Three Pottawattamie County residents were arrested on drug charges this (Monday) morning, in Fremont County. The Sheriff’s Office reports deputies conducted an investigation into the delivery of illegal narcotics that resulted in the arrest of 33-year old Benjamin Franks, 57-year old Joyce Franks, and 51-year old Mark Pike, all of Council Bluffs. Each was charged with Delivery of Methamphetamine.

Benjamin Franks, who was also charged with Possession of Meth, was wanted on warrants out of Council Bluffs and Montgomery County. Mark Pike was also wanted on warrants out of Council Bluffs. Both were being held in the Fremont County Jail on $100,000 cash bond.

Joyce Franks was being held in the Montgomery County Jail, also on $100,000 bond.

The week of Oct. 24th through the 31st is known as “Red Ribbon” week. The Red Ribbon Campaign was started when drug traffickers in Mexico City murdered DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in 1985. The incident began the continuing tradition of displaying Red Ribbons as a symbol of intolerance towards the use of drugs. The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment towards the creation of a DRUG-FREE America.

Atlantic Middle School Builder Club (STAND – Students Taking Action Now for a Difference) in collaboration with their school, Kiwanis, Elks Club Drug Awareness Program and KJAN have planned a week of activities and education to students and their families. Fact or Fiction sheets will give middle schoolers information that they can use to answer questions about drug and alcohol use.

Red ribbons will be displayed on the school lawn today (Monday). Informational messages were recorded at KJAN by Builder Club members Codi Russell, Emma Joyce Joyce, Chamilla Colton, Abby Evans and Ethan Simmons. They will be heard throughout the week in Middle School and on KJAN.

The factory in northwest Iowa’s Great Lakes region that produces the popular Indian and Victory lines of motorcycles is now making a new three-wheeled machine called the Slingshot. Chris Doucet, Slingshot’s commercial director at Polaris headquarters in Minneapolis, says the futuristic-looking roadster has two front wheels and one in the back, with an open two-seat cockpit, giving it a sleek appearance. (View the video at http://www.polaris.com/en-us/slingshot )

2015 Polaris Slingshot (Image from Polaris.com)

“You sit in the vehicle, not on the vehicle, compared to motorcycles,” Doucet says. “What most people tend to love about this vehicle is the side-by-side seating so you’re talking, you’re engaged with your partner all the way through the ride. It isn’t front and back like your standard motorcycle where you talk at various stops, you’re engaged with your partner the whole way through the ride.”

Production of the Slingshot is already underway at the 23-acre factory in Spirit Lake. Another Polaris plant is in nearby Milford and combined, they have more than one-thousand employees. Doucet says, “Over the last six months, the ramp-up has led to 300 incremental jobs, some of those directly related to Slingshot, some directly related to the supporting features that go to having us increase businesses down there, welding and painting and those types of things.” While the Polaris factory produces about 60 of the Indian and Victory motorcycles per day, Doucet wouldn’t elaborate on production numbers for the Slingshot.

“We do know how many we’re going to be making, that is proprietary information, but I will tell you we are all in on this investment,” Doucet says. “We’re very excited about it. Since the launch, since we’ve shown it to our dealers, the response has been overwhelming. Consumer demand, dealer response, can’t wait to get it, you’re not building enough of them.” Two models will be offered, ranging from around 20- to 24-thousand dollars. The vehicles should begin arriving in dealerships nationwide later this month.

(Radio Iowa)

A Red  Oak man was arrested early this (Monday) morning on drug charges. Authorities say 20-year old Henrry Abnau Monroy Fuentes was taken into custody at around 12:20-a.m. near the intersection of east Linden and north 4th Streets in Red Oak. Fuentes was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 cash bond.

TABOR, Iowa (AP) — The police chief in the small Iowa town of Tabor has agreed to take on another role by reopening the grocery store. The Council Bluffs Nonpareil reports Tabor residents have had to drive to larger towns for groceries since the Tabor Market and Deli closed.

Tabor Police Chief Mike Wake says he agreed to reopen the store after a group of local investors bought the store from Treynor State Bank. Wake is leasing the store and plans to work with his son, Steven, who lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

Wake says he has never worked in a grocery store, but he plans to hire people with experience in the store. Wake will serve as the store’s manager and the city’s police chief.