A former City Clerk in Fremont County was sentenced Tuesday in Council Bluffs District Court to 5-years of probation for Bank Fraud. 57-year old Carol S. Jennings, of Riverton, was also ordered to pay $77,247.47 in restitution. As part of her sentence, Jennings will serve six months of home confinement.

In November 2018, Jennings pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. According to plea documents, Jennings admitted that while employed as the clerk for the City of Riverton, she opened an account with a local bank by providing a falsified document. Jennings also admitted to depositing city funds into the account and then converting almost the entire balance for her own personal use.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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AMES, Iowa – April 3, 2019 – While there was some good news last night with the opening of a segment of I-680 helping with the flow of traffic between Omaha and Council Bluffs, the public should expect that many Southwest Iowa roads will remain closed for weeks and in some cases, months due to severe flood damage.

The Iowa Department of Transportation is working diligently to assess damage, repair roads, and get them reopened as quickly as possible. Working with the Federal Highway Administration, local transportation partners, and the Nebraska and Missouri departments of transportation, our goal is to keep people moving as safely as possible through the area.

For those roads that remain closed, barriers continue to block access. Those barriers will remain in place until the road has been deemed safe for traffic.

A link to a detailed map of the initial damage assessments is available at: https://floods2019.iowa.gov/IADOT_2019FloodMap.pdf.

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Rescue crews from Atlantic and Marne were called to the 51 mile marker of Interstate 80 westbound at around 2:07-p.m. today (Wednesday), for a single-vehicle accident involving an SUV or pickup-type vehicle. One person, a passenger was reportedly injured.

Shortly afterward, a collision between a semi and two-cars occurred at the 49 mile marker westbound. All three vehicles ended-up in the median. No injuries were reported.

The Iowa State Patrol was handling the accident investigations. No other details are currently available.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A sentencing has been scheduled next month for a Mason City man accused of stabbing five people at a downtown bar. Cerro Gordo County District Court records say 39-year-old Raul Millares Arias entered an Alford plea of guilty Tuesday to five counts of willful injury and one of going armed with intent. In an Alford plea, a person doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a likely conviction. His sentencing is set for May 14.

Police say Millares Arias had been asked to leave the bar July 4 last year before stabbing four men and one woman and attempting to stab a sixth person. Police say Millares Arias was chased out of the bar by a customer and then held for police by witnesses. Court records say he’d planned to use defenses of intoxication and diminished responsibility.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors today awarded a total of more than $8.6 million in federal housing tax credits to support the construction of 552 rental homes for families and seniors. The twelve projects are located in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Grimes, Harlan, Marshalltown, Marion, Norwalk, Pella, Red Oak, Spencer, Urbandale and Waterloo.

In Harlan, Christiansen Meadows is receiving tax credits amounting to $710,833 for 36 affordable new construction units. In Red Oak, Prairie Fire Lofts is receiving $397,495 for 22 affordable family units through adaptive re-use. IFA Executive Director Debi Durham said “The housing tax credit awards announced today (Wednesday) will soon have a very real impact on hundreds of Iowa families and seniors who will call them home. “Not only is affordable housing the cornerstone for thriving families but it’s also integral for thriving communities. The twelve communities awarded projects today will benefit from the positive economic ripple effects for generations to come.”

The Internal Revenue Service makes an annual per capita allocation of federal tax credits to each state for the Federal Housing Tax Credit program. The Iowa Finance Authority is charged with allocating those credits to affordable housing developers. The developers who receive tax credits sell them to investors to generate equity for the housing developments. The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) received 31 applications requesting more than $22.2 million in housing tax credits in the 2019 tax credit round and IFA had approximately $8.8 million available to allocate.

The actual awards exceed $86.6 million because the credits are committed annually for a 10-year period. These projects have leveraged an additional $3.5 million in other funds, as determined by the scoring criteria within the 2019 program plan.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A railroad’s decision to permanently raise tracks along Davenport’s riverfront following recent flooding is ruffling feathers in City Hall. Davenport officials say Canadian Pacific Railway didn’t need permits or city approval for the work that began March 28 because the company has right of way. The Quad-City Times reports that aldermen and city administrators raised concerns Tuesday about accessibility and the possible disruption of road traffic at seven railroad crossings in the city. Some aldermen say they want the state to intervene.

Canadian Pacific spokesman Andy Cummings said in a statement Tuesday that the company has been in “close contact” with the city about the permanent “upgrade.” Public Works Director Nicole Gleason says the company notified the city of its intentions but didn’t provide a start date.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 34-year old Jacob Michael Carnes was arrested at around 9:50-a.m. today (Wednesday), on a valid Montgomery County Magistrate Court warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Suspended charge. Carnes was being held on a $1,000 cash bond.

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to thefts while working at a Coralville mall store has been accused of trying to sell some of the jewelry that police say he’d managed to hide away from investigators. Johnson County District Court records say 25-year-old Troy Woods pleaded not guilty to a new theft charge after his arrest Monday. He’s been on probation since March 2018, after he pleaded guilty to a theft charge. Court records say his 2017 thefts while working at a Kay store in Coral Ridge Mall amounted to nearly $51,000.

Coralville Police Chief Shane Kron told the Iowa City Press-Citizen that the jewelry Woods is accused of trying to sell to a New York company since his 2018 sentencing is “additional jewelry he hid.” Kron says Woods reported needing money to pay the restitution from the original case.

Elk Horn, IA– Lisa Steen Riggs, Manager of The Danish Mill Corporation has announced the Danish Mill has received a $44,000 donation from the Mike and Lou Howard Foundation. Riggs says “After receiving the Howard’s generous gift of $100,000 at the Danish Windmill’s Annual Meeting in January from them personally, this additional funding from the Mike and Lou Howard Foundation will help to bring closure to many important capital projects that are works in progress on the Windmill’s master “to do” list.”

Community benefactors Mike and Lou Howard sitting up in the cap frame of the Windmill that recently was restored to working condition (Lisa Riggs photo)

In addition to completing the roofing and historic restoration project, projects currently underway include retrofitting the replica 900 AD Viking smithy’s home (VikingHjem) with museum quality LED lights, repairing the catwalk, building a Miller’s Path, replacing the aged sprinkler system, and much more. Riggs said also, “Mike and Lou Howard have been so generous with the Windmill and the community overall,” Riggs continued. “Everyone is energized by the economic development and revitalization efforts they have initiated and the positive impact of their investments will be beneficial for many, many years to come.”

The Danish Windmill is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit organization. Charitable gifts and donations are the organization’s primary sources of funding. The Mill’s financials are published on the GuideStar® website so potential donors can review public records and non-profit reports. The Mill received the GuideStar® Gold Star of Transparency in 2018. To learn more about the Danish Windmill and how you can support the organization and about the projects, visit danishwindmill.com or contact the Danish Windmill at 712.764.7472.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office says a Creston man was arrested Tuesday evening at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. 32-year old Jeremy Joseph Lund was taken into custody on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear (FTA) on an original charge of Theft in the 4th Degree. His bond was set at $1,000.