(Guthrie Center, IA) – A woman from Carroll was injured during a rollover accident Saturday night, in Guthrie County. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, 28-year-old Angela Marie McMichael was driving a 2007 Chevy pickup truck north on Highway 25 from 210th Street, at around 8:25-p.m., when the vehicle’s tires dropped-off onto the shoulder of the road. McMichael over-corrected, causing the pickup to go out of control. The vehicle crossed Highway 25 and entered the south ditch, before rolling over into a creek.

Authorities say Angela McMichael – who was wearing her seat belt – suffered suspected serious/incapacitating injuries. She was extricated from the vehicle and transported by Panora EMS to Methodist Hospital. The pickup sustained a sheriff’s estimated $5,000 damage, and was declared a total loss.

(Greenfield, IA) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports one person was arrested Saturday morning (Jan. 3rd). 41-year-old Michael John Schehl, of Fontanelle, was arrested in Fontanelle by an Iowa State Patrol Trooper, following a traffic stop on a vehicle with the front license plate not mounted where it belonged. The report said the Trooper saw the license plate stuck in the lower right corner of the windshield of the 2012 Audi Q5 Schehl was driving.

Schehl informed the Trooper that he did not have a driver’s license, and was driving to Greenfield to drop the car off to a friend. A records check revealed Schehl was barred from driving. He was subsequently taken into custody for Driving While Barred, and transported to the Adair County Jail. Schehl was released a short-time later after posted a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The state board that enforces campaign-related laws is proposing a bill to require disclosure if a campaign ad includes a so-called deepfake. Deepfakes are computer-generated images, sounds and videos that can depict a person doing or saying something they didn’t do or say. Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board Executive Director Erika Eckley says Iowa should require disclosure of deepfakes to help ensure elections are transparent and fair.

“People think of this as something presented in a negative light, but it can also be something presented in a falsely positive light,” she says, “so it’s just letting the public know that this is something that did not actually occur, so they can make their own decision about the information.” The bill calls for political ads in Iowa that use deepfakes to include this phrase: “This content generated using synthetic media.”

“Ensuring that the public does have that awareness when there is this synthetic media used in a campaign material is going to be important,” Eckley said. Twenty-six states have enacted laws that either prohibit the use of political deepfakes or require disclosure. Minnesota and Texas prohibit the publication of political deepfakes in the days leading up to an election.

(Radio Iowa) – A survey of supply managers in Iowa and eight other states shows Midwestern manufacturers ended 2025 with another downturn, reporting job losses for the ninth straight month. Creighton University Economics Professor Ernie Goss says the region’s main economic indicator sank to its lowest level for the year during December, and much of the decline is being blamed on tariffs enacted by the Trump administration and by other nations in response.

“Small firms are taking it on the chin right now, with tariffs having much more of an impact on small firms than large firms. We’re seeing that continuing for manufacturing as well,” Goss says. “Tariffs elevated in importance. They’re all of a sudden mattering. Everybody who said, ‘Well, tariffs don’t matter,’ they do matter. They are mattering. They will matter even more in the first half of 2026.” The December employment index on the survey sank to the lowest reading since May of 2024. Supply managers surveyed reported weakness in both imports and exports, while urban areas across the Midwest fared better than most ag-based rural areas, and Goss sees the trend continuing.

“Now, what about the next six months? We’re talking about the economy. Still, I won’t call it jobless, there are some jobs, but not enough,” Goss says. “We’re talking about moving slightly up to sideways. Manufacturing, likewise. The second six months, I think we’re going to see a rebound, now, this is all circumspect depending on what happens going forward.” Goss says some of the business leaders surveyed say tariffs have increased input costs by a minimum of 10 percent to as much as 48 percent, and in many cases, those higher costs are being passed on to consumers. “Twenty-five percent of the survey participants said that tariffs were pushing up prices more than 15 percent,” Goss says, “and 37.5 percent do not support the Trump tariffs, so what we’re seeing is increasing resistance to the tariffs of the Trump administration.”

The survey uses a zero to one-hundred scale, with 50 being growth neutral. Goss says Iowa’s main economic indicator dropped to 44.6 in December from a reading of 52.1 in November. He says federal data shows Iowa manufacturing exports for the first three quarters of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024, fell from $11.5 billion to $10.5 billion — that’s a nine-percent decline.

(Corning, IA) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Corning was arrested at around 4:35-a.m. Sunday, on an assault charge. Authorities say 25-year-old Collin Gregory was taken into custody for Domestic Assault. He was transported to the Adams County Jail.

Collin Gregory

Upon further investigation, it was determined Gregory had additional charges stemming from an ongoing investigation into an incident that occurred on or about Oct. 29, 2025. He was also charged with Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury – a Class C Felony, and Domestic Abuse with the intent to cause serious injury – an aggravated misdemeanor.

(Corning, IA) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests over the holiday weekend. Authorities say on or about 8-p.m. December 31st, Adams County Deputies conducted a traffic stop at Highway 34 and Fig Avenue. Upon further investigation, 20-year-old Brallan Lopez Illescas, of Osceola, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance-Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Lopez Illescas was transported to the Adams County Jail.

Lopez

And, on or about 12:40-p.m. January 2nd, Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies traveled to the Pottawattamie County Jail to take custody of 21-year-old Molly Beckwith, of Council Bluffs. The woman was wanted on an active Adams County warrant stemming from an incident that occurred on or about August 3rd, 2025. Beckwith was charged with Felony Burglary in the 3rd Degree, Burglary in the 3rd Degree/Motor vehicle and Unauthorized use of a credit card, and Theft in the 3rd Degree (all Aggravated Misdemeanors), as well as two counts of Theft in the 4th Degree, and one count of Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree (Serious Misdemeanors).

Beckwith was transported to the Adams County Jail. (Photos from the Adams County S/O)

Beckwith

(Red Oak, IA) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a Red Oak resident was arrested at around 11:30-a.m. Friday. Authorities say Skye Graysen Ver Linden was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. Skye Ver Linden was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on full bond.

(Harlan, IA) – Firefighters in Harlan were dispatched to the scene of a storage unit fire at around 7-a.m. today. The building, located behind Leinen Construction at 3113 12th Street in Harlan, was reported to be fully engulfed in flames. Westphalia Fire is providing mutual aid. Additional details are currently not available.

(Photos are courtesy Kylie Stevens)

(Creston, IA) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report a man was arrested at a convenience store early Saturday morning. Authorities say 31-year-old Austin Allen Jones, of Creston, was arrested a little before 1-a.m. Saturday, at the Casey’s store on W. Taylor Street, in Creston. Jones was charged with Contempt (of court) -Violation of No Contact or Protective Order. Jones was taken to the Union County Jail and held without bond until seen by a judge.

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa College of Business professor says motivational posters with inspirational messages that adorn many of our workplace walls often do little to motivate or inspire employees. Ken Brown, a U-I professor of management and entrepreneurship, says for a poster like that to have real impact, it has to be bundled with what managers are actually doing day-to-day to keep members of their staff working toward a common set of goals. “For example, in my home gym, I could post a picture of somebody doing exercises but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get fit by looking at it,” Brown says. “You actually need to have something that backs up the statements, the inspirational quotes or whatever it is that’s on your wall if you want to make change.”

Brown says some workers may mock the posters as confirmation their leaders are completely disconnected from what’s really going on in the workplace. “I’ve certainly worked with students and managers that are working with a firm that has a very competitive, bottom line-driven culture,” Brown says, “and they put up signs that talk about, ‘Teamwork makes the dream work,’ ‘It’s important that we work together,’ ‘We’re all in this together,’ when the reality is exactly the opposite.” A business called Despair-dot-com offers de-motivational posters, with sarcastic messages like: “The glass is half-empty: Deal with it.” and “Adversity: That which does not kill me delays the inevitable.” Brown says he’s never bought one of the Despair posters, but he’s tempted, as he finds them hilarious.

“People recognize that motivational posters and motivational quotes are sometimes hypocritical, which spawns a desire for people to make fun of that,” Brown says. “It spawns a desire for people to escape from the frustration by having a laugh with other people.” Of course, some people like the original posters, with photos of pole vaulters or pouncing panthers. Brown notes he can have two students sitting side-by-side for a lecture and one may think it’s the worst class ever, while the other may say it was a fascinating, life-changing experience. “Different people react differently to the same stimulus, the same poster, and that’s a reality that we need to understand as leaders and managers,” Brown says. “So we have to be sensitive to context, get to know our people and understand that it may not be the same thing that motivates everybody on our teams.”

Brown says his research finds people who are naturally upbeat tend to react positively to employee motivation techniques, while those who aren’t, don’t.