(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Des Moines Police Department posted on social media, Friday, that the Department’s Narcotics K9 “Blaise” sniffed out more than 50 pounds of marijuana at the Des Moines International Airport on Thursday.

Investigators received an anonymous tip Thursday that a large shipment of marijuana was headed to Des Moines on an airplane from Las Vegas. Investigators were able to identify the luggage believed to contain the marijuana, and then K9 Blaise went to work.

After a quick sniff of the exterior of the luggage, K9 Blaise alerted to the odor of narcotics. Investigators began surveillance of the luggage.

Dsm PD Facebook photo

21-year-old Tanitoluwa Arogundade was detained by investigators after he claimed the luggage. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the luggage and discovered over 50 pounds of marijuana.
Arogundade has been charged with the following offenses:
• Controlled Substance Violation (Class D felony)
• Failure To Affix A Drug Tax Stamp (Class D felony)

An investigation into the incident continues.

Des Moines Police said “The exceptional abilities of our K9’s enhances our day to day efficiency and effectiveness. In 2023, our K9 Unit played a vital role in many of the narcotics-related investigations in our city; investigations that led to the seizure of over 300 pounds of illegal drugs.” The drugs were valued at over $5-million.

(Clarinda) – More workers at a Clarinda manufacturing plant are losing their jobs. According to a report, officials with NSK Americas Friday announced the elimination of more than 30 employees from the company’s Clarinda facility. The report says company officials attribute the reductions to “the change in the product mix manufactured at the facility, and the continuous need to be competitive in the market.”

NSK officials add the company is “grateful for the loyalty and hard work of the NSK Clarinda team members, and the support of the Clarinda community over the years.” They add the company will continue to honor commitments and ensure a smooth transition for everyone involved.

Clarinda NKS plant (Photo from the company’s website)

NSK’s announcement follows last September’s announcement that 54 employees at Clarinda’s AKS plant will lose their jobs when the plant closes on March 31st, 2025.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI} – A federal appeals court on Friday affirmed an injunction against the enforcement of a controversial Iowa immigration law. Senate File 2340, signed into law last April by Gov. Kim Reynolds, made it a state crime for a person to be in Iowa if previously denied admission to or removed from the United States. The crime would have been an aggravated misdemeanor with the potential to be a felony based on certain factors, including prior convictions.

The law drew criticism from Latino communities and logistical concerns from law enforcement, such as then-Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert, who said the department would not “even have the ability to perform this function.” The United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to block the law from going into effect ahead of its July 1, 2024 start date. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction in June, saying the legislation was not defensible “as a matter of constitutional law.”

Friday, an appeals court agreed with that injunction, saying the policy would likely conflict with federal law. “The district court did not abuse its discretion in granting the preliminary injunction,” Judge Duane Benton wrote in his decision.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued a statement [to KCCI] after the decision was announced. The statement said “Iowa stood strong against the Biden-Harris border invasion that made every state a border state. And despite today’s court ruling, the battle is far from over. As President Trump works nationally to fix the mess Biden and Harris created on the southern border, we will continue fighting in Iowa to defend our laws and keep families safe.”

AMES, Iowa — A suspect has been arrested for robbery in connection to an investigation into a deadly shooting. According to Ames Police, 19-year-old Destiny Skurdal, of Ames, was arrested and charged with first-degree robbery, a Class B felony.

The arrest stems from an investigation into the shooting death of 25-year-old Parker Stoneburner, of Boone, who was found dead Jan. 18th at an apartment on South Fifth Street, in Ames. Authorities were called to the apartment at about 6:30 p.m. that day and found Stoneburner suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital and later died from his injuries.

The investigation remains ongoing, according to police.

[UPDATED 9:35-A.M. 1/27] – One person died in an eastern Iowa crash Friday night. In an update to our previous report, the Iowa State Patrol says a woman from Wisconsin was died in a collision southwest of the Dubuque Airport a little after 9-p.m., Friday. The crash occurred on Highway 151 in Dubuque County. The Patrol says 25-year-old Mariadivina Victoria Graziano, of Milwaukee, was driving a 2016 Nissan Juke westbound on Skyline Drive when she failed to stop at the intersection with Highway 151. A semi traveling north on Highway 151 struck the driver’s side of Graziano’s vehicle. The woman died from her injuries at the scene.

And, one person was injured when an SUV struck a person crossing a highway in eastern Iowa’s Marion County, at around 6:30-p.m., Friday. The State Patrol says a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee was traveling west on Iowa Highway 92 near mile marker 166, when the vehicle lost a wheel. A second vehicle was also westbound on the highway. A passenger in the Jeep ran across the highway in an attempt to retrieve the lost tire, when he was struck by the second vehicle. The person who was struck was not immediately identified. They were transported by Knoxville Rescue to the Knoxville Hospital.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic is reminding residents of, and visitors to the community, to fill out a survey to help them in developing their new comprehensive plan. The plan deals heavily with land use, according to the City, and will help to set development goals for the City. During this past Wednesday’s (Jan. 22nd) City Council meeting in Atlantic, Councilperson Elaine Otte reported an upcoming town hall meeting will be held February 12th, with regard to the City’s Comprehensive Plan

Otte said the City is still looking for responses to the survey that covers multiple aspects of living in Atlantic, from recreation to business and industry, housing and infrastructure, and much more.

Paper copies of the surveys are available for you to fill-out at multiple locations in town. Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett…

To take the survey scan the QR Code in this story or use the following link: https://tinyurl.com/Atlantic2050.

The survey is anonymous, with only generic questions posed about your background, such as income range, the number of people in your household, and ethnicity…all of which are optional responses.

(Radio Iowa) – The December unemployment rate moved up one tenth of a percent to three-point-two percent. Iowa Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says that comes as more people were looking for jobs.

Townsend says some of the job gains were offset by loses.

She says overall the positive news outweighed the negative.

Townsend says there’s always a stop in February and the next unemployment numbers won’t come out until March.

The U-S unemployment rate decreased to four-point-one (4.1) percent in December.

(Radio Iowa) – Legislators are considering restrictions on the release of booking photos taken when someone is taken into custody and charged with a crime. Bills in both the House and Senate would make most booking photos confidential records that could only be released if the person in the photo is a fugitive, an imminent threat to the public or has been convicted of certain felonies. Representative Bill Gustoff says occasionally someone gets arrested, charged and booked into jail — then the charges are dismissed.

Gustoff says under America’s criminal justice system someone is to be considered innocent until proven guilty — but having a booking photo published in the media or posted on the internet sends a different message.

Gustoff, a Republican from a Des Moines suburb called Saylor Township, is an attorney, but he does not handle criminal cases. However, he has had relatives and friends who’ve been wrongly accused. The bill was discussed last year, but did not become law.

Law enforcement officials say Gustoff’s bill would create extra work for police and sheriff’s departments who’d have to verify if a person was convicted or pleaded guilty every time they get a public records request for a mug shot. Media organizations say having booking photos publicly available provides transparency in law enforcement and, in some instances, can help someone with the same name as a person under arrest prove they are not charged with a crime.