteran student services coordinator, says the conference on the Cedar Falls campus is designed to be an informational clearinghouse.

“Family members who are caregivers of veterans, or veterans who are experiencing the consequences of PTSD or suicide ideation, they will be able to find some information to receive help,” Korf says. “We have classes going on for CALM, which is Counseling Against Lethal Means.” There are keynote presentations planned, in addition to training sessions, workshops and breakout sessions, on topics like: V-A Programs & Resources for Women Veterans, Self-Compassion and PTSD, Suicide Prevention in Older Veterans, and Assessing Risks in Health Care and Safety Planning. Korf says the shift from active duty to civilian life can be very difficult for some people.

“That first year of getting out of uniform is our highest percentage of veterans who do commit or attempt to commit suicide,” Korf says. “We do get a lot of veterans when they transition from the uniform, a lot of them seek out higher education opportunities, so we have quite a few veterans on campus, and it’s our attempt to help support them as they transition.” While the term P-T-S-D has only been around a few decades, the lasting mental impacts of exposure to trauma in warfare dates back millennia. Korf says it can impact everyone differently.

“You could have two service members at the same location experiencing some of the very same things, one could walk away with PTSD symptoms, and the other one may not,” Korf says. “It really depends on the experiences that that individual had prior to that experience, and how you support that individual as they come out of that experience.” The stigma surrounding the disorder is lessening, Korf says, as the number of Vietnam veterans who say they suffered from P-T-S-D has risen from around eight-percent during the 1970s to more than 30-percent now.

The free conference is scheduled to run from 8 A-M to 3:30 P-M in the Maucker Union Ballrooms on the U-N-I campus.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Lottery C-E-O Matt Strawn says sales are up slightly through the third quarter of the fiscal year. He says the fiscal year 2025 lottery sales of nearly 292 million dollars ($291,913,031)
are ahead of budget projections by nearly eight percent (7.88%),” Strawn says. During an update to the Lottery Board, he says there’s several positives. “Instaplay product category sales are up 14-point-one-three percent, Pulltab sales are up 21 point-four-three percent, Lotto America sales are up 20-point-one-nine percent,” Strawn says.

Strawn says sales are mixed overall wtih national lotto game sales continuing to struggle. “Mega Million sales are down 21-point-31 percent, Powerball sales are down 53-point-nine-tow percent, and scratch ticket sales have been holding their own for the most part, but are slightly down, four-point-three-two percent (4.32%),” Strawn says. Strawn says the lotto games will have a hard time catching up to last year’s sales in the final quarter of the fiscal year. “That we’re looking at. Last year, Mega Millions climbed to a one-point-one billion dollar jackpot, almost at this exact time last year. And then fast forward a couple weeks, there was a Powerball jackpot last year, April 6th, that approached one-point-three billion dollars, so that’s what we’re up against.” Strawn says.

Strawn says a couple of national polls show consumer confidence is down, and the Lottery faces some “headwinds” in the last quarter. But he expects to finish the fiscal year at or slightly ahead of their budget projections.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has passed a bill to establish work requirements for most of the 181-thousand Iowans who get insurance coverage through Medicaid’s “Iowa Health and Wellness Plan.” These are low income Iowans who made too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid until the federal government offered Medicaid expansion in 2013. Republican Senator Mike Klimesh of Spillville says the bill calls for able-bodied Iowans covered by the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan to prove they work at least 80 hours a month.

“Work is more than just a paycheck. It provides individuals with a sense of pride, accomplishment, and a deeper connection to society,” Klimesh said. “…By requiring work we are providing an important stepping stone to help Iowans develop the life skills, develop responsibility and regain a sense of purpose.” Republicans voted for the bill, which directs state officials to apply for a federal waiver to implement these work requirements. Democrats opposed the bill. Senator Janet Petersen of Des Moines says if the federal government were to grant and then later rescind that waiver, the bill calls for ending Medicaid expansion to tens of thousands of Iowans.

“We’re seeing these bills all across the country popping up,” Petersen says. “This is a Medicaid repeal bill in sheep’s clothing as one of my colleagues in Idaho said about a bill that happened in their state.”

Republicans in the Iowa House have their own proposal on this topic and that bill could be debated later today (Wednesday).

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has passed a bill that would give the secretary of state authority to hire a vendor to check for non-citizens on Iowa voter registration lists. Representative Austin Harris, a Republican from Moulton, cites the recent announcement that 277 non-citizens were registered to vote in Iowa in 2024 — and 35 of them cast ballots that were counted.

“Just one illegal vote is an attack on all of our votes,” Harris said. “To me, it threatens what it means to be an American and, as an American, we have a right to self determination through out elections and when we turn a blind eye and we let people who have not earned the right to vote to do that, that threatens all of our abilities to self determination.” The bill, which passed on a party-line vote, does a number of other things. It would ban ranked choice voting. It also would make it harder for a political party to gain “major party status” alongside Democrats and Republicans.

Representative Adam Zabner, a Democrat from Iowa City, says while there are needed solutions in the bill, it also would make it harder for third party candidates to run for office. “It limits the options of Iowans, it boxes out competition,” Zabner said. “And it begs the question: ‘What is the majority party scared of?'” The bill also would prohibit so-called “spoiler” candidates who lose in the primary election in June, then run in the General Election as an independent candidate or the nominee of another party.

The House approved another election-related bill — about recounts. Under current law, people appointed by the candidates in close races oversee recounts. Representative Austin Harris says under the bill, the campaigns could have observers — but county auditors and their staff would be in charge of conducting recounts. “Creating a fair process to recount our elections and for our citizens, no matter their political party, to have faith and trust that despite a close election, the result is accurate,” Harris said.

The bill also sets new rules for when a candidate may seek a recount. The two leading candidates in legislative races would have to be separated by one percent. The second place candidates in a statewide or federal race would have to be within point-15 percent (0.15%) of the leading candidate.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has passed a bill that would prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion offices or staff in city and county governments. Republicans supported the bill. Democrats opposed it. The bill says local governments cannot issue statements in support of D-E-I policies and should not provide special benefits based on race, color, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. Republican Senator Cherielynn Westrich of Ottumwa says hiring individuals based on certain characteristics is part of D-E-I and should be eliminated.

“You cannot fight discrimination with discrimination. You cannot be racist against one race without being racist,” Westrich said. “…Iowa taxpayers deserve for us to hire the best people and that’s what we should do.” Senator Liz Bennett, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says diversity, equity and inclusion are principles that make communities stronger.

“These are not just buzz words,” Bennett said. “They’re the foundation of fairness, progress and opportunity in our communities and unfortunately Republicans are once again taking local control away from our communities in the name of a culture war.” The bill includes an exception for law enforcement training that include information about preventing bias in policing.

The Iowa House has passed a different bill that would forbid state tax dollars from being spent on D-E-I staff, offices, programs, courses or initiatives at public and private colleges and universities in the state.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Council Bluffs Police Chief Matt Davis reports a second suspect has been taken into custody in connection with a shooting incident that took place outside of a bar, early Sunday morning. 32-year-old Cole Nathaniel Thurlow, of Council Bluffs, faces two counts of Attempted Murder and one count of Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, following a continuing investigation into the incident that occurred at around 2-a.m. Sunday, where multiple rounds were fired at an occupied vehicle, in the parking lot of the O’Face Bar.

Turlow is cooperating with the investigation. His case was referred to the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office for prosecution. The first suspect taken into custody Sunday, 22-year-old Ty’Jon Lamonn Edwards, of Missouri Valley, in also charged with two, Class-B Felony counts of Attempted Murder, and a Class-C Felony charge of Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon.

Chief Matt Davis says “The CBPD would like to thank the community and law enforcement partners who assisted in this investigation. Thank you to the members of the public who came forward with information. The public is always strongly encouraged to come forward and say something if you see something. Finally, the CBPD is grateful for the tireless efforts of the detectives in the Criminal Investigation Division. To any individual intending to do violence in the City of Council Bluffs, rest assured you will be identified and held accountable. The public should be reminded that all persons charged in this case should be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”

(Original post on March 24th):

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Police in Council Bluffs report a Harrison County man was arrested Monday on warrants for Felony attempted murder and weapon charges, following a shooting investigation.  Authorities say 22-year-old Ty’Jon Lamonn Edwards, of Missouri Valley, was being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail on two, Class-B Felony counts of Attempted Murder, and a Class-C Felony charge of Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon.

At around 2-a.m. Sunday, March 23rd, 2025, Council Bluffs Police were dispatched to a shooting at the O’Face Bar in the 2400 block of 9th Avenue, in Council Bluffs, where a disturbance had occurred as the bar was closing, which resulted in a male suspect firing multiple rounds at the bar and an occupied vehicle in the bar’s parking lot. No one was hit by the gunfire but an occupant of the car did receive treatment at a local hospital for minor injuries.

After investigators identified Edwards as the suspect, arrest warrants were obtained, and at around Noon on Monday, March 24th, members of the Metro Fugitive Task Force located a vehicle that Edwards was riding in, near 16th Street and West Broadway in Council Bluffs. Task Force members were able to stop the vehicle and take him into custody without incident.

An investigation into the shooting incident is ongoing. Authorities say additional arrests are anticipated. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Council Bluffs Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 712-328-4728. To remain anonymous, they may call CrimeStoppers at 712-328-7867 or submit an on-line crime tip at:
https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/FormCenter/Police-Department-2/Online-CrimeStoppers-Tip-70

(Radio Iowa) – Graduate students at the University of Iowa say they’re concerned about possible changes to their employment and admissions contracts. Two days before Spring Break, grad students in the English Department got an email from the department chair saying the U-I could no longer guarantee financial support due to uncertainty around federal research funding. Jennie Sekanics is a third-year P-h-D student in that department.

“Class sizes would increase, the student-to-professor ratio would certainly increase,” Sekanics says, “and ultimately the University of Iowa as an institution would lose its status as an institution that produces stellar research.” The U-I says it encouraged all department heads to outline for graduate students the contingencies of their funding. Sekanics says the letter from the English Department chair said students will receive updated terms of their offers and have their old offers rescinded.

“Personally, I would not have pursued my PhD unless it was fully funded. I only applied to fully funded programs,” she says. “I was only accepted to fully funded programs, and I ultimately chose the University of Iowa because of the funding that was offered to me.”

The U-I says graduate assistant-ship appointments have always been dependent on available funding. It says it is -not- changing terms of employment or rescinding employment contracts, just the -promise- of funding.

(Radio Iowa) – Bond has been set at 100 million dollars for the Honduran man charged in the death of Sarah Root of Council Bluffs in a 2016 traffic accident in Omaha. Eswin Mejia fled the country after the accident and was returned to the U-S last week. Douglas County Nebraska County Attorney Don Kleine talked about the bond. “It’s one of the highest bonds I’ve ever seen. We wanted that to be the case, he left our jurisdiction last time he posted bond,” he says.

Eswin Mejia

He says they didn’t have the charge to hold Mejia without bond. “That’s only on first-degree murder cases and first-degree sexual assault cases. The judge had to set some sort of bond, we wanted it as high as we could get it,” he says. Police say Mejia’s car rear-ended the 21-year-old Root’s car as he was drunk and racing in South Omaha.

Root had just graduated from college that day. Mejia’s next court appearance is set for April 29th.