(Pottawattamie County, Iowa) – Leaders in Pottawattamie County and the City of Underwood have come together to create a plan to greatly assist travelers in the west-central part of the county. The proposed project calls for reconstruction of Magnolia Road (G30) from Railroad Highway to the intersection of L52. The project will also include a two-way left turn lane (TWLTL) from the railroad tracks to the interstate ramps. This will require reconstruction of the Mosquito Creek Bridge to provide the additional lane and maintain two-way traffic during reconstruction.

“This project has community and regional significance as a popular commuter route, an emergency interstate detour, and provides vital interstate access for services and commerce,” said John Rasmussen, Pottawattamie County Secondary Roads Engineer. “Traffic has increased dramatically during the service life of the existing infrastructure and exceeds the capacity of the current design. It’s time for reconstruction to improve deteriorating conditions, traffic capacity, and safety.”

Rasmussen credits Tina Treantos, Operations Manager for Pottawattamie County Secondary Roads, and Cindy Sorlien, Underwood’s City Administrator for fostering the partnership. “It’s a great example of community teamwork,” said Rasmussen. “Our staff worked closely with the City of Underwood to address a real need and its leaders have been open-minded and exceptionally supportive.”

Treantos completed the process for a Competitive City Bridge Grant application, with the City of Underwood as the applicant. The City was awarded up to $1.5 million, and on Tuesday, November 22nd, Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors signed an agreement to utilize that grant on a joint City/ County project.

“We’re grateful for the incredible collaboration that’s gone into this project,” said Underwood Mayor Dennis Bardsley. “As a city, we’re blessed to work with Pottawattamie County. We understand its leaders have our residents’ best interests in mind.” The $5.5 million project is programmed for FY24 but may be delayed until additional funding is secured. The design is in the preliminary stages and will be shared at public meetings once plans are more adequately developed.

Pottawattamie County Secondary Roads Department encourages residents to subscribe to the Road Notification System. The Road Notification System provides advanced warning of projects as well as project completion updates for County residents. Subscribe at: https://www.iceasb.org/road-notifications/subscribe/

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Two central Iowa men were sentenced last week on separate sex-related offenses. According to U-S Attorney’s Office reports 30-year-old Kyle Taylor Tremblay, of Ankeny, was sentenced Nov. 22nd to 30 years in prison for Production of Child Pornography. And, 58-year-old Dennis Eugene Kimball, of Des Moines, was sentenced that same day to 20-years in prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in illicit sexual activities. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, Kyle Tremblay, interacted with children on an online video-chat forum on multiple dates in early 2021. Tremblay directed the children to perform sexual acts to themselves, including children that Tremblay knew were 10 years old and 11 years old, and make explicit poses for the webcam. Tremblay video-recorded his online interactions with the children. Police located these recordings on Tremblay’s cell phone that was seized during a search warrant at Tremblay’s Ankeny residence in April 2021. Police also located videos and images of other child sexual abuse material stored on Tremblay’s cell phone. Tremblay sent numerous images of child sexual abuse material to multiple other persons via an online messenger application. Following completion of his prison term, Tremblay will be on supervised release for five years.

Court documents show Dennis Eugene Kimball communicated over the internet with an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old female. During the messages, Kimball arranged to meet the person he believed to be a minor female at a hotel to engage in sex acts. Kimball was arrested by law enforcement in October 2021 when he arrived at the hotel expecting to meet the minor female for sex acts. Following his prison term, Kimball will be on supervised release for five years.

Any persons having knowledge of a child being sexually abused are encouraged to call the Iowa Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-284-7821.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports two arrests. Authorities say 35-year-old Clayton Geick, of Glenwood, was arrested Thanksgiving Day, for Violation of a No Contact Order. His cash-only bond was set at $5,000. And, on Friday, Glenwood Police arrested 42-year-old Simon Fletcher, of Glenwood, for OWI/1st offense, and two counts of Child Endangerment. He has since posted a $5,000 bond.

Authorities say Simon was taken into custody following a report of a 2015 GMC Sierra pickup striking a large brick mailbox in the area behind 104 Golfview Estates, in Glenwood. After the vehicle hit the mailbox and a tree, it reversed and struck a light pole. The pickup then went through the yard at 105 Golfview Estates and continued north. It ran over landscaping, bushes and struck the residence at 108 Golfview Estates, causing an estimated $3,000 damage to the front of the home, including trim and gutters.

The vehicle curved around the structures and came to a stop behind 104 Golfview Estates. Two juveniles and the driver were in the vehicle during the incident. No one was hurt. The total amount of damage was estimated at $17,000.

(Radio Iowa) – Authorities have released the name of the eastern Iowa girl who died in an A-T-V crash the day before Thanksgiving. The Iowa State Patrol’s accident report indicates 13-year-old Charlee Engelken, of Manchester, was a passenger on an A-T-V on Wednesday afternoon when the 14-year-old boy driving the four-wheeler lost control.

The patrol’s report says the vehicle was on a road south of Manchester. The vehicle rolled into a ditch and all passengers on the A-T-V, including the girl, were ejected, then she was hit and killed by the A-T-V.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor Kathy Somers reports the Cass County Compensation Board will meet on Wednesday, December, 7, 2022 at 7:00 PM in the basement meeting room of the courthouse. The Board meets annually to recommend a compensation schedule for elected officials for the fiscal year immediately following, in accordance with the Code of Iowa (Chapters 331.905 and 331.907). The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the Compensation Board’s recommendation, in early 2023, followed by action on the recommendation.

In March, 2022, the Supervisors voted to adopt the resolution to the previous Compensation Board’s proposal. They also acted at that time, on a Resolution to reduce by half, the percentage of Elected Officials compensation that had been recommended by the Cass County Compensation Board, effective July 1, 2022. During that meeting, Supervisor John Hartkopf reminded the public that neither the Supervisors nor the Compensation Board have a say over the final outcome, because the State regulates some areas.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Air National Guard’s K-C 135 aircraft from the 185th air refueling wing have returned to their home base in Sioux City. The giant flying fuel stations operated at bases in Topeka, Kansas and Sioux Falls, South Dakota after runway construction got underway at the airport in April. Lieutenant Colonel Ben Young is a K-C 135 pilot who is happy to be back home in Iowa: “It’s just great to have airplanes back this is our home this is where we want to be flying out of fill a lot of pride when we see the airplanes overhead and when we’re flying out of Sioux City here,” he says.

The construction project closed the longer of two available runways used by the K-C 135 aircraft so parts of them could be refurbished. “The runway was supposed to open up at the beginning of October but weather and delays happen and we flexed with that the Sioux City Airport Authority has been great to work with flexing the plan we were able to get a few jets back early in November so we could do some exercises with them,” Young says.

They did the flyover for Friday’s Iowa/Nebraska football game and now get back to a regular schedule. “We’ll come right back from Thanksgiving and we got an aircraft generation exercise that will be a week long,” he says. Young says have the jets back at their home allows everyone involved to enjoy more time with their families.

The Iowa Department of Corrections reports two men failed to return to their respective Residential Facilities over the weekend, as required. Authorities says 27-year-old Christopher Blackmond, Jr., convicted of Robbery 2nd Degree in Scott County, failed to report to the Dubuque Residential Facility as required, Sunday.  Blackmond is a black male, height 5’7″, and weighs 256 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on September 15, 2022.

Christopher Blackmond

And, 34-year-old Cody Michael Tarrance, convicted of Domestic Abuse Assault-3rd or Subsequent Offense in Black Hawk County, failed to report to the Waterloo Residential Correctional Facility as required, Saturday.  Tarrance is a white male, height 5’9″, and weighs 212 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on November 8, 2022.

Cody Tarrance

Persons with information on the whereabouts of Blackmond or Tarrance, should contact local police.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports six separate arrests from over the past week. On Nov. 24th, 36-year-old James Robert Lyman, of Greenfield, was arrested following a pursuit that began southwest of Stuart with an attempted traffic stop due to Lyman’s having been barred from driving, and his alleged attempts to elude law enforcement in the past. Lyman was taken into custody on numerous warrants, including:

• A Dept. of Corrections warrant for Violation of Parole
• A Polk County warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance (PCS)/2nd offense; Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender
• An Adair County warrant for Eluding while participating in a Felony/2nd or subsequent offense; PCS/3rd or subsequent offense;Driving While Barred and Operating a Vehicle without the Owner’s Consent.
• Adair County warrants for: Interference with Official Acts; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Reckless Driving; Leaving the scene of a property damage accident; Failure to Maintain Control; and,Failure to Stop and Yield the Right of Way.

Lyman was also charged with Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer (without injury), Interference with Official Acts, Trespass, and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. He was being held without bond on the DOC and Polk County warrants, a $15,000 cash or surety bond on the Adair County warrants, and a $1,000 c/s bond on the latter Adair County Complaints stemming from an incident that occurred on Thanksgiving Day.

The Sheriff’s Office reports also, 42-year-old Michael Francis Huss, Jr., of Dexter, was arrested November 23rd at the Adair County Sheriff’s Office on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation. He was released later that same day on a $2,000 cash or surety bond. 37-year-old Douglas Andrew Dawson, of Stuart, was arrested Nov. 22nd in Adair County, on a Dallas County warrant. He was turned over to a Dallas County Deputy.

On Nov. 21st, 36-year-old Michael Dean Lantz, Jr., of Arthur, Iowa, was arrested by Adair County Deputies in Stuart, on Ida County warrants for: (2 counts) Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order – Contempt of Court; Stalking – Violation of a No Contact Order; Stalking – Violation of a Protective Order; and charges that include: PCS/Meth-1st offense; Poss. of paraphernalia; Operating a vehicle without registration, and Failure to provide proof of liability (Insurance). He was later released on a $1,000 c/s bond for the Adair County charges, and a $10,000 cash-only and No Bond, on the three Ida County warrants.

Arrested separately on the 21st, by Stuart Police, was 44-year-old John Bradford Barker, II, of Des Moines. Barker was taken into custody for PCS/Meth-1st offense, Poss. of paraphernalia, and Driving while license is denied or revoked. He was released the same day on a $1,000 c/s bond. And, on Nov. 20th, Stuart Police arrested 41-year-old Wendi Nicole Wright, of Stuart, on an Adair County warrant for PCS/Meth-1st offense, and PCS/Marijuana-1st offense. She was later released on a $1,000 c/s bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say wintry weather will return to Iowa’s northwestern half on Tuesday and it’ll mean slow-going for traffic with two-to-four inches of snow possible along with a light glazing of ice. Meteorologist Brad Small, at the National Weather Service, says a Winter Weather Advisory is posted from 6 A-M to 6 P-M Tuesday for seven counties in the far northwest corner of the state.  “The snow will begin during the overnight hours early Tuesday morning and then continue for much of the day and mainly affect northwest and north-central Iowa, with even higher amounts farther north into Minnesota,” Small says. “Central Iowa will only see light snow amounts and southeast Iowa will see little or nothing.”

The pre-winter storm could have a significant impact on the roads and travel, Small says, especially for areas like Estherville and Algona, where snowfall may be the heaviest. “We’ll see brisk northwest winds, gusting 20 to 30 miles per hour, so the flow won’t be too dry and fluffy but when you get those winds coupled with existing snowfall there, there could be some low visibilities and blowing snow,” Small says. “There could also be a period of freezing drizzle with the snow, too, as it goes in and out, so we can see a light glazing potential but the main threat is going to be the snow.”

Winter Weather Advisory on Tuesday for parts of NW Iowa.

The snowfall is expected to taper off along a line of cities that includes Council Bluffs, Atlantic, Ames and Waterloo. The snow that falls will likely be sticking around for a while, as bitter cold weather will come behind the storm front. “After the snow diminishes and ends Tuesday night, we will be dry Wednesday and Thursday but that will also be accompanied with much colder temperatures,” Small says. “Lows Wednesday night will be in the single digits and teens across the state, and with those brisk northwest winds, we’ll see wind chills below zero for periods from Wednesday into Thursday across northern Iowa.”

Find out about the latest road conditions by calling 5-1-1 or log on to the Iowa D-O-T’s travel information website 5-1-1-i-a-dot-org.

Police in Creston (IA) report three arrests took place over the weekend. A little after 1-a.m. Saturday, 23-year-old James Allan Erlbacher, of Earling, was arrested in Creston for OWI/1st offense. Erlbacher was taken to the Union County Jail where he was later released on $1,000 cash or surety bond. And, at around 3:15-a.m. Saturday, 39-year-old Nicole Irene Leusink, of Winterset, was also arrested for OWI/1st offense. Leusink was taken to the Union County Jail where she was later released on $1,000 cash or surety bond.

At around 12:06-a.m. Sunday, Creston Police arrested 32-year-old Cody John Courtney, of Thayer, for Failure to Affix Drug Stamp for 7 or more grams, Intent to Manufacture/Deliver Meth Over 5g, and Possession of Controlled Substance. Courtney was transported to the Union County Jail where he is being held on $40,000 cash or surety bond.