Officials with the Nishna Valley Trails Association have announced a guest speaker for the next meeting, which takes place Monday, May 2^nd. Brian Leaders, a landscape architect with the National Parks Service’s “Rails, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program,” and who works out of the Midwest Region’s Omaha office, will share plans and programs for trail development in Cass County.

In addition, there will be updates on the development of the T-Bone trail in Cass County, and on organizing for the coming of RAGBRAI to Atlantic in July, as well as planning for other future events.

The Nishna Valley Trails group will meet from 6-to 7-pm Monday, May 2^nd, at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Atlantic, located at 1101 East 3^rd Street. The public is welcome to attend.

A homeless man was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Montgomery County. Sheriff’s officials say 47-year old Larry Willard Stoneking was taken into custody just after 1-p.m., on a charge of interference with officials acts.

The arrest was made following an incident which occurred at the intersection of 2^nd Street and 3^rd Avenue, in Villisca. Stoneking was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond.

Atlantic Police report two people were arrested Monday on separate charges. Officials say 42-year old Dana Cisar, of Atlantic, was taken into custody for Driving While Suspended. And, 47-year old George Brittain, of Atlantic, was arrested for Driving While Barred.

Both of the individuals were brought to the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will discuss the Prairie Rose Lake restoration plan during a public meeting at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 3, at the Harlan Community Library.

The Prairie Rose lake restoration project is contingent upon the DNR’s lake restoration program being funded at its current $8.6 million level. 

Prairie Rose Lake is one of 35 priority lakes in the state selected for lake restoration work to improve water quality.  Poor water quality has impacted the fish population and affected all water based recreation at the lake.

The lake’s water level will be lowered after the July 4 holiday and will be kept there for the remainder of the year to accommodate construction in the lake basin.  Draining the lake will effectively eliminate the existing fish population.

The presence of common carp in Prairie Rose Lake has contributed to the poor water quality and the dramatic reductions in both the numbers and the quality of sport fish populations and corresponding reduction in angling and boating use.

It is important to note that all other park facilities including the campground will remain open during the lake restoration work.  Users should expect limited lake access until normal water levels return in 2012.

The lake draining and fishery renovation is only part of a process aimed at improving the lake’s water quality. Stabilizing shoreline erosion problems, dredging to restore depth, and wetland construction will all be part of the restoration project.

Conservation practices aimed at reducing the amount of sediment and nutrients reaching the lake began over three years ago.  Soil and nutrient saving practices installed around the lake’s 4,600 acre watershed include more than 40 miles of terraces.

“Now that a significant portion of the land around lake has been treated it is time to move in-lake with restoration efforts,” said Bryan Hayes fisheries biologist with the Iowa DNR.

The public meeting will provide specific details of the nearly $4 million Lake Restoration project at Prairie Rose Lake.

Police in Omaha arrested a City Councilman from Missouri Valley Monday, for allegedly taking more than $271,000 from his employer. 34-year old Christopher Brooks was being held in the Douglas County, Nebraska Jail on suspicion of four-counts of felony theft by deception, causing a loss of more than $1,500, and four-counts of State Tax Evasion.

Brooks allegedly wrote checks to himself on an account registered to River City Barricade. The acts allegedly occurred over a period of four-years, beginning in 2007.

Brooks’ attorney, Michael Fitzpatrick, said it was his client, who, with a guilty conscience,  alerted his employer to what was going on.

Fitzpatrick also disputes the amount of money that was taken. He told reporters they are working to try and figure out exactly how they can prove what the exact amount is. He also mentioned Brooks had been working to pay his employer back for the purchase of nearly $20,000 worth of merchandise, which included a boat.

River City Barricade in Omaha, provides traffic control devices for city streets and construction zones. Company officials have declined to comment on the theft investigation. Brooks has reportedly been with the company for more than 14-years, overseeing its day-to-day operations, payroll, accounting and bidding processes.

He became a member of the Missouri Valley City Council in March 2010.

A Shenandoah Police officer and his canine partner won two awards earlier this month in Des Moines. Shenandoah Police Chief Kris Grebert says Officer Nephi Jones and his K-9 Eron picked up the awards during the National Police Canine Association Regional Trials.

The pair finished 5^th overall in vehicle searches and were named Top Rookie for Region 21, which includes Iowa, parts of Minnesota and Missouri. Sixty-three teams competed during the event. Fifteen were rookies.

Jones said he and Eron participated in the trials so the pair could become certified. He was appointed as K-9 handler at the end of January and completed training at the end of February. Jones has been a member of the Shenandoah Police force since March, 2008.

His partner Eron has already assisted in the detection of narcotics which resulted in arrests.

The Atlantic Board of Education will meet the new Atlantic Middle School Principal tonight, during scheduled work session at the high school. Cameron Smith was hired by the board April 12^th. Smith comes to Atlantic from the Garner-Hayfield School District, where he serves as the K-through 8^th Grade Principal and Athletic Director.

He will succeed AMS Principal Todd Roecker, who had earlier announced he would be retiring from the district at the end of June.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board tonight will receive an update on district building and infrastructure projects from Design Alliance Architect’s Jerry Purdy.

Their work session begins at 7-p.m. in the media center at the high school.

Authorities in Fremont County report the arrest Monday morning of a fourth person suspected in the April 18^th burglary of an unoccupied residence near Thurman. Sheriff Kevin Aistrope says Douglas Myers was arrested without incident in a Casey’s General Store parking lot in Tabor, after officials received a tip the man was in a U-Haul truck in that area.

Myers was charged with Burglary in the 3^rd, and Theft in the 3^rd, degrees. He was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of Methamphetamine.

Authorities allege Myers, along with 48-year old Tammy Larae Rose and 49-year old Kenneth Lee Milenkovich, both of Council Bluffs, took miscellaneous household items, a fuse box and wiring from a home in the Thurman area on April 18^th. 54-year old Lucy Merie Uriel, of Omaha, was charged with conspiracy in connection with the incident. Sheriff Aistrope says the other individuals were arrested at the scene of the crime, but Myers took off on foot. A warrant was later issued for his arrest.

Rose, Milenkovich and Uriel were being held on bonds ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, in the Fremont County Jail. Their preliminary hearings were set for 1:30-p.m. Thursday in Fremont County District Court.