(Creston, IA) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report four people were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday (Nov. 11th):

• 49-year-old Jeremiah Lee David Parcher, of Lorimor, was arrested at the Creston/Union County Law Enforcement Center, on multiple outstanding warrants for failure to appear. The original charges included Driving While Barred, Eluding (speed 25 mph over the limit, second or subsequent offense), and Domestic Abuse Assault – Display or Use of a Weapon (1st offense). Parcher was transported to the Union County Jail and held without bond until seen by a judge.
• 45-year-old Johnnie Todd Lovell, of Creston, was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Creston, for Driving While Barred. Lovell was transported to the Union County Jail and posted a $2,000 cash or surety bond before being released.
• Tuesday evening, Creston Police arrested 31-year-old Tyler Wayne Kimball, of Creston. He was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on an original charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. In addition, authorities say Kimball was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was also cited in court for allowing an Animal to run at-Large. Kimball was transported to the Union County Jail and held without bond until seen by a judge. And,
• Late Tuesday night, 53-year-old Jason Kelley Frazier, of Creston, was arrested at his residence for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st Offense – Causing Bodily Injury. He was transported to and held at the Union County Jail without bond, until seen by a judge.

(A report by the Iowa Capital Dispatch) –  A former Hy-Vee pharmacy manager, facing multiple criminal charges related to the alleged theft of $71,000 worth of drugs, has agreed to surrender his license. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports 42-year-old Jeffrey Jack Bates, of Indianola, is criminally charged with one count of felony first-degree theft, one count of tampering with records, one count of identity theft and eight counts of prohibited acts involving controlled substances. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A trial date has yet to be scheduled, although a pretrial conference is planned for Dec. 22, 2025.

According to records related to a search warrant authorized for Bates’ home and vehicle, Indianola police received information in April 2025 from the Indianola Hy-Vee store indicating Bates had been fired a few days earlier and was the focus of an investigation into the possible theft of drugs. According to the warrant application, store management believed Bates had been creating phony prescriptions for medications using the name of actual medical providers and the names of both real and fictious patients, filling the prescriptions and billing the cost to insurance providers, and then later taking the bottles of medications out of the store at the end of his shift. The store alleged it had compiled video of Bates going through those steps and had correlated the timing of those actions to Bates’ computer entries.

The warrant and other court records indicate store officials believed at least 3,703 pills — many of them for Adderall, a narcotic, and the drug Vyvanse, a narcotic stimulant — may have been misappropriated.
In the application for the search warrant, a police officer reported that it was “important to note that Bates was on his cell phone a majority of this time and appeared to be texting/communicating with someone.” According to the warrant application, Hy-Vee personnel indicated they confronted Bates about the alleged theft and that while he admitted creating the phony bottle labels, he asserted he did so not to steal medications but to deal with discrepancies in the pharmacy’s drug inventory.

Hy-Vee Foods in Indianola, Iowa, where the former managing pharmacist, Jeffrey Jack Bates, was allegedly videotaped creating phony prescriptions for $71,000 worth of drugs. (Main photo via Google Earth; video still-frames by Indianola police from Iowa District Court records)

Court records indicate that on April 23, 2025, police executed the search warrant at Bates’ home and seized pill bottles, prescription paperwork and a cell phone. A second warrant was later obtained for the contents of the phone. On May 28, 2025, criminal charges were filed in the case, with police alleging Bates had created phony prescriptions in the names of 55 actual patients and four nonexistent patients. In one such instance, Bates allegedly used the name of one patient to create six fake prescriptions for more than 300 Adderall and Vyvanse pills. Police allege Bates also used the names of at least seven different doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants in creating the fabricated prescriptions. The Hy-Vee store has claimed the total value of the drugs at issue is $71,231.

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy alleges Bates is suspected of not only theft, but insurance fraud, with fraudulent billings made to insurers to account for the pharmacy’s cost of dispensing the drugs.
After the board charged Bates with knowingly making misleading, deceptive, untrue or fraudulent representations in the practice of pharmacy, and with diverting prescription drugs from a pharmacy for personal use or distribution, Bates recently agreed to surrender his license.

(An Iowa Capital Dispatch story) – A new report from the Iowa Food System Coalition shows that Iowa has 1,461 local food businesses spread across the state. Coalition staff said the report shows the economic viability of local food businesses across the levels of the food system.  Bob Ferguson, who serves on the Farm and Food Business priority team with the coalition, said the report showed an increase in the number of on-farm stores, farm stands and local food businesses from previous estimations. “There’s more there than one would suspect,” he said. “There needs to be a lot more, but there’s already robust local infrastructure that interacts with itself to provide local goods and services.”

The businesses, which include food farmers, processors, food hubs and more, are spread across the state, with greater concentration around Iowa’s largest cities. The majority, or 1,074, of the businesses are farmers and food producers. Meat and food processors make up the next highest category, with 189 meat processors and 47 food processors in the state. The report identified between 10 and 26, per category, of local wineries, restaurants, retail stores, groceries and dairy manufacturers in Iowa.  The remaining categories had fewer than 10 businesses each identified in the state: grade A dairies, breweries, coffee, food hubs, raw milk, uncategorized, grain mills, caterers, distributors and private chef services.

Farmers Market (USDA photo)

The report defined local food businesses as producers that sell direct to consumer, strategic supply chain partners and some large volume distribution services that make “substantial and effective efforts to produce or market source-identified local foods.”  Ferguson said the food system has become heavy at the top level and at at the small-scale level, but has been “hollowed” in the middle. The report that shows the number and spread of local food businesses, he said, shows that “infrastructure at the middle is still there.” Ferguson predicts the number of businesses will only continue to grow in the state.

In addition to providing local food infrastructure and economic impact, Ferguson said these local business also provide a “powerful sense of placemaking” or the “coolness factor” that helps people “feel great about being where they are,” which he said is important for rural development.  The report analyzed online directories, like the state’s Choose Iowa network, various food hubs, farmers market databases and registries for licensed dairy and meat processing plants. Because the report only makes use of regularly updated online lists, the coalition notes it is “likely an under-count” of local food businesses.

The coalition hopes future iterations of the report will also include business that don’t have an online presence.

(Red Oak, IA) – Red Oak Police report 38-year-old Sarah Kay Reafling, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 8:20-p.m. Tuesday, for Driving While Barred, a Serious Misdemeanor. Reafling was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

And, at around 11-p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9th, Red Oak Police cited into court, 60-year-old Mary Beth Heard, of Red Oak, for Aiding and Abetting-Trespass/3rd offense, a Simple Misdemeanor. Heard was released at the scene with her citation.

(National News) – Reports on social media Tuesday night indicated the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights, put on a spectacular show across a large portion of the northern U.S.  Another awe inspiring display is expected tonight (Wednesday, November 12), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The display of the mesmerizing, ethereal lights are the result of incoming coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that, in addition to the dazzling fluid colors, can cause disruptions in some electronic communications. It’s all part of strong geomagnetic storm emanating from the sun.

The first CME, launched on Nov.9th, reach Earth late Tuesday night, and will be followed closely by a second CME that erupted Tuesday. A third CME released during the biggest solar flare of 2025, is currently hurtling toward Earth and could also hit Earth on Nov. 12, according to NOAA.  (Pictured are some of the views captured  from Officer Smith with the Atlantic Police Dept.)

The best time to see the northern lights tonight in the U.S. is between 10 P.M. and 2 A.M. local time, with the peak activity expected around 10 P.M. to Midnight CST. According to Space.com, in order to give yourself the best chance of seeing them:

• Find a north-facing vantage point with a clear view of the horizon as far from light pollution as possible.
• Use your phone camera to scan the sky as the camera is great at picking up faint auroras before your eyes spot them. This will give you a good idea of the direction you should be focusing your attention.
• Try to let your eyes adapt to the dark for at least 30 minutes; this will help your night vision develop.
• Where warm clothing! Part of the fun of aurora hunting is the chase. Be prepared to sit or stand for hours if conditions are looking promising, as you won’t want to miss the show when it starts!

STORM LAKE, Iowa (KTIV) – Firefighters say construction crews caused a gas leak on the campus of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake Tuesday morning.

The Storm Lake Fire Department says its crews were called to BVU’s campus just before Noon after a contractor, who was doing underground utility work, struck a large natural gas line next to Swope Hall.

Surrounding buildings were evacuated as utility crews shut down and repaired the gas line.

Fire crews found “moderate” gas readings in several university buildings while those repairs were made.

(by Radio Iowa) -Democrat Julie Stauch says if she’s elected governor, she’ll appoint an environmentalist as director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and ask that person to immediately review the laws on water pollution. “Identifying the penalties and also the enforcement mechanism for those who violate the clean water standards,” Stauch says. Critics have complained polluters do not face stiff sanctions for fouling Iowa lakes, rivers and streams.

Stauch says it’s time to rewrite the standards for manure management plans that determine how much liquid manure may be applied on cropland. She supports a moratorium on construction of new large-scale animal feeding operations until environmental protections are updated and she would return zoning decisions for livestock confinements to local officials. A 1995 state law has prohibited counties and cities from ordinances that restrict where livestock operations may be located.

“Since June I’ve been going to communities across this state, getting feedback from Iowans about what their top concerns are,” Stauch said. “…They do not like drinking poisoned water. Funny how that is. They want clean water.” Stauch made her comments at a recent Iowa Democratic Party fundraiser.

Stauch is running against State Auditor Rob Sand for the Democratic Party’s 2026 nomination for governor.

(An Iowa Capital Dispatch report) – David Cook has been named the new president of Iowa State University. The Iowa Board of Regents announced Tuesday afternoon that Cook, North Dakota State University president and one of two finalists for the Iowa State University presidency, has been chosen to lead ISU after President Wendy Wintersteen’s retirement in January.

Cook told ISU community members during a public forum last week that returning to ISU would be like coming home, as he grew up in Ames and completed his undergraduate education at the university. He said at the time he would not come back just to “reinvent the wheel” if selected, but to build on the legacy Wintersteen left and bring ISU to new heights.

David Cook has been named president of Iowa State University. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Wintersteen announced her plans to retire in May, after which the board of regents contracted with AGB Search and formed a committee to review candidates. Working with a timeline described by AGB Search Managing Principal Rodrick McDavis as “very, very, very tight,” the presidential search committee spent the summer creating a presidential profile and going through applicants, eventually narrowing down a pool of 78 people to eight semifinalists.

Of the four finalists selected for in-person interviews and public inquiry through forums, only two ended up coming to campus last week — Cook and Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean Benjamin Houlton.

(Atlantic, IA) –  The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors recently gathered at Schildberg Recreation Area to celebrate the completion of a new solar system display honoring the late John Garrett. Family and friends of the Garrett family, along with members of the Atlantic Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission, joined the Ambassadors for the ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating John’s vision and dedication.

The solar system display, which stretches across the west side of Schildberg Recreation, serves as both an educational and inspirational addition to the community. Designed to represent the planets of our solar system in proportionate scale and distance, the project invites visitors to explore science and nature together through an engaging, hands-on learning experience.

John Garrett’s inspiration for the display came from The Thousand-Yard Model: The Earth as a Peppercorn, an instructional book by Guy Ottewell that illustrates the solar system’s scale through a walking model. His idea was to bring that same concept to life in Atlantic, giving families, students, and visitors a way to visualize the vastness of space while enjoying the beauty of Schildberg Recreation Area.

During the ceremony, Carol Garrett, John’s wife, expressed her appreciation to everyone who helped make the project a reality. She thanked the community, volunteers, and the Atlantic Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission for their involvement and continued support in carrying out this project.

Kevin Ferguson, member of the Atlantic Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission, shared that the new display is a meaningful tribute to John’s passion for learning and community engagement. It stands as a reminder of his love for science, education, and the outdoors. These values will continue to inspire others for generations to come.

Schildberg Recreation Area is located on the north side of Atlantic and is open daily for public recreation, walking, and outdoor exploration.