(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service proposes a critical habitat zone to protect endangered freshwater mussels along part of Iowa’s southeastern border. The plan to protect “spectaclecase” mussels covers four-thousand miles of rivers in 17 states, including a portion of the Mississippi River from the Quad-Cities to Keokuk. Agency biologist Nick Utrup says the designations are critical for the recovery of the mussel species, but they won’t change agency operations much.

Utrup says, “It gives us another tool in the toolbox, so to speak, so we can look at these specific areas and say, ‘What can we do here in this one very specific critical habitat unit to help recover the species?'” Setting up what’s referred to as a critical habitat zone for the mussel means any federally funded projects in the area must first be approved by U-S Fish and Wildlife. Utrup says mussel harvesting for button manufacturing in the late 1800s was one of the biggest reasons for their population decline in the Mississippi.

“That was a huge problem,” Utrup says. “Once you knock back a species like that, it takes a long time to recreate the numbers and to bring them back to where they used to be.” The agency is taking public comments on the proposal until February 11th, though Utrup said the proposal may not be approved until fall.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – In her report to the Atlantic School Board Wednesday evening, District Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen discussed a Snow Day plan. Essentially, she said the District plans to follow the same approach as last year, but there are some concerns.

She said some of the time is built into the school calendar.

Dr. Johnsen said for teachers, the first snow make-up day will be May 27th..

Atlantic School Board mtg. 1-8-25 (Image captured from Zoom)

In other business, Dr. Johnsen said administrators are sending out the District Culture Survey this month, and the Task Force Safety Recommendations from the State were received last week. She said there were many recommendations submitted to the Governor. Most are subjects Atlantic School District officials have already discussed and/or implemented.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board Wednesday evening approved agreements with Children’s Square and Heartland Therapeutic in Council Bluffs, Heartland Family Service in Omaha, and Heartland School of Omaha. Dr. Johnsen explained families who have students with special needs have moved into the District over the past month.

She recommended those students continue to attend those facilities with the practice and intent that the district will work hard to get those kids back into the district.

The Atlantic School Board approved recommendations to hire: Heather Prall – Preschool Para; Gratt Reed – HS Girls Track Assistant Coach; and Amy Jessen – Nutrition Cook at Washington Elementary. And they approved the purchase of a lawn mower, as well as an application to the SBRC (School Board Review Committee) for At Risk/Dropout and Potential Dropout Prevention, in the amount of $568,285,

(updated 8:57-a.m.) (Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports one person arrested Wednesday evening on a Theft charge. Two other individuals were arrested on drug charges. Authorities say 38-year-old Verdell M. Warren, of Creston, was arrested a little after 5-p.m. at the Creston Wal-Mart Store, for Theft in the 5th Degree.  She was cited and released on a Promise to Appear in court.

At around 6:10-p.m. 34-year-old Yasmin Rae Banda, of Creston, was arrested at 612 New York Ave., for Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st Offense. She was released on a Promise to Appear in court. And, at around 6:35-p.m., 32-year-old Wesley Clark Smith, of Lenox, was arrested at the same location, for Possession of Controlled Substances/Methamphetamine 1st Offense.  Smith was taken to Union County Jail. He posted an $1,000 cash or surety bond before being released.

And, Creston Police say no injuries were reported following a collision Monday morning in the Creston High School Parking lot. Authorities say a 2006 Chevy Equinox driven by a 16-year-old male, was traveling north in the parking lot at around 9:30-a.m. and turning left into an open spot. When the teen failed to turn wide enough, the SUV struck a legally parked 2003 Ford Ranger pickup. Damage from the mishap amounted to $1,500. Operator inexperience was noted as a contributing factor to the accident. No citations were issued.

DUBUQUE COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office has identified the driver that died in a multi-vehicle crash in Dubuque County, Tuesday afternoon. Authorities tell KCRG-TV 36-year-old Tyler Thompson, of Dubuque, died after the crash that happened just before 4:30 p.m. on Highway 52 S at Kemp Road.

Investigators said it appears a driver crossed the center line and hit a vehicle head on. A third vehicle was also hit. Two of the drivers had to be extricated from their vehicles. Thompson and another driver were taken to the hospital. Thompson was pronounced dead. The other driver is expected to survive.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

WASHINGTON – Officials with Republican Joni Ernst’s office, said Wednesday, the Senator from Iowa is continuing the fight for women’s sports this Congress, by joining her colleagues in introducing the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would prohibit school athletic programs from allowing biological males to participate in programs that are intended for women or girls. In a statement, Ernst said  “Every time a girl steps onto the mat, court, field, or track, she should know that she has every opportunity to compete and win. It is crucial we uphold the promise of Title IX and protect the integrity of women’s sports that inspire so many girls and fans around the world. Last year, women’s sports broke records, and I will continue to fight for our female athletes to have the opportunities they deserve and ensure they are not pushed off the podium.”

Specifically, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act:

Ensures Title IX provisions treat gender as “recognized based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. It Bans recipients of federal funding from operating, sponsoring, or facilitating athletic programs that permit a male to participate in a women’s sporting event.

Background:

Her office says Senator Ernst has urged the National Collegiate Athletic Association to keep men out of women’s sports and spoke on the Senate floor to make sure young girls aren’t pushed off the podium.

Ernst has also joined Riley Gaines, a former college swimmer and female sports’ advocate, to express concerns about biological males being allowed to participate in women’s sports. Because of her strong record, Ernst earned recognition for her work on Riley Gaines’ Stand with Women Scorecard.

Last year, her office says Senator Ernst “led the charge” to recognize “National Women’s Sports Week” and the crucial role Title IX has played in expanding athletic opportunities for women and girls.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa says a Des Moines man was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in federal prison, for sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a child and for possessing child pornography. According to public court documents and evidence presented in court, in 2005 and again from at least 2013 to 2015, 62-year-old Jeffrey Walter Gray exploited and attempted to exploit dozens of minors to produce child sexual abuse material on more than one hundred occasions. One of the ways Gray made child pornography was through the photography business he owned and operated in the Des Moines area—Wicked Imagery. Unbeknownst to his photography clients, Gray placed hidden cameras in the dressing areas at Wicked Imagery’s photography studios to capture videos of minor children undressing. Some of the child pornography Gray created depict children as young as approximately seven years old.

To date, investigators have identified over 20 children depicted in Gray’s collection of child sexual abuse material. Many other children are yet to be identified. Gray also collected material containing child sexual abuse material from the internet. In all, Gray amassed a library of over 10,000 files containing child sexual abuse material, some of which depicted children less than twelve years of age.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Gray will be required to serve a seven-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Restitution to the victims will be determined at a later date. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa says “Child predators like Gray use trust as a weapon for their own depraved goals. This depravity is only outweighed by the strength and courage of the victims involved in this investigation, and the dedication of the law enforcement officers who brought him to justice. Sexual predators like Gray must and will face accountability and harsh sentences for these crimes of exploitation.”

Eugene Kowel, Special Agent in Charge of the Omaha FBI Field Office says “Identifying, investigating, and apprehending child predators is one of the FBI’s highest priorities. Today’s (Wednesday’s] sentence ensures that Gray will be held accountable for his horrendous actions.We are proud of the work of our agents and task force officers in this case. We will remain vigilant in our pursuit of justice in cases like these, ensuring children are protected and perpetrators are brought to justice by partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement, serving victims and their families, and providing education and conducting outreach in our community.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Des Moines Police Department, with assistance from the Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigations.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating after the contents of a semi-trailer were spilled in a fire at the I-80 eastbound rest area near Adair Tuesday. The D-N-R says the semi owned by World Way Freight Transport was hauling poly totes of lactic acid when the driver noticed the trailer tires were smoking and pulled over at the rest area. D-N-R Environmental specialist Alison Manz says they realized the environmental problem after the fire was out.

The majority of the trailer and its contents were on-fire by the time firefighters arrived. It is estimated that approximately 550 gallons of lactic acid were lost. The acid and water used to fight the fire flowed through two storm drains and into tile intake that runs into an unnamed tributary of the South Fork Middle River. No dead fish were found as of Wednesday. Manz says private crew is cleaning up.

Manz says the landowner moved his cattle offsite and recommends anyone downstream to do the same. The rest area will remain closed until clean-up is complete. Contaminated soil will be excavated or treated on-site.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who bundle up to brave the evening chill will be able to see a relatively rare event in the January night sky, what some are calling the Parade of Planets. Allison Jaynes, a physics and astronomy professor at the University of Iowa, says Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all shifting into near-alignment, and two more planets — Uranus and Neptune — will join the celestial conga line later this month. “What we can see in the sky changes all the time, and there are often up to four planets visible at once. The big deal about this thing coming up in the 21st through 25th or thereabouts, is that we’re technically going to be able to see six planets at the same time,” Jaynes says, “although two of them are too faint, really, to be seen with just your eyes, so people will need to use something like binoculars.” While you can’t believe everything you read on the internet, Jaynes says it’s true the six planets will be appearing in the same region of the sky, but they will not be in a tight, straight line.

“Some people have been spreading misinformation, it seems, about how those planets will be aligned, like there’s pictures showing them sort of lined up, one on top of each other, like they’re in a line from the Earth to the Sun, and that’s not going to happen,” she says, “but it makes for a nice graphic, so I think people have been sharing that on social media as a result.” Budding backyard astronomers can quickly orient themselves among the stars above with the help of a few key websites or free applications for their smartphones.

NASA Sky Chart

“EarthSky.org is one of my favorite websites to go to look for celestial events,” Jaynes says, “but on your phone, there’s an app called Stellarium, and it uses your geographic coordinates as well as the angle that you’re holding your phone at at the moment to sort of give you a map as you’re pointing your phone around the sky of what you should be seeing at that moment.” From solar and lunar eclipses to the Star of Bethlehem, rare celestial events over the centuries have been interpreted various ways, both as signs of good fortune or impending peril. It should be noted that this Parade of Planets will be best viewed the same week a new administration takes over the White House.

“People like to use these types of events to reinforce their already-held beliefs,” she says, laughing. “So if they’re upset about what’s going to happen at the end of January, this will be a harbinger of doom, and if they’re happy about it, this might be a cause for celebration.”

(Tama County, Iowa) –  A near head-on collision in eastern Iowa Wednesday evening claimed the life of a young adult and resulted in injuries to two older individuals. The Iowa State Patrol reports a VW GTI driven by 19-year-old Jason Thomas Payne, of Dysart, and a Ford F-150 pickup driven by 62-year-old Mark Anthony Bagenstos, of Evansdale, collided in an offset manner just south of 170th Street, as the VW was traveling southbound on Highway 21 and the pickup was traveling north. The crash happened northeast of Victor at around 5:34-p.m.

Thomas was pronounced deceased at the scene. Bagenstos and a passenger in his vehicle, 59-year-old Jeanne Kay Bagenstos, of Clutier, were injured in the crash and transported by ambulance to Allen Hospital in Waterloo. Each of the accident victims were wearing their seat belt.

The crash remained under investigation. The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Tama County Sheriff’s Department and Dysart Police, Fire & EMS along with the Iowa DOT.

(Radio Iowa) – The 2025 Iowa legislature convenes Monday and Republicans have kept their House and Senate leadership teams in place. House Democrats will have the same leader, but there’s a new Senate Minority Leader. Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner is entering her third year as a state senator, representing her hometown of Iowa City.

“(I’m) a graduate of Iowa City West High School, went to college, went to law school. I decided, pretty much like my parents, that public service was a better option for me,” Weiner says. “I took the test and joined the U.S. Foreign Service.” Weiner was a U-S diplomat for 26 years, with assignments in places like Turkey, Poland, Canada and Mexico. In 1989, Weiner was in East Berlin when the Berlin Wall fell.

“It was a great career that I think gave me a lot of tools that I can bring to bear and have brought to bear in the statehouse so far,” Weiner says. “I spent my career talking to people across the political spectrum and working really hard to understand how all the pieces fit together.” Weiner moved back to Iowa City in 2015 and served three years on the city council in Iowa City before winning a seat in the Iowa Senate in 2022. She is one of just 15 Democrats in the Iowa Senate — the fewest number of seats held by Democrats since 1970.

“We recognize that we’re in the minority,” Weiner says, “and we’re not going to be the ones making policy.” And Weiner says Senate Democrats are ready to critique Republican policies that will be proposed this year — and those Republicans have enacted over the past eight years. “And we won’t just do it on the floor of the senate,” she says. “We will do it when we’re home. We will do it when we’re out around the state, at listening posts, talking to other folks.” Weiner is the fourth woman to serve as Senate Minority Leader and three of the top six leaders for the 2025 Iowa Legislative session are women.

“That’s just the way it should be. It shouldn’t matter whether I’m a man or a woman, but can do the job?” Weiner says. “I think I can do the job and so can my colleagues.”

Amy Sinclair will continue as Senate President and Jack Whitver is entering his seventh year as Senate Majority Leader. In the House, Speaker Pat Grassley and Majority Leader Matt Windschitl are entering their fifth year in those roles. Jennifer Konfrst has been the Democratic Leader in the House since mid-2021.