DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican Rep. Matt Windschitl has been elected speaker pro tem, a top leadership position in the Iowa House. The 30-year-old Windschitl, of Missouri Valley, replaces retiring Rep. Steve Olson, of DeWitt, who resigned the post Wednesday.

Windschitl was first elected to the House in 2006 and has served as an assistant majority leader for the past five years. The speaker pro tem is part of the leadership team and presides over the chamber when the house speaker is absent.

Reps. Jarad Klein, a Keota farmer, and Lee Hein, a Montezuma farmer, were elected assistant majority leaders.

An aide to Iowa Senator Tom Harkin will be in Shelby County, Thursday, to kick-off a summer tour highlighting Harkin’s partnership with Iowa Communities throughout the years. Harkin’s office says the “In the Footsteps of History” tour will include all 99 Iowa counties and feature local projects aimed at keeping communities healthy and safe, keeping them thriving through targeted education, research, and economic development projects, along with promoting local agriculture and conservation, while at the same time mitigating disasters.

Harkin’s State Director Rob Barren will tour the Danish Windmill from 1-until 2-pm Thursday, 38-years to the day that the Iowa Senator helped in the reconstruction of the windmill.

Harkin working to reconstruct the Danish Windmill in the 1970’s.

He’d been invited to help with the project after Harkin successfully got the windmill released from New York, where it was being held due to import levies. Harkin also worked to ensure Elk Horn received a refund for the levy.

The windmill was bought by Elk Horn officials in 1976, after the large structure graced the Danish landscape for 127 years.

Police in Harlan are investigating two recent thefts. Officials say on April 26th, a set of golf clubs valued at $3,000 was reported stolen from the cart shed at the Harlan County Club. And, on April 19th, someone broke into the coin operated laundry machines and took coin boxes, from the laundry room at the Hillcrest Apartments in Harlan.

The Harlan P-D reports also, the arrest on a domestic abuse assault charge, of 41-year old Monica Gonzales, of Harlan. The woman was taken into custody for allegedly striking her sister, on April 26th.

An Anita man was arrested earlier this week on drug charges. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports 33-year old Terry Lee Chaney, of Anita, was arrested Monday on charges of Driving While Barred, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Chaney was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released the following day on his own recognizance.

The Sheriff’s Office reports also:

• 33-year old Travis Austin Moon, of Wiota, was arrested Friday on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear (Child Support). Moon was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on $2,000 bond.
• 36-year old Frederick Louis Anthony, Jr., of Cainsville, MO, was arrested last Thursday, on a charge of OWI 1st Offense. Anthony was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was later released on $1,600 bond.
• And, 49-year old Douglas Allen Bissell, of Anita, was arrested last Thursday in Cass County, on a charge of Driving Under Suspension. Bissell was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on $300 bond.

Authorities in western Iowa are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man in Glenwood. Officers from the Glenwood Police Department responded today (Wednesday) to 302 N. Walnut, following a report of an intoxicated and suicidal subject. That subject was later identified as 36-year old Joshua Sandlin.

Sandlin was transported by Glenwood Rescue to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, where he was pronounced dead. His death remains under investigation by the Glenwood Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

An autopsy is pending at the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny.

An investigation into an alleged incident of sexual abuse in Shelby County has resulted in the arrest of a former area physician. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says 81 year old Wing Tai Fung, of Scarborough, Canada, who was wanted on a warrant issued on Nov. 5th, 2013, was arrested Monday, April 28th, at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Fund is charged with Felony Sexual Abuse in the 2nd degree in connection with a sex act that allegedly involved a child under the age of 12. The incident is alleged to have occurred when Fung was a medical practitioner in Shelby County. 

Officials say with assistance from the U.S. Customs Service Enforcement and the Chicago Police Department, Fung was arrested when he flew from Canada to Chicago. He appeared in court in Chicago on Tuesday and waived extradition to Iowa. Fung was subsequently transported to  Shelby County and booked into the jail. He was later released on $100,000 bond. Fung is scheduled to appear in Shelby County District Court on May 15th.

If convicted on the Class B Sexual Abuse charge, Fung faces a mandatory minimum of 17.5-years in prison, and a maximum prison term of 25 years. In either case, the term cannot be suspended.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday, appointed Deb Schuler as Director of Mental Health and General Assistance. Schuler had been serving as the interim director following the Board’s sudden termination in February of former Director Teresa Kanning. Schuler’s appointment will mean an increase in pay to the Director’s rate previously paid.

In her monthly report to the Board, Schuler said her office made 32 contacts with individuals last month, and handled 123 phone calls for General Assistance. There were also 81 calls made with regard to Mental Health care and numerous meetings attended. In other business, the Supervisors authorized Chair Frank Waters to sign a Planning Grant Agreement with the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, with regard to the renewal of the Hazard Mitigation Plan. The purpose of the program is to reduce loss of life and property resulting from natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the recovery from a disaster.

Cass County’s current plan continues through mid-2015. The Board working with SWIPCO, wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be a gap in coverage for the next five-years, taking into account the time it takes to write the grant application and file other necessary documents. The news application covers 2015 through 2020. The grant request is was for $53,000. The County’s share of the funds, in the form of an in-kind match, amounts to $7,950.

The Board also received a quarterly report from Conservation Director Micah Lee, and they approved a concrete box culvert project bid from Gus Construction of Adair, amounting to just under $259,516. Gus’ bid was the only one Engineer Charles Marker was able to obtain, and comparable to the cost of other such projects in nearby counties. The Board also approved an amended appropriation to the Medical Examiner’s Department, to cover the cost of a higher than expected number of autopsies that were requested.