A man from Cass County was arrested this (Monday) morning on drug and other charges, following a traffic stop in Exira. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office says 26-year old Justin Lee Cooley, of Atlantic, was taken into custody at around 1-a.m. on charges that include Theft, OWI/1st offense, Interference with Official Acts, Possession of Marijuana/3rd offense, 4 counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Failure to have a valid license.

Cooley was being held in the Audubon County Jail, pending a court appearance. The incident remains under investigation. Audubon County deputies were assisted during their investigation by officers with the Audubon Police Department.

(Updates to show possible motive for the murder)

Two men from Kansas have been arrested in connection with an Adams County homicide. The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports on Friday June 26th, Agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation traveled to Hiawatha, Kansas, to interview witnesses and persons of interest in the Allen Pafford homicide investigation.

James Bost

Jon Rubendall

Iowa DCI Agents, along with the assistance of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Hiawatha Kansas Police Department, arrested 41-year old Jon Rubendall, and 38-year old James Bost, both currently residing in Hiawatha, Kansas. Both men face a charge of 1st degree murder in connection with the death of 44-year old Allen Pafford.  Pafford’s body was found by his mother on June 20th.

A cash bond of $1,000,000.00 has been set for each defendant.

The investigation is on-going.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Federal regulators are investigating the failure of a part at the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant during this spring’s maintenance outage. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Monday that it had launched a special inspection at the plant that sits along the Missouri River about 20 miles north of Omaha.

The NRC says workers discovered the problem earlier this month after replacing a seal in a valve that controls cooling water flow into one of the plant’s steam generators. The valve wouldn’t open because the new seal material couldn’t handle the high operating temperatures. The seal was replaced a second time to resolve the problem, but regulators want to better understand how it happened and whether workers’ response was adequate.

Fort Calhoun is owned by the Omaha Public Power District utility.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Officials with a Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs say they soon expect to reach a milestone in the number of its visitors.
Museum and collections manager Patricia LaBounty told the Daily Nonpareil on Friday that the museum was more than 450 people away from reaching its 300,000th visitor mark. She says that several big tours are scheduled for Tuesday.
The 300,000th visitor to the museum will receive several items, including a one-year Patron Membership worth $100.

The museum formally opened in May 2003. Visitors can explore a collection of artifacts, photographs and documents from the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad and settlement of the West. LaBounty said the museum saw its attendance dip in 2011, but has since seen an increase in the number of visitors.

A vehicle pursuit shortly after 9-a.m. today (Monday) in Shelby County, ended with an accident near the intersection Quince and Nishna Avenues. According to scanner traffic, two young men took off on foot from the vehicle, following the crash. They have since been apprehended.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, K-9 Jax, Harlan Police Department, Iowa State Patrol and Audubon Sheriff’s Department, Harlan Fire Department and Kirkman Fire Department were called to the scene to assist. No other information is available at this time.

A dedication ceremony was held Saturday afternoon in Lewis, for the Cass County Freedom Rock.

Cass County Freedom Rock site in Lewis. (Image from the Cass County Freedom Rock Facebook page)

The 15,000-pound, eight-foot tall, nearly 5-foot wide boulder painted by Greenfield artist Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II, sits on a concrete pad on the northeast corner of the Lewis City Park. It was set in place in November 2013, with the painting have been completed by Sorensen earlier this year.

The Cass County Freedom Rock features images unique to Cass County, including Major Belle Macomber Reynolds, who traveled with her husband during the Civil War, attending to wounded and dying soldiers. She later became a doctor, worked for the Red Cross and early in her career, was the first professionally trained teacher in Cass County. Another image on the rock is the 23rd Regiment, Iowa Volunteers, Company I, which was comprised mostly of men from Cass County during the Civil War. The final image is that of the Hitchcock House, which served as a station on the Underground Railroad and is on the National Register of Historic Places as well as a National Landmark.

Sorensen said the Hitchcock House provided him with the inspiration for his Civil War-inspired painting. Sorensen said the setting for the Cass County rock is among the most unique he’s seen in Counties where he has worked on other Freedom Rock projects. That’s because the cement slab the rock sits on is in the shape of the State of Iowa, and there are paving bricks honoring veterans.

Sorensen gained fame and attention for his work, when he created the first Freedom Rock north of Greenfield, in Adair County, more than 17-years ago. He’s painted the original, 12-foot tall, nearly 60-ton boulder each year before Memorial Day, as a tribute to military men and women.

He’s on his third Freedom Rock Tour, painting and dedicating boulders commissioned by local and County officials across Iowa. For a list of complete counties booked for the Tour and locations of already existing Freedom Rocks, visit www.thefreedomrock.com.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday) released more information on a crash that happened south of Atlantic Friday morning. Authorities say deputies and rescue personnel were called to the scene of a multiple-vehicle accident at the intersection of Highway 71 (630th Street) and Oxford Road, at around 7:30-a.m.

Upon arrival, it was determined that there were two vehicles involved with five persons  injured.  In today’s (Monday’s) update, the Sheriff’s Office identified the driver of a 2000 Oldsmobile as 22-year old Marli Burcham, and her passenger, 49-year old Katherine Moore. Burcham is reported to be in serious condition at Creighton University Hospital, while Moore was listed in critical condition, also at Creighton University Hospital.

The driver of a 2008 Ford owned by Henningsen Construction was identified as 54-year old Marlan “Bart” Feltner. His passengers included 58-year old James Mickelson and 32-year-old Zachary Frank. All three men were treated at CCMH and released.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement, Atlantic Police Department, and the Department of Transportation Road Maintenance Staff. The injured were treated by area Fire and Rescue Departments from Cumberland, Massena, Lewis, and Atlantic Medivac. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

A man from Guthrie County died Sunday morning, following an accident not far from his home. Details of the crash are currently not available from the Iowa State Patrol, but according to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, 24-year old Colton Pulver, of Bayard, died following the single-vehicle crash that happened at around 7:15-a.m., on 150th Street.

Bayard Fire and Rescue, Panora EMS, the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa State Patrol all responded to the scene.