(Radio Iowa) – Linn County leaders say Google is pulling out of their effort to build a data center in an unincorporated area there after they passed an ordinance regulating data center development. Supervisor County chair Kirsten Running-Marquardt says Google is now looking to build in Palo to bypass protections against excessive water use and noise pollution in the ordinance.

“We took this process seriously from day one. We invested significant time and resources to create an ordinance with strong protections for our residents and our water resources, all while having Google, a trillion dollar company, pay their fair share,” she says. Running-Marquardt says a Google representative told her that the six buildings that the company initially hoped to build would use roughly 12 million gallons of water a day. Supervisor Sami Scheetz says Google is trying to pit the two jurisdictions against each other.

“If I had to take a guess, I assume, as they’ve done across the country, they’re looking for less regulation when it comes to water specifically, and to pay less money to provide a larger return to their shareholders, which is the whole point of existing as a company like Google does,” Scheetz says.

The county supervisors emphasized that data center projects have regional impacts on natural resources and urged Palo to consider a similar approach to the one adopted by the county. The water for a data center in Palo would still be taken out of the Cedar River, which is prone to drought conditions.

(Radio Iowa) – Podcasters and video streaming services caught pumping up the volume on advertisements would face a state fine if a bill that could be debated in a senate committee becomes law. Senator Jeff Taylor, a Republican from Sioux Center, says loud ads do catch your attention. “But not necessarily in a good way, you know, if it wakes up your baby or if you have some kind of a hearing impairment and you have a hearing aid,” Taylor said. “And just, in general, it’s just kind of an irritation.”

Lawmakers are considering changes in the bill, including which state agency would be in charge of taking complaints and conducting investigations. Taylor says his main concern with the bill is figuring out if the state would be able to enforce the policy and issue fines of at least five-hundred dollars.   “I don’t like passing symbolic legislation that gets on the books as law, but really – practically speaking — can’t be enforced well or fairly.”

A federal law passed in 2010 bars television stations and T-V networks from boosting the volume of commercials to levels above the programs the ads accompany. The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation or CALM Act does not apply to radio stations or to online programming.

CUMMING, Iowa – The Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are issuing an Endangered Person Advisory for 78-year-old Cheryl Anderson. Cheryl was reported missing on March 3, 2026, and was last seen leaving her residence in Cumming, Iowa at 4:04 PM. She may be traveling in a white 2007 Toyota Sienna, Iowa license plate PJ791.

Anyone with information on Cheryl’s whereabouts, is asked to contact the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at (515) 961-1122 or call their local law enforcement agency.

Cheryl Anderson
Age: 78
Height: 5’4’’
Weight: 180 lbs
Eye: Hazel
Hair: White

Last Seen Wearing: Black Slacks, Black Shoes, Black Socks, Brown Sweater, Ballcap with Diamonds.

(Atlantic, IA) – In an update to our report about a fatal fire east of Griswold on Feb. 24th, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Wednesday) identified the victim of the house fire at 68444 560th St., as 53-year-old Carl Eldon Shaffer, of Griswold, Iowa.

At this time, the Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office is still investigating the cause of the fire.

(Corning, IA) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports five men were arrested recently:

A traffic stop on Highway 25 at 275th Street March 2nd, resulted in the arrest of 19-year-old’s Jose Zarza-Escamilla, Diego Cortes-Martinez, and Jesse Navarrete-Lopez, all of Omaha. The trio were charged with Possession with the Intent to Distribute/Deliver – Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Keeping or permit the keeping of a vehicle for drug violations.

On March 3rd, Adams County Deputies arrested 36-year-old Kyle Pack, of Corning, on an Outstanding Polk County warrant for Probation Violation.

And, on February 24th, 62-year-old Timothy West, of Prescott, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for Violation of Parole, and a Sex Offender Registry Violation.

(Clarinda, IA) Page County Attorney, James L. Varley’s office has issued a report Page County District Court outcomes for the week of February 9th.  Among the cases heard before the Judge, was that of:

41-year-old Bobbi Jo Christiansen, of Blanchard, who appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Operating While Under the Influence, 1^st Offense. She was sentenced to 30 days of incarceration, with all but 2 days suspended and fined $1,250. Christiansen was placed on probation for 1 year and as a condition of probation must obtain a drug/alcohol evaluation and successfully complete the Drinking Driver’s School. She was ordered to pay court costs, surcharges and court-appointed attorney fees.

31-year-old Farrin Nicole Stretch, of Bellevue, Nebraska, appeared by counsel and plead guilty to Operating While Under the Influence, 1^st Offense. She was sentenced to 30 days of incarceration with 28 days suspended. Stretch was fined $1,250 and placed on probation for 1 year. As a condition of probation, she is to obtain a drug/alcohol evaluation and attend and successfully complete the Drinking Driver’s School. Farrin Stretch was ordered to pay court costs, surcharges and court appointed attorney fees.

And, 60-year-old Terry Jay Warner, of Clarinda, Iowa, appeared by counsel and pled guilty to Reckless Use of Fire/Explosives/Destructive Devices. He was sentenced to 60 days of incarceration, suspended, and placed on probation for 1 year. Warner was ordered to pay court costs, a fine of $430 and court-appointed attorney fees. Terry Warner also pled guilty to another charge of Reckless Use of Fire/Explosives/Destructive Devices. The defendant was sentenced to 60 days of incarceration, suspended and placed on probation for 1 year. The sentence imposed will run concurrently with the previous sentence. Defendant was fined $430 and ordered to pay court costs and court-appointed attorney fees.

“All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa City school board has approved a three-million-dollar short-term loan for expenses as it looks to a long-term plan to trim costs. District Superintendent Matt Degner is proposing cutting five full-time staff positions in the district’s middle schools through attrition.  “The next step of the conversation is to really start to set those overall budget priorities, board priorities, and then: how do we achieve those goals through our staffing plan?,” he says.

The district would save an estimated 500-thousand dollars by reducing middle school staff. Degner is proposing reducing up to 23 teachers total through attrition, along with two administrators.
Board member Jayne Finch says the district should take a deeper look at possible cuts to the district’s administration.  “We are in a crisis. It’s not because we don’t like administrators or think that they aren’t important. It’s because we’re in a crisis and we want to find savings wherever we can, because we know that it is important to keep that funding in the classroom,” she says.

The cost cutting plan comes after ten million dollars was transferred from the district’s health insurance fund to its general fund without the board’s initial approval. The board retroactively approved the transfer in January.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering workshops around the state to teach the skills needed to hunt, field dress and cook wild turkey to participants who have little to no wild turkey hunting experience. The workshops will be offered in Council Bluffs, Indianola, Massena, Marble Rock, Sioux City, Solon and Vinton from mid-March through early April. Workshops are designed using hands-on techniques to teach basic wild turkey hunting strategies, such as proper equipment, where to hunt, safe shooting practices, and how to field dress, butcher and cook the bird.

“For those interested in the challenge of wild turkey hunting as a means of sourcing their own protein, this program provides the opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge it takes to do it all yourself,” said Jamie Cook, Hunter Education coordinator with the Iowa DNR. For information on cost, workshop time and location, and to begin the registration process, go to https://servicedesk.gooutdoorsiowa.com/EventManager/EventsHome.aspx

Early registration is encouraged as space is limited. Programs are provided through a partnership with the Iowa DNR, the Iowa Hunter Education Instructor Association, the National Wild Turkey Federation and other local partners. It is part of a national effort to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters due to the overall decline in hunting and outdoor recreation.