The Marne Community Club will host their Annual Chili Contest this Sunday, January 19th . At the same time, the Annual Men’s Pie Baking Contest will be held. Judging for both contests will be “peoples’ choice.” Anyone interested in entering the Chili Contest should bring a gallon crock pot of chili to the Marne Community Center by 6:00 p.m. on the day of the contest. The same goes for entering the Men’s Pie Contest. There are no fees for entering.

Trophies for both chili and pie winners are on display at the Marne Community Center, and the 2014 1st place winners’ names will be added to their respective trophy. Everyone is welcome to join the fun, either as a participant or a judge. Organizers invite you to come to Marne and share a meal. The main course will be, of course, chili. Please bring a potluck salad to share. Pie for dessert! Beverages will be provided.

The Iowa Transportation Commission on Tuesday, approved $4-million in total funding for 11 projects from Iowa’s Clean Air Attainment Program. Among them was: the East Broadway Realignment at Kanesville Boulevard (U.S. 6) (Council Bluffs), which received $474,768 in funding, and the Kanesville Boulevard (U.S. 6) Project (Council Bluffs), which will received $388,800 in funding.

The program was created in 1994 for the purpose of reducing transportation-related congestion and air pollution. This funding is available to cities, counties, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations through an annual application-based program.

Police in Harlan Tuesday (today) released a cumulative report on arrests and incidents which have occurred over the past few weeks. Among the incidents, on Jan. 5th, 29-year old Tana Reed of Harlan, was arrested for allegedly assaulting Natalie Segebart according to a complaint filed by Segebart. Reed was cited for simple assault and released.

On Jan.7th,  54-year old Michael Garrison, of Harlan, was arrested at the Shelby County courthouse when he ignored several requests from law enforcement to conduct himself in an orderly fashion. Garrison was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with disorderly conduct. That same day, two Harlan men were arrested when they were observed letting the air out of the tires of a car at 2104 Lincoln Ave.   23-year old Jeremy Bias, and 35-year old Jeffrey Simpson, were both arrested and transported to the Shelby County Jail where they were charged with intoxication in public. Bias was also charged with criminal mischief.

And on Jan. 10th, 37-year old Brad Knauss, of Portsmouth, was arrested following a traffic stop. Knauss was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating the report of two church burglaries that occurred in rural Griswold. Sometime between January 6th and January 9th, person(s) unknown entered the Noble Center United Methodist Church at 630th and Victoria Roads in Griswold by prying the lock from the back door. Missing items were not initially reported.

Also, between January 7th and January 8th, person(s) unknown entered the St John’s United Church of Christ on Upland Road in Griswold and took a small amount of cash and a Keurig coffee maker and coffee pods. Page County Sheriff’s Office and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office have also each reported several church break-ins in their counties in and around this time period.

Anyone with any information regarding these break-ins is encouraged to contact the Cass County Sheriff’s Office at 712-243-2206.

The Shelby County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday), approved the fiscal year 2015 budget by a vote of 2 to 1. The Board heard four options from Shelby County Auditor Marsha Carter. The first option was the same tax dollars as the previous year and the tax asking was the same as 2014. The general fund reserve would be set at $1.2 million and will lower the tax rate about 41 cents. The rural funding would have $41,000 which Carter said would be plenty of money and the secondary road would see $500,000 for an ending balance.

The concern from Supervisor Kenkel was on the secondary roads as he saw the fourth option of increasing the rural base to $100,000 for secondary roads with an increase of 1 percent on Ag land and bare Ag land of 3 percent. Kenkel said “Actually that’s the one I like just because we don’t know what is going to happen on the gas tax and we are trying to do a better job on the rock roads. We got rid of buying the sand rock. We have a lot of needs for projects and I would like to see us put something in there.”

The extra $100,000 would come from rural residents in the county. Instead, Supervisor Roger Schmitz made a motion to accept option 1 with a minor change. Schmitz said “I’m going to try this; I make a motion that we put $125,000 in the special fund from the general fund and go with option one. I am talking about from the general fund to the capital projects.”

The motion was passed as Parkhurst second and both Schmitz and Parkhurst approved with Kenkel being a nay vote. The option one budget means there will be no tax increase by the supervisors. A budget public hearing will take place on Tuesday, February 4^th at 9am.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest today (Tuesday), of 39-year old Heath Allen McClarnon, from Clarinda. McClarnon was taken into custody at around 9:45-a.m. at a residence on Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak, after a Page County warrant was issued with regard to revocation of his probation.

McClarnon was released to Page County authorities, and was being held at the jail in Clarinda on $5,000 cash bond.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating numerous Church burglaries in the county. Sheriff Lyle Palmer said today (Tuesday) burglaries have taken place over the last five days, with three burglaries being reported Monday in Page County and one in the city of Clarinda.

The Sheriff’s office has contacted Churches in the rural towns and area’s solely covered by the Sheriff’s Office to alert them of the burglaries as well as the Clarinda police Department and the Shenandoah Police Department to notify the Churches in their respective communities. When a broadcast was put to over area Law enforcement entities on Monday from the Page County Sheriff’s Office, it was found that other surrounding counties also had Church break-ins.

People are reminded that it they see something suspicious to contact Law Enforcement immediately as time is of the essence in these crimes. At this time all but one of the break-ins in Page County have involved forced entry to the Churches.

Anyone with information into the break-ins is asked to contact the Page County Crime Stoppers at the Page County Sheriff’s Office, or your local Law Enforcement. A Cash reward of up to $1000.00 is available for information leading to the arrest and indictment of person’s involved. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Authorities in Montgomery County were busy investigating two church burglaries over the weekend. Officials say the first occurred at the Presbyterian Church (109 S. 3rd Ave.), in Villisca. Nothing was reported missing, but a desk sustained $100 damage.

The second incident happened at the Mamrelund Lutheran Church (410 Eastern Ave.), in Stanton. The loss from damage and stolen electronic equipment was estimated at $1,900. Both burglaries happened sometime between Thu., Jan. 9th, and Friday, Jan. 10th.

Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 712-623-5107, or Crimestoppers at 1-800-432-1001.

Authorities in Mills County report five accidents occurred Saturday on frost covered roads, but only one person was injured. Officials say Alexander Neff, of Glenwood,was driving a 2004 Pontiac northbound on 221st Street, when the car went off the roadway to the right and hit a power pole.The accident happened at around 7:25-a.m., about 7-miles north of Glenwood. Neff  was transported to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, by Glenwood Rescue.

Road surface conditions were 100% frost covered. The Sheriff’s Department says the County Roads Department was notified of the slippery conditions, but did not respond.