(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say strong winds will be blowing across much of Iowa today (Tuesday) and colder nighttime temperatures could bring many areas or the state the first frost of the season. National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Lee says wide sections of northern Iowa especially may dip below freezing soon. “We could see frost, even in central Iowa, particularly on Wednesday night, Thursday morning, but either way, we’re looking at low temperatures both tonight and tomorrow night in the 30s across the state,” Lee says. “It’s really just a matter of who gets down below freezing and who gets cool enough to frost and who stays just above that.”

Iowans who have flowering plants outdoors that they’d prefer to keep alive a little longer will need to take action.”Anybody who’s still got anything growing outside, you’re going to want to cover it or bring it in, ideally before tonight,” Lee says, “and if you’re in central and southern Iowa, particularly before tomorrow night.”

(Pictured: frost on a plant; ISU Extension photo)

A Wind Advisory is posted of much of Iowa’s northern half from 11 A-M through 6 P-M. “We’re going to see wind gusts with sustained speeds probably about 25 or 30 miles an hour across northern Iowa, with gusts to 45 miles an hour, so it will be quite breezy if you have any loose objects outside, or particularly if you’re driving a high-profile vehicle,” Lee says. “That should drop off pretty quickly with sunset this evening, so by tonight, the winds will be notably lighter.”

While several patches of northern Iowa have seen isolated nights around freezing recently, Lee says this promises to be the first widespread frost of the season.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra says finding new markets for U.S. soybeans amid China’s boycott of American beans should be the priority and federal trade disruption payments should be a last resort. “I think most farmers, we don’t want to take subsidy checks, but if that’s the last resort we’ll go down that path,” Feenstra says, “but for me it’s all about how do we create more export markets.” Japan — the sixth largest foreign buyer of U-S soybean products — promised in September to buy eight BILLION dollars in U-S ag commodities. “We’ve had a lot of successes with Japan…Taiwan, Vietnam, UK, but we’ve got to try to get that market open in India and China,” Feenstra says. “I know China’s been our adversary and they’ve, you know, over the last three decades treated us really bad when it comes to trade, but I think there’s opportunity there.”

Feenstra says farmers will benefit from some subsidy-related changes in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” President Trump signed in July. “This is the big thing for all of the farmers right now, we increased the reference prices for corn,” Feenstra says. “Corn was at $3.70. Now that reference price is at $4.10 and beans went from $8.40 to 10 bucks.” Under the U-S-D-A’s Price Loss Coverage Program, payments to farmers are triggered when the national average price for corn and soybeans falls below those so-called “reference prices.”

Feenstra, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 2020, is planning to run for governor in 2026.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests that took place between Oct. 13th and the 18th.

32-year-old Lindsey Joanne Krause, of Glenwood, was arrested near Pacific Junction on Oct. 18th. Krause was charged with two-counts of Child Endangerment. Her bond was set at $2,000; Separately, 40-year-old Daniel Mario Ramirez, of Omaha, was arrested on the 18th on Interstate 29 in Council Bluffs, on an Out-of-County/Out-of-State warrant. Ramirez was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

There were three arrests Oct. 16th in Mills County:

At around 2-a.m., Deputies arrested 47-year-old Justin David Altstadt, of Missouri Valley, on Highway 34 in Malvern. Altstadt was charged with Contempt Of Court/Violation of a No Contact Order. His bond was sett $300; 45-year-old Nicholle Annette Gibson, of Missouri Valley, was arrested at the same location and charge. Her bond was also set at $300; and, 39-year-old Blair Shalayne Gross, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 10-p.m. on Oct. 16th in Malvern, for OWI/1st offense. Bond was set at $1,000.

On Oct. 15th, Mills County Deputies arrested 46-year-old Christopher Joseph Brown, of Pacific Junction. He was  taken into custody in Pacific Junction, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense, with bond set at $300.

And, on Oct. 13th, 32-year-old Alyssa Marie Edfors, of Clinton (IA) was arrested in Council Bluffs, for Burglary in the 1st Degree- Vehicle/1st offense. Bond was set at $2,000.

(Creston, Iowa) – A traffic stop at around 1:20-a.m. Monday, in Creston, resulted in a woman from eastern Iowa being detained for a brief time. Creston Police report 19-year-old Ava Nicole Sales, of Cedar Rapids, was stopped for a traffic violation at the intersection of N. Lincoln Street and Orchard Drive. Sales was cited and released on a Promise To Appear, on a Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, charge.

ATLANTIC, IA — The Nishna Valley Family YMCA is inviting community members from across Cass County to get involved and make a difference through volunteering. Kaycee Anstey, Events & Volunteer Coordinator at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, says “Volunteers are the heart of everything we do. Our programs and events simply wouldn’t be possible without the amazing people who give their time and energy to support youth and families.”

The YMCA offers a variety of opportunities for individuals, families, and groups to get involved — from assisting with family-friendly events and after-school programs to helping with special activities throughout the year. Whether you can spare just a few hours or are looking for an ongoing role, there’s something for everyone. Anstey added, “Volunteering isn’t just about giving back — it’s about connecting. You meet wonderful people, experience the joy of helping others, and see firsthand the difference you’re making in your own community.”

Thank you for helping make our community stronger — together, we make a difference!

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities

 The YMCA has several fun and family-focused events coming up where volunteers are needed:

Friday, October 31 – Bounce House Day
9:00 AM–1:00 PM — Help monitor bounce houses and assist with games and family activities.

Friday, November 14 – Skate Night
5:00 PM–8:00 PM — Help with admissions, concessions, and event supervision.

Saturday, November 29 – Little Zookeepers Day
10:00 AM–12:00 PM — Assist with admissions, craft areas, and snack distribution for families.

Additional events and programs will continue throughout the fall and winter months, offering flexible opportunities for individuals and groups to get involved.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities or to sign up, contact Kaycee Anstey at kanstey@nishnavalleyymca.com, by cell at 712-249-2499, or call the YMCA front desk at 712-243-3934.

(Radio Iowa) – The archery season for deer continues and will run right up to the first shotgun season on December 6th. Iowa D-N-R deer biologist, Jace Elliott says western Iowa’s deer populations continues to struggle. “We’re still going through a sustained population decline as far as harvest and population trends show, and that’s been going on for 10 or 15 years. We’re working proactively with regulations to try to reverse that trend,” he says. Elliott says central Iowa is trying to rebound from recent hemorrhagic disease outbreaks.

“In some cases, very severe impact on local deer numbers in the 2023 and 2024 season, so it’s possible that numbers are going to be a bit lower this year than they were over the last decade or so in central Iowa,” Elliott says. “But then in eastern Iowa, in many cases we have very strong deer numbers… in some cases we have the strongest deer harvest that we’ve had in in 20 years.” Elliott says the hemorrhagic disease outbreaks have eased off. “This year shows to be exceptionally mild. We’ve only just had one off cases reported across the state, very few of them compared to the last couple of years, so that should offer some relief in populations that were impacted recently,” Elliott says. Elliott says the wet weather before things started getting dry in September has given deer plenty to eat.

“During the growing season, that’s a really nutrient expensive time for deer, whether we’re talking about bucks that are growing antlers, that takes a tremendous amount of resources and minerals and nutrients in order to grow antlers,” he says. “And whether we’re talking about does, they’re lactating, and that’s also. Its own nutrient demand, so it’s important to have a lot of vegetation on the landscape.” Hunters have taken around eight thousand deer in the ongoing bow season and the now completed early muzzleloader season.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two people were arrested on separate charges overnight in Montgomery County. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, at around 9:35-p.m. Monday, 40-year-old Joshua James Stevens, of Denver, CO, was arrested in Stanton, for Harassment in the 2nd Degree. Stevens was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

And, at around 12:40-a.m. Tuesday (Today), Deputies in Montgomery County arrested 63-year-old Timothy Brian Housh, of Red Oak, following a traffic stop in the 1300 block of Highway 34. Housh was taken into custody for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The Montgomery County K9 Unit assisted in his arrest. Housh was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Creston, Iowa) – Medics checked on a woman involved in a collision Monday afternoon in Creston, but she did not require treatment. According to Creston Police, a car driven by 22-year-old Jayden Michelle Ann Millslagle, of Creston, was traveling east on Laurel Street in Creston at around 3:30-p.m., Monday. An SUV driven by 30-year-old Katelynn Jo Stevens, of Creston, was exiting from a parking lot northbound.

Police say Stevens looked, but did not see the car prior to the vehicles colliding. Millslagle complained of pain after the accident occurred. Damage to the vehicles amounted to a police-estimated $9,000 altogether. No citations were issued. The police report only noted that a contributing factor to the accident was Stevens’ failure to yield the right of way from a stop sign.

(Radio Iowa) – For the second time in less than a decade, a former city clerk in the small Delaware County town of Delhi has been charged with mishandling thousands of dollars in city funds. In 2017, Angela Billings pleaded guilty and was sentenced to over a year in federal prison for embezzling over a hundred-thousand dollars from the City of Delhi. Lori Tucker — who replaced Billings as Delhi’s City Clerk — has been charged with first and second degree theft and with tampering with records.

According to a special investigation by the State Auditor’s Office that was released over a year ago, Tucker used the city’s credit card and checking account for improper purchases while she was Delhi’s City Clerk. The review also found Tucker paid herself for excessive overtime and vacation. Auditors flagged over 80-thousand dollars in improper or unsupported spending.

Delhi’s former mayor is also charged with aiding Tucker’s theft and impersonating a public official. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office says he was caught on surveillance video signing a form that granted Tucker paid time off in late 2021 — but he signed the form in February of 2022 when he was no longer mayor.

(Radio Iowa) – Renovations are complete on a four-story building that sits on the former campus for a state-run facility for adults with severe disabilities. The Glenwood Resource Center was closed in July of last year and a non-profit was formed to redevelop about 200 acres of the campus. Glenwood School Superintendent Nicole Kooiker says she hopes the re-development of a central building on the campus spurs other projects.

“I believe that having our presence up on the hill will help them actually to get it renovated, get housing, pull in some other families, develop Glenwood further,” Kooiker says. “…It’s gorgeous space, a large space up here, so we’re excited and thankful we can be up here and hoping that it also helps them also get other families to come into Glenwood.” The district’s administrative offices and some programs were already located in the building when the state closed the entire campus.

Kooiker says the district spent three-and-a-half million and some of that went to reestablishing utility connections that were shut off when the state closed the campus. “Nothing would be working up at this building without having to run up all of our own because the power plant ran it just kind of like a military base,” Kooiker said, “so when that shut down we had to be ready to continue to heating and cooling and water and plumbing, like all the things.” The first two floors of the building house a child care center.

“Capacity’s at 200,” she said. “We’ve grown quite a bit in the past couple of months. We had to get some staff before we can get more children and now we’re hiring more staff on excited to bring in more students and families.” There were minor updates on the building’s third floor. That’s where the school district’s central office is located, along with the district’s online and alternative programs for high schoolers. The fourth floor of the building is rented out to Apex, a program that serves students with special needs in about a dozen western Iowa school districts.

Glenwood school officials held an open house at the building this past weekend.