(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says the hack of a Texas software company that ultimately led to a computer breach in federal agencies shows every American must take online security seriously.   “You know, we’re all a weak link in this system,” Miller-Meeks says. Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Ottumwa, is a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. The panel held a hearing about the security breach, Friday. Miller-Meeks says malware and ransomware are new realities that require vigilance.

“This is a tremendously important hearing,” Miller-Meeks says. “As I’ve listened to the testimony of our witness and both the insightful questions from my colleagues and the answers provided by our expert witnesses, I’m reminded of pulling a single threat, which then unravels an entire garment.” Federal investigators say Russia was likely responsible for planting malicious code into a software update from a private company in Texas called SolarWinds last March. Thousands of customers completed the software update and it wound up compromising email systems in several federal agencies.

Miller-Meeks says changing passwords may seem a nuisance, but this case should raise an alarm for all Americans.  “We need to use events like these as collective learning moments, the stakes are just too high to stand idly by,” Miller-Meeks says. One of the experts who testified said hospitals, schools and government agencies need more tools and better trained I-T staff to combat malicious software or “malware” attacks.

(Radio Iowa) – The recent run of sub-zero temperatures across the country spurred several stories about animals who died in the cold or struggled. The D-N-R’s Tyler Harms tracks the deer numbers in Iowa and says it is a normal part of the cycle. “In winters like this where we have persistent deep snow cover and extremely cold temperatures — it’s definitely going to impact wildlife. We start to see some of those weaker individuals or younger individuals that succumb to these very harsh conditions,” Harms says.

He says he’s heard a few reports of deer with problems — but overall they can handle the Iowa winters very well. “Whitetail deer are native to Iowa, so they have been dealing these extreme winter conditions throughout their entire time here,” according to Harms. “They certainly have adapted biologically to be able to handle these conditions. You know often times they change their behavior and their bodies change to conserve as much energy as they can and they utilize the food they have available to them.”

He says deer are very good at finding any source of food available and you may’ve seen them in some backyards this winter looking for food. One thing he says everyone should avoid is putting out food for deer — as he says that can cause more problems than it solves. Harms says setting out a pile of corn is an example. “A pile of corn is really like a pile of candy for deer. It’s something that they certainly like to eat and it is something they can eat on occasion. But too much candy is not good for anyone,” Harms says. “Deer require a varied of different food sources, much like we do.”

Another danger is piles of food bringing deer together and concentrating them in one area. That can lead to the spread of diseases like C-W-D — which is always fatal to deer. Harms says they are better off than you might think. “They can manage quite well even in these extreme conditions. And while unfortunately, we do see some mortality of wildlife during times like this — for the most part on a population level — many critters do survive and are able to fight their way and live through it. It is pretty amazing that they are able to do that,” Harms says. Harms says they will know more about the winter’s impact on animals later this year.

Council Bluffs Police were dispatched to reports of a man that had been shot near “The Cube” bar at 162 West Broadway on Friday night at 11:19 p.m. Officers located the victim on the East end of the block sitting on a bench with security guards from “The Cube” standing around him.  The victim had a hole in his shirt and scratch where he appeared to have been grazed by a bullet.

Officers located evidence of the shooting in the entryway of “The Cube” and locked the scene down, closing the bar.  The victim was seen by medics on scene, but did not require a trip to the hospital.

This investigation is ongoing by the Criminal Investigation Division.  Anyone with any information that was in the area at the time of this incident is encouraged to contact  712-328-4728 or call Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.

A shooting early Saturday morning at a Council Bluffs bar sent one man to the hospital. Council Bluffs Police were dispatched to the O’Face Bar at 2400 9th Avenue at 12:56 a.m. for a shooting inside the bar. Officers found an injured male and were able to render aid until he was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Officers were informed that a black male wearing a red shirt, black coat, black pants and a red bandanna around his face walked into the bar and shot the victim.  The black male then left the bar in an unknown direction.

This investigation is ongoing by the Criminal Investigation Division.  Anyone with any information that was in the area at the time of this incident is encouraged to contact 712-328-4728 or call Crime Stoppers at 712-328-7867.

Two people were arrested Friday morning on felony, Theft charges, in Montgomery County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 41-year old Christopher J. Brown, of Council Bluffs, and 23-year old Janie J. Long, of Red Oak, were taken into custody for Theft in the 2nd Degree, after they were found in an SUV stolen from Omaha. The pair were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond, each.

Authorities say at around 8:12-a.m., Friday, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a suspicious man attempting to solicit a ride near the intersection of L Avenue and 160th Street, northeast of Red Oak. Deputies arrived at the scene at found a 2002 Chevy Tahoe in the middle of 160th Street, about one-half mile west of the intersection. An investigation revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen from an Omaha auto dealership.

Steven W. Wells

Sheriff’s Deputies in Page County, today (Friday), arrested a College Springs man, for Driving While License is Barred. Steven William Wells , age 51, was arrested in College Springs and transported to the Page County Jail, where he was being held on $2,000 bond, pending further court proceedings.

MILLVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Officials say two people suffered only minor injuries when the small plane they were in crashed in northeastern Iowa. The Telegraph Herald reports that the crash happened Wednesday afternoon in a snow-covered field just east of Millville in Clayton County. The sheriff’s office says the 1963 single-engine Cessna attempted to make an emergency landing on a county road, but hit a snowbank and overturned.

Officials say the pilot, 44-year-old Joseph Bolton of Peosta, and his passenger, 43-year-old Eric Harbaugh of Russell, Kansas, suffered minor injuries that did not require medical attention.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of stabbing his mother to death in Sioux City last year has been ordered to stand trial. The Sioux City Journal reports that 31-year-old Paul Belk, of Beaufort, South Carolina, was in court Friday for a status hearing, where a judge set his first-degree murder trial for April 20 in Woodbury County. His attorneys have filed notice that Belk will use an insanity defense.

In addition to murder, Belk also faces charges of willful injury and possession of a controlled substance for the April 14 stabbing death of 55-year-old Lisa Belk in her Sioux City home. Police say Paul Belk also slashed his sister in a shoulder, but she has since recovered.

(Noon News, 2/26) – The Atlantic Police Department reports three arrests:

• Today (Friday), 29-year old Cody Christensen, of Atlantic, was arrested on Cass County warrants for Disorderly Conduct, and Assault causing serious injury. He was booked into the Cass County Jail.
• On Thursday, 36-year old Amber Rhodes, of Atlantic, was arrested for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting). Rhodes was cited into court and released.
• And, on Wednesday, 42-year old Shane Seagler, of Massena, was arrested on Cass County warrants for Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and False report to a Public Entity. He was booked into the Cass County Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – The Greene County Sheriff’s Department is looking for the man who robbed a bank there Thursday. The robbery occurred at the People’s Bank in Scranton and was reported around 10:40 a-m on Thursday. Police say a man walked in, demanded money, and left with an undisclosed amount of cash. No one was injured during the incident.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.