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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
(Lucas, Iowa) – Two men traveling in an All-Terrain Vehicle Wednesday afternoon were injured, when the vehicle crashed at a high rate of speed in Lucas County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2016 Yamaha YXZ1000R driven by 31-year-old Robert Kole McCormick, of Lucas, was traveling south in a ditch alongside Highway 65 just north of Highway 34 at around 4-p.m., and was attempting to jump a driveway, when the accident occurred.
The ATV was traveling at speeds of between 50-and 60 mph when it vaulted the driveway, lost contact with the ground and flipped end-over-end several times. McCormick and his passenger, 19-year-old Hunter John Wilson, of Chariton, were injured. Both were wearing their seat belts. McCormick was transported by medical helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.
The crash remains under investigation.
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa legislature has set aside 250-thousand dollars to start developing accurate maps of Iowa’s underground water resources. State geologist Keith Schilling is director of the Iowa Geological Survey, the agency that will develop the maps of shallow groundwater supplies.
“There’s an increasing demand for groundwater in Iowa from municipal users, business and industries and even irrigation,” Schilling says. “We know something about Iowa’s shallow underground water resources, but not everything we need to know.” Schilling says his agency has done some site specific research in some locations around the state.
“What we really need to do is to connect the dots,” Schilling says, “and understand how much of this groundwater is available, what’s the recharge rate that occurs, how much is discharged to the streams and how much is being used in order to develop some idea of the long term sustainability of our groundwater supplies.” Schilling’s agency has the equipment, supplies and technology that can be used to evaluate water supplies above the bedrock surface.
“That includes the shallow sand and gravel alluvium along our river courses,” Schilling says. “It also includes deeper sand and gravel bodies sitting on top of the bedrock, buried by thick glacial materials.” The alluvium he mentioned is generally the area that borders a river where sediment is deposited by the flow of water at the surface. The shallow GROUNDWATER maps — once completed — should help determine the long-term sustainability of each aquifer in Iowa according to Schilling.
“What product could we do first and easiest to get some producible results? In which case we might focus year one more on the Iowa River alluvium,” Schilling says, “because there are several users working in this water supply.” Schilling says understanding the basic distribution of Iowa’s shallow groundwater resources may prevent potential disputes over water access in the future. “As users increase, the aquifer itself is not changing shape. There’s only so much water there,” Schilling says. “We need to understand how much water’s there and how sustainable its use is.”
Mapping DEEP underground aquifers that are BELOW the bedrock is really expensive and is NOT part of this project. The funding to start mapping shallow aquifers is included in a budget bill that cleared the legislature last week.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education, Wednesday, approved the District’s proposed Certified Budget for 2024-25. Their action followed a Public Hearing, during which there were no comments in favor or opposed to the move. The levy for the budget is $12.51/$1,000 assessed valuation. For the 2024-25 fiscal year, the District expects to receive $6.9-million from property taxes.
Later on in their meeting, the Board passed a Resolution levying a tax for fiscal year 2024-25, “for the future optional redemption of General Obligation School Bonds, Series 2019, and approving related documents and directing the partial optional redemption of such bonds.” The money will be used to help to make a $500,000 payment the G.O. bonds, to reduce the amount of interest paid.
Atlantic School Board mtg., 4-24-25 (Zoom image)
In other business, the Atlantic School Board, in its Consent Agenda, approved the resignation of Jesse McCann, HS Special Education teacher (at the end of the 23-24 school year), and contract recommendations for:
Board Vice-President Laura McLean asked before the vote to approve the contract recommendations, about the Student Support Coordinator position Jesse McCann was being considered for. Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen responded…
The contract would likely require a five-year commitment to the District. The Board discussed District Facilities during their meeting, Wednesday evening. Part of the discussion focused on a facilities addition to the High School gym, as mentioned during a presentation by High School Staff Member/Athletics Coach Dan Vargason, early on in the meeting. Vargason said discussions have been held with regard to secondary gym space, the need for which makes it “a more urgent matter.”
Jarrod O’Donnell, High School Instrumental Music Teacher, was not able to attend Wednesday’s meeting, but he provided a letter for Vargason to read to the board.
Vargason said over 70 staff members between coaches, teachers, and sponsors said they would utilize a new space. The Board took no action on the matter during their meeting Wednesday night, but acknowledged gym space is becoming an issue that needs to be addressed, and a facilities and cost study would be the next steps. Also during Wednesday’s meeting, ACSD Communication Specialist Emma Maassen, spoke with the Board on the status of work to update the District’s Website, and other matters.
The Board also discussed staffing, and research on the types of security camera systems available.
UPDATED 7:22-p.m., w/a statement from the Iowa Department of Public Safety: SAC COUNTY, Iowa – Shortly before 2:00 p.m. on April 24, 2024, the Sac County Sheriff’s Office received a call from an individual who reported he discovered a body in his field. The body was found near the intersection where the semi of missing person David Schultz was located in November 2023. The body is being transported to the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner for a forensic autopsy.
SAC CITY, Iowa (KTIV) – After months of searching, a family member says the body of missing David Schultz has been found. David’s wife, Sarah Schultz, told KTIV in Sioux City, that his body was found in Sac County on Wednesday, April 24. She said her husband was found in a farmer’s field and the Sac County Sheriff’s Office identified him by the boots he was wearing.
The remains were reportedly found 1.5 miles west of where Schultz’ truck was located back when he went missing in November 2023. According to Sarah Schultz, the body is being sent to Iowa State Medical Examiner for official identification.
David Schultz
Fifty-three-year-old David Schultz was a trucker from Wall Lake, Iowa, who was reported missing on Nov. 21, 2023. After his disappearance, law enforcement put together a timeline for his disappearance:
Volunteers and law enforcement spent weeks looking for David, with over 100,000 acres being searched.
(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – State, city and county food inspectors have cited Iowa restaurants and stores for hundreds of food-safety violations in recent weeks, including long-expired food, moldy vegetables and meat labeled “not for sale.” The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports locally, the Casey’s General Store in Villisca was mentioned. During an April 5th visit, a state inspector noted that the nozzles on the soda-dispensing machine, as well as the nozzles on the ice cream machine were “heavily soiled with a mold-like debris.”
Those, and other findings are reported by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which handles food-establishment inspections at the state level. Listed below are some of the more serious findings that stem from inspections at Iowa restaurants, cafeterias and stores over the past four weeks.
The state inspections department reminds the public that their reports are a “snapshot” in time, and violations are often corrected on the spot before the inspector leaves the establishment.
The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing oversees restaurant inspections in Iowa. (Photo via Getty Images; DIAL logo courtesy of Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing)
For a more complete list of all inspections, along with additional details on each of the inspections listed below, visit the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing website.
Among the other locations with violations that were mentioned in the report, was:
(Mount Ayr, Iowa) – Officials with the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office report a search warrant executed at a residence in the 700 block of N. Fillmore Street in Mount Ayr, resulted in the arrest of a man and a woman on drug and child endangerment charges.
Authorities say Lyndsey Marie Kalvig and Bryan Duane Alden, both face charges that include:
Lyndsey Kalvig was additionally charged with:
Her cash-only bond was set at $31,000.
Alden was additionally charged with Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana/ 1st offense- Serious Misdemeanor. His cash-only bond was set at $30,000.
*Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations and any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Corrections, today (Wednesday), reports 45-year-old Anthony Herbert Smith, who was convicted of Robbery-2nd Degree, Theft-1st Degree and Unauthorized Use of Credit Cards in Polk County, failed to report back to the Fort Des Moines Men’s Reentry Center as required, Tuesday.
Smith is six-feet four-inches tall. He weighs 227-pounds. Smith was admitted to the work release facility on March 28, 2024.
Persons with information on Smith’s whereabouts should contact local police.
Anthony Smith (Iowa DOC photo)
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Weather permitting, work on the Atlantic SplashPad is expected to be completed by Labor Day. SplashPad Committee member Ali Pieken provided the update to Parks Advisory Commission today (Wednesday).
And, while the Fundraising Committee has exceeded its goal for the project, donations are still being accepted and welcomed, and will be used as necessary. She said plans are in the works for some sort of way to acknowledge the contributions of those whose families would like an aspect of the park to be named after a loved one.
She says the picnic tables will be secured and painted brightly, mimicking the theme of the entire Pad.
The area will have toddler and family bays with separate activators. Stamp Construction will start in-kind site preparation work in a couple of weeks.
In other business, the Atlantic Parks Advisory Commission received an update from Parks & Rec Coordinator Jeff Christensen, with regard to the Harl Holt Park and the Pour-and-Play playground fall surface. Christensen said a tree was removed from the site and ground was leveled.
Christensen said also, installation of a new water pump for the Sunnyside Pool is still up-in-the-air. The company tasked with installing the pump and troubleshooting any start-up issues, has not provided a time-line for project completion. The opening date for the Sunnyside Pool, therefore, has not yet been established.
The Parks Advisory Commission heard from Steph Steffens, Wednesday, with regard to “Atlantic’s Got Talent” at the Sunnyside Park Bandshell. Steffens said the event – in partnership with the Atlantic Parks & Rec Dept. and Your Forte – will take place August 3rd, the same time the Park Celebration takes place. She spoke about what talent they’re expecting to have showcased.
The tentative deadline to apply July 1st. It will be open to persons in the surrounding communities, and practically anywhere else.
Steffens says they’re hoping to make it an annual event. The entry fee is $20. You can sign-up at Your Forte in Atlantic.
Suspect Paul Grice
(Radio Iowa) – Planting season is underway for most of Iowa, except in the northeast, where the tractors are being stalled by unpredictable rainfall and a lack of moisture. The region’s been in extreme drought for three years, but in the past few weeks, it’s gotten several inches of rain. That’s thrown off planting plans for many farmers who anticipated a drier spring. Iowa State University field agronomist Terry Basol says it means the region still has a lot of catching up to do.
“Our 30-year average is roughly 30 inches of rain,” Basol says, “and last year, that total was 13.8.” Basol says moisture levels in the region’s topsoil are nearly drained, which makes rainfall even more critical. He says that lack of topsoil moisture is troubling for farmers, especially when compared to last year.
“Fast forward to 2024, that’s been depleted for the most part,” he says, “so we’re going to rely heavily on timely rains to carry us through.” Despite the rainfall of recent weeks, the yearly moisture average is down by more than 50 percent.
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