(Radio Iowa) – Marshalltown police have made an arrest in a weekend shooting that left one person dead, three wounded. Officers found two victims who had been shot and the suspect had fled on foot. The victims were then taken to Unity Point hospital for treatment, one of the victims died from their injuries. A short time after the original two victims arrived at the hospital two more gunshot victims were admitted to the hospital.

This (Monday) morning the MPD announced the arrest of 29-year-old Allen James Hart from Mount Pleasant. Hart has been charged with three crimes including intimidation with a dangerous weapon with intent.

The names of the victims have not been released and the three remaining victims have been released from the hospital.

(Red Oak, IA) – The 16-year-old male driver of a pickup faces an OWI charge and was issued three citations, following a crash early Friday morning. According to Red Oak Police, the teen was driving a 2009 Ford F-150 pickup when it went out of control and crashed into a house and legally parked GMC Sierra pickup truck in the 1500 block of E. Coolbaugh Street. The accident happened at around 3:30-a.m.

The teen told Officers he was going too fast and missed a turn before the pickup went up a driveway and struck a residence and the GMC pickup that was parked in the driveway. The Ford pickup came to rest on the driver’s side.

Upon further investigation, however, Police determined the teen driver appeared to have been under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. Police spoke with the owners of the residence, who confirmed that there were 4-or 5 other persons in the pickup that crashed, and who crawled out of the vehicle before taking off on foot before Officers arrived on the scene. None of the passengers were injured. The unidentified teen driver suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries, but was not transported to the hospital in Creston.

He was investigated and charged with OWI/1st offense. The teen was also cited for Failure to Reduce Speed to a reasonable and proper rate, Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability – Accident related, and Violation of his Instruction permit limitations. Damage from the crash, including the vehicles and front porch of the house, amounted to a police-estimated $16,500 altogether.

(Creston, IA) – The Creston Police Department says a woman from Adams County was arrested on drug charges,  Sunday morning (March 1st). Authorities report 50-year-old Colleen Ann Reed, of Prescott, was arrested at around 2:50-a.m., at the intersection of Highway 34 and Smith Street. Reed was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Controlled Substance Methamphetamine 1st Offense. She was taken to Union County Jail and released after posting a $1,300 cash or surety bond.

Early Saturday afternoon, Creston Police arrested 60-year-old Lester Glenn Franke, of Creston. Franke was charged with three counts of Harassment in the 1st Degree. He was taken to Union County Jail and later released after posting a $6,000 cash or surety bond.

And, at around 7:45-a.m. Friday, Officers in Creston arrested 19-year-old Rey Santiago Saturno-Hernandez, of Creston, at 908 W. Summit. Saturno-Hernandez was charged with Public Intoxication. He was seen by a Magistrate Judge, and then Released on his Own Recognizance (ROR).

(Radio Iowa) – Authorities plan to release more details later today (Monday) after three people were found dead in a house in Mason City on Saturday. Mason City Police Chief Mike McKelvey says shortly before 5 o’clock Saturday afternoon, emergency responders were dispatched to a residence in the 500 block of South Adams following a report that multiple individuals were found unresponsive inside the home. On arrival, personnel from the Mason City Police and Fire Departments entered the residence and located three deceased adults.

McKelvey said there were no signs of foul play or a struggle. He said no additional information was going to be released until today to ensure proper notifications and investigative steps were completed.

(Radio Iowa) – A detailed study on the economic impact of the state universities was presented to the Board of Regents at their meeting last week. Consultant Hannah Ruffridge says they looked at the impact of universities simply operating, paying their employees, buying equipment. “So within fiscal year 2023-2024, the universities has added two-point-three BILLION dollars on in state income to Iowa. So I’m going to pause here. This is in terms of added income, not in terms of sales. Added income, you can think of being synonymous with gross state product,” she says. Ruffridge says they also subtract out what the impact of state dollars spent on the schools would be if the schools didn’t exist and the money was spent elsewhere. The study looked at the impact of construction activity at the three universities.

“And that total added income came to 271-point-nine million. Again, we have your multiplier or ripple effects. We also consider that alternative impact as well and subtract that out here. This is equivalent to supporting nearly 28-hundred jobs,” Ruffridge says. The report separated out the impact of the money spent by U-I Healthcare, because she says it is different distinct business. “So when they spend money, that is then going out into the rest of the state economy and has a positive impact upon the state. That came to two-point-five billion dollars, equivalent to supporting just over 32-thousand jobs,” she says. Spending on research and the actual industries that are being affected by the research activities was also looked at separately.

“So the research spending impact, including your multiplier effects and your alternative impact as well, came to 753-point-nine million dollars, equivalent to just over 10-thousand jobs,” Ruffridge says. The report also chronicled the impact of visitors come from outside the state. “And that could be to attend commencement, sports events, conferences, symposiums, whatever it is. When they come into the state, they are now spending money on hotels, on gas, on dining out at your local restaurants,” she says. “That’s an injection of new money into the state economy that would not have been here without the universities attracting these visitors. So visitor spending impact came to 160-point-eight million dollars, equivalent to just over 31-hundred jobs. This is usually one of the most conservative impacts.”

The survey went into many more areas, including the impact of keeping students in the state, the impact of graduates. Ruffridge says the first study her company Education Consulting at Lightcast did in 2019 found the impact of universities on the state was eleven-point-three billion dollars, and the second one in 2022 was 14 billion dollars. You can see the full student on the Board of Regents website.

(Radio Iowa) – The two Iowa Republicans who serve in the U.S. Senate are expressing support for President Trump’s objectives in Iran and for the soldiers involved. Senator Joni Ernst says President Trump is standing up for American lives that have been taken…by the Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies. Ernst, a combat veteran, says Trump’s decision to strike Iran will bring peace and stability to the Middle East and the world.

Senator Chuck Grassley says Trump gave Iran plenty of time to negotiate and “regime change is badly needed,” according to Grassley. Grassley says the U-S cannot allow unpredictable leadership in Iran to have a nuclear bomb. Third District Congressman Zach Nunn says as a combat veterans, he does not take military action lightly, but Nunn says Iran slaughtered thousands of Iranians who bravely stood up against the regime and the future of Iran rests in the hands of the Iranian people.

First District Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who served a nurse in the Army, said for decades Iran sponsored terrorism…and openly threatened to obliterate the United States and that reign of terror has come to an end. Miller-Meeks says the world cannot allow a nuclear armed Iran, but Miller-Meeks also says the U-S cannot rush blindly into another endless conflict and she looks forward to a full briefing on what comes next.

Fourth District Congressman Randy Feenstra, who’s running for governor, says Iran’s nuclear ambitions are dangerous and he agrees with President Trump that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and this operation works to prevent that from happening. Second District Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, who’s running for the U.S. Senate, says Iran has been run by tyrants and the operation makes clear that the U.S. will not sit down while Iran threatens our troops, our allies — including Israel — or our homeland.

The two Democrats who are competing for the chance to face Hinson are both expressing reservations about a prolonged war with Iran. State Senator Zach Wahls says his generation grew up witnessing and experiencing the horrors of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and congress must act to keep the U.S. from being dragged into another war of regime change. State Representative Josh Turek says while there is no question Iran’s regime is brutal and repressive, bombing Iran is not the same thing as bringing lasting change to Iran and Turek says Washington has again shown it’s quicker to send working class kids into combat than do anything to make their lives at home easier.

Republican Jim Carlin, who is also running for the U.S. Senate, has not issued a statement about Iran.

(Radio Iowa) – State Representative Josh Turek — one of two Iowa Democrats running for the U-S Senate — has released a check list of over 70 policies he would push for if elected.

“Everywhere we’re going, urban and rural, we are hearing people saying that they are hurting and that they are struggling,” Turek said, ” we don’t have enough individuals in D.C. that are going up there and just fighting for the little guy and fighting for the middle class and fighting for our workers.” Turek supports raising the minimum wage, cracking down on corporate monopolies and addressing pharmacy benefit managers that he says are inflating the cost of medications.

Turek — who made campaign stops in Cedar Rapids, Sioux City and Orange City this weekend — is proposing a five year moratorium that would prevent Wall Street investment firms from buying single family homes. “We have a massive problem with affordable housing. The average age of a first time homebuyer in this country now is 41 years old,” Turek said. “Far too many homes are being bought up right now by Wall Street private equity and it’s impossible for us in the middle class to compete with these large Wall Street firms.”

Turek says there should be limits on private equity firms owning nursing homes and health care clinics, too. He’d also support legislation that would ban insurance companies from denying care that is prescribed by a doctor.

(Des Moines, IA) – State Auditor Rob Sand racked up the miles on his truck last week by delivering Public Innovations and Efficiencies (PIE) awards to eight government entities across Western Iowa. In a news release, Sand said “Congratulations to this year’s PIE winners, and a big thanks to all the participants. You’ve shown that saving taxpayers money can be sweet.  “Recognizing community leaders for their efforts with a pie is just the cherry on top. Taxpayers are the real winners.”

Sand launched the nationally recognized PIE program in 2019.  It is designed to help Iowa communities slash waste and save tax dollars by sharing creative, common-sense ideas to improve efficiency.  Approximately 500 counties, cities, and school districts across the state submit annual entries referred to as “PIE Recipes.”

Here is a list of area PIE award winners, followed by a sample of their cost-cutting measures and choice of pie.

• City of Bridgewater
  • Fifty percent of electronic items are unplugged overnight
    

    Bridgewater

  • Online access to meeting agendas, minutes, and budget information
  • Utilizes cisterns to save and store water
  • Cherry pie from Aunt Jenny’s Kitchen in Greenfield
• Adams County
  • Implemented cybersecurity protocols
  • Electronic payroll system
  • Utilizes natural light to save energy
  • Apple pie from Aunt Jenny’s Kitchen in Greenfield
• Diagonal Community School District
  • Removed personal appliances
  • Official policy encourages video conferencing to save travel costs
  • Created a community planning team
  • Apple pie from Aunt Jenny’s Kitchen in Greenfield
• Essex Community School District
  • Designated team responsible for energy management
  • Utilizes 28E Agreements
  • Using a composting system
  • Apple pie from Aunt Jenny’s Kitchen in Greenfield
• Mount Ayr Community School District
  • Participates in local utilities’ rebate and energy efficiency programs
  • Reduced lawn size to cut water bill
  • Coordinated emergency dispatch services
    

    Adams County

  • Pecan pie from Country Ayr Cottage Bakery in Mount Ayr
• City of Beaconsfield
  • Centralized printing to reduce the number of printers
  • Lights turned off in unoccupied rooms
  • Utilizes 28E Agreements
  • French Silk pie from Country Ayr Cottage Bakery in Mount Ayr

Fun PIE Facts and FAQs:

• When possible, pies are purchased from local bakeries.
• Auditor Sand pays for the pies.
• The most requested pie is apple.
• The least requested pie is sour cream raisin.

Essex