Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The State Fire Marshall’s Office reports Madison County will be included in a ban on open burning, beginning 8-a.m Tuesday, March 13th. A request to institute the ban was requested by Madison County Sheriff Craig Busch, after consultation with various County Fire Chiefs. At this time, Madison County is the only county in western Iowa to placed under a ban on open burning.

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) will hold two public information meetings this week regarding the update of Iowa’s state transportation plan. One of the meetings will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15th, at the Iowa DOT District 4 Office, in Atlantic.

At the meeting, a presentation will be made at 5:15 p.m. Personnel will be available between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. to individually discuss the plan. The meeting rooms are accessible for persons with disabilities. To provide comments, or to request special accommodations at a meeting, please contact the Iowa DOT, Office of Systems Planning, 800 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010, telephone 515-239-1520, email Iowa.Motion@dot.iowa.gov.

The Iowa DOT will be accepting public comment on the plan through March 30, 2012. To view information concerning the plan, go to the Iowa DOT’s website at http://www.iowadot.gov/iowainmotion/state.html.

A Nebraska woman was arrested this (Monday) morning in Pottawattamie County, after an Iowa State Patrol Trooper performed a PIT maneuver. The Patrol says a vehicle driven by 41-year old Wendy Johnson-Delong, of La Vista, NE, was eluding law enforcement on Interstate 80 at around 1:50-a.m., about two-miles east of the Walnut exit, when 40-year old Trooper Brian Beenen, of Council Bluffs, used the 2009 Dodge Charger he was driving to nudge the woman’s car near the left rear quarter panel, causing Johnson-Delong’s car to spin into the median. 

After the vehicle came to rest and the woman was taken into custody, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department charged her with Assault with a weapon, eluding, and OWI/1^st Offense. She was booked into the Pott. County Jail at around 4-a.m., and posted a $5,000 bond a few hours later, before being released from custody. 

Damage to the vehicles involved in the incident amounted to $3,000.

The Atlantic Police Department says two people were arrested recently, on unrelated charges. 48-year old Allen Siegle, of Omaha, was arrested Friday on a warrant out of Douglas County, NE, for a Sex Offender Registry Act violation. Siegle was booked into the Cass County Jail.

And, on Sunday, 25-year old Christopher Castillo, of Adair, was arrested on a charge of OWI/1st offense. Castillo was also booked into the Cass County Jail.

(12–p.m. News)

The Atlantic Police Department said today (Monday), no injuries were reported following two separate accidents Friday morning. The first accident happened at about 8:30-a.m., at 9th and Chestnut Streets. A vehicle driven by Rachel Fulk, of Atlantic, was traveling west on 9th Street and approaching Chestnut, at the same time a car driven by Michael Redler, of Atlantic, was traveling south on Chestnut. Officials say Fulk stopped at the intersection but then proceeded forward, where her car collided with the Redler vehicle. Damage was estimated at $4,500. Fulk was cited for Failure to Yield.

The second accident happened at around 10:40-a.m. Friday, as a vehicle driven by Ivalen Kindred, of Atlantic, was traveling through a parking lot at 15 West 3rd Street. Her car was struck a vehicle driven by Bobbi Jo McNees, of Atlantic, as McNees was backing out of a parking stall. Damages amounted to $2,100. No citations were issued.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports a Griswold man was arrested last week on felony forgery charges. 22-year old Alexander Paul Dvorak was taken into custody Wednesday on three charges of Forgery (a Class-D Offense), and one charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance. Dvorak was taken to the Cass County Jail where he is being held on $6000 bond.

The Sheriff’s office reports also three people were arrested over the weekend. On Saturday, 24-year old Jesse Cavin Meier, of Lewis, was arrested for Public Intoxication. Meier was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day following a plea of guilty before the Magistrate. And, 24-year old John David Nelson, of Griswold, was arrestewd on a charge of OWI 2^nd Offense. He was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance. 

On Sunday, 31-year old Timothy George Myers, of Lewis, was arrested by Cass County Sheriff’s deputies, on a charge of OWI 1^st Offense. Myers was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance.

(12-p.m. News)