According to Stuart Police Chief Dave Reha, at 6:30pm an officer was trying to conduct a traffic stop for some vehicle equipment violations on South Division Street and SE13th Street, when the driver accelerated away at a high rate of speed. 

Reha notes that the pursuit eventually entered Adair County, traveling at speeds of 90 miles per hour. He states that the motorist was endangering the lives of people in other vehicles, those inside the driver’s vehicle, road workers and the general public. Reha points out, the driver went into a ditch at the intersection of 110th Street and Walnut Avenue, after losing control of the vehicle and causing significant damage to the front driver’s side. 

Reha says the pursuit ended at a residence in the 1300 block of Stuart Road where the driver was apprehended without further incident. He details that Jeremiah Janes was charged with a Class D Felony for eluding, a simple misdemeanor for reckless driving and several other traffic violations. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official. 

The Board will hear construction updates about capital projects, including the Auditor’s Office renovations and will hear a presentation about the Iowa Primary Care Association Behavioral Health System.

Items on the agenda that are seeking approval include a Raccoon River Valley Trail Adel/Redfield repairs and inspection safety study, the second reading of an ordinance for proposed changes to Chapter 47 regarding radon mitigation systems in new homes and a resolution for a general assistance manual. 

The meeting will take place at 9 a.m. Tuesday inside the Board of Supervisors Meeting Room, 800 Court Street, in Adel.

A public hearing will be held at 8:45am on a request from NEW Cooperative to install another anhydrous tank on their site in Churdan, followed by consideration to approve a renewal of participating in the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP) for the 2027 fiscal year.

The Board will also consider approving renewal of membership for the Iowa State Association of Counties Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) program, a resolution to hire a full-time deputy for the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and a tobacco license renewal for the Paton Pit Stop. Finally, the meeting may end in a closed session for an employee review of the Greene County Courthouse custodian Tony Janssen. 

The meeting will be held in-person and remotely at 8:30am from the boardroom of the Greene County Courthouse in Jefferson. Those who want to access the meeting remotely, must click here to register before being allowed into the meeting on Zoom. 

According to Guthrie Center City Hall, those wishing to participate should sign up at City Hall by noon on Wednesday, and can opt to pay a $5 fee to be included on the map. Maps will be available at Guthrie County State Bank, Peoples Bank, Hometown Foods, Sparky’s One Stop, Casey’s General Store, Dollar General and City Hall. Garage sales will take place across the city Friday and Saturday. For more information or for any questions, please contact City Hall by calling 641-332-2190.

The Adel Partners Chamber of Commerce will host a rescheduled Live at the Pavilion event tonight. Luke Fox will perform at 7 p.m. at the Raccoon Valley Bank Pavilion. The chamber invites community members to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy some free live music to help kick off the summer.

Perry Lutheran Homes also encourages residents to join them for an evening of great music and community tomorrow night. The Greater Des Moines Community Band will perform at 7 p.m. at the Spring Valley Retirement Community, 501 12 Street, Perry.

Community members can bring a lawn chair and enjoy an outdoor concert featuring musicians from across central Iowa. The Snack Shack will also be open with refreshments available.

Perry Lutheran Homes says the free community event is open to residents, families and the public.

Jefferson Matters Director Matt Wetrich says Tuesday’s program is called Tax and Legal Essentials with a panel of experts that will discuss taxes, legal challenges or obstacles and business considerations that will help entrepreneurs make better decisions that will hopefully breed long-term success.

Greene County Development Corporation is the sponsor of the second BYOB series and GCDC Director Greg Piklapp explains that while the same types of entities that were involved in the first BYOB, including the city of Jefferson, GCDC and others, will be there this time, they want to always have new panelists to each of these programs.

“We want to keep the panel or the experts rotating because if it’s financial, we want a financial panel. If we want logistics and brick and mortar, we want some building and contractors in there. If we want to say, ‘Hey, how do I file my tax returns?’ Have an expert on hand for that.” 

Wetrich points out that the panel includes Certified Public Accountant Ross Martens with Martens and Associates, attorney Brandon Hommer with Hoyt, Morain and Hommer and the Regional Director with Iowa State University’s America’s Small Business Development Center Leah Locke. 

The program on Tuesday is free and open to those individuals who are small business owners or entrepreneurs needing assistance with taxes and legal arenas. It will be held at the Courtyard Wedding and Events Center in Jefferson, from 5:30-8pm with refreshments and pizza to start, followed by the panel discussion. Wetrich adds while pre-registration is not necessary it is appreciated to finalize the amount of food needed for the event. Click here to sign up.

The Board will consider for approval a bid for vehicles, the 2026-27 Area Education Agency Cooperative Food Purchasing agreement and a list of 2026-27 fundraisers. They will also consider for approval fees for the 2026-27 year, as well as discuss facilities improvement projects, and consider for approval the 2026-27 certified and classified staff employee handbooks.

The Board will also consider for approval the 2026-27 EMC/Safety Group renewal, then enter into closed session for the superintendent evaluation. The meeting begins at 7pm in the District Board Room at the high school building.

Community Health Educator Natalie Del Vecchio says summer is a great opportunity for people to focus on healthy habits that might be harder to prioritize the rest of the year.

“So be sure to take advantage of local farmers markets, outdoor recreation opportunities, community events and fresh, seasonal produce. These are all great for your mental and physical health. And then at the same time, summer does bring some important health considerations. So be mindful of heat-related illnesses by staying hydrated, limiting strenuous outdoor activity, especially during the hottest parts of the day, and check in on vulnerable populations like older adults, children and neighbors who may be more vulnerable to extreme heat. And then we also encourage people to just practice swimming safety, using sunscreen and insect repellant and then stay up-to-date on air quality alerts too because those are more common in the summer.”

She adds that it’s also important to plan a routine that balances rest, activity and social connection. Del Vecchio explains that maintaining some structure can also support physical and mental health, which can include consistent sleep schedules, regular physical activity and making time for nutritious meals.

“We also encourage residents to spend lots of time outside and connect with family and friends and do fun things that help your mental health like trying new hobbies, volunteering or participating in community events. For children and teens, it’s a good time to keep some daily routine with reading, exercise and social interaction. That’s really good for their overall well-being and it can help that transition back to school in a few months easier. So the goal is just to use the summer months to rest but also to build some healthy habits that you can continue all year round.”

While summer is just getting started, she shares that now is a good time to schedule check-ups, dental appointments, physicals and recommended immunizations. She adds that scheduling those early will allow families to use the rest of the summer break to rest and spend quality time together while preparing for a healthy start to next school year.

To hear more, check out a recent Let’s Talk Dallas County program.

City Building Official Chad Stevens confirms to Raccoon Valley Radio that on June 4th McDonald’s closed on the property at 403 North Elm Street, along Highway 4 where the former Hastings Funeral Home was located. He points out that the site will occupy the west half of the block between Adams and Reed Streets. 

The city has already issued the building permit, which originally outlined a $3.1 million investment with the new structure. 

Stevens adds there is no other information known at this time, including a timeline of when construction will begin or when the restaurant is anticipated to be open.

Stuart Police Chief Dave Reha says that his department arrested 30 year old Gifty Gilman on the evening of June 10th. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that the charge stems from a May 27th incident where a two year old child fell into a pond near the Union Estates housing development in Stuart. The child was pulled from the water unresponsive, but after initial medical attention began breathing again. Reha explains that the child was flown to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, and despite extensive efforts passed away on June 4th. He mentions that this is still an active investigation, and that no additional information will be released at this time.

The alleged charge of Child Endangerment Resulting in Death is a Class B Felony. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring more information as it becomes official.

The Adel Police Department says officers were called to the 1600 block of Pleasant Street around 7:50 p.m. on a report of shots fired.

When officers arrived, they found two adults with gunshot wounds. The department details that one was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries while the other was pronounced dead at the scene.

The shooting is being investigated by the Adel Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and no other information is being released at this time.

The department adds that this is an isolated incident and there is no ongoing threat to the public. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official.

According to court documents, a search warrant was executed on Tuesday at the home of 39-year-old Bryant Margetta, where allegedly lots of drug-related items were seized. Court documents show that some of those items included controlled substances, smoking devices, cash, a cell phone and baggies, among other items. 

The criminal complaint states that in the garage, an alleged growing operation was found with what appeared to be marijuana. Court documents show that Margetta admitted to other drug-related items in his vehicle and traveling to Colorado to purchase marijuana and then producing the illegal drug on his property. The affidavit shows that a Narcotics Identifying Kit or (NIK) was used and tested positive for the presence of marijuana and methamphetamine.

Margetta was charged with Class B and D Felonies for controlled substance violations, an aggravated misdemeanor for his second offense for possession of a controlled substance, a serious misdemeanor for his first offense for possession of marijuana and a simple misdemeanor for possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked and remains in the Greene County Jail under a $32,000 bond. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official. 

Guthrie County Supervisor Maggie Armstrong says that when the Board declared EMS as an essential service in 2022, it led to a 2024 general election ballot measure. When the measure failed, it negated that original declaration. She states that in late 2025 the Board once again declared EMS as an essential service, and in January 2026 appointed EMS Advisory Council members to look into what needs to be done to ensure high-quality emergency medical care is accessible to the entire county.

Armstrong explains this has led to the Council developing a survey to gather input from county residents. She adds that this survey of Guthrie County voters will help the group gauge the current level of understanding of EMS service delivery and funding in the county, what voters deem as priorities for county EMS service, and what funding they would support to achieve those priorities.

A QR code to the survey, as well as a list of EMS Advisory Council members can be found below.

Advisory Council Members (And the Entities They Represent)
Gina Arnold (City of Bayard)
Tammy Bireline (Adair Fire and Rescue)
Angie Capps (City of Stuart)
Mary Jan Carothers (Guthrie County Hospital)
Sheyrl Clark (Union Township)
Jeremy Cooper (Adair and Guthrie County EMA and Bagley Fire Department)
Brian Dorsett (City of Panora)
Erica Finster (City of Guthrie Center)
Matt Harmann (Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office)

According to Stuart Police Chief Dave Reha, at 6:30pm an officer was trying to conduct a traffic stop for some vehicle equipment violations on South Division Street and SE13th Street, when the driver accelerated away at a high rate of speed. 

Reha notes that the pursuit eventually entered Adair County, traveling at speeds of 90 miles per hour. He states that the motorist was endangering the lives of people in other vehicles, those inside the driver’s vehicle, road workers and the general public. Reha points out, the driver went into a ditch at the intersection of 110th Street and Walnut Avenue, after losing control of the vehicle and causing significant damage to the front driver’s side. 

Reha says the pursuit ended at a residence in the 1300 block of Stuart Road where the driver was apprehended without further incident. He details that Jeremiah Janes was charged with a Class D Felony for eluding, a simple misdemeanor for reckless driving and several other traffic violations. Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official. 

The Meet Me in Minburn event returns to Meek Park with the first of three shows that will be held this summer. According to Minburn Community Betterment Group Member Megan Cline, this is an event geared towards the whole family as there will be a free-will donation meal, along with free outdoor skating and live music. She details that the series has been going on since 2008, and embodies the small town atmosphere. 

“There is something magical about our Meek Park. People gather, they sit on their chairs and the benches and blankets and they listen to amazing local entertainers. It just takes you back to a quiet time in a small town where everyone can gather together and have some really wonderful fellowship and neighbor interaction. It’s a good time.”

Jake Kemble will help launch the concert series along with his band Kick. He talks about what is looking forward to about performing again in Minburn.

“I think that it’s just such a nice environment to have people together. It’s a very family-friendly kind of vibe where people are coming in and hanging out with their families and just gathering to enjoy music. It’s always a good environment and it’s a good way to kick off the summer.”

Cline says the Friends of the Minburn Library will serve hot dogs, chips, fruit and dessert. She highlights that the outdoor skating rink is right in front of the stage and community members can either bring their own skates or borrow them from the skate shack next to the stage for free. The meal will be available from 5:30-7 p.m. and Kick will perform from 7-9 p.m.

To hear more about the Meet Me in Minburn concert series, along with a donation of skates, check out a recent Let’s Talk Dallas County program.