(Radio Iowa) – Iowa saw more children in foster care who were referred to a home last year than there were licensed foster families, according to Four Oaks, the state’s contractor for licensing foster and adoptive parents. Kai McGee, director of foster care and adoption at the nonprofit, says the gap is actually worse, as not every home is always readily available to take in a child. McGee says children who don’t have relatives to stay with must leave wherever they live, then..

“They may end up spending some time in emergency shelters, and typically the extreme effort is to avoid having any children under the age of 12 spend time in those shelters,” McGee says. “Sometimes we look for a foster family who we know will care for that child just very short term.” Last year, there were about 24-hundred referrals for children needing a foster home and only about 17-hundred licensed foster families.

Four Oaks C-E-O Mary Beth O’Neill says rates need to go up to recruit more parents. The typical rate is about 600 dollars a month per child, depending on the child’s age and needs. The nonprofit says last year was the first time since 2013 the rate was raised. Legislation in an Iowa House committee would require the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to review the rates every three years. McGee says foster parents are essentially unpaid volunteers.

“They are volunteering in the most significant way possible, by having somebody come live in their home and become a member of their family,” McGee says. “They don’t make money for doing it, and indeed, they don’t even break even.” McGee says most people are recruited to foster by word-of-mouth or small presentations in faith communities, organizations and community centers. She says a majority of foster parents are not motivated by money. However, she says because it can be challenging, sometimes low reimbursement rates can be the reason people stop fostering.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – A man from Coon Rapids was seriously injured during an accident involving a tractor, Friday afternoon. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports 62-year-old Daniel Lee Royer, of Coon Rapids, was driving a John Deere tractor northbound in the 1800 block of Chestnut Avenue in Guthrie County, at around 4:25-p.m., when the tractor lost power, causing it to swerve across the southbound lanes and down an embankment until it came to rest on a ditch.

Royer was crawling out of the machine when he was seen by a passing motorist, who reported the accident to 9-1-1. He suffered suspected serious/incapacitating injuries, and was transported by Audubon County Ambulance to the Audubon County Fairgrounds, and then flown by Life Flight to a hospital in Des Moines.

The tractor sustained $10,000 damage during the accident.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater says there were three arrests that took place over the past week:

At around 2:30-a.m. Saturday, Stuart Police arrested 32-year-old Dalton Kyle Bittner, of Fargo, ND, following a traffic stop for speeding (97 mph in a 70 mph zone) on Interstate 80 at mile marker 104. The pickup Bittner was driven was also observed passing another vehicle on the right side lane and crossing over the fog line. During an investigation that occurred during the traffic stop, Bittner allegedly had slurred speech, along with bloodshot/watery eyes. Upon further investigation, including a field sobriety test, Bittner was arrested for suspected OWI/1st offense, and speeding. He was later released on a $1,000 bond.

Thursday afternoon, sheriff’s deputies in Adair County arrested 55-year-old William John Hohertz, of Greenfield, was arrested in Greenfield, on an Adair County warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order/Contempt of Court, after he allegedly sent an e-mail to the protected party in response to an e-mail he thought was from that same party, which did not come from that person. He was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $1,000 bond, with 10% of the bond acceptable for release.

And, on March 18th, 46-year-old Timothy Dewayne Martin, of Adair, was arrested at the Adair County Courthouse by Adair Police, on an Adair County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. Martin was later released on his Own Recognizance.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report 10 people were arrested on various charges over the past week. On Sunday, March 23rd:

• 23-year-old Tyler James Addison, of Emerson, was arrested in Emerson, for Theft in the 5th Degree. ($300 bond)
• 31-year-old Daevon Deshone Sanchez, of Omaha, was arrested in Glenwood, for Violation of Probation. ($2,000 bond)
• 32-year-old Daniel Joseph Polan, Jr., of Glenwood, was arrested in Glenwood, for Domestic Assault/Bodily Injury-1st offense. ($1,000 bond).

Early Saturday morning, 28-year-old Liam Thomas Kriegshauser, of Council Bluffs, was arrested near Pacific Junction, for Driving Under Suspension. Friday night, Mills County Deputies arrested 32-year-old Nicholas Jason Sendgraff, of Omaha, for Failure to Appear. He was taken into custody at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office and held on a $10,000 bond.

On March 18th, Mills County Deputies arrested 53-year-old Gregory Thomas Graeve, of Plattsmouth, NE, for Driving While License Denied or Revoked for OWI. His bond was set at $1,000. And, there were four arrests in Mills County on March 17th:

• 32-year-old Rory Elisha Allen, of Omaha, was arrested near Council Bluffs, on two Out-of-State warrants. Bond on one of the warrants was set at $100.
• 49-year-old Dennis Eugene Waller, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on an Out-of-State warrant. He was being held without bond.
• 62-year-old Scott Edward Butticci, of Garden Valley, CA, was arrested March 17th near Pacific Junction, following a traffic stop. He was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense, and Possession of Marijuana/1st offense (Bond $2,000).
• 45-year-old Kristopher David Lydon,of Papillion, NE, was arrested near Glenwood, for Violation of a No Contact Order. (Held w/out bond).

“A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.“

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds will soon decide whether county supervisors in the three counties where Iowa’s public universities are located are elected to represent districts or the entire county. A bill to forbid at-large county supervisor elections in Black Hawk, Johnson and Story Counties has cleared the House and Senate with Republican support. Senator Dawn Driscoll, of Williamsburg, says it’s about giving a voice to rural residents who feel ignored. “We are trying to mitigate the effects of the high student populations which are seasonal instead of permanent residents,” she said.

Senator Kara Warme, of Ames, says she enjoys having students in the community, but the population is far different in July when students are gone. “What I hear again and again from my constituents is those who are the permanent residents — the generational farmers, those who are concerned about getting their crops to market, driving on secondary roads, managing their volunteer fire department — those are their interests and they don’t have any voice right now on the board of supervisors.” Democrats voted against the bill. Senator Herman Quirmbach, of Ames, says permanent residents already have a disproportionate advantage because turn out among students is significantly lower.

“I think we really ought to admit what this bill really is,” he said. “it’s an attempt at political gerrymandering to draw district lines in such a way as to advantage one party over another.” Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner, of Iowa City, says the bill is an attack on local control in three of Iowa’s 99 counties. “You either do it for everybody or you don’t do it for anybody,” she said. Representative Adam Zabner, a Democrat from Iowa City, says Pottawattamie, Scott and Woodbury Counties have similar populations to the three counties addressed in the bill. “What is the difference between those three counties and Johnson, Black Hawk and Story County?” Zabner said. “Johnson, Black Hawk and Story elect Democrats more often than they elect Republicans. This is a blatant political effort to change who is elected in these counties.”

Representative Brett Barker, a Republican from Nevada, says when he was campaigning last year, the number one complaint wasn’t about property taxes — it was about the county board of supervisors. “They don’t feel like their votes matter in county government,” he said. “They feel like they’re out voted by people on the campus that couldn’t even tell you what a county supervisor does.” Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton, says rural voices are drowned out in Johnson County — home of the University of Iowa. “There is next to no rural representation in these three counties,” Kaufmann said. “…Ronald Reagan’s ghost could be resurrected and he would not still give rural representation in these areas.” The bill also forbids county supervisors from filling vacancies and requires special elections when a member of the board of supervisors in Black Hawk, Johnson and Story Counties resigns or dies in office.

In a 2023 special election in Iowa’s 10th largest county — Pottawattamie County, 64 percent voters rejected plans to have county supervisors elected by districts, preserving the system of at-large elections for Pottawattamie County Supervisors.

(Radio Iowa) – Five Iowa communities are being picked to take part in what’s known as the First Impressions program, which is designed to strengthen tourism, attract new residents and cultivate a community’s quality of life. Diane Van Wyngarden is a state tourism specialist with the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, which helped to develop the program, now in its second year, focused on towns with ten-thousand or fewer residents.”Last year, we had two communities,” Van Wyngarden says, “and we received such a strong response in both interest and in the communities who participated, we partnered with Iowa Economic Development and the Iowa Tourism Office, and they wanted to greatly expand the program, so we’re very pleased to be able to offer this to five communities this year.”

The first communities for the program’s opening year were Corning and Maquoketa. Van Wyngarden says this year’s five communities are: Independence, Manning, Perry, Washington and Webster City. “Several trained assessors will be traveling incognito as first-time visitors to each of these communities,” Van Wyngarden says, “and they’ll be answering about an 80-question assessment tool on all things pertaining to tourism attractions as well as quality of life, housing, downtown, outdoor recreation.” The assessors will also be looking for things like agri-tourism opportunities. Later this year, each community will get a 90-page report on the findings during a town hall meeting.

“We also provide recommendations, and that is presented at a public forum,” Van Wyngarden says. “Everyone is invited to the community forum where they can hear the outcome of this report, and then the community can choose if they want to use these recommendations, which ones and what action steps they would like to take.” Learn more about the program here: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/communities/firstimpressions

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday), released the names of two individuals who were found deceased on a property in eastern Cass County, Friday afternoon. Authorities say that at approximately 1:18-p.m., Friday, Cass County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call of a deceased subject at 61677 780th, southeast of Anita. Upon arrival Deputies found 30-year-old Spencer Rochholz deceased near an outbuilding located on the property. Cass County Sheriff John Westering told KJAN News Rochholz had been living with his mother in the home, and working on the property.

Upon investigation Deputies found another deceased male located in the outbuilding. They were identified as 63-year-old Robert Finch of Kellogg, Iowa. Sheriff Westering would not comment on rumors with regard to what caused the deaths of Rochholz and Finch.

The two bodies were sent to the State Medical Examiners Office in Ankeny for autopsy. The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation and Cass County Sheriffs Office are investigating the incident.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says five people were arrested on separate charges over the past few days. Two people were arrested for drug-related offenses:

• 27-year-old Shelby Nicole Sheppard, of Creston, was arrested at around 3:50-a.m. Saturday. Sheppard was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Theft 5th, and Possession of a controlled substance – Methamphetamine 1st Offense. She was taken to the Union County Jail and later posted a $1,000 bond.
• At around 3:25-a.m. Sunday, Creston Police arrested 21-year-old Jonathan Dean Williams, of Creston. Williams was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana-2nd Offense. He was later released after posting $1,000 bond.

Two other people were arrested on Theft-related charges.

• Friday night, 38-year-old Melissa Kay Stephenson, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County warrant for Theft in the 5th Degree. She was later released on a $300 bond. And,
• At around 3:40-p.m. Saturday, Creston Police arrested 25-year-old Noah Alexander Young, a homeless person,was arrested at the Creston Walmart Store, for Theft in the 5th Degree. Young was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on his own cognizance.

And, Creston Police early Sunday morning, arrested 19-year-old Jared Keith Devore, of Creston, for Driving While Suspended. Devore was cited and released from the scene of the traffic stop, on a promise to appear in court.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop Sunday night in Red Oak, resulted in the arrest of the driver on a drug and other charges. Red Oak Police report 19-year-old Steven James Baker, of Clarinda, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, Driving Under Suspension and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Baker was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa-based World Food Prize Foundation is hosting an event in Washington, D.C. tomorrow (Tuesday) to focus on ideas for feeding the world’s expanding population. Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack — who took over as foundation’s C-E-O March 1st — says it’s inspired by a letter.

“153 Nobel laureates and World Food Prize laureates came together late last year to issue an open letter to the rest of the world suggesting that with 733,000 people in the world today that are currently food insecure, nearly 1 in 10 people on the face of the earth malnourished,” Vilsack says, “…they believed it was necessary to issue a call to action.” The group’s letter suggests as the world population swells, the challenge will get more daunting.

World Food Prize Foundation CEO Thomas J. Vilsack in WFP headquarters in Des Moines. (WFP photo)

“Especially when you consider the challenges of weather and its impacts on production,” Vilsack says. “What they are calling for is an increase in research and development and an acceleration of innovation in agriculture and in production agriculture to be able to meet this need.” Vilsack says many of the world’s conflicts revolve around food insecurity and addressing those challenges could lead to a more peaceful world.

As the Trump Administration has moved to terminate U-S-A-I-D food programs in other countries, Vilsack says the World Food Prize Foundation will emphasize its record of hosting discussions about hunger for thinkers and problem solvers. “As one player, if you will, leaves the field, it places responsibility on the remaining players on the field to do more,” Vilsack said. The 2008 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, a NASA scientist who won the 2006 Nobel Prize in physics and three World Food Prize laureates will participate in a panel discussion at tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) event in D.C.

The president of Iowa based Stine Seed Company and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley have speaking slots as well.