COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The interim police chief in Council Bluffs has been given a unique opportunity to formally welcome his son as an officer. Capt. Ray Mabbitt swore in his son, Christopher Mabbitt, on Monday as the newest member of the Council Bluffs Police Department. The elder Mabbitt, who took the interim role in March, called the situation one of his most memorable on the job.

Christopher Mabbitt is a third-generation officer, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He is a former corrections officer for the Pottawattamie County Jail. The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports a 14-week stint at the state police academy is up next for the younger Mabbitt, followed by 17 weeks of on-the-job training.

A traffic stop on Interstate 80 Monday in Cass County resulted in the arrest of three men from Indiana on drug charges. The Sheriff’s Office says 21-year old Zachary Allen Bushong, of Hamlet, IN., 21-year old Jason Robert Bazemore, of LaPorte, IN, and 21-year old Shane Matthew Reiter, of South Bend, IN, were taken into custody.

Bushong and Bazemore were each charged with Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana, Failure to Affix Drug Tax Stamp, Prohibited Acts, and Interference with Official Acts. Reiter was charged with Possession with Intent to Deliver Marijuana, Failure to Affix Drug Tax Stamp, and Prohibited Acts. All three were taken to the Cass County Jail where Bushong and Reiter were released on $5000 bond; Bazemore is currently being held on $12,000 bond.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa State University has reported a data breach that exposed the Social Security numbers of nearly 30,000 people enrolled at the school over a 17-year period. The university said Tuesday that five information technology servers on the Ames campus were hacked. They contained the Social Security numbers of people who took certain classes at the school between 1995 and 2012. The servers also had university ID numbers for nearly 19,000 additional people.

Officials say an unknown person or persons intended to generate enough computing power to create the virtual currency bitcoin. But officials do not believe the personal information was a target. There is no evidence that any of those files were accessed.

Officials have notified law enforcement. Individuals with exposed Social Security numbers will be offered free credit monitoring.

Last week we told you the Cass County Community Foundation had awarded $110,139 to eligible non-profit organizations who had submitted grant applications request funds for various projects. This week, Brett Irlmeier, Chair of the Audubon County Community Foundation, has announced grants totaling $110,139 have also been awarded to Audubon County nonprofit agencies.

Nonprofit representatives receiving grant awards. 1st row, left to right: Maddie Christensen, Bradley Nissen, Sandy Nissen, Audubon Tennis Association; Jenny Smith, Audubon Recreation Foundation; Genelle Deist, Friendship Home Association; Jill Hermansen and Bob Gust, Audubon Youth Softball/Baseball. 2nd row: Sandy Bauer, Exira Public Library; Pat Curtis, Audubon Downtown Revitalization Committee; Tom Nielsen, Secretary/Treasurer, Audubon County Community Foundation; Jonnie Meislahn, Vice Chair, Audubon County Community Foundation; Troy Wessel, Audubon Youth Softball/Baseball.

Nonprofit organizations which submitted applications to the Audubon County Community Foundation by the February 1st deadline, were awarded grants by the ACCF Board of Directors. They include:

• The Audubon Recreation Foundation, $50,000, for the construction of a recreation center.
• The Audubon County Downtown Revitalization Stage Committee, $20,000, to complete the stage structure in the John James Audubon City Park.
• The Audubon Youth Softball/Baseball League, $14,864 for facility improvements, including batting cages, bleachers, a backstop, dugout benches and concession stand.
• The Friendship Home Foundation, $10,000 toward a Capital Campaign for a new Memory Care Unit.
• The Exira Park Committee, $7.775 for an LED programmable sign for the town park.
• The Audubon Tennis Association, $5,000, for repairs to four courts.
• And, the Exira Public Library, $2,500, for equipment to focus on teens & children.

All grantees met the criteria as Audubon County nonprofit agencies or organizations with charitable missions in the areas of civic, cultural, health, education and social services. Only organizations providing services in Audubon County were eligible. Audubon County agency representatives received their checks on April 18th.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Senate Government Oversight Committee is proposing a bill that would make sweeping changes in some state government practices. The bill would make all personnel settlement agreements subject to review by the attorney general, prohibits confidentiality provisions, and posts all agreements on a state website. It requires the state auditor to conduct an examination of all settlement agreements issued since Gov. Terry Branstad began his current term.

It also requires the state to disclose any bonuses over $200 paid to executive branch employees and offers new whistleblower protections for state workers reporting abuse of authority or other issues. It also would revise state hiring and firing practices requiring job openings to be posted publicly. Fired workers would have new appeal options if they’re placed on a do-not-hire list.

There won’t be a Superintendent sharing agreement between the CAM and Coon Rapids-Bayard School Districts, but school officials say they are open to a similar arrangement with the Nodaway Valley District in Greenfield. As we mentioned following the CAM School Board meeting on March 31st, Superintendent Steve Pelzer and Board President Gary Dinkla told the Board they had been approached by the Coon Rapids/Bayard School District to see if there is any interest in sharing a superintendent starting the next school year. CR-B was interested in a 60-40 split of that person’s time.

Since then, officials with Nodaway Valley also indicated they would also be interested in exploring a sharing agreement. According to Superintendent Steve Pelzer, the CAM School Board decided Monday that the distance between CR-B and CAM was too much of a hurdle to overcome, and that they were therefore not interested in pursuing that arrangement. The Board was however, open to continued discussions with Nodaway Valley.

Reasons for exploring a Superintendent sharing agreement with a neighboring school district boils down to financial incentives. The Iowa Legislature has passed operational sharing incentives equaling eight students for each district that is sharing a superintendent. The districts would be eligible for the incentive for five years. That amounts to about $50,000 per year.