(Creston, IA) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest at around 2:25-a.m., Saturday, of 48-year-old Corey Lee Mason, of Creston. Mason was charged with OWI/1st offense and Possession of a Controlled Substance- Marijuana/1st Offense. He was was later released from the Union County Jail after posting a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man was sentenced on January 23, 2026, to six years in federal prison for threatening to assault and murder a United States Probation Officer, while on supervised release.

According to public court records, Rodger Dawayne Gardner, Jr., 41, was convicted in 2020 for failing to register as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. In late 2022, Gardner was released from federal prison and began a seven-year term of supervised release. In December 2024, probation officers discovered Gardner was purchasing and distributing synthetic marijuana in Des Moines. The officers directed Gardner to report to the U.S. Probation Office. Gardner failed to report as directed, fled to Missouri, and made multiple threats to assault and murder the U.S. Probation Officer.

After completing his six-year prison term for the threats, Gardner will be required to serve an additional two‑year term of imprisonment for violating his supervised release conditions in his prior federal case.  When his prison terms are complete, he will serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by United States Marshals Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Kerndt, along with retired Assistant United States Attorney Laura M. Roan.

DES MOINES, Iowa – An eastern Iowa man was sentenced on January 16th (2026), to three years in federal prison for falsely using a social security number, aggravated identity theft, and firearms offenses. The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, today (Monday), said according to public court records, 46-year-old Rusty Todd Johnston, of Clinton, was convicted of a felony drug offense in Brooks County, Texas in 2005. Johnston was sentenced to a suspended prison sentence with community supervision. Within months, authorities say, Johnston absconded from his Texas probation and Texas authorities issued an arrest warrant. By approximately 2008, Johnston stopped using his real name, date of birth, and social security number. Instead, Johnston assumed the identity of Adam Preston Duriga—a real person from the state of Nevada, who died in 2013.

In early 2020, Johnston moved to Clinton, Iowa. Johnston obtained an Iowa Commercial Driver’s License using Duriga’s identifiers. In 2021, Johnston purchased a handgun in Davenport from a federally licensed firearms dealer using Duriga’s identity and falsely certified he was not a felon. In December 2024, law enforcement officers searched Johnston’s residence and found the handgun that Johnston had illegally purchased. Over the approximate 15 years that Johnston falsely used Duriga’s identity, he fraudulently acquired state-issued driver’s licenses in Iowa, Nevada, Utah, Louisiana, and West Virginia. Johnston applied for and received replacement Social Security cards five times in Duriga’s identity. Johnston married at least twice using his false name and identity.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Johnston will be required to serve a two‑year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, and the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Kerndt prosecuted the case.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says the December unemployment number held steady while the number of people looking for work increased. “Our unemployment rate is three-point-five percent, and our labor force participation rate continues to increase, which is really good news, and we’re up to 67-point-seven percent in December,” she says. The total number of unemployed Iowans decreased by 400 compared to November at 61-thousand-400. The total number of working Iowans was up five-thousand in December, and is 27-thousand-300 higher than one year ago. Townsend says they’d love to get back to the pre-pandemic 69 percent workforce participation, but the state is trending in the right direction.

“It’s a good sign that the unemployment rate is going down at the same time, because that means we are getting more people into the workforce and they’re actually employed. So, they’re not just looking for work, they’re actually finding work,” Townsend says. The numbers show the retail sector lost 15-hundred jobs in December manufacturing lost a combined 13-hundred jobs. Townsend says manufacturing lost the most jobs in 2025, but she says those workers have many options.

“Iowans who have manufacturing skills are always at a premium because manufacturing, advanced manufacturing is one of the two largest industries in Iowa,” Townsend says. “So if you’ve worked in manufacturing and you get laid off, there are plenty of employers who are looking to hire you. Because you have the skills that they need.” Townsend says the demand for manufacturing workers is similar to some other areas. “Nursing, truck driving, where they are in such demand that they are rarely unemployed for any period of time,” she says.

The U-S unemployment rate decreased to four-point-four percent in December.

(Radio Iowa) – A pilot project is being launched at a drug store in northeast Iowa which aims to raise the percentage of people who are getting screened for lung cancer, Iowa’s top cancer killer. Dr. Jill Kolesar, dean of the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, hopes the Greenwood Pharmacy in Waterloo will be the first of many across the state where people who are at risk for lung cancer get tested for it. “The pharmacists in Greenwood Pharmacy have a really close relationship with their patients and see them on a very regular basis,” Kolesar says. “People in Iowa actually go to their pharmacy eight times more often than their primary care physician. They’ll check to see if they’re eligible, and then just have a conversation to see if they would be interested.”

The focus will be on people who are at least 50 years old and who’ve been smoking at least 20 years. The goal is to enroll 500 people in the first round of the study through Greenwood Pharmacy and Cedar Valley Family Medicine. The screening involves a simple blood test. “What we’re trying to do is actually increase the rates of lung cancer screening,” Kolesar says. “Right now in Iowa, only about 20% of people who are eligible for lung cancer screening get it, so 80% of people who are eligible do not. What we’re trying to do with this study is to increase the number of people screened from 20% to 40%.” The first-of-its-kind study is being backed by support from pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly.

Kolesar says the goal is to eventually reach thousands of at-risk Iowans by integrating lung cancer screening into routine pharmacy visits. “Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Iowa, and the incidence is actually rising, so it is very urgent that people who are candidates for lung cancer screening undergo that screening,” Kolesar says. “Early detection for lung cancer saves lives.” The program is called CHAMP, for Community Health Assessment and Monitoring in the Pharmacy.

Iowa received multiple “F” grades on the American Lung Association’s 2025 “State of Tobacco Control” report card. Iowa has the nation’s second-highest cancer rate, behind only Kentucky.

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – A bill in the Iowa House would require all Iowa police officers to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The bill said, “All law enforcement agencies and officers in the state shall cooperate and work with United States immigration and Customs Enforcement and any other federal immigration-related agencies when requested.”

A hearing for the bill is set for Wednesday.

The bill was introduced by Republican Representative Taylor Collins, who serves District 95 in Des Moines County.

(Creston, IA) – The Creston Fire Department responded to two fires on Sunday, January 25th. According to a post on the department’s social media page, the first incident occurred at 2:34 a.m. when the Osceola Fire Department requested mutual aid for a structure fire at 116 ½ E Webster in Osceola.  (Photo credits go to Chuck Spindler & Chris Reindel w/the CFD)

Creston’s Ladder 1, with a crew of four, arrived at 3:22 a.m. and assisted in battling the fire, which caused significant damage to The Broken Spoke Bar and Alley Bowl. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Creston firefighters cleared the scene at 5:31 a.m. and returned to the station by 6:06 a.m.

The second fire was reported at 9:34 a.m. in the 200 block of N. Maple St., where residents detected smoke odors in a second-floor apartment. Firefighters arrived at 9:36 a.m. and discovered a fire in the ceiling. The situation was escalated to a working fire, and additional units were requested.

After pulling down the ceiling, firefighters found flames in the true 2×6 flat roof trusses and quickly extinguished them with a water can by 9:47 a.m. They also removed smoldering insulation from two rooms. Additional personnel arrived to assist with the overhaul, which involved removing debris. After clearing the insulation from the building, firefighters applied more water to the smoldering debris to ensure it was completely extinguished. The CFD cleared the scene and were back at the station by 12:28 p.m.

The fire was believed to have started from an electrical short-circuit.

(Radio Iowa) – An analysis by the Common Sense Institute finds two Iowa-based investment funds created to manage cash reserves for Iowa cities, counties and schools invested most of that money out of state last year. Ben Murray is director of policy and research for the Iowa chapter of the Common Sense Institute.

“Local governments aren’t sitting on tons of reserves the way the state is sitting on billions of dollars in reserves,” Murray said, “but there’s always money that needs to be held somewhere, deposited somewhere after they’ve collected tax revenue and before they spend it.” In the last fiscal year, over 95 percent of the two-and-a-half BILLION dollars local governments in Iowa deposited in the two funds created for this kind of situation were invested out of state.

“So until it actually gets spent by the local governments, it’s not going to work in Iowa’s economy,” Murray says. The report compared investment yields in Iowa banks and the returns on investments made in these two funds over the past decade. Murray says the data suggests requiring that reserve funds from local governments be invested in Iowa banks would yield slightly higher returns over time, could boost the state’s economy and create up to 85-hundred jobs by the end of this decade.

“We’re talking about government holding in trust money that was handed over to them from taxpayers, for the sake of the good of taxpayers,” Murray said. “When you’re having that conversation it’s worth considering: Is the money serving taxpayers?”

Iowa law requires initial deposits from local governments and public schools to be made in an Iowa-based investment fund, which then manages an array of investments in Iowa and elsewhere to generate additional income. Murray’s research team found at least 14 states had similar laws and found a dozen that required all temporary cash reserves from local governments to be invested within that state.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn says he’s asked ICE supervisors for a briefing on the rules of engagement for federal agents. Nunn, a Republican from Ankeny, is so far the only member of Iowa’s congressional delegation to comment publicly on Saturday’s shooting in Minneapolis. Nunn says loss of life in America is always a tragedy and leaders, law enforcement and local communities are reeling. Nunn says all have an obligation to de-escalate as investigations proceed.

Two Democrats competing for a chance to challenge Nunn’s re-election in November say what’s happening in Minnesota is not making the country safer. Sarah Trone Garriott says there needs to be an independent investigation and Jennifer Konfrst says it’s time for congress to demand accountability. The three Democrats running for the U-S Senate posted statements online after Saturday’s shooting.

Josh Turek of Council Bluffs met his wife while playing in a professional wheelchair basketball league in Europe and while she is now a U.S. citizen, Turek says families like his are living in fear of the government. “My wife is an Afro-Latina immigrant and my mother-in-law is here on a Visa and does not even speak English,” Turek said. “…This is the United States of America and this is absolutely unacceptable.” Turek says federal authorities are making the situation in Minneapolis worse and less safe.

Zach Wahls of Coralville says congress needs to do its job and stop the chaos. “I don’t think there’s a single person who can look at the video…and think what happened on the streets of Minnesota was appropriate or the right thing to do,” Wahls said. “It has to stop.” Nathan Sage of Knoxville says it’s time to pull federal agents out of Minneapolis, take the masks off, and hold those responsible accountable. And one of the Republican candidates for governor posted a statement on social media this weekend.

Adam Steen says as governor he would fully cooperate with ICE’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants. About 300 people gathered in downtown Iowa City Sunday for what was called an emergency protest against immigration and customs enforcement. Lily Froehlich is a student at the University of Iowa.”I was just devastated by the fact that we have gotten to this point as a country where we’re excusing this, where we’re seeing this man who spent his life helping veterans, helping others, helping a woman who had been tear gassed, and we have members of our community saying that this is something that’s not a problem,” she said.

About a hundred people held a candlelight vigil in downtown Cedar Rapids last (Sunday) night.