(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports six people were arrested over the weekend. Five of the arrests took place Sunday. Authorities report:

• At around 12:35-a.m., Sunday, Creston Police arrested 40-year-old Travis James Klos, of Creston, on charges that include: Eluding – Speed 25 Over Limit; Persons Ineligible to Carry Dangerous Weapons; Possession Of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana-1st Offense, and Driving While Barred. Klos was taken to the Union County Jail and later released after posting a $9,000 bond.
• About two-hours later, 41-year-old Eulicer Morales Escalona, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/1st Offense. He later posted a $1,000 bond and was released.
• Juliann Marquis Edsall, of Creston, was arrested Sunday afternoon on a Union County Warrant for two-counts Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd Offense. Edsall was taken to the Union County Jail where she is being held on a bond of $10,000.
• At around 3:45-p.m., Sunday, Police in Creston arrested 77-year-old Loren Lee Edsall, of Creston, for Theft in the 1st Degree (an amount $10,000 or greater), and Financial Exploitation of an Individual 70-to 80-years old ($15,000 or more – 1st Offense). Edsall was taken to the Union County Jail where he was being held on a$25,000 bond.
• And, at around 8:35-p.m., Sunday, 24-year-old Jaxson Andrew Welcher, of Creston, was arrested for Interference With Official Acts, Disorderly Conduct, and Operating While under the Influence 1st Offense. Welcher was taken to the Union County Jail where he is being held on a bond of $1,600.

Saturday afternoon, Police in Creston arrested 54-year-old Charles Ray Balius, of Creston, for Driving Barred. Balius was taken to the Union County Jail where he is being held on a bond of $2,000.

(April 2025) — Officials with the Hawkeye 10 Conference have recognized the outstanding achievements of its students, by announcing this year’s Academic Team and Character Award recipients. Atlantic High School Principal Heather MCKay said the honors celebrate students who have demonstrated academic excellence, personal integrity, and a commitment to the pillars of character.

Academic Team Selection Process

The selection for the prestigious Hawkeye 10 Academic Team is the result of a comprehensive and consistent nomination process led by high school principals across the conference. Students were identified based on their exceptional academic performance, qualifying through one or more of the following criteria:

• ISASP Scores meeting or exceeding advanced thresholds:
  • ELA (Grade 11): 660+
  • Math (Grade 11): 675+
  • Science (Grade 10): 656+
• ACT Score of 29 or higher

Eligible students were then invited to complete a formal application, highlighting not only their academic success but also their character, leadership, and contributions to their school communities. Principals reviewed each submission for accuracy and completeness, awarding up to four points in the character section. Final selection was determined through an anonymous committee review using a standardized rubric to ensure fairness and consistency.

Character Award Recipients

Character Award recipients

In addition to the Academic Team, each school in the conference also selected one student to receive the Hawkeye 10 Character Award, a distinct honor recognizing students who embody the Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, and Citizenship. Each recipient was chosen at the discretion of their school for their exemplary behavior and contributions to the school climate and community.

Celebrating Excellence

Academic Team

The Hawkeye 10 Conference remains committed to celebrating both academic achievement and strong moral character. These recognitions highlight the importance of well-rounded excellence and serve as a testament to the high standards upheld by students and schools throughout the conference.

Character Award recipient Morgan Botos, of Atlantic

Academic Team Member J. Molina, of Atlantic

Congratulations to all honorees on this well-deserved recognition!

Academic Team Members

Character Award Recipients

(Griswold, Iowa) – Griswold Fire & Rescue was dispatched to a shed fire Saturday afternoon, east of Griswold/southwest of Lyman. According to Griswold Fire Chief J.C. Wyman, the blaze at 62122 Upland Road was reported at around 2:50-p.m. (Photos from the Griswold Fire & Rescue Facebook page)

Firefighters from Grant and Cumberland provided additional assistance at the scene, along with Alliant Energy crews. The fire was under control in about 20 minutes. No injuries were reported.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Firefighters from Red Oak, Elliott and Stanton responded to a reported structure fire early this (Monday) morning. The call about the fire at 814 E. Nuckols Street (The James Grove residence) in Red Oak went out at around 2:10-a.m. According to Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce, upon arrival, fire crews encountered a large storage structure (approximately 1500 square feet) fully engulfed in flames. There is a residential structure approximately 30 feet to the north that was an exposure concern, as well as, embers had started a small grass fire along the hillside of the railroad tracks.

Additional mutual aid was called in from Essex FD and Shenandoah FD. Bruce said the structure and surrounding area were comprised of years of accumulated materials which created challenges for fireground suppression operations. Fire ground operations were terminated at approximately 5:00 a.m. No injuries were reported. Fire remains under investigation at time of release. Unknown dollar amount of loss at time of release. (Photos via the Red Oak FD Facebook page)

[Glenwood, Iowa] – Area officials are celebrating this week the work of Emergency Communications personnel. This week (April 13-19) is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. Sponsored by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and celebrated annually, the week honors the thousands of men and women who respond to emergency calls, dispatch emergency professionals and equipment, and render life-saving assistance to the citizens of the United States. National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week not only shows appreciation for these men and women but also brings awareness to the challenges and impactful situations they manage around the clock daily.

Locally, there has been tremendous support for 911 Dispatchers from our Public & Private sector partners, response stakeholders, community organizations, and citizens. The importance of recognizing and celebrating the hard work of these dedicated professionals at every level is immeasurable. County officials in Mills and other southwest Iowa Counties stand behind the commitment and devotion these men and women provide to ensure the safety and security for the citizens area counties.

Further acknowledging the hard work and dedication of these individuals, Mills County 911 has been nominated for the 2025 APCO Team Telecommunicator of the Year award due to their response and incident communications management for the I29 Raceway incident that occurred in August of 2024. Lonnie Mayberry, Chairman, Mills County Board of Supervisors has recognized National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week and honored Mills County 911 Communications staff by releasing an official proclamation.

(Radio Iowa) – Researchers from the University of Northern Iowa are exploring some of the nation’s deepest caves to learn about life in extreme environments, and their findings could ultimately help NASA in its search for life on other planets. UNI chemistry and biochemistry professor Joshua Sebree says he’s led undergraduate students on 50 to 60 fact-finding missions far underground, both in Iowa and several surrounding states. “We go out to Coldwater Cave, which is the longest cave in Iowa at over 17 miles,” Sebree says, “and we visit there once a month for various research projects.”

While it would be difficult for people to live in those subterranean environments for long, Sebree says other creatures can thrive in caves, but they can be quite elusive. “We’re always on the hunt for an extreme fish, the fish that can survive in caves, but then we’re also looking for different chemical fossils that have been preserved in the rock over time,” Sebree says. “We’re looking at how the glow-in-the-dark properties of these rocks can tell us about the different waters that made the caves eons ago and so we can get a picture of how the cave has evolved over time.”

A UNI student in Wind Cave in South Dakota (UNI photo)

The team of UNI cavers uses ultraviolet or “black” light to examine mineral formations in the caves, which will appear under ordinary light about like you’d expect, mostly shades of brown. “It changes to another color. In some cases, it can be vibrant pink, it can be fluorescent green, it can be a soft blue,” Sebree says. “All of those different colors that come back out of those crystals are telling you about what are the parts of the crystal that have a little something extra beyond just the calcium carbonate.”

He says the glowing patterns can offer new insight into how water — and potential life — once interacted deep underground and could indicate how life might exist in places like Jupiter’s moon Europa. The caves, he says, can be absolutely stunning. Sebree says, “You can enter some of these cavern spaces, flip on your black light, and you’re just surrounded by a technicolor whirlwind of all of these different bright crystals all around you.”

UNI’s research is being supported by NASA and the Iowa Space Grant Consortium.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa law enforcement officers are preparing for the new law that’ll take effect this summer, forbidding drivers from touching their cell phones while behind the wheel. Hamilton County Sheriff Alex Pruismann says he welcomes the new law, though it won’t bring a big change to how his deputies are already treating the potentially deadly distractions. “When accidents occur, we try to figure out where the phone was at, if it was in their hands, pockets, floorboard, stuff like that, to see if that was in use that was maybe a cause to the accident,” Pruismann says. “It’s not going to be much different than what we already do, because we already look for those things, and right now we look for them in a secondary capacity, like if they’re speeding and using their cell phone, it just now becomes a primary offense that they can be pulled over for.”

Pruismann says it’s a common-sense law that’s also a potential life-saver, as motorists need to limit and try to eliminate the hazards that could cause a crash. “It’s just a matter of being smart on the roadways and not being distracted,” the sheriff says, “being safe, using your skills and just looking out for the person ahead of you.”

Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bill into law last week, making Iowa the 31st state with a hands-free law. Starting July 1st, drivers who aren’t using phones in voice-activated or hands-free mode will face warnings, with 100-dollar fines beginning January 1st.

(Radio Iowa) – The Woodbury County Attorney has ruled a Sioux City police officer was justified in a shooting February 22nd that left a man dead. Attorney James Loomis says 30-year-old Vincente Manzo Hernandez was shot during a traffic stop as he pulled away with an officer hanging on the car. “At this point it is clear that Mr. Hernandez was in control of how fast the car would be going, but nobody was in control of which direction it would go,” he says. “This officer was in serious danger. The officer fired two shots with his firearm to incapacitate Mr. Hernandez and get the car stopped.”
Hernandez later died and an autopsy was conducted by the state medical examiner.

“As part of that, a blood toxicology was conducted. It was determined that at the time of his death, Mr. Hernandez had fentanyl and high levels of methamphetamine in his bloodstream. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the incident, and its investigation is complete.

Loomis says the officer had no choice but to fire his weapon and the Iowa Attorney General has reached the same conclusion.

(Coburg, Iowa) – Firefighters from Red Oak, Elliott, Stanton and Essex were dispatched at around 11:50-a.m. Sunday, to 305 Union Avenue in Coburg, for a report of a small brush pile fire that had extended to an unattached garage. Essex, Elliott and Stanton firefighters were canceled enroute.

According to Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce, fire crews arrived on scene and quickly suppressed the garage fire, as well as, the small brush pile. The family of the property owner were cleaning up the property at the time of this incident. (Photos via the Red OAK FD Facebook page)

Damage to the garage was estimated at around $5,000. No injuries reported.

Other assisting Agencies:

Montgomery County 911

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office – Red Oak, Iowa

(Iowa News Service) – Groups working to fight hunger in Iowa say proposed cuts to SNAP benefits would fall squarely on the state’s kids, who rely on them for food and other needs. State lawmakers are considering a measure that would limit what items SNAP recipients could buy. House File 970 would limit SNAP money to buying so-called “healthy” foods – grains, dairy, meat, eggs, fruits and vegetables, or other items considered necessary for good health.

Food Bank of Iowa’s Senior Manager of Food Acquisition and Advocacy Emily Shearer said the change could have a dramatic effect on the one in six Iowa kids who face hunger. “If there are cuts to SNAP, children will be impacted, seniors will be impacted, those with disabilities will be impacted,” said Shearer. “So, the majority of people on SNAP that are able to work are working – it’s just not enough to make ends meet.”

Backers of the bill say they’re guarding against abuse of the program. If it is approved, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services would have to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to override the current list of foods and beverages SNAP recipients can currently buy. A 2016 USDA study found there are very few differences in the buying habits of families using SNAP and those who don’t.

Shearer said it’s been hard to counter the false claims that low-income Iowans have less healthy eating and buying habits, or that they use their SNAP benefits to buy unhealthy items. “Nobody’s buying tobacco and alcohol with their SNAP benefits. They’re just not,” Shearer insisted. “But with SNAP restrictions the way they’re written currently, they’re so vague – there’s discussion that something like pasta sauce, or soup or jelly, are those going to be restricted? I don’t think anyone would define those as ‘junk food.'”

The USDA reports about 130,000 Iowans received SNAP benefits in 2024.