(Radio Iowa) – Several changes are in the works in this new year for Iowa’s casino industry, including more casinos leaving the water for land. Racing and Gaming Administrator Tina Eick (Ike) says things have moved right along and the new casino in Cedar Rapids should open in December of this year.

The Racing and Gaming Commission recently approved the purchase of the Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington by Elite Casino Resorts.

Elite Casinos also owns the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort in Riverside, the Rhythm City Casino Resort in Davenport, and Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort in Larchwood. They plan to rename Catfish Bend as the Great River Casino Resort. The Casino Queen in Marquette was purchased last year by Ballys, and Eick says they are making a change to the state’s smallest casino.

Eick says another casino boat will also be going away this year.

Casinos were only allowed on riverboats when the law was first enacted, and those boats had to take cruises on the water. That has slowly changed through the years, leading to boats being replaced by land-based casinos.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors held their annual organization meeting in Atlantic, Friday morning. The Board elected to retain Supervisor Steve Baier as Board Chair, and Supervisor Mark O’Brien as Vice-Chair. They also approved the schedule of their monthly meetings, which are unchanged from last year, and will take place at 9-a.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month.

On a related note, the Board approved continuing with the use of Zoom as an electronic means of broadcasting their meetings to the public.

Cass County Board of Supervisors meeting, 1-2-26 via Zoom

The Cass County Supervisors named the official County newspapers for publishing of notices and legal information. They include the Anita Tribune, Atlantic News Telegraph, and Griswold American. County employees’ reimbursement rate for mileage was set at 72-cents, as per the current IRS allowable rate. The Board left the medical examiner fees unchanged at $200. And, the dates the Courthouse will be closed were left unchanged.

The Supervisors agreed to let the courthouse department heads determine Christmas Eve hours for those employees who are not covered by bargaining agreements. The courthouse will otherwise remain open as usual that day. In other business, the Board approved use of the Master Matrix, with regard to the construction of livestock confinement facilities. Chairman Baier explains:

The Cass County Supervisors approved the re-appointment of Dennis Vogl as County Weed Commissioner. Baier stated:

They also approved a lease for 601 Walnut Street by the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, and a letter of support for a grant application being submitted by Cass Health, for a PET/CT machine.

(Red Oak, IA) – A man from Red Oak was arrested following a traffic stop New Year’s Day. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 44-year-old Jesse Donald Trost was taken into custody for driving under suspension. Trost was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on bond amounting to $491.25.

Officers with the Red Oak Police Department also arrested 50-year-old Marsha Elaine Terry, of Red Oak, on New Year’s Day. She was arrested in he 1900 block of Broadway Street for OWI/1st offense. Marsha Terry was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Creston, IA) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report numerous arrests/citations this week, heading into the new year. Their report states the following:

On December 31st:

• @ 11:00am – Amanda Kay Sauer, 38, of Creston, was arrested at her residence. Sauer was charged with Attempted Burglary 3rd Degree. Sauer was cited and released on a Promise to Appear.
• @ 7:37pm – Jason Allan Lohoff, 52, of Creston, was arrested at Adams and Sumner. Lohoff was charged with Theft 5th Degree x 9. Lohoff was taken to Union County Jail. Bail in the amount of $2700 cash or surety was posted.

On January 1st:

• @ 1:48am – Tanner James Richardson, 19, of Tingley, Iowa, was arrested at 600 S. Bureau St. Richardson was charged with Reckless Driving, Driving While License Under Suspension, and Operating While Under the Influence 1st Offense. Richardson was taken to Union County Jail. Bail in the amount of $1300 def can post 10% was posted.
• @ 8:50am – Austin Allan Jones, 31, of Creston, was arrested at 803 Laurel St. Jones was charged with Violation of No Contact Order x 2, Theft 2nd Degree, Theft 1st Degree and Ongoing Criminal Conduct. Jones was taken to Union County Jail. Bail is set in the amount of No Bond Until Seen by Judge.
• @ 6:55pm – Jordan Renee Humphreys, 33, of Creston, was arrested at 302 N. Pine St. Humphreys was charged with Animal at Large. Humphreys was cited and released on Promise to Appear.
• @ 12:11am – Wyatt Gary Lee Wheeler, 18, of Lorimor, Iowa, was arrested at Hwy 34 and Osage. Wheeler was charged with Operating While Under the Influence 1st Offense. Wheeler was taken to Union County Jail. Bail in the amount of $1000 cash was posted.

The preliminary 2025 Iowa traffic death total is the lowest in 100 years. Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports.

(as said) The Iowa D-O-T’s traffic death count for 2025 was 260 through December 31st. The state waits 30 days after the end of the year before setting the final total to account for anyone who may die from injuries suffered in the final month of the year. December saw the lowest deaths of 2025 with a total of ten — and a drop of 26 traffic deaths from last year. August was the worst month for deaths at 36, and the only month of the year to top 30. Overall traffic deaths are down by 97 compared to 2024.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (KWQC) – The Iowa Donor Network honored the life of a young girl who saved six lives through organ donation with a floragraph portrait at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, Thursday. Natalie McCleary of Fruitland, Iowa, passed away in 2022 at 13 years old after quietly battling depression. Her family is working to carry on her legacy by encouraging others to become organ donors and break the stigma around mental health.

Natalie Marie McCleary grew up in Fruitland, Iowa. She excelled academically and embraced extracurricular activities, such as volleyball, but her true gift lay in music. A skilled pianist, Natalie consistently won competitions, her performances leaving a lasting impression.

Tragically, Natalie quietly battled depression, and on Dec. 3, 2022, she made the heartbreaking decision to take her own life. She was taken to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, where her family fought alongside her. Despite efforts, Natalie’s death was declared on Dec. 7th. Throughout her life, Natalie always demonstrated a heart for others, leading them to the decision to donate her organs.

The family says Natalie’s story is a powerful reminder that mental health matters and of the impact organ donation can have by being able to make a difference in the lives of others. On Thursday, a floragraph portrait placed on a float at the Rose Parade continues that legacy.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, help is available. You can call or text the National Crisis Lifeline at 988. It is accessible 24/7 and connects callers to someone locally who can offer support.

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – January 1st means new laws are now on the books in Iowa and some neighboring states, one new law focuses on school bus safety.

Until now, Iowa school districts had the option to require applicants for school bus driver jobs to complete an approved course. New legislation goes into more detail about what could be required by districts for their school bus drivers.

House File 395 spells out what school districts may require of their new and current drivers. According to the law, an approved course of instruction for school bus drivers includes one or more of the following:

• A course of instruction for school bus drivers approved by the Department of Education.
• Entry-level driver training completed in compliance with Federal regulations.
• Other training as described in a resolution adopted by the school district.

If a school district does elect to require completion of an approved course for school bus drivers, the driver has to complete the course before – or within – their first six months on the job. And then, they’ll need to complete the course again once every 24 months.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill sought by a farm chemical company facing tens of thousands of lawsuits in the U-S that allege Roundup causes cancer did not come up for a vote in the Iowa House in 2025, but House leaders say they’ll talk with fellow Republicans to see if there’s enough support for it to pass in 2026.

There are 67 Republicans in the Iowa House, well over the 51 votes required to pass a bill and House Speaker Pat Grassley says he understands some of his fellow Republicans oppose the bill. “At the same time, I would say as a farmer myself I would much rather be able to buy a product that’s manufactured here, especially here in the state of Iowa, than I would in some of our foreign companies completely owning the supply chain when it comes to those, so we have to be mindful of that as part of the conversation.”

Bayer’s plant in Muscatine makes about 70 percent of the Roundup sold in North America and the company has suggested that facility could close due to financial burden of lawsuits.

The bill would give liability protection from so-called “failure to warn” lawsuits as long the label of a pesticide or herbicide follows E-P-A guidelines. The agency says there’s no risk to human health if Roundup is used according to label instructions. Grassley and House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann are both farmers and Kaufmann says he’d prefer Roundup be made in Iowa rather than China. House Democratic Leader Brian Meyer says the bill is a disservice to Iowans who have been and could be harmed by the use of glyphosate (gl’EYE-foh’sayt) — the main ingredient in Roundup.*

The Iowa Senate has passed the bill and Governor Reynolds has indicated she’d sign it into law.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who resolved to lose weight in the new year might need a little help to reach their goal. Rebecca Cripe, a registered dietician and nutritionist with Emplify Health by Gundersen, says it’s not an easy task to change our eating habits and consulting with a professional will increase the chances for success.

If you want to make a change and drop some pounds, Cripe says don’t wait until March, find a registered dietician now, as she says their primary goals are education and problem solving.

Especially with the new year, there’s a lot of messaging with fad diets that there’s a problem with the individual if weight loss goals aren’t met, and that’s not right, according to Cripe. She says we need to go into the process with realistic expectations.

Emplify Health by Gundersen properties include clinics in Fayette, Decorah, Waukon, Lansing, Postville and Calmar, and a hospital in West Union.

(Radio Iowa) – NASA has provided grants to support robotics teams at four Iowa high schools. Chris Stevens is the Industrial Tech teacher at North Union High School in Armstrong where students are building robots.

North Union received a 63-hundred dollar NASA grant. Stevens says North Union is one of the smaller schools to have a team at robotics competitions.

Members of the North Union Robotics team fill a variety of roles.

The other NASA grants went to the “Tech Tiger” robotics team at Grinnell High School, the “Wild Wires” robotics team at Earlham High School and the B-C-L-U-W robotics team.