A 19-year old will be sentenced Monday afternoon in connection with a November 2010 crash that claimed the lives of two Cumberland boys and severely injured their mother. Karli Jo Brown, of Essex, pled guilty in September, 2011, to motor vehicle homicide/reckless driving in the crash that killed 5-year old Maliki and 4-year old Alex Todd. The boys died at the scene of the crash, while their mother Nina McNeese, and Brown, were injured and flown to an Omaha hospital.

The accident happened at around 5:40-p.m. November 28^th, 2010, on Highway 48, as Brown passed two vehicles on a hill, and hit McNeese’ vehicle head-on. Court documents said Brown was driving 74 mph in a 55 mph zone and texting her boyfriend on a cell phone at the time of the crash.

Brown faces up to 10 years in prison on each of two counts of motor vehicle homicide when she appears in court at 1:30-p.m. Monday. In return for her guilty plea, prosecutors dropped a charge of causing serious injury by motor vehicle.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating yet another convenience store robbery. Officials say at around 9:30-p.m., Saturday, a clerk at the Kwik Shop located at 1602 Avenue G, reported an unknown male subject walked up to the counter, pointed a handgun and demanded money from the cash register. He grabbed about $60 before running out of the store.

The suspect was described as being white, about 20-to 30-years old, 5-feet 11-inches tall, and weighing about 175-to 190-pounds. He wore a dark ball cap, dark coat and dark pants. Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Council Bluffs Police Department at 712-326-4765.

Three other convenience store robberies remain under investigation in Council Bluffs. Those events occurred September 30^th at a Kwik Shop, October 30^th at a Kum and Go, and November 3^rd at a Kum-and-Go, all in Council Bluffs.

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports Highway 34 was closed for nearly an hour this (Saturday) afternoon, due to an accident in Adams County. Details about the crash are currently not available, but officials said both lanes of travel on Highway 34 were closed two-miles west of Corning due to the accident, which occurred at around 3:50-p.m.  Traffic was rerouted while the scene was being investigated and cleared.

Officials in Council Bluffs are thrilled the city shares the honor with Omaha, Nebraska, as being the third best place in the nation, to relocate to.  In fact, several cities are in the Midwest are on the list, compiled by Sperling’s BestPlaces.net and posted on CNBC.com. Only Pittsburgh, Penn., and Buffalo, N.Y. finished ahead of Omaha/Council on the Top 10 list, and ahead of such places as Austin, Tex., Madison, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul and Des Moines.

The recently released list was based on the following factors: unemployment, cost of living, crime rates, population health, and cultural events. The ten best cities to move to all have lower than average house prices and unemployment rates below the national average (10.2%). Leisure activities and sports teams were also factored into the equation.

According to BestPlaces.net, the Omaha/Council Bluffs area’s cost of living is 12.4 percent below the national average. The average price of a home is $137,600, well below the national average of $171,700. The unemployment rate is 4.7 percent, less than half the national average of 10.2 percent.

Kathy Fiscus, Special Projects Director for the Council Bluffs Convention and Visitors Bureau said the city’s ranking was “Super” news,  and that they’re “pleased and proud” to be on the list. Fiscus told the Council Bluffs Daily NonPareil “A lot of people think we’re ‘Midwest nice,’ which means we’re so nice.” She asked “Wouldn’t you really enjoy living somewhere where you’re greeted on the street and have no fear for yourself when you leave your residence?” Fiscus says the area still serves as a place to live out “The American Dream.”

See the report for yourself at: http://www.bestplaces.net/docs/studies/americas_top_relocate_cities.aspx

STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTH WINDS AT 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS APPROACHING 40 MPH WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EARLY EVENING. THIS WILL ENHANCE THE THREAT FOR FIRES ACROSS THE AREA WITH DRY GRASS CONDITIONS…LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND STRONG WINDS. THESE ARE ALSO LOCATIONS THAT SAW RELATIVELY SMALL AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION EARLIER IN THE WEEK…SO CONDITIONS REMAIN DRY. USE EXTRA CAUTION OR PUT OFF BURNING UNTIL CONDITIONS IMPROVE.

A Burn Ban remains in effect for Cass County, IA, until further notice. The Fire Danger Rating in Shelby County is “High.” The Fire Danger Rating in Shelby County is “High.” Burning of any kind in Shelby County is restricted unless approval is received from your local fire chief.

Iowa Congressman Tom Latham will take part in a Nov. 30TH hearing focusing on this summer’s historic flooding along the Missouri River. The hearing was announced on Thursday by the newly formed U.S. House Missouri River Flood Working Group, of which Congressman Latham is a member. Latham said he will voice the concerns of Iowans who live and work along the Missouri River during the hearing. He said any new river management policies enacted in the wake of this summer’s disaster must focus on flood prevention in lower basin communities.

The working group aims to make flood control a greater priority in Missouri River management after concerns arose in recent months regarding river management practices by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers is currently conducting public meetings for its 2012 Annual Operating Plan of the Missouri River system. The Nov. 30th hearing will be a chance for House members to voice questions and concerns about the 2012 operating plan.