DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A proposal by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to shrink the Army National Guard by 20,000 soldiers and the Army reserve by 10,000 over the next few years has Iowa soldiers worried for their jobs. The Iowa Army National Guard has 7,200 soldiers statewide.

The Des Moines Register reports spokesman Col. Gregory Hapgood Jr. says the worst-case scenario would mean a loss of 500 to 600 soldiers. Or there could be no cuts. He says the state’s commanders are preparing for possible scenarios. Gov. Terry Branstad, who commands the soldiers in peacetime, says Democratic and Republican governors are telling federal government not to cut the National Guard.

When not fighting war guard troops respond to natural disasters, such as floods and tornadoes.

The Daily NonPareil reports a fund has been established for a Hancock family that was displaced after their house burned down earlier this month.37-year old Cim Bird and three of her children were in their mobile home at 126 North Scott Street, when the fire broke out at around 5:40-p.m. on Feb. 3rd.

All four got out safely thanks to an alarm from a smoke detector. Cims’ oldest daughter and fiance, Charles, were not home at the time of the fire. The Hancock, Oakland and Avoca volunteer fire departments were called the scene. Despite their efforts, the home and its contents were a total loss.

A Council Bluffs man originally charged with two felony counts of Attempted Murder and one count of 1st-degree Arson, has instead plead guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree arson in connection with a Nov. 21st, 2013 fire at his home. 21-year old Jacob Rolfe admitted to setting the blaze while his mother and 12-year-old brother still inside the home. According to the Daily NonPareil, Rolfe’s plea Monday in Council Bluffs District Court comes with a deferred judgment and supervised probation. The 21-year-old is currently serving a 60-day sentence for two counts of assault related to the incident, with his release set for mid-March.

In court, Jacob Rolfe’s attorney, Eric Nelson, in asking for the deferred judgement on the arson charge, noted his client had no prior brushes with the law, not even a traffic ticket. Judge Kathleen Kilnoski told Jacob Rolfe he must undergo substance abuse and mental health evaluations as part of a plea deal and must adhere to any recommendations for treatment that come from those evaluations. The judge told Rolfe he must spend a total of 40 hours engaged in a combination of time at work, at school (he attends Iowa Western Community College), or treatment. If the man doesn’t meet the terms of his probation, he will be sent to prison on the arson charge.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Ames police are investigating a series of reports in which a man randomly punched people in the face and ran to a waiting getaway car. KCCI TV says two assaults were reported on February 16th and another Saturday night.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Frontier Airlines says it will resume flights into the Sioux City airport beginning this summer. The Sioux City Journal reports Frontier in June will begin flights three days a week between Sioux City and Denver. Frontier will become the second carrier at Sioux Gateway Airport, joining American Airlines. The new flights will use 138-seat Airbus 319 jets.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The cat room at the Iowa City animal shelter is open again for visitors looking to adopt and for new cats needing a home. The Iowa City Press Citizen reports the cat area of the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center has been closed for two weeks after an outbreak of a virus that can be fatal to cats was discovered.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa coach Fran McCaffery has instructed the Hawkeyes to shut down their Twitter accounts for the rest of the season after senior Zach McCabe exchanged barbs with detractors on the social media service. McCabe air-balled a 3-pointer that could have tied the game with 16 seconds left against Wisconsin on Saturday. The 20th-ranked Hawkeyes went on to lose 79-74.

For the second year members of the private sector (business & industry) in Adair & Guthrie Counties are joining with the public sector (city and county governments) to support the budget needs of the Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Management Programs.

Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator, Robert Kempf states, “Emergency Preparedness is not just the responsibility of our local governments. Emergency Management and Preparedness are a team sport; everyone has a part to play. The participation by the private sector is critical to accomplishing our planning and response goals and objectives.”

“We have large areas in our counties that are not covered by storm sirens, our emergency notification system provide timely and address specific weather warning information to residents that have signed up” said Kempf. Officials can also send out emergency information based on geographical location about evacuations & shelter in place incidents, drinking water issues and resource needs during a major disaster. Individuals and Businesses can sign up landline phones, cell phones, text messaging and email addresses as ways to receive emergency information.

The agencies maintain a Hazardous Materials Response Contract to help provide response information and assistance to emergency responders and industry in the case of a chemical spill or leak. “Our emergency services cannot afford the equipment and training required to maintain a local hazardous materials team. Our contract with the Council Bluffs Fire Department allows our first responders 24/7 access to the information and expertise that might be needed for this type of incident’ said Kempf

These four contracts account for just part, about twenty percent, of the preparedness and response costs of the two agencies. These contract programs not only benefit our citizens but also our governments and the private sector. Monies from the sponsor program and taxation monies from the towns in and counties of Adair & Guthrie are used to fund the budgets of the two agencies.

The Sponsorship Program includes four support levels: Bronze up to $100.00, Silver $101.00 to $250.00, Gold $251.00 to $500.00 and Platinum $501.00 and over.

As of January 20th the 2014 Sponsors included Adair Feed & Grain of Adair, 21st Century Coop of Fontanelle & Greenfield, Guthrie County State Bank of Guthrie Center & Panora and Union State Bank of Bridgewater & Greenfield as Bronze Sponsors; West Central Coop of Adair, Casey & Guthrie Center as a Silver Sponsor; First National Bank of Fontanelle & Greenfield as a Gold Sponsor and Lake Panorama Association of Panora as a Platinum Sponsor.

Any businesses, industry or groups in Adair & Guthrie Counties that would like to learn more about the program or become a sponsor can contact Kempf at 641-332-3030 or gcema@hotmail.com.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Pets would be better protected in domestic abuse cases under a bill approved by the Iowa Senate. The Senate unanimously voted Monday to approve the measure that would allow the inclusion of pets in domestic abuse protective orders. By including pets in such orders, the hope is that victims would be more likely to escape an abusive situation without the fear that a family pet would be abused as a result. The legislation now goes to the House.

Democratic Sen. Janet Petersen, who sponsored the bill, says the bill would protect pets while also encouraging domestic abuse victims to leave dangerous situations more quickly.