(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Attorney’s Office today (Thursday), released reports on cases heard in Page County District Court, and the outcomes of those cases.

For the week of February 10th:

Carl Ray Daniel, age 39, Bedford, Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Operating While Under the Influence, First Offense. The Defendant was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with all but 2 days suspended, and placed on probation for 9 months. As a condition of probation, the Defendant must obtain a drug/alcohol evaluation and attend and successfully complete the Drinking Driver’s School. The Defendant was ordered to pay a fine of $1,250, plus court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.

Samir Hamulic, age 38, Clarinda, Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Operating While Under the Influence, First Offense. The Defendant was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with all but 2 days suspended, and placed on probation for 9 months. As a condition of probation, the Defendant must obtain a drug/alcohol evaluation and attend and successfully complete the Drinking Driver’s School. The Defendant was ordered to pay a fine of $1,250, plus court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.

Spencer Ryan Moore, age 25, Essex, Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Operating While Under the Influence, Second Offense. The Defendant was sentenced to 60 days in jail, with all but 7 days suspended and placed on probation for 9 months. As a condition of probation, the Defendant must obtain a drug/alcohol evaluation and follow through with any recommendations. The Defendant was ordered to pay court costs, surcharges, court-appointed attorney fees, and a fine of $1,875.

Jeremy Leslie Williams, age 50, Clarinda, Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Operating Without Owner’s Consent. The Defendant was sentenced to 7 days in jail and fined $855. The fine was suspended, and the Defendant was ordered to pay court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.

 For the week of February 24th:

William Joseph Corson, age 30, Burbon, Missouri, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Operating While Under the Influence, First Offense. The Defendant was sentenced to 30 days in jail, with all but 2 days suspended, and placed on probation for 9 months. As a condition of probation, the Defendant must obtain a drug/alcohol evaluation and attend and successfully complete the Drinking Driver’s School. The Defendant was authorized to participate in the Second Chances Program in lieu of the 2 days in jail sentencing. The Defendant was ordered to pay a fine of $1,250, plus court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.

Michael Scott Morton, age 48, Clarinda, Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance, Methamphetamine, 2nd Offense. The Defendant was sentenced to 48 hours of incarceration and fined $855. Defendant was placed on probation for 9 months and must obtain a drug/alcohol evaluation as a condition of probation. The Defendant was ordered to pay court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.

“All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”

(Des Moines, Iowa/Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The Iowa House Judiciary Committee advanced bills Thursday to block hazardous liquid pipelines carrying carbon dioxide from the use of eminent domain.  Two bills also advanced granting rights to intervene in Iowa Utilities Commission proceedings, which GOP lawmakers have done against the case of the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project.

House Study Bill 287 specifies that the “construction of hazardous liquid pipelines for the transportation or transmission of liquefied carbon dioxide” does not constitute a public use for the purpose of condemning agricultural land.  The bill would apply to any condemnation proceedings made on or after its enactment. Committee members voted to advance HSB 287. A companion bill in the Senate, Senate File 92, has not had any scheduled hearings and will likely be “dead” at the end of the funnel week.

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a similar bill into law Thursday morning, that effectively bans the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines. South Dakota is also on the proposed route for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project, which would transport sequestered carbon dioxide from biofuel refineries to underground storage in North Dakota. Rhoden said the new law is not meant to “kill” the project in South Dakota, but should be taken as “an opportunity for a needed reset.”

Summit Carbon Solutions said in a statement the news is “very unfortunate” but “the project moves forward in states that support investment and innovation.” House File 491 would also restrict hazardous liquid pipelines from the right of eminent domain, by adjusting the definition of a common carrier.

Under the bill, a hazardous liquid pipeline would have to establish “clear and convincing evidence” that it transports a commodity used by an individual consumer, or a commodity for one or more shippers not affiliated with the carrier who will also not sell the hazardous liquid to the carrier.

Rep. Charley Thomson, said the bill “corrects a problem that emerged because of the Summit pipeline docket hearings in front of the Iowa Utilities Commission.”  Summit’s status as a common carrier has been a subject in several lawsuits, including one in which the Iowa Supreme Court reiterated that the company meets the requirements of a pipeline under Iowa Code.

The bill advanced 20-1, and Thomson said there will be an amendment on the floor to clarify that the bill does not apply to railroads.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would have established state fines for unauthorized camping on public property, including sidewalks, has stalled at the statehouse. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. “The so-called ‘homeless bill’ — that bill is not running,” Holt said. “There is a lot of work on that legislation that would need to be done, so that legislation is not running today.” That means the bill is likely ineligible for consideration for the remainder of the 2025 legislative session.

Policy bills must be approved by a committee by tomorrow (Friday) to remain eligible for debate. The bill called for police to issue warnings to homeless Iowans using public property as a long-term sleeping space. Refusing to leave would be a crime, with a fine of up to 855 dollars. Dennis Tibben is with the Cicero Institute, a Texas based group that helped draft the bill. It would let cities and counties designate drug-free zones where homeless Iowans could camp for up to a year — if a list of their names and assigned spaces were maintained — and there could be access to substance abuse and mental health counseling.

“The bill is intended to help with these efforts by ensuring consistent statewide policies, including basic minimum services and supports greater transparency in how our public homelessness dollars are being utilized, and most importantly, creating a pathway to stability and self sustainability for more Iowans,” he said. Sydney Uhlman of Iowa City urged legislators to reject the bill. Uhlman says after aging out of the foster care system when she turned 18, she became homeless for a time.

“I could tell you about living and sleeping in four different places over the course of one week while I was full time employed and trying to support myself on my own,” she said. “Those in favor of this bill have tried to frame this as a humane response, beneficial to people like me. It’s not.”

The bill was considered, but rejected by a SENATE subcommittee earlier this week.

(Radio Iowa) -South Dakota’s governor signed a bill banning the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines today (Thursday). Sierra Club of Iowa Attorney Wally Taylor says that should stop Summit Carbon from building its carbon pipeline in Iowa.  I think as a practical matter, it does. I mean legally, summit could still get a permit in South Dakota, and if they did, that would allow them to go ahead and construct in Iowa,” Taylor says.

The Iowa Utilities Commission approved a permit for the Iowa portion of the Summit pipeline on the condition they get permits in the Dakotas before they start construction. Taylor says eminent domain is needed to build in South Dakota. “Because, as I understand it, they have a lot of people there who have not assigned easements, and they would have to get eminent domain, and now they can’t do that. So I think, as a practical matter, it may very well stop the project,” he says.

Taylor says their focus continues to be on getting Iowa lawmakers to block the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines here. “There have been several eminent domain bills that have come out of the Iowa House, but they get stopped by Senate leadership. This may change the dynamics a little bit in the Senate, and hopefully we could get a bill through the Senate this year,” Taylor says. Taylor can’t says how likely it is Iowa lawmakers will pass such a bill. “It’s hard to know, but it certainly looks like we’ve got a better shot this year,” Taylor says.

Landowners opposed to carbon pipelines and the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter are holding a Carbon Pipeline Opposition Rally at the Capitol on Tuesday to call on the Iowa Senate to pass a pipeline bill. A spokesperson for Summit Carbon Solutions issued this statement:

“It’s very unfortunate that, despite our approvals in Iowa, North Dakota, and Minnesota, South Dakota changed the rules in the middle of the game. This kind of regulatory uncertainty creates real challenges-not just for our project, but for the ethanol plants in South Dakota that now face a competitive disadvantage compared to their counterparts in neighboring states. While this presents obstacles, our project moves forward in states that support investment and innovation, and we will have more news on that soon.”

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans will need to switch all of their clocks ahead an hour this weekend as we shift back to Daylight Saving Time, and a pediatrician says if you have kids, start getting them prepared for the change tonight. Pediatrician Dr. Casy Freymiller says one thing to try is something called bedtime fading. “It’s the process of doing just short little 15-minute increments of going to bed earlier those few days before Daylight Saving,” Freymiller says, “so those little, small changes aren’t as the big of a change as the hour clock moving forward.”

While an hour may not seem like much, he says getting kids ready for the change in routine is crucial. “Preparing for it and doing that in advance can go a long way,” Freymiller says. “Letting your child know that this is happening in advance, especially during the daylight, goes a long way. They don’t like surprises about bedtime at bedtime, and so definitely doing that earlier can be helpful.” Studies find kids — and teens especially — are prone to the health impacts of getting less sleep.

Radio Iowa photo

“Sleep is very important. It has really quite a lot of benefits that we talk about. The things that I think about are improved mood and improved emotions and how to regulate them,” he says. “It helps us form our memories and learn things during our day-to-day school routine and helps us concentrate, helps us stay on task.”

New data from the C-D-C shows only 23% of high schoolers averaged at least eight hours of sleep per night in 2023. A decade earlier, that number was 32%.

(Corning, Iowa) – [updated] – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests. On Feb. 13th, 37-year-old Daniel Travis Gresham was arrested for Felony Burglary in the 3rd Degree. He was booked into the Adams County Jail, posted a $5,000 bond, and later plead not guilty. Gresham’s jury trial was set for 9:30-a.m. on June 4th.

On February 14th, Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies conducting a traffic stop arrested the driver, 54-year-old Rhonda Jane Thompson, for: OWI/1st offense; Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense; Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs/1st offense, and Speeding. Thompson was transported to the Adams County Jail and processed without incident.

On February 21st, Adams County Deputies arrested 55-year-old Howard Gene Herring, for Felony Burglary in the 3rd Degree. Herring posted a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on April 1st.

(Radio Iowa) – Six employees at the National Weather Service office in the Quad Cities have been dismissed as part of the Trump administration’s overhaul of the agency, which has seen the recent firing of hundreds of workers nationwide. Ray Wolf, a retired meteorologist with the Quad Cities branch of the N-W-S, says staffing shortages have been a chronic issue.  Wolf says, “As the office starts to lose the number of forecasters they have, their ability to staff up during events like the derecho a couple of years ago becomes harder and harder.”’

The N-W-S provides weather forecasts and warnings, and employs roughly 12-thousand people across the country. Wolf says they’ve faced hiring shortages, and the hiring freeze and dismissals will affect numerous day-to-day operations. “To lose the probationary employees, some of whom were pushing years’ worth of experience, it takes time to spin people up in the job,” Wolf says. “So you had people who were ready to go and contribute, and those folks were eliminated.”

Illinois Congressman Eric Sorenson, who represents the Quad Cities, said in a statement the decision was reckless and will do irreparable harm. There is no confirmation about the extent of layoffs from the weather service office in metro Des Moines, or in Omaha, Sioux Falls and La Crosse, which also provide forecasts for parts of Iowa. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say they’re not discussing internal personnel and management matters.

(Radio Iowa) – President Trump has appointed former state Senator Brad Zaun to be regional director of the Small Business Association. Zaun, the former mayor of Urbandale, was the first elected official in Iowa to endorse Trump before the 2016 Iowa Caucuses. Zaun served in the Iowa Senate for 20 years and lost his bid for reelection last year.

As regional administrator of the Small Business Administration, Zaun told Radio Iowa he will spend most of his time traveling Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. The agency provides loans as well as counseling and contracting advice to small businesses.

Former state Senator Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale) (official photo)

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Thursday), approved a contract addendum for County Engineer Nick Kauffman. The addendum, effective for the next Fiscal Year, is for a five-percent increase in salary. Supervisor Jodie Hoadley.

The Board also approved a Summer internship position. Engineer Kauffman said they had an Engineering student as an intern last summer, and it worked out well. The Supervisors authorized Board Chair Nathan Baier to sign the front page (title sheet) plans for the W1 Lee (Township) Bridge Project. Bid letting for the project, the engineer’s cost estimate for which is $235,625, will take place March 31st. And, the Adair County Supervisors approved the signing of a contract and performance bond for the FY 25 Rock contract for a Farm-to-Market road.

They then passed a resolution setting the date for a joint hearing with the Cass County Board of Supervisors, to vacate a portion of Adair-Cass Avenue, as March 18th at 9:05-a.m. Earlier this week, the Cass County Board of Supervisors passed a similar resolution.

In other business, the Supervisors approved renewing an agreement with Mike Mangels for mowing at the Grove Cemetery, at a rate of $25.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Deputy Auditor Sheri Wendt reports a Special Election for the City of Lewis will take place April 29, 2025. The election is to fill the position of Mayor in Lewis, that was recently left vacant. If you live within the City Limits of Lewis, Iowa, you may now circulate your nomination papers and turn them into the Cass County Auditor’s Office.

You have until April 4th to file nomination papers with the Auditor’s Office, in order to have your name on the ballot for the Special Election. Persons with questions may call the Cass County Auditor’s Office at (712)-243-4570.