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

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A traffic stop in Montgomery County Thursday afternoon on a speeding motorcycle turned into a chase. Authorities say a 2008 Kawasaki EX-650 operated by 26-year old Zachary Wayne Coddington, of Red Oak, was traveling east on Highway 34, when a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy tried to stop the cycle at around 4:30-p.m.

Instead of pulling over, Coddington sped-off and led authorities on a chase at speeds of up to 120-miles per hour before his motorcycle went out of control when he tried to turn south onto Highway 48. The bike went into a ditch, causing Coddington to be ejected from the machine. The man was not injured during the crash.

Coddington was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on charges that include Eluding, Having No Valid Driver’s License, and speeding 120-mph in a 55-mph zone. His bond was set at $2,000.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was assisted during the pursuit and arrest, by the Red Oak Police Department and Red Oak Rescue.

VINTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have cleared two eastern Iowa police officers who exchanged gunshots with a man. Benton County Attorney David Thompson says the officers were justified in using deadly force because they were confronted with a deadly threat. The Iowa Public Safety Department says 43-year-old Lyle Fowler shot toward officers sent to check his welfare on Sept. 7. The two officers fired back, but no one was wounded in the exchange.

The department says the officers were Sgt. Benjamin Parmater and Patrol Officer Katlyn Schimerowski of the Vinton Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) — The future of sports betting in the state could look a lot like what’s been put in place in Delaware. The Iowa Lottery has been following the issue at the request of state lawmakers after a U-S Supreme Court ruling in May made sports betting legal across the county. Lottery spokesperson Mary Neubauer says Delaware approved sports betting shortly after the court ruling. “We think Delaware did a really good job of designing its system to try to provide the convenience factor that all of the experts have said is so important in terms of trying to beat back the black market,” Neubauer explains. “You have to make it convenient for people to be able to place wagers or they’ll just stick will the illegal means.”

The largest share of the betting in Delaware is on N-F-L and college football games. Gamblers bet two-point-eight million of the overall five-point-one million dollars in sports betting on the pro game in the first week of the N-F-L season. They bet nearly two-point-six million on the N-F-L in its second week out of the and five-point-five million total for sports betting. Neubauer says Delaware has a system where you can bet in casinos or at retail locations, such as convenience stores. “In Delaware the way it works is that full blown sports betting — meaning sports betting with every possible variation that you could imagine — is done at casino locations. But then retail locations offer what are called parlay bets — which is bets on more than one game at a time. So, obviously the offerings at retail are more limited.”

Neubauer says there’s a distinct difference in the types of betting. “The numbers are showing that the bets that are being placed at retail locations are smaller — which what I think is what the experts would have told us to anticipate. That those are just casual betters, maybe they just place a bet on the way home,” according to Neubauer. “The bets that are being placed at casino locations in Delaware are larger. So, the true sports betting enthusiasts seem to be going to the casinos.” The wagers at the retail location in Delaware average almost 11 dollars, while the casino wagers average nearly 51 dollars. She says she can see the same type of plan working in Iowa. “I think that same kind of model already exists here in Iowa within our gaming market here — where you have lottery at retail locations and then casino locations as well. There seems to be room for both,” Neubauer says. There’s also a link between the Iowa and Delaware gaming markets. “The system provider in Delaware that is providing the equipment and the communications system for the sports betting that’s occurring in casinos and locations is Scientific International. That is the Iowa Lottery’s vendor here in Iowa,” Neubauer explains. “So that is the way we are able to get access to a lot of the numbers that we’ve already been sharing.”

She says it is possible the vendor could work it out so sports betting could be done through the existing lottery machines and infrastructure. Neubauer says the Delaware model and the connection with the service provider gives an early indication of how things might work. “The expertise is there, it’s just a question of what do Iowa lawmakers want to do. And once they’ve made that decision, then we can provide whatever assistance they may need,” Neubauer says.

Neubauer updated the Iowa Lottery Board at their meeting Thursday. She says they will continue reviewing the sports gambling landscape and keep lawmakers updated, so they have the latest information if they decide to move ahead with the issue.

(Radio Iowa) — New studies find farming remains one of the world’s most dangerous professions. Iowa State University Extension agricultural engineer,Chuck Schwab, is reminding Iowans in the industry to slow down and take breaks. “Agriculture, the industry as a whole, had roughly 2.2 deaths per 100,000 workers, which makes it the highest industry in the United States for the death rate,” Schwab says. That surpasses mining, construction, manufacturing and transportation. He says one reason for agriculture being so high with injuries and deaths is because it involves so many people from a wide age demographic. Schwab says, “We see a lot of the older farmers being hurt and again, when you’re talking about a uniqueness to this industry, agriculture doesn’t have that cap where when you get to 65, you stop farming.”

While older farmers may have many decades of experience, he says some of the tasks of farming become much more difficult and dangerous, the older you get. “What happens with older farmers, you tend to have different reactions times, you have balance issues, hearing issues, sight,” Schwab says. “All these senses play a role in how you make good, safe decisions and how to avoid injuries.” The same is true with younger generations, he says. The best thing a farmer of any age can do, according to Schwab, is take a break from the action and have a moment of rest. “The more your body is working and focused on a task without that break, you have a tendency to maybe not see some of the things that you would normally see,” Schwab says. “Or you put yourself at risk. You need to be hydrated. You need to have energy for your body.”

Besides helping your body recover, taking a break can also give your brain a rest from thinking about the chores at hand and you can come back to the job thinking more clearly.

Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County, Thursday evening, arrested a Villisca man for simple domestic assault and public intoxication. 47-year old William Edward Barr was taken into custody at around 6:45-p.m., in the 100 block of W. 6th Street, in Villisca. He was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Investigators say a state agency director who was a top ally of Gov. Kim Reynolds sexually harassed at least three female subordinates, routinely made inappropriate sexual comments and often drank on the job. An investigation found that Iowa Finance Authority director Dave Jamison grabbed one employee’s breasts in front of others at a bar near Okoboji in December 2016. The investigation found Jamison watched a pornographic video in front of that woman while they were driving together.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state ethics board says Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds did nothing wrong in accepting nine rides on private jets in the last 14 months, concluding they were legitimate in-kind campaign contributions allowable under Iowa’s gift law. The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board on Thursday considered complaints about a December trip to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee, when Reynolds and family members flew on the jet owned by Sedgwick, a company with a $1 million state contract.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Relatives of the 22-year-old Iowa man charged in the stabbing death of a top amateur golfer from Spain say they are “devastated.” Collin Richards’ family said Thursday that their “thoughts and prayers” are with those close to Iowa State University student Celia Barquin Arozamena, whose body was found Monday in a golf course pond. Richards is charged with first-degree murder in Barquin’s death. Officers found Barquin’s body in the pond near the ninth hole at a public golf course in Ames.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A contempt charge has been dismissed against a former Iowa television reporter who was accused of violating a judge’s order last year not to take courtroom video of “The Bachelor” star Chris Soules. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that a judge dropped the charge against former KWWL reporter Elizabeth Amanieh on Thursday. KWWL published video of Soules’ April 2017 court appearance. Prosecutors said a judge had told Amanieh she wouldn’t allow video of the hearing.

Council Bluffs Police Thursday night reported an arrest has been made in connection with the robbery of a convenience store early Thursday morning. At around 5-p.m. Thursday, the Bluff’s P-D’s Uniform Division was contacted by Harrah’s Casino Security regarding a possible sighting of the suspect in the robbery of the Bucky’s store Thursday morning.

Officers were able to locate and detain 23-year old Nuradeen O Ahmend, of Omaha. The man was interviewed by the Criminal Investigaton Division, and, during the course of the investigation, the lead detective obtained information which led to the arrest of Ahmed on a charge of 2^nd Degree Robbery, in connection with the incident that took place at 3434 Nebraska Avenue, a little after 4:30-a.m., Thursday.

As we reported earlier, following the incident, officers were informed that a light skinned black male dressed in a red Nebraska Hooded Sweatshirt gave the clerk a note demanding merchandise and an undisclosed amount of money. After receiving the items, the man left the area on foot.

Nuradeen Ahmend

Police in Council Bluffs responding to a report of shots fired Thursday afternoon, arrested a man on two felony and four other less serious – charges. Officers arrested 45-year old Kevin Longo, of Council Bluffs, on the felony charges of Going Armed with Intent and Felon in Possession of a firearm, two-counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance (A serious misdemeanor), and lesser charges that include Possession Drug Paraphernalia and Discharging a firearm within the City Limits.

Officers were called to the area of Perrin and Lincoln Avenues at around 3-p.m. Upon arriving in the area, witnesses stated the suspect (Longo) had entered a truck in the alley south of Perrin Avenue. Officers located the truck and Longo, and were able to detain him without incident.

Their investigation revealed he had been involved in an argument with another man behind a house on 300 block of Lincoln Avenue. Longo became upset and pointed a gun at the male, then pointed it into the air, discharging the weapon. He then pointed the weapon at the male again before leaving. No one was injured during the incident.

A loaded .380 caliber handgun with a spent round was recovered at the scene.  Personal use quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana and drug paraphernalia were also recovered. Longo was booked into Pottawattamie County Jail on the aforementioned charges.

SPENCER, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say flooding in northwest Iowa is causing multiple wastewater and manure discharges. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says 18 communities from Alton to Sioux Center have reported discharges from their wastewater treatment plants due to intense rains. Environmental specialist Lois Benson says 26 livestock operations also reported their manure storage systems were overflowing. Most of the discharging livestock facilities are in Lyon, Sioux, O’Brien and Clay counties.

The department is urging residents to stay out of floodwaters. Besides the risk posed by fast currents, floodwaters also carry debris and dangerous bacteria.