The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three people were arrested on separate charges Monday, and one arrest occurred Tuesday. On Monday:

• 45-year-old Tema Elaine Hill, of Omaha, was arrested at the Douglas County, NE. Jail, on a Mills County Probation Violation warrant. No bond.
• 24-year-old Gage Nickolas Behrens, of Columbus, NE., was arrested following a traffic stop on I-29, and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance. Bond $1,000.
• and, 31-year-old Brittany Renea Evans, of Grant City, MO., was arrested in Mills County for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Bond set at $1,000.

On Tuesday, Mills County Deputies arrested 22-year-old Adam Dennis Letts, of Emerson, for Driving While Barred, and Poss. of a Controlled Substance. Bond $3,000. The Sheriff’s Dept. says also, no injuries were reported following an incident Sunday night. Authorities say 36-year-old James Brock, of Lincoln, NE., for some reason decided to drive a 2004 Honda mini-van through a field at 28048 Highway 34. When the vehicle became stuck on a terrace, Brock tried to get out, but his actions caused the field to catch fire, and was “Burned to a crisp.” The flames also burned a portion of the field.

Firefighters noticed beer cans in the van that matched those outside of it, on the ground. Authorities say “Alcohol may have contributed to this incident.”

(Radio Iowa) – What’s known as “The Gathering of the Green” gets underway today (Wednesday) in Davenport, but it has nothing to do with Saint Patrick’s Day. This event bills itself as the world’s largest gathering of John Deere enthusiasts — in the Quad Cities, where Deere is headquartered. Event chairman Tony Knobbe (kah-NO-bee) says one big attraction is the workshop on farm tractor restoration. “If you are buying or are going to buy or own a John Deere tractor or implement, we’ll help you figure out what, how, when, how much it’s going to cost to restore your tractor,” Knobbe says, “and we also offer other workshops on other interesting topics.”

Those range from basket making to beekeeping. The Gathering of the Green is held every other year and the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the pandemic, so this year’s theme is “It’s Fair Time!”  “We’ve got tractors displayed throughout the RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa, as if you’re walking into the John Deere tent at your local or state fair back from the 1930s through the ’70s,” he says.

From gathering of the green Facebook

While John Deere farm tractors are the main attraction, the event also draws collectors of other “Big Green” products, from skid loaders to snowmobiles. The gathering is expected to attract three-thousand Deere collectors from at least 40 states and six foreign countries.  “We’ll have evening speakers, executives from Deere and Company. We’ll have John Deere’s great-great-great-grandson Sandy Hewitt on hand Friday night,” Knobbe says. “We have trips and tours of local manufacturing plants, museums, collections of some of our hobbyists from the area.”

A vendor hall of 80-plus vendors features an array of John Deere parts, collectables, gear and garments. Events run through Saturday at the RiverCenter in downtown Davenport.

More info. at www.gatheringofthegreen.com

CRESTON, Iowa – March 16, 2021 – A bridge deck and joint repair project on U.S 34 west of Red Oak between Iowa 48 and Montgomery County Road M-37 will require reducing traffic to one lane controlled with temporary traffic signals beginning on Friday, March 18, until Friday, April 15, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston construction office.

Work will begin on the westbound lane of U.S. 34. A 15-foot height limit and 10-foot width limit restriction will be in place during this project.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

(Radio Iowa) – Gun safety advocates say Iowa schools need to focus on preventing gun violence after a 15-year-old was shot and killed outside East High School in Des Moines last week. Sierra Pilate is an 18-year-old senior at East High. She says schools need to offer more training for staff rather than just relying on school resource officers or police.

Pilate spoke Tuesday at a news conference organized by an East High graduate and a lawmaker who taught at the school for 40 years. Six teenagers have been charged with murder in the death of 15-year-old Jose David Lopez, whose funeral was held Tuesday afternoon.

(Omaha, NE) – District of Nebraska/United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced last week, 38-year-old Vance Campbell, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine with one prior serious drug felony. Following his release from prison, Campbell will serve 10 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

(Omaha, Nebraska) — The U-S Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska reports a Pottawattamie County (Iowa) man man faces prison time in connection with an interstate sex investigation. Officials say 28-year-old Achocho Enita, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced last week to slightly more than eight-years in prison, for travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Following completion of his sentence, Enita must serve five-years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Enita is expected to be removed to Micronesia following completion of his prison sentence.

Achocho Enita

Enita was sentenced in connection with an investigation which began in July of last year, when he allegedly responded to an on-line ad posted by a law enforcement officer posing as a 15-year-old girl offering commercial sex. Through text messaging exchanges over the next 10 days, Enita arranged to meet the person he thought was a minor female, and pay to have sex with her. Enita was arrested after he traveled from Council Bluffs to Omaha for the meeting.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case as part of the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Polk County was arrested on charges associated with accident that took place Saturday, in Adams County. Deputies arrested 41-year old Christopher Michael Fasce, of Des Moines, following an investigation into the crash at 8^th and Benton, in Corning. The man faces charges that include: Interference with Official Acts; Failure to Maintain Control; Careless Driving; Open Container, and Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability.

Christopher Fasce

Fasce was being held without bond in the Adams County Jail, pending an appearance in front of a Magistrate. The incident remains under investigation, with additional charges pending.

On Monday, Adams County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 21-year old Andrew George Mills, of Ottumwa, at 901 Davis Avenue in Corning, on three Adams County Warrants for Failure to Appear. Authorities released Mills on bond. And, in a separate incident, Deputies on Monday arrested 51-year old Robert Lee Bracy, of Colorado, on an Adams County Warrant for Failure to Appear. Deputies transported Bracy to the Adams County Jail and held him on a $500 cash bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Basketball fans love tournament time in March and there’s no doubt sports gambling companies in Iowa do too. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says March is the top seed when it comes to money wagered on sports. “Last year, March was our highest month of handle. Of course the year before that it was disrupted by the pandemic — but 2021 was the largest month for the fiscal year,” Ohorilko says.

Sports betters wagered more than 161-million dollars last March. Ohorilko says that could be eclipsed this year as there are more sports gambling companies licensed — and lots of Iowa representation in the post-season tournaments. “Generally with more operators it’s reasonable to assume that we’ll have increased revenue from last year at this time,” he says. “The other factor is we have success from the Iowa teams. When there are Iowa teams participating it will draw the more casual fan and increased traffic.”  He says that school spirit may make some people place a bet on their favorite team. “March Madness is a time when we’ll see people fill out their brackets and maybe make an occasional bet — even though they may not have done that in some time,” Ohorilko says.

The sports gambling companies offer what are know as prop bets — betting on things like how many points a player can score — along with bets on which team will win. Ohorilko says prop bets are one area where your favorite Iowa team is out of play. “The one exception will be if the game involves an Iowa college team. In those instances, prop betting on individual athletes is not permitted. But those would be limited to the games that Iowa teams are participating in,” according to Ohorilko.

Ohorilko reminds everyone to not get carried away with March Madness. “Sports wagering — no different than casino gambling or probably any form of wagering — it really is something that should be fun, should be discretional income, and certainly not something that should be done if someone is susceptible to tendencies to wager too much,” he says. Ohorilko says sports gambling companies offer controls on their apps where you can set betting limits. If you think you may have a gambling problem — you can get free help at 1-800-Bets-Off.

(Radio Iowa) – A House committee has approved a bill that would force landlords to give mobile home residents 90 days notice for rent and utility hikes, up for the current 60 days. The bill also includes some property tax relief, but the Iowa Manufactured Home Residents Network says after outrageous rent increases, the bill fails to limit future rent hikes or stop landlords from evicting them without citing a cause. Representative Lindsay James of Dubuque supports those additional moves.

“And I concur,” James says. “This is not enough.” But James says the bill is a small step forward, so she voted for it. Republican Representative Brian Lohse of Bondurant is the bill’s floor manager.

“I would’ve liked to have seen a lot more,” Lohse says, “but at this point this is the compromise that I could achieve in order to move the bill along.” The bill is now eligible for debate in the full House. Residents of mobile home parks began lobbying legislators for protections in 2019. Some said rent increases had been as high as 40 percent on the lots where their manufactured homes were placed years ago.

(Radio Iowa) – Both of Iowa’s U.S. Senators and two Iowa congresswomen are asking for answers AND upgrades after reports of technical delays in the National Weather Service warnings of severe storms that killed seven Iowans earlier this month.

Congresswomen Cindy Axne of West Des Moines and Ashley Hinson of Marion have written the acting director of the National Weather Service. They’re asking for an explanation of the problem in the Dallas/Fort Worth office that delayed release of Iowa tornado warnings on March 5th. Axne and Hinson say the delays are unacceptable and addressing them should be the highest priority. Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are co-sponsoring a bill to update forecasting technology and communications equipment in the National Weather Service.

The delays in tornado warnings on March 5th were due primarily to a damaged fiber optic cable. National Weather Service staff came up with a work around and a warning that a tornado was likely to hit near Winterset was issued 20 minutes in advance.