(Red Oak, IA) – Police in Red Oak have arrested a man on a felony weapon charges, along with drug and theft charges. Authorities say Officers conducted a search warrant at 101 E. Prospect Street on March 3rd, in reference to thefts in the area. They were able to recover some of the property stolen during the thefts. Their investigation resulted in the arrest at around 6:50-p.m. Monday, of 44-year-old Jesse Donald Trost, of Red Oak, on charges that include Theft in the 4th Degree (A Serious Misdemeanor), Possession of a Controlled Substance – Methamphetamine/2nd offense (An Aggravated Misdemeanor), and on a Class-D Felony charge of Possession of a Firearm/Ammunition by a Prohibited Person.

Trost was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies and K9 Unit assisted in handling the incident.

(Red Oak, IA) – A traffic stop early this (Tuesday) morning in Montgomery County resulted in the arrest of a man wanted on a warrant out of Cass County (IA). According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, 41-year-old Randon Daniel Phelps, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 12:26-a.m. on the warrant for Failure To Appear on an original charge of Possession of Marijuana- 2nd offense.

He was arrested near the intersection of Highway 34 and 48, and turned over to Cass County Deputies. Phelps was being held in the Cass County Jail in Atlantic on a $2,000 bond.

(Warren County, IA) – The driver’s of two SUV’s were injured during a collision early Monday morning in south central Iowa. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2011 Subaru Outback driven by 19-year-old Gabriel Stansell and a 2016 Jeep Wrangler, driven by 47-year-old Aaron Wickett, both of New Virginia, were traveling on Warren County Road G-76, east of the Interstate 35 interchange west of New Virginia, when the vehicles collided head-on, a little after 6-a.m.

The Subaru was traveling eastbound and the Jeep westbound, when they collided in the westbound lane. Both drivers were seriously injured. Stansell was transported by Airmed helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. Wickett was taken by ambulance to the same hospital.

The crash remains under investigation. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, along with the New Virginia and St. Charles Fire/EMS Departments.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed members, community leaders, and partners to its Annual Dinner and Awards celebration, an evening dedicated to recognizing the people, partnerships, and progress shaping Atlantic’s future. This year’s event was especially meaningful as the Chamber celebrated 85 years of serving the Atlantic business community.

Executive Director Kelsey Beschorner shared highlights from the past year, recognizing the continued support of Chamber members, sponsors, volunteers, and community partners. Over the past year, the Chamber organized and promoted 22 community events, celebrated 11 new business openings through ribbon cuttings, launched a new Chamber website, and continued successful programs such as AtlantiCash to support local businesses.

During the evening, Chamber Board President Anne Quist shared a high-level overview of the Chamber’s strategic planning process.

Julie Waters (Community 1st Credit Union), Kelsey Beschorner (Executive Director), and Anne Quist (Chamber Board President)
— at The Venue.

The strategic plan focuses on four key priorities: strengthening the business community, elevating Atlantic’s signature events, building strong partnerships, and leading with focus and accountability to ensure the long-term sustainability of the organization. “These priorities will guide our work as we continue building momentum and delivering meaningful value to our members and the broader Atlantic community,” said Quist.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Chamber’s Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor presented by the organization. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a career of outstanding service, leadership, and dedication to the Atlantic community. Julie Waters was named the 2025 Distinguished Service Award recipient. Waters was recognized for her extraordinary volunteer spirit and consistent support of community events and initiatives.

Known for her willingness to step in wherever help is needed, Waters regularly volunteers at community events, Chamber activities, and local service efforts while encouraging others to get involved as well. Throughout the evening, attendees also celebrated the success of local businesses and the efforts of the Chamber’s Ambassador program, which supports member businesses through ribbon cuttings, milestone celebrations, and community engagement.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce expressed gratitude to the many volunteers, sponsors, and members whose support makes the organization’s work possible. “As we celebrate 85 years of the Chamber, it’s clear that Atlantic’s strength comes from the people who continue to show up, support one another, and invest in our community,” said Beschorner.

For more information about the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce or upcoming events, visit www.atlanticiowa.com.

(Radio Iowa) – The Northwest Iowa Corridor Habitat for Humanity has purchased two lots in Spencer that had been vacant for over 50 years. The property is near an old auditorium and the Spencer Community School Board has approved the sale. Joe Bjornstad is Executive Director for the Habitat for Humanity chapter that serves Clay and Dickinson Counties.

“The lots are in a perfect situation,” Bjornstad says, “tons of amenities around downtown and then close to walking distance between the high school and middle school.” The group plans to build two homes for families impacted by the massive flooding that hit Spencer in the summer of 2024. Bjornstad says they anticipate receiving 200-thousand dollars from Home Depot, which is awarding grants to areas recovering from forgotten disasters. Bjornstad says they’ll use the traditional Habitat model for the homes to be built on the site.

“We’ll get volunteer groups out — businesses, school kids, churches whatever we can do or however many people we can get out there,” Bjornstad said, “and having them volunteering then see people drive by and say: ‘Maybe I’d like to volunteer.'” Both homes will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Northwest Iowa Corridor Habitat for Humanity is actively looking for applicants who’d commit to at least 360 hours of sweat equity by helping build their future home. They’d be able to buy the home at a significantly reduced interest rate on their mortgage.

(Radio Iowa) – The maple syrup season is underway in Iowa and warmer temperatures have not helped. Eric Hart at the Indian Creek Nature Center in eastern Iowa says sap production is down. “It’s going to be less than most years because just the weather’s been unusually warm this year. And so that we haven’t had, we didn’t have a lot of days where the sap was flowing,” he says.

He says they need the normal cool spring temperatures for the best sap production. “It’s when the weather gets above freezing during the day, usually around 40 degrees. And then at night below freezing, somewhere in the 20s usually, makes it so that sap flows really well up and down the tree and it keeps the conditions prime so that the tree doesn’t switch over into growing leaves quite yet and it can let the sap flow for a while,” Hart says. Hart says you can visit the Nature Center and see how the whole process works.

“So we have public programs where people can come and try out different tools that people have used for maple syruping throughout the years,” he says, “from how the Native Americans did it to how colonial settlers did it, to kind of more modern tools today. And then they can even get inside a sugar house to see how that sap that’s been collected this year, how that’s getting boiled down into real maple syrup.” He says they’ve collected around 600 gallons of sap so far this year, and a good year is around one-thousand gallons.

Hart says it takes about 40 gallons of sap from Iowa trees to boil down into one gallon of maple syrup.  “Other regions, like in the northeast of the United States, the sap is just naturally sweeter there, so it can be 20 or 30 gallons for them, but around in Iowa, it’s about 40,” he says. You can find the full schedule for the public programs on the maple syrup process on the Center’ website at: indiancreeknaturecenter.org.

The maple syrup season will culminate with the annual Maple Syrup Festival on March 28th and 29th.

(Radio Iowa) – An American flag on a global journey has made its stop at the Iowa Capitol. Polk County Sheriff Kevin Schneider says the National Sheriff’s Association is part of the project to mark this year’s 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. “It reminds us not only where we have been as a country,” he said, but also the responsibility we carry to preserve what generations built before us.” Schneider spoke during a ceremony in the governor’s office and he led a moment of silence for the Army Reservists from Iowa who were killed in the Middle East on March 1st.

“The strength of this country has always come from ordinary citizens — people who believe in service, who respect the rule of law, who work every day to leave their communities stronger than they found them,” Schneider said. “Today as we gather around the flag we honor the sacrifice of the past, the service of the present and the promise of generations who will carry this country forward.”

The flag was flown from the Iowa Capitol’s Golden Dome this (Monday) morning, then Governor Reynolds hosted a brief ceremony in her statehouse office. She used her remarks to honor Sergeant Declan Coady of Des Moines, Major Jeffrey O’Brien of Waukee and Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, former Iowan, who were among the six Army Reservists from a Des Moines-based unit killed in Kuwait.

“It’s their heroism in answering the call of duty, their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice that are the reasons that our flag still flies,” Reynolds said. “It flies across the Middle East where their brothers and sisters in arms continue to fight for freedom and peace abroad.” The flag’s first stops were at the 26 U.S. military cemeteries in 10 other countries and now it’s being flown in all 50 states. The flag’s final destination will be at America 250 events in Washington, D.C. on July 4th.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig is vice chair of Iowa’s “America 250” Task Force. “I hope this event and the nationwide Flag Sojourn serves as another inspriration for Iowans, for organizations…communities across the great state of Iowa to find their own meaningful ways to celebrate America 250 in the months to come,” Naig said.

The flag’s final stop will be in Pennsylvania, then the American Legion Riders will escort the flag to the U.S. Capitol.

(Greenfield, IA) – The Adair County Engineer’s Office reports a bridge 1 mile south of Stuart on Stuart Road is scheduled to be replaced with a box culvert. The project is expected to start March 16th, 2026. During construction, Stuart Road will be closed to through traffic from 130th St. to 110th St. A signed detour route will be in place. Closure is expected to last 3-5 months.

(Atlantic, IA) – An Atlantic man who – late last month – plead guilty to Class-B felony charge of Child Endangerment resulting in death, was sentenced today (Monday, March 9th) in Cass County District Court, to a mandatory minimum of 15-years in prison, which is three tenths of what could have been a maximum of 50-years. 26-year-old Corbin Loudermilk must also pay $150,000 in restitution. The charge and sentence was with regard to the death last year, of one-month old Kahlani Loudermilk.  A plea agreement called for a Class-A felony charge of Murder in the 1st Degree, to be dismissed.

Court documents charged Corbin Loudermilks, through an intentional act or series of intentional acts,  used unreasonable force that resulted in the death of the child.