PERRY, Iowa [KCCI] – Police in Perry are searching for a suspect who broke into TCG Planet, a local trading card store, and stole an estimated $25,000 to $40,000 worth of Pokémon cards, according to the owners of the store. The burglary occurred shortly after the store closed on Sunday evening, and the owners say the thief was caught on surveillance video.

The thief reportedly broke through two back doors to reach the store’s valuable Pokémon card collection. Security cameras inside the store captured the break-in until the thief ripped them from the walls. However, neighboring businesses’ cameras recorded a clear image of the suspect’s face, which store owners said looked like a man who had been in the store several times throughout the week.

The Pokémon card resale market has surged in recent months, making it difficult for retailers to keep inventory in stock. The incident follows a similar, but unrelated, theft at Hi-5 Comics and Cards in Des Moines last December, where a thief stole several boxes of trading cards, including Pokémon cards.

MADISON COUNTY, Iowa — The Madison County Auditor has filed legal action against the Madison County Board of Supervisors, requesting the Iowa Supreme Court to weigh in on a decision made by the board of supervisors last month. KCCI-TV reports, during a board of supervisors meeting on March 26, the board did not approve the hiring of a position put on by the County Auditor Teri Kaczinski’s office: a part-time Second Deputy Auditor. Leslie Beck has been put on past meeting agendas twice for the position. Beck was Kaczinski’s campaign manager when she ran for the County Auditor’s Office.

According to a Facebook post by Kaczinski, Beck worked for a firm that she announced the auditor’s office was hiring as a consulting firm to help address several inherited issues with the office. The resolution on March 26 ended in a tie. Board of Supervisors chair Heather Stancil chose to abstain from voting because Beck is operating a fundraiser for her husband. While Supervisor Jessica Hobbs voted in favor, Supervisor Diane Fitch was opposed.

The petition for Writ of Certiorari filed on April 3 states, “It is the Auditor’s statutory right to appoint a deputy auditor with the approval of the Board, and ‘county supervisors should recognize and approve any reasonable and proper appointment made by an elected county office.’” It goes on to state that the Board cannot reject someone on “frivolous, trivial, minimal, arbitrary, or capricious grounds” for reasons such as “they did not like the color of the hair of the appointee, nor because of his politics, religious affiliation, nor age, unless the matter of age was contrary to statute.”

Through the court documents, Kaczinski’s attorney claims Supervisor Fitch’s vote against the approval was “on frivolous, trivial, minimal, arbitrary or capricious grounds” and that the Board “exceeded its authority and acted improperly and illegally when it denied the Auditor’s resolution to appoint Beck as a deputy auditor on frivolous, trivial, minimal, arbitrary or capricious grounds.”

The petition was not brought up by the board during a meeting Tuesday, but residents did bring up some of their frustrations during the public comment section. It was previously reported that Kaczinski put a resolution forward to create a new, part-time role in her office and hire Beck all in one motion. That led to concerns from residents about unfair hiring practices. The vote was then tabled.

Kaczinski previously stated the position was posted for 10 days before a second resolution was put in front of supervisors. She also says her office is in dire need of staff and without help, she’s concerned her office may be unable to cut paychecks.  While she wasn’t physically at Tuesday’s meeting, Kaczinski did speak over the phone during it when a resolution to hire a different employee was passed 2 to 1.

All the supervisors declined to speak with KCCI, citing the pending litigation as to why they couldn’t comment.

(Iowa DNR News) – A mild winter followed by timely spring rains has Iowa forests and woodlots leafing out ahead of spring turkey season, possibly tipping the playing field in favor of the gobblers, after a record harvest of more than 16,000 birds in 2024. The first of Iowa’s four regular spring turkey seasons opens on April 14. “We are greening up ahead of schedule,” said Jim Coffey, forest wildlife research biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “For anyone hunting second season or later, it could be a jungle out there.”

Winter turkey flocks are breaking up and birds are spreading across the landscape. Turkey production has been above the five-year average for three of the past four years, providing good numbers of birds, especially two-year-old jakes. “Jakes will usually respond to calls more easily than toms and have been known to come in in groups – if a group of jakes come in, make sure you have a clean shot at one bird,” Coffey said.

Although Iowa has set spring turkey harvest records twice since 2020, Coffey said it’s important to remember that historically, only one in five hunters will tag a bird.  “Success should be determined by time spent outside, watching the sunrise as the timber comes alive around you, the experience in the woods, not by bagging a turkey,” he said. “Spring turkey hunting is a close, intimate sport, where the excitement is happening in less than 30 yards. And with the early leaf out this year, it could be even closer.”

IA DNR photo

To improve the chances of bagging a turkey, Coffey said hunters should go through their equipment to make sure it all works and gear still fits before hiking into the timber on opening morning. He also said that the ticks are already out so plan accordingly. Iowa’s first of four turkey seasons opens on the second Monday in April each year, and this year, that’s the middle of April, aligning turkey hunting with mushroom hunting season.

“If we get rain and a little heat – it should be a good year for mushroom hunting – which also means we need to be aware of other people in the woods – hunters need to identify their bird, make sure it has a beard, and what’s beyond it,” Coffey said. One final tip, Coffey said don’t overlook Iowa’s smaller woodlots, as they are typically good places to hunt.

Successful hunters are required to report their harvest by midnight of the day after it is recovered by going online at www.iowadnr.gov, calling the toll free phone number printed on the tag, at any license vendor during regular business hours, by texting your registration number to 1-800-771-4692 or through the Go Outdoors Iowa app. “Best way for turkey hunter to help with conservation is to report your harvest,” he said.

Youth-only season is April 11-13

Youth turkey season is designed to provide a strong mentoring experience for the youth hunter. It is restricted to Iowa residents only. “Turkey hunting is an intimate sport and mentoring is a way to learn from other’s mistakes,” Coffey said. “With only about one-in-five hunters tagging a turkey, failure is part of the process. A successful hunt should be gauged on the adventure and experience of being in the woods not placing a tag on a bird.”

Youth tags are sold through the end of youth season on April 13. Youth tags are valid for youth season and each of the four regular seasons until filled or when the season four closes on May 18. Licenses are not sold after the youth season closes.

2025 spring turkey season dates

• Youth Season, residents only, age 15 and younger – April 11-13
• Season 1 – April 14-17
• Season 2 – April 18-22
• Season 3 – April 23-29
• Season 4 – April 30 – May 18

The youth season license is good until filled, but it must be purchased before the youth season closes.

Around 50,000 turkey licenses will be purchased this year. Hunters may purchase two turkey tags, with at least one for season four. Shooting hours are one half hour before sunrise to sunset.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Officials with the Atlantic Community School District, Tuesday evening, posted a notice for a Public Hearing that will take place beginning at 6-p.m. today (Wednesday), with regard to receiving Collective Bargaining Proposals. The hearing will take place in the Atlantic High School Media Center, prior to the start of the Board’s regular meeting, which begins at 6:30-p.m.

The tentative agenda is as follows:

• Collective Bargaining Proposals will begin at 6:00 pm; The meeting will be open to the public as required in Chapter 20 of the Iowa Code.
• Certified Staff Collective Bargaining Unit Proposal
• The Atlantic Education Association will present its initial contract proposal for the 2025-2026 school year.
• At 6:10 pm following Certified Staff Collective Bargaining Unit Proposal:
  • The Board of Education will present its initial contract proposal for the 2025-26 school year.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill to make it legal to go “noodling” for catfish in Iowa lakes, streams and rivers is under consideration in the Iowa House. Representative Ray Sorenson of Greenfield sponsored the bill to have the state start issuing noodling licenses after hearing from Iowans who want to try to catch catfish with their bare hands.  “I’ve had constituents bring it to me before,” he says, “but this was an entire family.”

Sorenson says the teenage girl in that family went “noodling” in another state. “And that’s where she kind of fell in love with it,” Sorenson says. It is legal to go “noodling” for catfish in at least 17 other states, including Wisconsin and Illinois. The fishing technique has opponents. Jim Obradovich is a lobbyist for the Iowa Conservation Alliance.

Representative Ray “Bubba” Sorensen (R-Greenfield) (official photo)

“How noodling works is a person reaches in with their hand and the biology of the catfish kind of creates a kind of a handle or a hook for a person once you get past your wrist and you grab on and the catfish grabs on,” Obradovich said, “and the way it ends is one of the two will give up.” Beynod the potential of injury to the human hand, Obradovich says noodling isn’t good for the fish.

“Noodlers generally don’t then take that catfish and then filet it or eat it. They just send it back. This causes damage to the fish,” Obradovich said. “The larger fish which they go for in this activity are the gene pool that we want to keep around and keep healthy for catfish procreation.”

The bill has cleared the House Natural Resources Committee and was reviewed yesterday (Tuesday) by another subcommittee. Noodling for fish is sometimes referred to as “tickling” or “hogging” and it is currently illegal in Iowa. People caught using the noodling technique to snag a catfish can face a fine.

In 2019, a man who pulled a 50 pound catfish from the Mississippi River and was photographed with his catch in downtown Davenport was fined nearly 100 dollars. In 2012, a Harlan man was pictured in the local newspaper with a 30 pound catfish and he was assessed a 177 dollar fine for noodling.

(Fontanelle, Iowa) – The Nodaway Valley Community School District and the CAM Community School District
Boards of Education Tuesday night, announced that a contract for the shared superintendent position has been offered to Dr. Pam Stangeland.

On Monday (April 7, 2025), three finalist candidates participated in interviews with panels consisting of community members, staff, and students from both districts. Final interviews were then conducted by the Nodaway Valley and CAM Boards of Education. Dr. Stangeland’s impressive qualifications and leadership experience quickly brought her to the forefront of the selection process.

Dr. Pam Stangeland (Boone Community School District photo)

“Our boards believe that Dr. Stangeland’s ability to connect and serve our communities will be invaluable. We feel that Pam has a lot of wonderful attributes and qualifications that will make her an asset for our districts’ unique needs. We are excited for this opportunity and look forward to fully welcoming her to our NV and CAM families” – said Board Presidents Cara Murphy and Kristen Jensen.

Dr. Stangeland earned her Doctor of Education degree from Drake University in May 2024. She holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership (2007), a Special Education teaching license, and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication, all from Iowa State University. She currently serves as Associate Superintendent for the Boone Community School District, a role she has held for the past three years.

Prior to that, she worked as Director of Special Education for the Fort Dodge Community School District and served as a Regional Administrator for Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency. Reflecting on her appointment, Dr. Stangeland shared:
“I am honored and excited to join the educational teams at Nodaway Valley and CAM Community School Districts. Through the interview process, it became very clear to me that both districts have a rich history of excellence, a genuine commitment to students, and a strong sense of family for all. I immediately felt at home and knew I wanted to be part of these
vibrant and caring communities.”

The Nodaway Valley and CAM Community School District Boards of Education ask you to, “Please join us in welcoming Dr. Pam Stangeland and her family to Nodaway Valley and CAM. We look forward to the future under her leadership and are excited for the continued growth and success of both districts.”

(Radio Iowa) – The co-founder and chairman of the board of Kemin Industries has died. Information from the company says 98-year-old R.W. Nelson died at his home Monday. Nelson was born in Kansas City and moved to Des Moines when he was seven. He graduated from Dowling Catholic High School and Drake University.

He created Kemin Industries in Des Moines in 1961, and the company grew to become an international supplier of specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition products with operations in 90 countries. Nelson was celebrated as an innovator and was recognized for his scientific discoveries and business achievements — including citations from presidents Nixon and Carter.

Nelson is survived by his wife, Mary, and four children, thirteen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

(Shenandoah, Iowa) – A vehicle whose driver failed to yield, was struck by a semi tractor-trailer late this (Tuesday) morning south of Shenandoah, resulting in a death. The Iowa State Patrol reports 79-year-old Joyce Kruse, of Shenandoah died, when her 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser was struck by a 1998 Peterbilt semi driven by Jeffrey Dean Hall, of Westboro, MO.

The crash happened at around 11-a.m. at the intersection of Highways 2 and 59. The Patrol says when Kruse failed to yield as she was traveling west on Highway 2, her car was struck by the semi in the southbound lane of Highway 59 by the southbound semi. The car came to rest in the southwest ditch. The semi came to rest on the shoulder of Highway 59, south of the intersection.

Joyce Kruse died at the scene. The semi driver was not injured in the crash.

(Des Moines, Iowa/ Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday she intends to sign a bill setting a statewide ban on public school students using cellphones during class time. The Iowa House passed the bill, which the governor introduced in January, on a 92-4 vote Tuesday and sent it to her desk.

“Digital distractions are at an all-time high, disrupting focus, learning, and productivity in our classrooms,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Iowa students deserve to learn free from the disruption of personal electronic devices to fully focus on their education. We’ve seen tremendous progress in student behavior and engagement at our schools that have already implemented such policies. I look forward to signing this bill, allowing every Iowa student to once again prioritize learning.”

Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday she intends to sign a bill setting a statewide ban on public school students using cellphones during class time. The Iowa House passed the bill, which the governor introduced in January, on a 92-4 vote Tuesday and sent it to her desk.

“Digital distractions are at an all-time high, disrupting focus, learning, and productivity in our classrooms,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Iowa students deserve to learn free from the disruption of personal electronic devices to fully focus on their education. We’ve seen tremendous progress in student behavior and engagement at our schools that have already implemented such policies. I look forward to signing this bill, allowing every Iowa student to once again prioritize learning.”

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the legislature have settled on general state funding to support educating Iowa’s K-12 students. House Republicans sought slightly more, but today approved spending nearly $8000 on each student in public and private schools during the next academic year. “Under Republican leadership in Iowa, we’ve delivered responsible and sustainable increases to education year after year, with a focus on stability and student success,” said Representative Dan Gelbach, a Republican from Urbandale.

Senate Republicans approved the spending package yesterday. It includes nearly a million dollars to support small schools that share more administrative staff, plus it has more money for school districts with high transportation costs due to long bus routes. Democrats like Representative Heather Matson of Ankeny say Republicans aren’t providing enough state funding for public schools. “It will not set us on a path to being number one in education again,” Matson said. “It keeps our public schools in survival mode. It simply doesn’t get us where we need to go.”

House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst aid the plan amounts to a 44% increase in state money towards private schools, since all private school students will be eligible for nearly $8000 in state funding this fall while public schools will get a 2% general increase in state funding. “It’s not enough for our public schools thrive,” Konfrst said. “It is not enough for our public school kids, the kids who deserve a quality education.”

Gelbach, the only Republican to speak during todays’ debate, said the bill will provide nearly $106 million more to support educating all of Iowa’s K-12 students. “Since Republicans took control in 2017, we’ve made education a priority,” Gelbach said. “We’ve raised per pupil spending every year while balancing the state budget and providing tax relief for Iowans.”

Without debate, the House approved another school-related bill on a 92-4 vote. It requires school districts to adopt policies that at least restrict cell phone use during class time. Governor Reynolds called on legislators to pass this policy during her “Condition of the State” address in January.