Iowans who receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will notice a smaller amount on their cash cards starting today (Friday). Kevin Concannon, a former Iowan and the U-S-D-A’s Undersecretary for Food and Nutrition Services, says the federal government raised the amount of benefits by 13-percent back in 2009 to help those struggling during the recession. It was a temporary increase. “The additional benefit added to the SNAP program expired the last day of October,” Concannon says.

About 421-thousand Iowans now receive SNAP benefits, or about 13-percent of the population. With the change beginning this morning, the federal government will be sending about 43-million fewer dollars to Iowa for food assistance. Concannon says every person taking part in the program will see a decreased amount.  “A single person receiving the benefit will see an $11 per month reduction and the current average benefit is about $133 dollars per month,” he says. “A four-person household will see a $36 per month reduction.”

Concannon served as the director of the Iowa Department of Human Services from 2003 to 2008. Cuts in SNAP benefits are also the subject of current debate in Congress as members of the House and Senate try to reach a compromise on a new farm bill.

(Radio Iowa)

A man suspected of reckless driving in Council Bluffs was arrested Thursday afternoon in Omaha, after authorities set-up a road block thanks to new technology that’s only being used in two states. The Daily NonPareil reports an officer responding to a report of a vehicle driving through yards near South Sixth Street and 23rd Avenue in Council Bluffs had attempted to stop the vehicle, but the suspect escaped.

A State Trooper was able to lock on to the vehicle using the Star system GPS, which is being used in Iowa and Florida. The system uses a “cannon” mounted in front of the grill on a police cruiser. The Star Chase System uses compressed air to shoot a GPS tag onto a targeted vehicle. Once the GPS tag is attached, dispatchers can continually monitor the whereabouts of the vehicle in question and relay the information to the officers involved. It also allows any police who may have been involved in a high-speed car chase to slow down and wait until it is safe to make a stop. Iowa State Patrol Trooper Tim Sieleman used the same system last week when he tried to stop a vehicle in Council Bluffs that he thought was stolen.

The officer who deployed the Star Chase system in Council Bluffs backed-off his pursuit while the suspect’s vehicle crossed into Omaha on Interstate 480. When it stopped near 42nd and J streets in Omaha, State Patrol officials in Iowa contacted their counterparts in Nebraska. Officers with the Nebraska State Patrol and Omaha Police Department were able to block the vehicle in and take the driver into custody.

50-year old Sean Richey, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on warrant for felony parole violation. A passenger in his vehicle fled after Richey’s car allegedly hit another vehicle near South 27th Street and Ninth Avenue, shortly before the chase began.

A traffic stop for speeding Wednesday afternoon on eastbound Interstate 80 in Pottawattamie County, lead to the arrest of two men from Indiana on drug charges. Sheriff Jeff Danker told the Daily NonPareil 26-year old Rusty Drew, of Indianapolis, IN, was arrested a little after 2:15-p.m., after deputies searching his 2013 Kia Optima, found numerous duffel bags containing a total of 68-pounds of marijuana.

Drew, and his passenger 27-year old Martin Gonzalez, also of Indianapolis, were taken into custody on suspicion of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, tax stamp violation and prohibited acts. Drew was given a warning for speeding. Both men posted a $5,000 bond Thursday morning

A man suspected of murder in Georgia was arrested Thursday evening in western Iowa. The Daily NonPareil reports 25-year old Courtney Thomas, of Hapeville, GA, was arrested by Iowa State Patrol Troopers on Interstate 29 northbound, about 4-miles north of the Glenwood exit, at around 5-p.m.

Authorities said Thomas was wanted for murder on a warrant from the Hapeville Police Department in connection with an incident that took place Thursday morning. Georgia authorities contacted ISP at 4:35 p.m. to alert troopers that the suspect, who was being tracked through a cell phone signal, had just crossed from Missouri into Iowa in I-29. He was driving a 2008 black Dodge Charger.

Three patrol officers conducted a felony stop, and Thomas was taken into custody without incident. A 9mm handgun was found in his vehicle. Mills County Sheriff’s deputies transported Thomas to the Mills County Jail, where he was awaiting extradition to Hapeville, which is a suburb of Atlanta.