The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said today (Thursday), two rural Audubon County men have pled guilty to their role in  a conspiracy to manufacture marijuana.  44-year old Paul Joseph Irlmeier and his co-defendant, 62-year old Randy Frank Irlmeier, both pled guilty on May 30th, to charges they conspired to manufacture at least 100 marijuana plants.   Based upon their pleas of guilty, the Irlmeiers face a mandatory minimum of 5 years imprisonment up to a maximum of 40 years imprisonment, a fine not to exceed $2,000,000, at least 4 years of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment.

In addition, Paul Irlmeier has agreed to forfeit $104,503. The forfeiture allegations against Randy Irlmeier will be resolved at a
later hearing. Both defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on September 28th, 2012, before Chief District Court Judge James E. Gritzner in Council Bluffs.

As part of their guilty pleas, the Irlmeiers admitted to conspiring to grow, harvest and distribute marijuana at their respective rural Audubon County residences between approximately 2005 and October 27th, 2010. On October 27th, 2010, law enforcement located evidence of a sizable marijuana growing operation, including a large quantity of mature marijuana plants at the
residence of Randy Irlmeier in Audubon County. Both men admitted responsibility for at least 100 marijuana plants during the conspiracy.

The investigation was conducted by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the Audubon County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Mitt Romney is returning to Iowa with a visit to Council Bluffs.  Friday’s visit will be his second trip to the state since effectively locking up the Republican presidential nomination. Romney will hold a roundtable discussion at 10:30 a.m. followed by an event at Bayliss Park at 11:15 a.m.
 
Iowa is among roughly a-half dozen states where Romney and President Barack Obama are expected to campaign most aggressively for the November election.  Romney came to Des Moines on May 15, his first trip to Iowa since campaigning for the January caucuses.

More than a dozen students at the Riverside High School in Oakland have received recognition for their performance in a voluntary online, national test for financial literacy. According to Riverside Social Studies Teacher Mandie Reynolds, students at Riverside High School were among the over 80,000 students from across the country who participated in the 2012 National Financial Capability Challenge organized by the U.S. Departments of Treasury and Education. 

13 of the schools’ students were recognized as being in among the top 20% of all students taking exam nationally, which represents 40% of the students who took the exam at Riverside scoring in the top 20% of the nation. 

The high-achieving students included: Kevin Collins; Dannielle Easton; Jacie Feigenbutz; Brea Fender; RJ Griger; John Gunderson; Clay Harris; Mack Housman; Samantha Keast; Alexander McLaughlin; Joshua Mills; Marissa Rose, and Elisabeth Seifert.  In addition, students who scored in the top 10% of the nation were given special recognition, and two students from Riverside achieved the honor: Jacie Feigenbutz and Alexander McLaughlin. 

In addition, as part of the National Financial Capability Challenge, students as well as school districts were eligible for a drawing for scholarship money and prizes.  Riverside was fortunate enough to receive a $1,000 cash prize from Iowa Student Loan, in coordination with the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Jump$tart, Junior Achievement of Central Iowa, and the Iowa College Access Network.

Reynolds said in the Riverside Community School District, they know that financial education is important, as often times, too few students graduate with the knowledge and skills they need to make basic financial decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities.

For more information on the NFC Challenge, go to http://www.challenge.treas.gov/

The City of Atlantic’s Community Protection Committee will meet next Wednesday afternoon (June 13^th) at City Hall, to discuss regulating cats. KJAN News Director Ric Hanson asked City Administrator Doug Harris if there was a big cat problem in town. Harris said no, but one of the Council members received a complaint from a woman who operates a wild bird sanctuary.

The matter was referred to the CPC to see if there is a problem with cats on the loose. Harris said he’d be surprised if the committee puts forth any recommendations to the City Council. He said “It’s pretty hard to regulate cats.”

The City doesn’t have a license requirement for cats. Harris said that could be one option, but it doesn’t mean it would solve the problem, if indeed one exists. He questioned how cats could be caught, and how likely it would be that they could be kept on a leash.

The CPC’s meeting begins at 4:30-p.m., Wednesday.

The CDC will also discuss the cost estimates for needed repairs to the Bull Creek Storm Drain at 2^nd and Poplar, and, the upcoming (June 12^th) Downtown Revitalization meeting.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), Safe Kids Greater Des Moines, Altoona Aquatic Park, Algona Family YMCA, and the Norman D. Stamp Aquatic Center in Harlan, are joining top water safety and training organizations around the U.S. and world on Thursday, June 14^th, for the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson^TM (WLSL).  On that day, waterparks, pools and other aquatic facilities around the globe will host WLSL lessons simultaneously at 10-a.m Central Time, in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record ^TM. The event is designed to build awareness about the importance of teaching young children to swim to help prevent drowning.   

Swimming is a life-saving skill for children and a vital tool to prevent drowning, the leading cause of unintended, injury-related death for children between the ages of 1 and 5. A study published by the Archive of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine showed participation in formal swimming lessons was associated with an 88 percent reduction in the risk of drowning in children aged 1 to 4 years. IDPH Environmental Specialist Debbi Cooper says “Research shows if a child doesn’t learn to swim by the third grade, they likely never will.” 

The event on June 14th will feature a 30 minute swimming lesson, occurring simultaneously at pre-registered locations around the world. In 2011, the Guinness World Record ^TM for the largest swimming lesson ever occurred on June 14th, when more than 20,000 people representing 45 states and 14 countries on five continents participated. This year, there are more than 500 official WLSL host locations around the world, representing 24 countries on five continents and 46 states in the U.S. 

For more information on WLSL, visit www.worldslargestswimminglesson.org/.