(Radio Iowa) – Davenport police officers are increasing foot patrols downtown as part of a partnership with local mental health and housing agencies. Working with Vera French Mental Health Center and Humility Homes and Services, a task force of off-duty police officers is checking in on local businesses and engaging in what are called “harm reduction practices.” Megan Brown-Saldan is the chief development officer with Humility Homes and Services.

“People don’t have to know everything, and we cannot expect our police officers to also know every single thing about every social service agency and every risk factor,” Brown-Saldana says. “This is how we partner together, to make sure that when we can do something to help someone, that we absolutely are.” The program was created in response to a variety of factors, including reports of people feeling less safe downtown and a housing shortage.

Kyle Carter is executive director of the Downtown Davenport Partnership, the city’s downtown management organization. He says a similar program exists across the river, in Rock Island, Illinois.  “We’re not reinventing the wheel. This model has been done all over the country,” Carter says. “It’s new to us, but certainly something that other downtown organizations like ours are very engaged in all over the country.”

The pilot program is scheduled to run for one year and has been given $65,000. Carter says it may scale up in the future, and that the early response from businesses and people on the street has been positive.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation of the mis-allocation of 23 million dollars in court fines. Court officials first noticed the problem in late 2020 and the computer programming to distribute court fines wasn’t fixed until late last year. It meant money was incorrectly deposited in the state’s General Fund — and victim services programs, the Iowa D-O-T, county sheriffs and others got less than they were due for five years. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison faults court officials for waiting until late last year to notify lawmakers. “I hate to say it, but it absolutely feels like you were attempting to conceal from the legislature the fact that this was going on,” Holt said.

State Court Administrator Bob Gast says they brought in a national consulting group to diagnose the problem — and didn’t anticipate it would take so long to figure out the extent of the errors. “We wanted to have the full scope and breadth before we came to you,” Gast said, “and not come in as ‘The sky is falling!’ and not have some idea of what we were looking at.”Gast, who testified at an Oversight Committee hearing in the statehouse today (Wednesday), says there was no “malfeasance” behind the long-term computer programming errors in the court system. “The Judicial Branch takes full responsibility for these errors,” Gast said. “We have fixed the errors…and the new programming has been audited and verified through an independent audit that was recently completed by Zirous, a West Des Moines I.T. firm.”

The state Judicial Building.

Gast says the court system plans to arrange for an independent audit of its I-T department, too. Representative Judd Lawler, a Republican from Tiffin, says he doubts the computer programming was that difficult to correct — and he asked court officials why they haven’t presented lawmakers with a plan to make up for the 23 million dollars worth of funding errors. “We have never seen a bill introduced, we have never been lobbied to fix this mess,” Lawler said.

Court officials say they are developing a plan and will present it to legislators for the 2026 session. Democrats on the Oversight Committee say the focus should be on fixing the problem — and simplifying the distribution list for court fines.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department, today (Wed., April 16th), released a report on arrests that occurred from March 1st through April 13th. Beginning with the most recent:

On April 13th, 27-year-old Jayme Simina, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication & Disorderly Conduct.

There were 3 arrests April 12th in Atlantic: 46-year-old Janece Schwarte, of Atlantic, was cited and released for 2nd Offense Compulsory Education Violation; 20-year-old Dakota Allmer, of Lewis, was arrested for Operating a vehicle without the owners consent, Trespass/1st offense, and Possession of Tobacco; and, 20-year-old Tate Conyers, of Lewis, was arrested for: Burglary in the 3rd Degree; Operating a vehicle without the owners consent; Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree; No Valid Driver’s License; Trespass/1st offense; Abandonment of a vehicle; Driving or towing an unsafe vehicle; Failure to Provide proof of financial liability, and for being a Minor In Possession of Tobacco/1st offense.

On April 6th, Atlantic Police arrested 45-year-old Daphne Doyle, of Bridgewater, for OWI/1st offense, and Interference with Official Acts.

On March 29th, 40-year-old Curtis Thomas, of Griswold, and 64-year-old Jennifer Schwartz, of Atlantic, were both cited into court for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting).

On the 28th of March: 40-year-old Royeisha Hightower, of Atlantic, and 37-year-old Kaci Perkins,of Hancock, were cited into court for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting); and, 40-year-old Kyle Wilson, of Hanock, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense (Meth), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

On March 26th, 45-year-old Nathan Johnson, of Atlantic, was cited cited and released for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting); and, 47-year-old Richard Smith, of Atlantic, was cited and released for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Atlantic Police say on March 25th, 33-year-old Cheyenne Register, of Atlantic, was cited into court (and released) for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting). On March 24th, 47-year-old Robert Loving, and 33-year-old Tiffany Rice, both of Atlantic, were arrested for: Burglary in the 3rd Degree (two counts for Loving), Theft in the 4th Degree, Poss. of a Controlled Substance (Meth), and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. Loving was additionally charged with Possession of Burglary Tools.  On March 20th, the A-PD arrested 45-year-old Melissa Wheeler, of Atlantic, for Driving While Barred.

Officials say on March 16th, 56-year-old Tawny Grote, of Atlantic, was cited and released for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting); and, 27-year-old Tk Narios, of Atlantic, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault w/Bodily Injury, False Imprisonment, Obstruction of Emergency Communications, Unauthorized use of a credit card, and Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree.

Two people were arrested March 9th, in Atlantic: 58-year-old Mickey Miller, of Atlantic, was arrested for Harassment in the 1st Degree, and, 43-year-old Brian Phillipson, of Atlantic, was arrested for Assault causing bodily injury. 40-year-old Alan Palm, of Atlantic, was arrested March 6th, for a Controlled Substance Violation and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. On the 5th of March, 70-year-old Steven Cottrell, of Atlantic, was cited and released for Theft in the 5th (Shoplifting).

Others arrested during the month of March, in Atlantic, include: 41-year-old Jesse, and 39-year-old Sierra Caudill, both of Atlantic, were cited into court (and released) March 4th, for Compulsory Education Violations/1st offense; 52-year-old Richard Seela, of Atlantic, was cited and released for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting). And, on March 1st, 23-year-old Jr Bedon, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors held their regular weekly meeting, this (Wednesday) morning. The Board approved:

• Publishing of W-2 Wages
• A taxable mileage claim
• Wages for three Township Clerks
• a 5-day Liquor License Application for Lucky Wife Wine Slushies, in advance of an event in June.

They also acknowledged the receipt of a Manure Management Plan from Todd VanEaton with regard to the Washington Township, and the resignation of a township Trustee Vicky Wright and the related appointment of Eldon Lee Lundy to fill the position. The Adair County Supervisors also agreed to a Memorandum Of Understanding with Taylor County, pertaining to Mental Health Advocate cost sharing.

In other business, the Board approved the purchase for FY 2026, of: A dump truck/snowplow in the amount of $289, 244 altogether (Chassis & dump boxes); 2 CAT compact track/skid loaders, for a total of $189,709, and the purchase of a water truck for FY 2025, in the amount of $60,000. The other water truck was lost in last year’s devastating tornado that hit Greenfield.

Adair County Engineer Nick Kauffman discussed with the Board the top project for the Secondary Roads Department.

He also updated the Supervisors on his department’s maintenance and activities.

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Senator Chuck Grassley says American citizens deserve due process and he says President Trump should explain why a Maryland man remains imprisoned in El Salvador. The U-S Justice Department admits it mistakenly deported Abrego Garcia, and the U-S Supreme Court ruled the U-S must “facilitate” his return. Grassley acknowledges several of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate may fly to El Salvador as soon as today (Wednesday) to plead for Garcia’s release. “That’s one way of doing it,” Grassley says. “The other way is telling the administration that you think they ought to follow through, or just be quiet because you think maybe when the president of El Salvador is president of an independent country and he’s not subject to the Supreme Court decision.” Grassley says President Trump should be working with the courts by offering his point of view.

“Now that doesn’t go as far as Chuck Grassley saying that our president can override the president of El Salvador,” Grassley says, “but he ought to at least be cooperating with the court on giving the explanations and the information that the court’s entitled to.” During a White House meeting with President Trump on Monday, the president of El Salvador said it would be “preposterous” to release Garcia from prison. In the same Oval Office meeting, President Trump suggested U-S citizens could be deported, but Grassley disagrees. “If you’re legally in the country, you’re entitled to due process and people that are illegally in the country are entitled to some due process,” Grassley says. “Obviously, U.S. citizens should not be deported.”

Senator Grassley (file)

During a town hall meeting in Fort Madison on Tuesday, Grassley said he’s trying to correct decades of Democratic leadership in the 20th century that are to blame for executive overreach.

(Radio Iowa) – An Army and Marine Corps veteran who’s executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce is launching a campaign for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2026 nomination for the U-S Senate. Nathan Sage, a native of Mason City, did three tours of duty in the Iraq war. Sage says he’s running to fight for working class Iowans. “I’m excited to actually get out and go,” Sage said. “My big thing is I don’t want to talk to Iowans, I want to listen to Iowans. I want to understand what they’re going through, what are the problems they’re facing, what things can be done at the federal level to make their lives better right now. Not 10 years from now, 20 years from now. Right now.” Sage says Republican Senator Joni Ernst, who’s also a veteran, hasn’t done enough to push back against Veterans Administration cuts devised by Elon Musk’s DOGE team.

Sage also faults Ernst for voting to confirm Pete Hegseth as U-S Defense Secretary. “I think she’s been towing the line for Republicans and doing exactly what she’s been told to do and hoping that she gets something out of it, either corporate backing or more millionaire money, I don’t know, but that’s the path that she’s gone on this whole time and I don’t see her straying from that.” Sage used his G-I benefits to earn a journalism degree from Kansas State University and got a job as an overnight announcer at radio stations in Knoxville and Indianola, working his way up to station management. “I learned a lot,” he says, “you know, the ins and outs of what business owners were dealing with and what they were going through.”

Nathan Sage is launching a campaign for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat. (photo provided by Sage campaign)

He was hired to lead the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce in May of 2023. Sage says his work with small businesses and working Iowans prompted him to consider and now launch a campaign for the U-S Senate. “Somebody needs to step up for the people that built this country, working for this country, doing all they can to make this country run,” Sage said, “and all they get out of it is trying to survive instead of thriving.”

Sage’s dad was a factory worker, his mom was a day care teacher and his family lived in a trailer park in Mason City. Sage says his parents tried their best for their four children, but it was a hard life and he joined the Marines in 2003.

(Radio Iowa) – The Des Moines-based Harkin Institute is hosting what it calls a wellness symposium today (Wednesday) on The Future of Clean Water. Event organizer Adam Shriver, the institute’s director of wellness and nutrition policy, says there are all sorts of threats to clean water — from climate change to other human-caused risks, including state and federal policies. “The real problem for clean water is that there’s a number of challenges facing it all at the same time,” Shriver says. “Our conference was really designed to look at what’s happening in Iowa, but also from a national lens.” Shriver says community-based initiatives that protect and improve water quality are being shown to have lasting, positive impacts on human and environmental health. He says they’ll be focusing on connections between clean water and agriculture.

“We’re going to have speakers talking about some of the issues in California, where there’s a lot of water consumption from agriculture,” Shriver says, “but also looking at Iowa, where chemical usage and high nitrates are playing a big role in people’s ability to swim in local streams and lakes, and also impacting the water quality around the state.” There’s a lot of public interest in clean water, he says, but many people aren’t sure how they can help.  “I feel like the excitement among the population isn’t always matched by concrete actions being done to fix some of the problems,” Shriver says. “That’s really what our conference is about, getting a scientifically-informed understanding of what’s happening with the water and looking at ways in which we can improve it.”

About 150 people are registered to attend the all-day symposium in person at Drake University, with another 100 participating online.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a man from Stanton was arrested at around 7-p.m. Tuesday, on an Assault charge. 47-year-old Jeremy Scott Guffey was arrested in the 300 block of Halland Avenue in Stanton, and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Guffey was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond. Red Oak Police assisted in conducting the arrest.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (KCRG) – It was standing room only at Fort Madison’s City Hall with Iowans looking to get answers from Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley on Tuesday. At times, it got heated with people shouting over one another. KCRG-TV   reports one focus was the impact of tariffs and President Trump’s trade war with China that’s left farmers caught in the middle.

Several accused Congress of letting President Trump’s power go unchecked – pointing to the wrongful deportation of a man to a brutal prison in El Salvador and the White House now ignoring an order to bring him back. Several others called on Senator Grassley to “stand up for average Americans,” with a woman from Mt. Pleasant saying (in essence) the rich are getting what they need but the average American is struggling, and no one is paying attention to them.

Grassley defended Republican platforms as helping the economy and taxpayers – pointing to Iowa as an example. KCRG reports he said “It’s very clear that the policies of the last 15 years of Republican governors is much better for the taxpayer, getting taxes lowered, having balanced budgets, not having across-the-board tax cuts like we did when we had 12 years of democratic governors.”

Some expressed their doubts about whether things would change, and less confidence in Senator Grassley’s ability to affect change.