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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – An 18-year-old is facing charges after firefighters in Sioux City were called to a fast-food restaurant on Gordon Drive. According to Sioux City Police, first responders were sent to the Wendy’s at 3805 Gordon Drive after getting a call on Tuesday, Dec. 30, reporting a fire.
The call came in at about 9 a.m., and police say customers and employees were evacuated from the building while Sioux City Fire Rescue extinguished the fire and secured the scene. “After reviewing surveillance video, investigators were able to identify a suspect who they believed was responsible for setting the fire,” stated the Sioux City Police Department in a press release.
Police say this suspect, identified as 18-year-old Malachi Neylon of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was located at a separate business a short distance from the Wendy’s.
Neylon is facing one count of first-degree arson and one count of fourth-degree criminal mischief. Under Iowa law, first-degree arson carries a possible sentence of up to 25 years in prison, and the criminal mischief charge is a misdemeanor that has a maximum penalty of one year in jail.
DALLAS COUNTY, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced Tuesday that the highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in a mixed-species backyard flock in Dallas County. The current outbreak of avian influenza has impacted nearly 185 million birds at backyard and commercial poultry farms since it began in 2022.
The Dallas County detection, which impacted a flock of 15 birds, according to an IDALS spokesperson, is the 10th detection in domestic birds in Iowa this year. The H5N1 strain of the bird flu has also been detected in wild, migratory birds, most recently in large numbers at several lakes in southwest Iowa.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and state departments of agriculture continue to urge producers to practice increased biosecurity to help prevent the spread of the flu. U.S. senators from Iowa and other agricultural states recently urged USDA to prioritize a vaccine strategy for the flu.
Producers who notice sudden increases in bird deaths, or symptoms like lethargy, swelling of the head, coughing and difficulty breathing in their flock should contact their veterinarians immediately.
The public health risk of HPAI remains low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
POLK COUNTY, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – State regulators have revoked the license of a registered nurse who provided home health care for disabled children before being arrested on child-pornography charges. In October, the Iowa Board of Nursing issued an emergency order suspending the license of registered nurse Kenneth Wayne Clark of Ankeny. The order was based on a disciplinary charge that Clark had engaged in unethical behavior and engaged in practices that are harmful or detrimental to the public by acting in a manner that is contradictory to professional decorum.
Court records show that on Aug. 1, 2025, Wayne’s home and vehicle were searched by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office alleges it found methamphetamine, psilocybin mushrooms, and marijuana, as well as multiple pieces of drug paraphernalia — including glass pipes, bongs and storage containers for marijuana and methamphetamine. One month later, on Sept. 9, 2025, Ankeny police alleged that from March 1, 2025, to July 30, 2025, Clark knowingly and unlawfully downloaded or possessed on his cellphone videos that are “consistent with child sexual abuse material.”
Prosecutors have charged Clark with 10 counts of purchasing or possessing the depiction of a minor engaged in a sex act. Police records indicate there are more than “2,600 unclassified videos and 60,511 images” at issue in the case, including at least 50 videos “consistent with child sex abuse material” that were allegedly downloaded onto the phone.
The court then issued a no-contact order against Clark barring any contact with minors. The Board of Nursing alleged the no-contact order was particularly relevant to its emergency order in that Clark was “doing in-home care for disabled children” prior to his arrest.
A trial on the criminal charges is scheduled for March 23, 2026.
(Radio Iowa) – The number of traffic fatalities has dropped significantly in Iowa this year and could reach a 100-year low. Some law enforcement officials cite Iowa’s new law banning the handling of a smart phone while driving as a major factor. Larry Grant, the state safety planner for the Iowa Department of Transportation, says officers have been issuing citations for the past six months and will start issuing citations January 1st — so he expects the full effect of the law on traffic safety will occur in 2026.
“The public, they work around those laws a lot of times, so we’re hoping that once that’s enforceable that’s going to drive down crashes as a whole,” Grant says. “That plays into, then, fatalities and serious injury crashes.” A high percentage of traffic fatalities involve a single vehicle that runs off the road. “It tends to be a single occupant, sometimes impairment and then they aren’t wearing their seatbelt, which is very surprising,” Grant says, “that vehicle rolls and that person is either seriously injured or killed.”
As a result, Grant says the Iowa D-O-T’s new policy is that every road the agency builds in the future will have edge line rumble strips and, if it’s a two-lane road, there will be rumble strips along the center line. “Those marks on the road that are ground in, that when you drive over it makes that noise that alerts the driver they’re either crossing the center line or going off the edge of the road,” Grant says. The D-O-T is also widening all paint strips that mark lanes on the road from four inches to six inches.
“The newer vehicles, they’re looking for those edge line and center line markings,” Grant says, “and so with us increasing the size of those markings, it enhances the ability of that vehicle to actually see where the road is and keep that vehicle within the lanes of travel.” Grant says there have been amazing improvements to vehicles that are contributing to the drop in fatalities — as well as accidents.
“Vehicles are really made to absorb those crashes so they have crush zones. They have air bags, and then they have anti-lock brakes and then traction control — all this technology, then we really advanced it when it started doing lane assist or adaptive cruise control,” Grant says, “so all those things that vehicle is doing for the driver without the driver even, honestly, knowing that.” Other roadway improvements are improving safety — and reducing wrecks — like high-intensity reflective signs, particularly on the curves of roads.
“It makes that driver kind of look up a little bit and a lot of times when people are driving, they’re not focused on the roads, they’re looking down. We want to draw their attention to those safety signs that are out there, whether it’s stop signs or yield signs or, again, those chevrons around a curve,” Grant says. “Whether it’s in the daylight or at night when those headlights hit, it draws attention to those signs.”
Grant was a state trooper for nearly 30 years and has been the Iowa D-O-T’s State Safety Planner for the past three-and-a-half years.
(Radio Iowa) – A Democrat has won Tuesday’s special election for a seat the Iowa Senate. Unofficial results show West Des Moines City Councilman Renee Hardman won with 73 percent of the vote. She will be the first black woman to serve in the Iowa Senate. The seat had been vacant since State Senator Claire Celsi’s death in October.
Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner notes this is the third special election this year for a state senate seat and Democrats have won all three. She says that shows Iowa voters want change.
Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann says Tuesday’s election was in a very tough district for Republicans and the party is focused expanding the Republican majorities in the state legislature next year.
There will be 17 Democrats and 33 Republicans serving in the Iowa Senate in January — one vote short of a G-O-P supermajority. It means Republicans will need at least one Democrat to vote to confirm any people Governor Reynolds nominates for state government positions.
*****
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart released the following statement regarding tonight’s State Senate District 16 special election results: “Renee Hardman crafted a well-run grassroots campaign focused on affordability, and Democrats across Iowa worked tirelessly to end 2025 with another 40-point victory to prevent a new Republican supermajority. Hardman has been a valued West Des Moines City Councilmember – working to cut taxes and improve public safety. She is ready to step up to take on an even larger role for our state. Democrats will continue to focus on affordability, common sense, and a new direction for our state. With candidates committed to their communities like Renee, Democrats are offering a new direction for Iowa in 2026!”
(Atlantic, IA) – The Board of Supervisors in Cass County (IA) will hold their annual organizational meeting this Friday morning, in Atlantic. The meeting begins at 9-a.m. in the Supervisor’s Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse.
Among their first items of business, is to elect a permanent Chairperson and Vice-Chair, setting the schedule for 2026 Board meetings and the use of Zoom for electronic coverage of those meetings.
Other administrative matters include:
The order of agenda items may change based on when personnel are available and when time allows.
Next Meeting: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
(Corning, IA) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest last week of 44-year-old Adriane Contreras, of Lamoni. He was taken into custody at around 2:26-a.m. on Dec. 24th, following a traffic stop at Highway 34 and Mulberry Avenue. Contreras was charged with OWI/1st offense, Possession of a Controlled Substance (both Serious Misdemeanors), and a Class-D Felony charge of Possession of Contraband within a Correctional Facility. He posted a $2,500 cash or surety bond – with 10% acceptable – and is scheduled to appear in court for a Preliminary Hearing on January 5th.
And, on Christmas Day, 45-year-old Raul Rangel, of Creston, was arrested on an active Adams County warrant for Failure To Appear on an original charge of Driving While Barred. He posted a $2,000 cash-only bond, and is set to appear in court on January 6th.
(Radio Iowa) – If you’ll be making a New Year’s resolution tomorrow (Wednesday) night, you may need to genuinely focus on making the change in order to keep the pledge. Alison Phillips, a psychology professor at Iowa State University, says our approach to making resolutions usually sets us up for failure.
“I’ve seen two different statistics, one is that 80% of resolutions fail by the second week in February,” Phillips says. “The other is a bit less depressing and that’s 40% of us are still hanging on after four months. Either way, long-term efforts at changing our behavior generally fail.” Phillips, who studies behavior change and habit formation, says to focus on how to make changes that will lead to creating a better version of yourself.
“This is important because behaviors that do stick around are those that become part of our self-identity, it’s how we see ourselves,” Phillips says. “They’re usually things that we’re proud of, that we’re good at, and they make us feel like we’re competent at something.” Zero in on things you can become good at and that you see yourself doing and take pride in, she says, as those are the kinds of things people won’t give up on.
“Habits form as you repeat them in a stable context,” Phillips says. “Pick a time that’s pretty regular that you could do it and that will help you form a habit more quickly. Also, pick something that you relatively enjoy. You might not like exercise at all but pick something that you hate the least and that you would be proud of yourself to do.” If better physical fitness is your target, Phillips says it’s important to aim for specific goals that focus on behavior and not on certain outcomes, like a number on the scale.
“If you prefer bicycling to running, by all means, go for the bike,” Phillips says, “even if it’s in the gym and the stationary bike isn’t awesome, maybe try a spin class until the weather is nicer.” Everyone fails, she says, so plan ahead and rehearse how you will cope when you run into barriers. Also, social support is important, so in addition to having a workout buddy, make sure your family is on board, too, and will encourage you as you create new, positive habits.
(Radio Iowa) – The woman who has led the state’s economic development efforts for the past 14 years says she will stay in the role until Governor Kim Reynolds leaves office on January 12th of 2027. Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham is drawing up a to-list for the next 13 months. “Of course when you work with Governor Reynolds, you know that we’re going to all run to the finish line,” Durham said. Durham intends to spend a lot of time on the road.
“And start telling our story to site selectors and others to say: ‘We’re here. We’re ready for development,'” Durham said, “and that’s where I’m going to kind of focus my time this next year, is beginning to get that story out in a little broader context.” Durham had been president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce for 17 years when Governor Terry Branstad appointed her to lead the Iowa Department of Economic Development in 2011. She oversaw its conversion to a public-private partnership and renamed as the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Reynolds appointed her to two more terms in the role and no other current state agency director has been in the job longer than Durham. Durham also been director of the Iowa Finance Authority since 2019.
Reynolds fired the Iowa Finance Authority’s director after he was accused of sexual misconduct and Durham to lead the agency, which provides grants and financing for first time homebuyers as well as for housing projects and drinking water systems.
DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — Iowa is expected to see under 300 fatalities from car crashes in 2025 — the lowest number of deaths in a century. According to ISP Sgt. Alex Dinkla, if the number of fatalities on Iowa’s roads are less than 261 through the end of this year, it will be the lowest number ever recorded in state history. The State began keeping statistics in 1925.
As of Monday, 259 Iowans had died this year from crashes. That’s down from 344 in 2024, 375 in 2023, and 334 in 2022. In 1970, there were a record 912 fatal crashes in Iowa. The decline in deaths since then, have been attributed to much improved vehicle safety features, such as crumple zones and air bags. In-vehicle technology that alerts a driver to lane departure is another safety feature.
In addition to vehicle improvements, officials say the Iowa DOT is always looking to improve roadways and address some of the biggest causes behind crashes, by adding edge and center line rumble strips to alert drivers their vehicle is drifting out of the lane of travel. Signage and road markings are being upgraded, too. Paint markings are being widened from 4-to 6-inches for better visibility. The DOT says work is also being done to make intersections safer, such as changing them to roundabouts or diverging diamonds.
The laws surrounding driving in Iowa have changed significantly over the last century. Wearing a seat belt and increasing the drinking age to 21 became law in 1986. Iowa’s Move Over law expanded to require pulling over and slowing down for all vehicles with flashing lights in 2018.
As we’ve mentioned, Hands-free legislation, which makes it illegal for drivers to manipulate electronic devices like phones with more than a single touch while driving, took effect in July. Starting Jan. 1, law enforcement will be able to issue tickets and fines for drivers caught using their phones.
But even with all of these changes, officials say there’s still room for improvement, whether it comes in the form of changing interchanges or writing tickets.
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