DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s cold and snowy winter has been especially difficult on livestock producers, who have often struggled just to reach their animals. State Climatologist Justin Glisan tells The Des Moines Register that Iowa so far has seen a February snowfall average of 21 inches. That’s just short of a record 22.2 inches set in 1962. Rancher Trent Thiele says he had to ride a snowmobile 50 miles Sunday to check on his pigs. He says blowing snow made the trip treacherous.

He says the heavy snow is causing an overwhelming amount of maintenance issues as farmers work to ensure machines in animal facilities are providing fresh air, food and water. Iowa has a $13.6 billion livestock industry and leads the nation in pig and egg production.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office has issued its latest report on arrests/activities. On Tuesday, Feb. 26th:

• 30-year old Andrew Dean West appeared at the Sheriff’s Office to turn himself-in on a warrant for Violation of Probation. He was transported to the Pott. County Jail.
• 21-year old Peter Douglas Hobart, who was already in the Pott. County Jail, was presented with a Bench Warrant charging him with felony, Escape from Custody. Hobart was being held until a Residential Correctional Facility is available.

Today (Wednesday):

• 23-year old Rosmedi Lozano Sanchez was transported to the Pott. County Jail from the jail in Douglas County, NE. Sanchez was wanted on a Pott. County warrant for  Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender, the bond for which was set at $2,000. She was also being held for officials with ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement).
• 24-year old Elizabeth Carrie Lynn Heinrich was transported from the Douglas County, NE. jail to the Pott. County Jail, where she was wanted on a warrant for Operating a Vehicle without the owner’s consent, and held for another agency.
• And, 50-year old Bryan Ashley Santee was transported from the Sarpy County, NE. jail to the Pott. County Jail today (Wed.), where he was wanted on a felony warrant for Child Endangerment with bodily injury. Bond was set at $5,000.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Officials with the Creston Police Department report two women were arrested on separate warrants, Tuesday. Brianna Lynn Pace, of Creston, was arrested on a warrant for violation of a No Contact order. She was being held without bond, pending an appearance before the magistrate. And, Alicia Leann McLandborough, of Creston, was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear on a Debtors Exam. Her cash-only bond was set at $5,000.

And Police received two reports of Theft, Monday, in Creston. A man at Homestead Assisted Living, in Creston, reported a wallet with $255 was stolen. And, the Nishna Valley Credit Union in Creston reported a theft in the amount of slightly more than $4,818.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Brazilian man who caused a jetliner flight to be diverted to Cedar Rapids has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison. U.S. District Court records say 34-year-old Guilherme Alves De Melo was sentenced Tuesday in Cedar Rapids and told to pay nearly $4,800 restitution to American Airlines for the cost of diverting the flight. He’d pleaded guilty to intimidating a flight crew member.

Court records say that on June 23, Alves became disruptive and “lost it” about an hour before the plane was scheduled to land in Chicago. The plane had taken off from Calgary, Canada. That led some passengers to restrain him with zip ties provided by the flight crew before the plane was diverted to eastern Iowa.

Alves was charged in Iowa with disorderly conduct for yelling obscenities as he was arrested by Cedar Rapids police. He pleaded guilty to that charge the next day and paid a $100 fine.

(Radio Iowa) — The Republican who leads the Senate Education Committee is championing a plan to get rid of the state mandate that Iowa schools have at least one school nurse and a teacher librarian on staff.  Senator Amy Sinclair of Allerton, says “This bill is about returning the authority to local school boards, local administrators and local teachers to make the decisions that make the most sense for their classrooms.”  Her proposal also would get rid of the mandate that schools collect data on whether students have had vision and dental screenings as well as a blood test to see if they suffer from lead poisoning.

Melissa Peterson, a lobbyist for the Iowa State Education Association, suggests the bill sets up a system of haves and have-nots. “We need to have consistent services provided to our kids,” Peterson said. School administrators said school nurses help administer prescription medications for students and there might be legal liability for schools that get rid of their nurses. Sharon Guthrie, executive director of the Iowa School Nurse Organization, says a quarter of Iowa schools did not have a nurse on staff before the the state mandate took effect. “Human nature tells you that if you say you don’t have to do something, you probably won’t do it,” Guthrie said.

Karla Krueger, a professor in the University of Northern Iowa’s College of Education, is urging legislators to maintain the mandate for school librarians. She says teacher librarians have contact with every student in their school. “They are teaching students important skills that makes them better readers,” she said. “It also makes them better writers and researchers.” Emily Piper, a lobbyist for the Iowa Association of School Boards, says most of the ideas in the bill came from school boards seeking more local control.  “It’s not our intention…to put children at risk,” she said. “It is our intention to try to better focus our attention and energies.”

A Republican senator who joined Sinclair in supporting the bill says he’s interested in reducing administrative costs in schools and he sees this bill as one way to do that.

(Radio Iowa) — A plan to provide 22 million dollars in scholarships, paid internships and other incentives to students in the “STEM” fields of science, technology, engineering and math is under development at the statehouse. Republican Representative Brian Best of Glidden says in addition to helping students get four-year degrees, it will help finance short-term training programs, too. “It’s just such a ‘no-brainer,'” Best says. “They can get a skill in one to two years, come out of a community college with very little debt and be making a good wage. That’s why I’m really excited about what ‘Future Ready Iowa’ does.”

The so-called “Future Ready” initiative is the top legislative priority of Republican Governor Kim Reynolds. While the outline for the initiative has been in place since last year, there’s been no funding to pass along to students. Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat from Sioux City, says both Democrats and Republicans recognize the state must spend more to address the workforce shortage. “But we should also be doing so in a way that is just not rebranding programs or shuffling dollars that already exist and claiming victory by continuing something that’s already underway, but just marketing it differently,” Hall says.

The governor has said her “Future Ready Iowa” goal is to have 70 percent of Iowa workers earn a college degree or advanced training after they finish high school. Just 58 percent of Iowa workers between the ages of 25 and 64 have met those goals today.

The Cass County Conservation Board is holding a Snowshoes 101 Program at Cold Springs State Park in Lewis, this Saturday March 2nd at 1pm. The event will be held at the Beach Parking lot. Come out at learn all about snowshoes and try on a pair for yourself! FREE, and all ages welcome. Snow shoe sizes from 5 year olds to adult are available.

And, the Cass County Conservation Board is holding a Bluebird Nest Box Program at the Outdoor Educational Classroom Lodge near Massena, on Saturday March 9th at 4:00 PM. Come out to learn from Iowa Bluebird Conservationist President Chris Parks and you may win a door prize. Learn all about placing a bluebird box, and discussing on how to increase the success of your bluebird box. Discussion will focus on bluebird box design, correct placement, and maintenance practices that will increase the success of your efforts. The event is FREE, and all ages are welcome to attend.

Officials with the Burlington Northern-Sante Fe Railroad have confirmed a BNSF train derailed near Shenandoah, Tuesday. According to reports, a wheel of the train slipped off the track, causing a locomotive to become detached from three rail cars.The incident happened on tracks on near Porters Lake off Highway 48. A Shenandoah Police officer reportedly contacted BNSF officials regarding the derailment. No other details are currently available. Crews are working to repair the wheel and get the train back on the tracks by this evening, according to BNSF.