The Shelby County Supervisors have set the date for a public hearing and an auction pertaining to an amendment to the Urban Renewal Plan that would include the County’s five year plan for bridge and culvert projects. The county has notified the school districts in Shelby County, and after no comments were heard prior to today’s (Tuesday’s) meeting, the Board elected to forward and hold the public hearing 9-a.m. November 19th, for the amendment.

In other news, the Supervisors set the same date for the auction for cash rent of county owned land. Instead of bids, the supervisors have held an auction for the past two years. This year the solid waste ground will be auctioned as well. The county has installed a 4 year grid sampling and the winning bidder will have to pay to the company, Farm Service Co-Op.

Auditor Marsha Carter said “We have in the notice, it says, the county has ordered grid soil sampling on the farm. All dry fertilizer will be applied based on the results. In addition to the rent, the successful bidder will reimburse the county for 1/4th of the lime application and pay FSC Defiance directly for the fertilizer costs. Cash rent will include use of the 7,500 grain bid on the property. The successful bidder will be responsible for paying the electricity on the bin usage.”

The county land auction will begin at 9-am on November 19th. Supervisor Steve Kenkel gave another update on the Southwest Iowa Mental Health Regional Planning. The committee met in Atlantic this past Monday and has scheduled a few upcoming public input meetings. Kenkel said there will be three locations because nine different counties are involved.

“One will be November 26th in Shenandoah. One will be December 19th in Oakland and the other will be January 21st in Dunlap. That kind of spreads them out throughout the region so the public, their families can comment with what is going on and their concerns and we can learn some things from that also.”

The Mental Health Committee will be spreading the word with flyers and handouts when the date for the public input meetings gets closer.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

A Harlan man was arrested last week on a sex abuse charge. Officials say 37-year old Steven Wayne Thompson was arrested October 25th, after officers were called to a disturbance at his residence in the 900 block of Baldwin. Thompson was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with sexual abuse 3rd degree.

Police in Harlan report the arrest on Sunday (11/3) of a Pottawattamie County man on alcohol and weapon-related charges. 20-year old Nelson Reed Guyer, of Hancock, was arrested following a traffic stop. Guyer was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, carrying weapons, possession of alcohol by a person under legal age, and speed.

That same day, Harlan police received a report of a house broken into in the 1400 block of Southridge Road. The residents discovered their door had been kicked-in, and several items were missing, including frozen food and liquor. The loss, including damage to the door, was estimated at around $1,350. The incident remains under investigation.

And, on Monday, officers with the Harlan P-D arrested 50-year old Carol Tremayne, of Harlan, after officers were called to the Fareway Food Store regarding an alleged shoplifting incident. Tremayne was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with theft 5th degree.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A judge has granted a request by Planned Parenthood of the Heartland to suspend a state ban on the organization’s use of a video conferencing system to distribute abortion-inducing pills in Iowa.  Judge Karen Romano granted a motion for a stay Tuesday. It means the ban cannot go into effect until a court issues a decision on it. The ban was set to go into effect Wednesday.  The ban, approved in August, requires a doctor be physically present with a woman when an abortion-inducing drug is provided.

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland says the stay will ensure Iowa women can continue to receive safe health care without delay.  Iowa Board of Medicine Executive Director Mark Bowden says he needs to review the motion before making a comment.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The man who led police on a vehicle chase through Ames city streets to Iowa State University and was shot and killed by an officer has been identified.  Ames police say 19-year-old Tyler Comstock, of Boone, died at an Ames hospital Monday.

Police spokesman Geoff Huff says Comstock had become upset and took his father’s pickup. He ignored attempts by police to pull him over and led several officers on a chase sending pedestrians scrambling to get out of the way. The pickup ended up on the university campus and crashed into a tree. Police say Comstock continued to rev the pickup’s engine, ignoring officers’ commands to off the engine.

Officer Adam McPherson, an Ames officer for 8 1/2 years, fired six rounds at the pickup, striking Comstock at least once.

Sheriff’s officials in Fremont County report the arrest last Saturday of a Hamburg man. 43-year old David Wayne Miller was taken into custody on charges that include Felon in Possession of a firearm, Assault, Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of drug Paraphernalia.

One of the bugs trying to find its way indoors for the winter was once thought to be an invasive species confined to eastern states. The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug was confirmed in Iowa last year. Iowa State University entomologist Donald Lewis says the stinkbug was found in Warren County, Des Moines, and Council Bluffs this summer.

Marmorated Stink Bug

“That spans the state. But so far we’ve only had reports from ten counties, more will probably show up. But this is how it starts, with these widely scattered reports and then we go back and we fill in the distribution in between,” Lewis says. Lewis says the brown, stinky bugs eat almost anything, destroying fruit and vegetable crops during the summer months, before trying to get into your home.

” It’s a double barreled threat, the brown marmirated stinkbug will feed on your crops in the summer, it’ll come into your house in the fall of the year,” according to Lewis. Lewis says you can take preventive measures to keep the bugs from coming inside when it gets cold, but once they’re in, insecticides aren’t always practical. So it’s probably best to go after them with a vacuum cleaner.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Memorial Hospital’s Board of Trustees are scheduled to meet Wednesday morning during a special meeting. During their 7:30-a.m. session in Conference Room 1, the Board will act on the offering of employment to a person selected as the hospital’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The Board whittled down the selection from more than 100 applicants. Interviews with the finalists were conducted last week. The person selected will replace current CEO Pat Markham, who is retiring at the end of the year. Earlier this year, the CCMH Board of Trustees approved hiring an independent contractor to help with the CEO search.