DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case that could free a man imprisoned for life for his involvement in a 1986 Council Bluffs parking lot brawl in which another man was killed.  The court will consider whether 44-year-old Jeffrey Ragland is eligible for parole now or must spend decades more in prison.

Ragland is among more than three dozen teen killers given a chance to seek parole following a U.S. Supreme Court decision last June that says states cannot automatically sentence juveniles to life.

In July, Gov. Terry Branstad ordered people sentenced to life for juvenile crimes to remain imprisoned for 60 years before seeking parole. A district court judge ruled Ragland is eligible now.   The court will decide whether Ragland gets a parole board hearing.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will meet Wednesday morning, in Atlantic. During their 9-a.m. session at the courthouse, the Board will act on renewing a lease for about 30 acres of County Farm pasture land. The Board will also act on approving Iowa DOT funding agreements for: A Hot Melt Asphalt resurfacing project on 570th Street from Highway 6, to Highland Road; and, a bridge replacement project on Jackson Road, over a small creek just east of 648th Street.

In addition, the Supervisors will hear a report from Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Megan Roberts, with regard to the Chambers’ strategic plan. They will also act on approving an RFP (Request for Proposal), with regard to a VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone system, at the courthouse.

A public hearing is set to take place Wednesday morning in Greenfield, with regard to a proposed amendment to the Northwest Wind Farm Urban Renewal Plan (URP). The meeting takes place during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Adair County Board of Supervisors.

The proposed amendment will come in the form of a resolution determining an area of the County to be an economic development area, and that the rehabilitation, conservation, redevelopment, development or a combination thereof, is necessary in the interest of the public health, safety or welfare.

Following the public hearing, which begins at 9-a.m., the Board will consider an ordinance for the division of revenues as stated under Iowa Code, for the amendment, as well as the possible waiving of the second- and third-readings of the ordinance, prior to approval.

In other business, the Adair County Supervisors will hear from County Engineer Nick Kauffman, with regard to a resolution authorizing and adding a Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) project to the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget, and a program for a bridge deck overlay at County Road N-24 Union, on G-61 (310th Street), along with the awarding of a contract for the bridge overlay project.

Prior to the conclusion of the meeting, the supervisors will discuss the sale of County property.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports five people were arrested over the past week, on a variety of charges. On Monday, 51-year old Russell Dean Robinson, of Shenandoah, was arrested on charges of Burglary in the 1st degree, Domestic Abuse, and Criminal Mischief in the 5th degree. Last Saturday, 19-year old Richard Charles Golden, of Sidney, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, Failure to display license plates, and for driving on the wrong side of the road.

On April 2nd, deputies in Fremont County arrested 35-year old David Allen Keeton, of Sidney, on a Serious Domestic Assault charge, and for obstruction of emergency personnel. That same day, 22-year old Micheal Lee Glenn, of Farragut, was arrested for probation revocation. 34-year old Shaun Allen Akers, of Sidney, was arrested on the same charge, on March 30th.

DOW CITY, Iowa (AP) – A western Iowa man has pleaded not guilty to murder in connection with a fatal shooting outside a small town bar. 28-year-old Benton Wingrove is charged with killing 29-year-old Adam Lary in Dow City after the two men argued at a bar. Both men were from Dow City.  Authorities say Lary left the bar first, but was shot while driving and his car crashed into a house.

Prosecutors say Wingrove fired nearly a dozen shots at Lary as he tried to drive away, and Wingrove had a handgun when he was arrested.

For the second time in a little over a month, a bridge in Adair County has been hit by a truck, causing traffic to be rerouted. The Iowa Department of Transportation reports the westbound Interstate 80 bridge near Casey was damaged when it was struck by a truck hauling an excavator. The accident took place at around 8:30-p.m., Monday, between exits 83 and 96. DOT Transportation Planning Director Scott Suhr, based in Atlantic, told KJAN News the accident happened as the truck was traveling south Antique Country Drive, south of Casey. He says he’s not sure if the truck was oversize or if the load was at the wrong height. Either way, he says “It did some damage.”

The same bridge was hit in nearly the same location, last month. Suhr said when the north end was hit on March 4^th by a dump truck, one of the concrete beams was damaged. This time, about three or four beams were damaged. The result of the most recent accident, is that traffic is being rerouted using the entrance and exit ramps at Casey. Bridge Inspectors from Ames were expected to take a look at the damage and assess the structural safety of the crossing this morning. Meanwhile, the bridge remains closed until it is deemed safe for traffic.

The accident that occurred during the early morning hours on March 4^th, happened when 62-year old Duane Nelson, of Casey, forgot to lower the box on a 1991 Mack dump truck registered to Schildberg Construction, in Greenfield. As the vehicle was traveling southbound on Antique Country Drive, south of Casey, the truck box hit the westbound I-80 bridge support beam. The impact tore the box section off of the truck, but it became wedged against the support beam at the point of impact.

The Patrol cited Nelson for driving a vehicle with excessive height.