Multiple Defendants Sentenced as Part of ‘Project Safe Childhood’ Initiative

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Rick Watts

(DES MOINES, Iowa) – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa recently obtained several convictions against defendants committing offenses against minor children, as part of the United States Department of Justice Project Safe Childhood Initiative, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum.

On March 1, 2018, United States District Court Judge Stephanie M. Rose sentenced Gabriel Espinoza, age 23, of Marshalltown, to 25 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor. Upon his release from imprisonment, Espinoza will serve 25 years of supervised release.

The investigation into Espinoza’s crime started in March 2017, when law enforcement in Bucks County, Pennsylvania learned a 10-year-old female had been sexually exploited via social media by Espinoza, a registered sex offender. Within days, Espinoza was located and arrested by the Iowa ICAC Task Force. After additional investigation, law enforcement learned Espinoza had also victimized a minor female in Minnesota. This matter was investigated by the Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), Bucks County (PA) District Attorney’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Marshalltown Police Department, Ankeny Police Department, and Iowa Division of Intelligence. On December 8, 2017, United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger sentenced Gaspar Jose Francisco, age 27, of Osceola, to 14 years imprisonment for enticement and attempted enticement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activities. Upon his release from imprisonment, Francisco will serve five years of supervised release.

This investigation was initiated by a report to the Osceola Police Department that alleged possible sexual abuse of a minor child by an adult who lived nearby. Further investigation revealed Francisco used social media to entice a 13-year-old female to engage in illegal sexual activity with him. This matter was investigated by the Iowa ICAC, Osceola Police Department, United States Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, and Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

On November 17, 2017, United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger sentenced Jordan Adolfo Turner, age 25, of Muscatine, to 20 years imprisonment for receipt of child pornography. Upon his release from imprisonment, Turner will serve 10 years of supervised release. This investigation was initiated by a tip from an Iowa man to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which alleged a 13-year-old boy was being sexually exploited via social media by an adult male. Further investigation by Iowa ICAC revealed Turner solicited and received nude images and/or videos from seven other minors that resided in Iowa. This matter was investigated by the Iowa ICAC, FBI (Minneapolis Field Office and Omaha Field Office), and Muscatine Police Department.

These cases were prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative, which was started in 2006 as a nation-wide effort to combine law enforcement investigations and prosecutions, community action, and public awareness in order to reduce the incidence of sexual exploitation of children.

Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the 24-hour Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) also operates a Cyber Tip line at www.cybertipline.com that allows parents and children to report child pornography and other incidents of sexual exploitation of children by submitting an online form.

-This information was submitted as a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Dotson Drives to First USMTS Win at Kennedale

Posted on March 5, 2018March 5, 2018 by Rick Watts

KENNEDALE, Texas – After losing two of the weekend’s three events, the Summit USMTS Southern Series powered by Production Jars invaded the Kennedale Speedway Park on Friday. This was the third round of the Summit USMTS Winter Speedweeks, and the wet Texas week finished off with a fantastic finish for the history books. To see a full listing of official results, see the bottom of this article.

After scoring the most heat race passing points, Clyde Dunn Jr. redrew the pole position for the start of the 40-lap Summit Racing Equipment “A” Main but after catching a rut in the first turn a flat tire sent him to the pits along with two others as caution waved off the initial start.

Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year contender Ethan Dotson of Bakersfield, Calif., set the pace for the restart and pulled out to a sizeable lead with two-time USMTS national champ Rodney Sanders in tow.

Lapped traffic came into play with eight laps in the books, and Sanders used it to his advantage to squeeze underneath Dotson and grab the lead while Jack Sartain, Kevin Rutherford and 17th-starting Cade Dillard filling the rest of the first five spots.

Sanders stretched his lead over the next ten laps and began to put drivers running among the top ten a lap down.

Meanwhile, Dunn had worked his way back up to eighth after restarting the race at the rear of the pack but suffered a second flat tire and exited the rough-and-tumble battle.

With 20 down, officials cut the distance to 35 laps due to the rough conditions, but Dotson was reeling in Sanders and pulled even as the pair streaked beneath the white flag.

Sanders went low entering the final corner while Dotson scraped the mud off the outside concrete wall. Sanders slid up as he exited turn four as Dotson crossed over underneath.

Coming to the checkered flag, it looked as if a photo-finish was inevitable but Sanders suddenly slowed-a victim of a broken transmission-as Dotson scooted underneath and crossed the finish line first to score his first USMTS victory.

“No way I ever thought we could get a win this early on, this is awesome,” Dotson told USMTS announcer Chris Stepan in victory lane after just his third career USMTS start. “I wish my family could be here for his. Dad, we did it.”

Dotson, who turned 19 in January, is travelling with Joe Duvall and crew chief Scott Drake this season, Both drivers are utilizing a Chevrolet Performance CT-525 crate engine.

“I can’t thank Joe and Scott enough for giving me this opportunity and their priceless feedback,” he added. “When Rodney got by me I just wanted to stay with him. I saw him slow there at the end and I crossed him over and was just able to get by.

“This is just awesome.”

With the race shortened to 35 laps, Sanders was able to get the runner-up paycheck with Dillard charging to the third spot. Another rookie, Zane Ferrell, finished fourth and Johnny Scott passed 15 cars en route to a fifth-place finish.

Rutherford, Austin Bonner, Mitchell, Bryan Rowland and Bobby Malchus rounded out the top ten.

The 9th Annual Summit USMTS Winter Speedweeks continues this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 9-11, when the USMTS invades three of the fastest dirt tracks in Mississippi for a two-fer featuring the Summit USMTS Southern Series and USMTS Hunt for the Casey’s Cup.

The titanic tripleheader gets started Friday at the historic Jackson Motor Speedway in Byram, Mississippi with gates opening at 5:30 PM and racing at 7:30 PM with Crate Late Models, Sportmans and Factory Stocks also on the bill.

Then on Saturday the touring titans of the USMTS bring the boom to the “House of Hook” at the Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Mississippi with racing at 6:30 PM and six big divisions of racing.

The action reaches a boiling point on Sunday as the meanest machines in America make their maiden voyage to the legendary Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi for a wheel-to-wheel showdown at “The Mag” with four classes in action and the green flag waving at 5:15 PM.

To learn more about the United States Modified Touring Series, visit www.usmts.com online or call 515-832-7944.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

OFFICIAL RESULTS
United States Modified Touring Series
Summit USMTS Southern Series powered by Production Jars
9th Annual Summit USMTS Winter Speedweeks presented by MSD Performance – Round 3 of 6
Kennedale Speedway Park, Kennedale, Texas
Friday, March 2, 2018

Showing finishing position, starting position in parentheses, car number, driver, hometown, chassis/engine builder, laps completed and money won.

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS HEAT RACE #1 (8 laps):
1. (2) 20 Rodney Sanders, Worthington, Minn.
2. (3) 21 Austin Bonner, Elk City, Okla.
3. (5) 65 Carlos Ahumada Jr. (R), Canutillo, Texas.
4. (6) 14t Triston Dycus, Waxahachie, Texas.
5. (8) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas.
6. (7) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
7. (1) 56 Troy Taylor, Midlothian, Texas.
8. (4) 19 Robert McKinney, Alvarado, Texas.
9. (9) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla.

FAST SHAFTS HEAT RACE #2 (8 laps):
1. (7) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr., Rockwall, Texas.
2. (2) 24z Zane Ferrell (R), Hermitage, Ark.
3. (4) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M.
4. (1) 60 William Gould, Calera, Okla.
5. (3) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
6. (8) 52 John Gober, Poolville, Texas.
7. (9) 88r A.J. Vasquez (R), Garden City, Mich.
8. (6) 4 Bo Day (R), Greenville, Texas.
9. (5) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.

EDELBROCK HEAT RACE #3 (8 laps):
1. (5) 47 Jack Sartain, Terrelll, Texas.
2. (1) 4v Billy Vogel, West Fargo, N.D.
3. (6) 71 Chad Melton, Mineral Wells, Texas.
4. (3) 130 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas.
5. (7) 24M Manuel Williams II (R), Fouke, Ark.
6. (8) 151 Tommy Williams, Mansfield, Texas.
7. (2) 24 Manuel Williams Sr. (R), Fouke, Ark.
8. (4) A1 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas.
9. (9) 33f Jardin Fuller (R), Memphis, Mo.

VP RACING FUELS HEAT RACE #4 (8 laps):
1. (1) 174 Ethan Dotson (R), Bakersfield, Calif.
2. (2) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas.
3. (3) 23 Logan Robertson, Shamrock, Texas.
4. (4) 20R Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
5. (5) 5 Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, Texas.
6. (7) 75 Patrick Daniel, Wills Point, Texas.
7. (8) 1st Johnny Scott, Cameron, Mo.
8. (6) 57 Mark Shipman, Grandview, Texas.
9. (9) 20t Bailey Rowland, Woodward, Okla.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #1 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (1) 14t Triston Dycus, Waxahachie, Texas.
2. (2) 60 William Gould, Calera, Okla.
3. (6) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La.
4. (3) 20R Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla.
5. (4) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla.
6. (5) 52 John Gober, Poolville, Texas, CAM/ChevPerf, $75.
7. (10) A1 Phil Dixon, Crosby, Texas, Elite/CB, $90.
8. (8) 56 Troy Taylor, Midlothian, Texas, TNT/Wells, $90.
9. (9) 19 Robert McKinney, Alvarado, Texas, CAM/Uniflex, $75.
10. (7) 88r A.J. Vasquez (R), Garden City, Mich., Hughes/Farris, $90.
11. (11) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett, $0.
12. (12) 33f Jardin Fuller (R), Memphis, Mo., Hughes/Mullins, $0.

REAL RACING WHEELS “B” MAIN #2 (12 laps, top 5 advance):
1. (2) 130 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas.
2. (4) 5 Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, Texas.
3. (3) 24M Manuel Williams II (R), Fouke, Ark.
4. (7) 1st Johnny Scott, Cameron, Mo.
5. (5) 151 Tommy Williams, Mansfield, Texas.
6. (12) 20t Bailey Rowland, Woodward, Okla., BlackWidow/ProPower, $75.
7. (11) 23 Adam Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan., VanderBuilt/Speedway, $90.
8. (10) 57 Mark Shipman, Grandview, Texas, GRT/ChevPerf, $75.
9. (6) 75 Patrick Daniel, Wills Point, Texas, LG2/Wells, $75.
10. (9) 4 Bo Day (R), Greenville, Texas.
11. (1) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas.
12. (8) 24 Manuel Williams Sr. (R), Fouke, Ark., Bandit/Kraft, $90.

SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT “A” MAIN (35 laps):
1. (2) 174 Ethan Dotson (R), Bakersfield, Calif., MBCustoms/ChevPerf, $3000.
2. (4) 20 Rodney Sanders, Worthington, Minn., MBCustoms/Hatfield, $1700.
3. (17) 97 Cade Dillard, Robeline, La., MBCustoms/Knowles, $1200.
4. (5) 24z Zane Ferrell (R), Hermitage, Ark., MBCustoms/ASI, $1000.
5. (20) 1st Johnny Scott, Cameron, Mo., VanderBuilt/Durham, $800.
6. (9) 9 Kevin Rutherford, Flower Mound, Texas, MBCustoms/ASI, $700.
7. (6) 21 Austin Bonner, Elk City, Okla., MBCustoms/Karl, $600.
8. (16) 5 Jon Mitchell, Texarkana, Texas, MBCustoms/Sput’s, $500.
9. (19) 20R Bryan Rowland, Woodward, Okla., BlackWidow/ProPower, $450.
10. (23) 4m Bobby Malchus, Red Oak, Texas, Rocket/Wells, $400.
11. (7) 47 Jack Sartain, Terrelll, Texas, BillsBuilt/3D, $325.
12. (1) 88xxx Clyde Dunn Jr., Rockwall, Texas, MBCustoms/Mullins, $350.
13. (10) 65 Carlos Ahumada Jr. (R), Canutillo, Texas, GRT/BMS, $325.
14. (21) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustoms/ChevPerf, $300.
15. (8) 71 Chad Melton, Mineral Wells, Texas, Harris/ChevPerf, $250.
16. (24) 4 Bo Day (R), Greenville, Texas, MBCustoms/Mullins, $300.
17. (13) 14t Triston Dycus, Waxahachie, Texas, GRT/Wells, $250.
18. (3) 4v Billy Vogel, West Fargo, N.D., MBCustoms/Durham, $300.
19. (12) 23 Logan Robertson, Shamrock, Texas, MBCustoms/Knowles, $300.
20. (22) 151 Tommy Williams, Mansfield, Texas, Hughes/Herring, $250.
21. (18) 24M Manuel Williams II (R), Fouke, Ark., Bandit/Kraft, $300.
22. (11) 2s Stormy Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., VanderBuilt/Mullins, $300.
23. (15) 60 William Gould, Calera, Okla., GRC/BMS, $250.
24. (14) 130 Chase Allen, Midlothian, Texas, CAM/ChevPerf, $250.

(R) = Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year contender

Lap Leaders: Dotson 1-8, Sanders 9-34, Dotson 35.
Total Laps Led: Sanders 26, Dotson 9.
Margin of Victory: 0.781 second.
Time of Race: 17 minutes, 27.451 seconds (2 cautions).
Provisional Starters: Malchus, Day.
Eibach Spring Forward Award: J. Scott (advanced 19 positions).
FK Rod Ends Hard Charger: J. Scott (started 20th, finished 5th).
Entries: 36.
Next Race: Friday, March 9, Jackson Motor Speedway, Byram, Miss.
Summit USMTS Southern Series Points: J. Scott 288, Dillard 277, Dotson 268, Sanders 248, Duvall 235, Mitchell 235, Ferrell 223, Ahumada 218, Bryan Rowland 216, Robertson 204.
Grant Junghans USMTS Rookie of the Year Points: Dotson 268, Ferrell 223, Ahumada 218, Day 188, M. Williams II 184.
USMTS Engine Builder of the Year Points: Durham 26, Knowles 25, ChevPerf 25, Hatfield 17, Sput’s 14.
USMTS Manufacturers Championship Points: VanderBuilt 29, MBCustoms 28, GRT 18, BlackWidow 18, Hughes 17.

Contingency Awards:
American Racer – Sartain.
Beyea Custom Headers – Dycus.
BSB Manufacturing – M. Williams II.
Deatherage Opticians – Dunn.
E3 Spark Plugs – Dillard.
Edelbrock – Sartain.
Eibach – J. Scott.
Fast Shafts – Dunn.
FK Rod Ends – J. Scott.
Forty9 Designs – Duvall, Robertson.
GRT Race Cars – Dycus.
Hooker Harness – Ahumada.
Integra Shocks & Springs – Vogel.
Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts – Melton.
Keyser Manufacturing – Malchus.
KSE Racing Products – Bryan Rowland.
Maxima Racing Oils – Dotson.
Mesilla Valley Transportation – Vogel.
Out-Pace Racing Products – Day.
QA1 – Dunn.
RacerWebsite.com – Vasquez.
Real Racing Wheels – all non-qualifiers.
Simpson Performance Products – Sanders.
Swift Springs – Dotson, Sartain.
Sybesma Graphics – Dunn.
Tire Demon – Sartain.
VP Racing Fuels – Dotson.
Wehrs Machine & Racing Products – Dotson.
Wilwood Disc Brakes – Bonner.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

USMTS OFFICIAL SPONSORS: Alpinestars, American Racer Racing Tires, Argo Manufacturing, Casey’s General Stores, Chevrolet Performance, CP-Carrillo, Deatherage Opticians, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, Intercomp, Jerovetz Motorsports Racing Parts, KSE Racing Products, Leaf Racewear & Safety Equipment, Malvern Bank, Mesilla Valley Transportation, MSD Performance, Nitroquest Media, Pace Performance, RacinDirt.com, S&S Fishing & Rental, Summit Racing Equipment, VP Racing Fuels.

USMTS PARTICIPATING SPONSORS: Arizona Sport Shirts, ASi Racewear, Boubin Tire & Automotive, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Duvall Electric, Eagle Moon Farm, ElbowsUp.com, Evolution Powersports, Oreo Cookies, PBM Performance Products, Production Jars, Rancho Milagro Racing, River’s Edge Scrap Management, Snickers, Spike Hardcore Energy, Top of the World Ranch, YouDirt.com.

USMTS CONTINGENCY SPONSORS: 905 Ink, AFCO Racing Products, Allstar Performance, Alpine Stars, Beyea Custom Headers, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, BSB Manufacturing, Edelbrock, FK Rod Ends, Forty9 Designs, Genesis Racing Shocks, GRT Race Cars, Holley Performance Products, Hooker Harness, Integra Shocks & Springs, Keyser Manufacturing, Maxima Racing Oils, Mr. Gasket, Out-Pace Racing Products, QA1, RacerWebsite.com, Real Racing Wheels, RHRSwag.com, Simpson Performance Products, Swift Springs, Sybesma Graphics, Tire Demon, Wehrs Machine & Race Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes.

Maple Syrup Festival – NEW LOCATION & TIME

The Mahaska County Conservation Board staff and volunteers will demonstrate how to tap trees and boil it to make maple syrup at the Maple Syrup Festival on Saturday, March 17. Bring your appetites for fresh maple syrup on ice cream! (We can’t let you leave without tasting maple syrup).

New Location: Conservation Center at the Russell Wildlife Area – Due to today’s weather and tomorrow morning’s forecast, the Maple Syrup Festival has been relocated to be held indoors at the conservation center at the Russell Wildlife Area. Please note the time change which is now 9:00-10:30 am.

The Russell Wildlife Area is located at 2254 – 200th Street, New Sharon, IA which is 4 miles north of Oskaloosa on Hwy. 63 and 1 mile east on 200th Street. We look forward to see you!

If you have questions, call the Mahaska County Conservation Board at 641-673-9327.

Ozzy Hits the Books

Posted on March 2, 2018March 2, 2018 by Rick Watts

March 2: This Day in Music

In 2010 – A Ozzy Osbourne book signing at a Florida Barnes & Noble turns dramatic when the bomb squad is called in, due to a fan with some marijuana and homemade fireworks.

In 1983 – The compact disc is launched.

And in 2008 – Canadian guitarist and singer, Jeff Healey, dies of cancer. Healey had been blind from the age of one when he lost his sight to retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eyes. His eyes had to be surgically removed, and he was given ocular prostheses. The cancer returned in 2007 and ultimately claimed his life a year later at the age of 41.

Update: Death Investigation Underway in Oskaloosa

Posted on March 2, 2018March 2, 2018 by Rick Watts

Update: This article has been updated to reflect information provided during a news conference with the Oskaloosa Police Department at 11:30 AM on Friday, March 2.

(OSKALOOSA, Iowa) – An investigation is underway after a man died last night following a stabbing incident in Oskaloosa. Oskaloosa Police Chief Jake McGee, along with Iowa DCI investigator Mike Motsinger, have confirmed the death of William Penn University student Marquis Todd. Officials said during a news conference that Todd was stabbed after a minor vehicular accident on North 3rd Street in Oskaloosa on Thursday night. Todd’s friends then took him to the Jiffy gas station in Oskaloosa. No one has been taken into custody yet and the investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement did not provide any names of persons of interest during the time of the news conference.

University officials confirmed the death of Todd via a letter signed by University President John Ottosson, which was published by KCCI:

Dear Penn Family,

I write this note with a heavy heart. Last night, there was an incident in town that led to the death of a member of one of our family, student Marquis Todd. Details of the incident are still unfolding and under investigation. It is known that the other individuals in this incident were not affiliated with the University.

The University is cooperating fully with the Oskaloosa Police Department with their investigation and in turn, the OPD is keeping the University apprised of the situation as details unfold.

William Penn University Counseling Services, Campus Ministry, and Crisis Intervention Services will be on campus today and will be available to students, faculty, and staff. For more information regarding these resources, please contact Tyne Smith at smitht@wmpenn.edu or 641-673-1703. Her office of located on the main floor of the Dana M. Atkins Memorial Union. To contact Campus Ministry for support, please call Ron Bryan at 641-660-9717.

Sincerely,
John Ottosson
President
William Penn University

The Iowa DCI is assisting the Oskaloosa Police Department in the investigation.

–By Hailey Brown & Emery Songer, KBOE/KMZN

Oskaloosa Police Chief Jake McGee and DCI investigator Mike Motsinger hold a press conference on March 2, 2018. Photo by Emery Songer, KMZN/KBOE.

Magistrate Thompson Resigns, Crookham-Johnson Tapped to Fill Role

Posted on March 2, 2018March 2, 2018 by Rick Watts

(MAHASKA COUNTY, Iowa) – Last Friday, the Mahaska County Magistrate Appointing Commission met and appointed Diane Crookham-Johnson to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Magistrate Amber Thompson. According to a news release sent by the 8th Judicial District Court Administration, this appointment goes into effect March 9.

Crookham-Johnson will continue to maintain a law practice in Oskaloosa focused on family and juvenile law. However, the news release does not disclose information about Magistrate Thompson’s resignation.

A fourth-generation attorney in Mahaska County, Crookham-Johnson is quoted in the news release saying, “I look forward to serving the community in this new role.”

Crookham-Johnson graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1988. After a twenty-year career in manufacturing, she returned to school and earned her law degree from Drake University School of Law in 2010.

This information was provided in a news release sent by Cathy Reck, Administrative Secretary of the 8th Judicial District Court Administration.

Offbeat News: Polish Socks, A Crispy Pizza & More

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Rick Watts

“Not Funny”

A Polish sock company, Nanushki has an interesting design for their socks. They chose to create socks designed to look like cartoon versions of Adolf Hitler. According to their website, they’re meant to “bring order in the sock drawer.” Mmkaaaay…

As you might imagine, the socks did not go over well with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. They were quick to slam the socks for using “one of the biggest criminals in history for marketing purposes.”

Due to the hate, Nanushki has renamed the socks “Patrick,” a financer with a “weak spot for fast cars.”

“Crispy… But Not Too Crispy”

Reddit user Rikardose has shared a hilarious receipt from a pizza delivery order that includes two very interesting sets of instructions from the customer.

First the customer asks for a particularly crispy crust. They write, “Crust a little crisper than normal. But not too crispy…” In case you were looking for a more thorough description, the customer was kind enough to elaborate. They continue, “If that’s not vague enough- make it like you’re taking revenge on a cheating boyfriend, but you still want to reconcile in the not so distant future.”

That was just the instructions for the pizza. Upon delivery, the customer notes, “The gate is tricky, please don’t break it. And the spider on the porch is called Frank. Be nice to Frank, he guards the tomatoes.” The receipt has since gone viral and garnered nearly 18,000 up votes on Reddit.

“Drinking on the Job”

The Vancouver Police Department is looking for volunteers to get drunk and eat pizza on their dime. The department sent out notices to select members of its Block Watch neighborhood watch program. It asked for 10 “volunteer drinkers” to go down to the police station and kick back a few drinks. The purpose is to train rookie cops how to conduct sobriety tests.

A few things need to be in place before you volunteer. You can’t be on any medication that can’t be mixed with alcohol and you have to sign a waiver promising not to drive the rest of the day.

Volunteers get to choose which hard liquor and mixer they prefer, but don’t expect any wine or beer. Lastly, police ask that volunteers act “in a respectful manner” while at the police station. All volunteers will be driven home at 4 PM, oh and don’t forget the free pizza!

STUPID CRIMINALS:

A Nebraska man is living up to his middle name: Trouble. Rodney Trouble Phillips is arrested after punching a man in the face several times demanding jewelry. The victim handed him a necklace and a ring and later flagged down an ambulance to report what happened. Trouble was later caught after he was spotted looking into car windows in the area. He’s jailed on suspicion of burglary and robbery.

Early Out on Tuesday for State Basketball

Posted on March 1, 2018 by Rick Watts

The Oskaloosa Community School District will be dismissing 2 hours early on Tuesday, March 6. The Oskaloosa Indian Boys Basketball team will be participating in the Boys State Basketball Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa.

This early dismissal will allow parents, students, and fans an opportunity to attend the game and support our student-athletes. For more news, sports, and live action coverage, visit www.nocoastnetwork.com.

Go, Indians! #NoCoastSports #OskaloosaIndians #StateBasketball

Offbeat News: Plastic Fashion, Stupid Criminals & More

Posted on February 28, 2018February 28, 2018 by Rick Watts

“From Drab to Fab”

High fashion brand Céline is jumping on the reusable plastic bag bandwagon and it ain’t cheap. The transparent “shopper bag” is available now at the Céline x Nordstrom pop-up in Seattle for a not-so-chic price of $590.

They’re not the only ones turning plastic bags into plastic fab. Balenciaga took inspo from Ikea’s 99 cent blue plastic “Frakta” tote and made it a $2,145 leather carryall.

“Can You Hear Me Now?”

The moon is about to get cell phone service. Vodafone Germany teamed up with Nokia and Audi to support a mission to put a mobile network on the moon and it will enable high-definition streaming. The companies have worked to create a space-grade network that’s no bigger than a bag of sugar to send up to the moon.

Vodafone Germany Chief Executive Hannes Ametsreiter says, “The project involves a radically innovative approach to the development of mobile network infrastructure.”

The network will be 4G rather than 5G for its proven reliability. Plus, experts aren’t quite sure if 5G would be stable enough from the moon’s surface. The companies have a launch scheduled on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2019 from Cape Canaveral.

“Broken Pot is No Joke”

A cracked teapot made in South Carolina which originally sold for about $20 in England was just auctioned off for a whopping $806,000. So what gives? Turns out the teapot was made pre-Revolutionary War and is an important previously undocumented piece created by John Bartlam, who was one of America’s first porcelain manufacturers. It’s only the seventh recorded from that time.

“Seeing Double”

One family will be seeing double when identical twin sisters marry identical twin brothers in a joint wedding this summer. Jeremy and Josh Salyers proposed to their girlfriends Briana and Brittany Deane at a Virginia park named Twin Lakes State Park. This, happening six months after they met at the Twin Days Festival in none other than Twinsburg, Ohio. The Salyers met the Deanes on their first-ever trip to the festival. Josh says they “lucked out on (their) first attempt.”

STUPID CRIMINALS:

A woman from New York was charged with DWI after picking up her brother from the police station, who’d also just been charged with DWI. Scott Vosburgh was charged after crashing his car at an alcohol level of .29 percent. His sister, Kimberly Ledoux drove to the station to pick him up. Police say she appeared to be intoxicated so they did a breathalyzer. She came in at .22 percent. Kim has since been charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated. Another sober person came to pick them up.
Teresa Warren of Florida was arrested after beating up her boyfriend when he interrupted their sexy time to go check on dinner. The boyfriend claims the two were “drinking alcohol, cooking, watching the NASCAR race and having a good time,” when he remembered he was cooking something. He took a break from the “good time” to go check on the food so it didn’t burn and then Warren smashed a TV into the floor. When asked “What’s wrong?” she began swinging at him. He pushed her out the front door and she took off with his vehicle. She was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge and her bond was set at $2,000.

Two Dead Following Robbery/Car Crash in Ottumwa

Posted on February 27, 2018February 27, 2018 by Rick Watts

(OTTUMWA, Iowa) – Two people are dead after an armed robbery and car crash last night in Ottumwa, according to authorities.

On Monday, February 26, at about 8:00 PM, the Ottumwa Police Department responded to the 1800 Block of Greenwood on a report that a pizza delivery driver had been robbed.

Upon their arrival, the victim was identified as Christian Garrett, 21, of Ottumwa. Garrett reported that after delivering a pizza in the area, he was assaulted by a man who stole the vehicle that Garrett was driving at the time of the assault. Garrett also had his face cut with a sharp instrument by the assailant during the robbery. Due to the nature of the event, Garrett was transported to Ottumwa Regional Health Center with non-life threatening injuries.

Shortly after the robbery was reported, a motor vehicle accident involving two vehicles was also reported near the intersection of HWY 34 and County Road T 61. According to the OPD news release, it was determined that the vehicle stolen from Garrett was involved. The suspect that was driving the stolen vehicle died as a result of injuries sustained in the collision. The other vehicle that was involved in the accident was occupied by one person and that person also died as a result of the incident.

The Iowa State Patrol in is charge of the motor vehicle accident investigation and the names of the suspect and the driver of the other motor vehicle involved in the accident will be released after next of kin has been notified.

–By Hailey Brown, KBOE/KMZN

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March 2: This Day in Music

“Not Funny”

“Crispy… But Not Too Crispy”

“Drinking on the Job”

“From Drab to Fab”

“Can You Hear Me Now?”

“Broken Pot is No Joke”

“Seeing Double”

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