This Friday, the State of Iowa and Governor Terry E. Branstad will honor four officers killed in the line of duty.

Iowa Peace Office Memorial

Each of these men died while serving to protect and keep Iowa communities safe:

Police Officer Jamie D. Buenting, Rockwell City Police Department. Died September 13, 2013
City Marshal Robert C. Coulter, Farmington Police Department. Died December 21, 1902
City Marshal Reuben Fenstenmaker, Farmington Police Department. Died January 1, 1868
Town Marshal Joseph Kashmetter, Alton Police Department. Died March 27, 1911

The public is invited to attend the event at the Peace Office Memorial in Des Moines (at the Oran Pape State Office Building, 215 East 7th Street), beginning at 10-a.m. Friday. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held in the rotunda of the State Capitol.

Officials say if you are unable to attend this year’s ceremony, there are many ways you can observe National Police Week. Simply  take time and thank current peace officers for protecting and serving your community and the State of Iowa.

Robert Cramer, Republican candidate for U-S Congress in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District stopped by the KJAN studios Tuesday morning. Cramer is one of six Republican candidates who hope to win the June Primary to challenge Democrat Staci Appel for Tom Latham’s House of Representatives seat in Washington. Latham announced late last year he would not be seeking re-election. Iowa’s Third Congressional District includes Council Bluffs, Des Moines and much of southwest Iowa.

Cramer says coming down the final stretch – the final four weeks – to the Primary, he’ll put his experience building bridges as a licensed, professional engineer to use in an attempt to “rebuild” Washington. He says he has the “blueprint” for fixing Washington. It starts he says, with balancing the budget with a 5-year plan, reducing debt and removing regulations that prevent small business people from hiring.

He says part of the way to fix Washington’s seemingly endless gridlock on issues of importance to Americans, is for the Republican party to find common ground in order to create a substantive plan to move forward. Cramer says Iowans are telling him their hope is fading that the country’s current fiscal mess can be turned around, but he’s confident Republicans can make the changes needed to turn that hope into a promise.

Cramer says Iowan’s shouldn’t have to choose between candidates who stand for Conservative values or the fiscally responsible businessman. He says they can get both by electing him in the Primary.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday), approved the plans for a bridge replacement project located about one-eighth of a mile east of 648th Street, on Jackson Road (the Landfill Road). Cass County Engineer Charles Marker said bids for the project will be let on August 19th. Marker says the bridge, which is being designed in-house, will be an 80-foot long, triple-span structure that’s 30-feet wide.

The current bridge is only about 24-feet wide. Markers says the new structure will allow bigger pieces of equipment to move across the current two-span structure. Marker said also, a request for a public hearing on the vacating of a long section of 740th Street in the Massena Township has been withdrawn, because the person making the request had second thoughts on the matter.

With regard to the level B, or dirt roads in the county that get torn-up by fun seekers in 4-wheel drive vehicles after it rains, Cass County Attorney Dan Feistner said citations have been issued to those who knowingly and intentionally cause damage to those roads. Feistner said the culprits were cited for either Failure to Maintain Control or Criminal Mischief for “What appear to be clear acts beyond the norm of – the use of the road – where they’ve gone out and torn roads up.”

Feistner said he’s working with the Secondary Roads Dept. to come up what amount of restitution the perpetrators might pay to repair the roads which have been too badly damaged intentionally. Feistner said Criminal Mischief is a Simple Misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $65. He said the intent is to send a message to those who would purposely tear up the county’s roads, that you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

In other business, the Cass County Board of Supervisors approved a wage adjustment increase of $4,000 (to $45,000) for newly appointed full-time Mental Health and General Assistance Director Deb Schuler. Last week, the Board had discussed moving her wage up to that which was last paid to the former MD/DD/GA Director, but they felt the adjustment which was approved was more equitable. The Board also voted to place ads in the paper and elsewhere for the position, the vacancy term for which expires on June 30th.

Authorities in Harlan are investigating two incidents of theft. On Monday, a Manilla resident reported a break-in and theft at her property located in the 2100 block of 7th Street, in Harlan. Officials say there was significant damage to the doors and windows and items had been removed from the house. This case remains under investigation.

And, on Saturday, May 3rd, officers with the Harlan P-D were called to Merrill Field, in the 1000 block of Elm Street, where it was reported that someone had broken into the construction trailer belonging to Nemaha Landscape Construction . Numerous tools and a generator were reported missing. The case remains under investigation.

In other news, the Harlan Police Department reports 41-year old Rebecca Schaben, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop, Friday. Schaben was cited for driving under suspension, fail to prove security against liability, and operation without registration. The woman was cited and then released.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says two accidents took place Monday, one of which resulted in a fatality. As we mentioned during our earlier newscasts, 37-year old Douglas Bryan Miller, of Cumberland died following a single-vehicle rollover accident late Monday night. Officials say the crash occurred just before 11-p.m. one-half mile east of Cumberland, on Quincy Road. Miller was transported by Medivac Ambulance to the Cass County Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.The accident remains under investigation. Miller worked as a part-time announcer for KJAN, under the name “Doug Evans.”

The second accident happened at around 6-p.m., Monday, on Independence Road at 585th Street. The Sheriff’s Dept. says a 1998 Chevy Cavalier driven by 17-year old Olivia Lea Klenda, of Kimballton, was traveling east on Independence Road when the teen lost control on a curve where the road becomes 585th Street.

The vehicle entered the east ditch and rolled once before landing on its wheels. Neither Klenda nor her passenger were injured. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $6,000. Klenda was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.