The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Creston man on an Arson charge. On Thursday at 11:30am 26-year-old William Gene Hatfield of Creston was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center for Arson in the 2nd Degree. He was booked in to the Union County Jail on $10,000 bond.

The Harlan Police Department released their latest arrest report on Wednesday.

On Tuesday Harlan Police arrested 31-year-old Joey Lee Ranney Jr. of Harlan for Domestic Abuse. He was booked into the Shelby County Jail.

On Sunday, July 15th Officers arrested 43-year-old Joseph Peter Scheffler of Harlan following a traffic stop at 12th and Baldwin Streets. He was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Prohibited Acts, and Improper Rear Lamp. Sheffler was booked into the Shelby County Jail.

Also on Sunday, July 15th Officers arrested 45-year-old Rebecca Jo Schaben of Harlan for Domestic Abuse Assault and Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs. Schaben was arrested following a disturbance call in the 1000 block of 10th Street in Harlan. Schaben was taken to the Shelby County Jail and booked in.

The third and final arrest Sunday was that of 62-year-old Gary Lyn McCoy of Harlan who was arrested on a 5th Degree Theft Charge. He was also booked into the Shelby County Jail.

On Saturday, July 14th 36-year-old Larry Vincent Clemons of Manilla was arrested following a traffic stop in the 900 block of 6th Street. Clemons was taken to the Shelby County Jail on charges of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Prohibited Acts Penalties, and Carrying Weapons.

On Thursday, July 12th Harlan Police arrested 52-year-old Damon Patrick Ellsworth of Harlan following a traffic stop in the 500 block of Cyclone Avenue. Ellsworth was taken to the Shelby County Jail on a charge of OWI First Offense.

Shenandoah Elks Lodge 1122 is the host for the next Veterans Town Hall scheduled for today, Wednesday, July 18. The lodge is located at 701 South Fremont Street, Shenandoah, Iowa 51601.

Veterans, caregivers, Family Members or anyone who has a vested interest in Veterans information and updates is invited to the Veterans Town Hall, beginning at 6 p.m.

Subject matter experts from the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System will be on hand to provide current and topical information to the public.

A question and answer session will also be included, in addition to information tables.

Questions about this event may be addressed to jennifer.scales1@va.gov or calling 402.995.4719.

The Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System is also hosting a Veterans Appreciation Picnic in Omaha from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Vets will enjoy some ‘burgers and bonding’ with each other as they are hosted to appreciation picnic.

The picnic is scheduled at the Omaha VA Medical Center, located at 4101 Woolworth Avenue in Omaha.

This is a free picnic for Veterans enrolled in the NWIHCS.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today reminded Iowa farmers that funds are available to help install practices focused on protecting water quality.  Practices eligible for this funding are cover crops, no-till or strip till, or using a nitrification inhibitor when applying fertilizer.

The cost share rate for first-time users of cover crops is $25 per acre, no-till or strip till are eligible for $10 per acre and farmers using a nitrapyrin nitrification inhibitor when applying fall fertilizer can receive $3 per acre. Farmers are eligible for cost share on up to 160 acres.

First-time users that apply by July 27 will be the first applications funded.  First-time users that apply after July 27 will still receive priority consideration, but funds will also be made available to farmers that have used cover crops in the past for cost share assistance at $15 per acre.

“We already have $1.3 million in applications from more than 600 new farmers interested in trying a practice for the first time to better protect water quality. We encourage farmers that are interested to contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District office as soon as possible to learn more about the assistance that is available,” Naig said.

The 100 Soil and Water Conservation District offices located in each county across the state have information about this program and other opportunities for cost share funding.

Background on Iowa Water Quality Initiative

The Iowa Water Quality Initiative was established in 2013 to help implement the Nutrient Reduction Strategy, which is a science and technology based approach to achieving a 45 percent reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus losses to our waters.  The strategy brings together both point sources, such as municipal wastewater treatment plants and industrial facilities, and nonpoint sources, including farm fields and urban stormwater runoff, to address these issues.

The Initiative seeks to harness the collective ability of both private and public resources and organizations to deliver a clear and consistent message to stakeholders to reduce nutrient loss and improve water quality.

The initiative is seeing some exciting results. Last fall, 2,600 farmers invested an estimated $8.7 million in funding to match $4.8 million in state cost share funds to adopt cover crops, no-till or strip till, or use a nitrification inhibitor when applying fall fertilizer. Participants include 1,000 farmers using a practice for the first time and more than 1,600 past users who are trying cover crops again and are receiving a reduced rate of cost share.

A total of 65 demonstration projects are currently located across the state to help implement and demonstrate water quality practices. This includes 14 targeted watershed projects, 7 projects focused on expanding the use and innovative delivery of water quality practices and 44 urban water quality demonstration projects.   More than 250 organizations are participating in these projects. These partners will provide $37.7 million to go with the $23.4 million in state funding going to these projects.

More than $420 million in funding has been documented for efforts in support of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy last year. This represents a $32 million increase of funding in support of Iowa water quality programs and conservation efforts over the previous year.

More information about the initiative can be found at www.CleanWaterIowa.org.

(Correction by Creston PD – Lori Clayton arrested for Theft in the 5th degree, not 3rd)

The Creston Police Department reports two arrests on Tuesday evening.

At 7:00pm Creston Police arrested 53-year-old Lori Clayton of Creston at 806 Laurel Street on the charge of Theft 5th Degree. Clayton was cited and released on Promise to Appear.

At 8:50pm Officers arrested 42-year-old Joel Gross of Creston at his residence on North Walnut Street for Theft 3rd Degree. He was taken to the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

One man was arrested and two others were cited on alcohol related charges after a traffic stop in Montgomery County early Wednesday morning. At 12:24am Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 21-year-old Robert Michael Daugherty of Elliot at the intersection of Highway 48 and I Avenue for OWI 2nd Offense, Driving While License Suspended, and was cited for speeding. Daugherty was taken to the Montgomery County Jail where he was held on $2,000 bond.  Two passengers in the vehicle, 19-year-old Dustin Kenneth Lee Farnstrom of Brooklyn and 20-year-old Dalton Dunkeson of Elliot, were cited for Possession of Alcohol Under Legal Age.

The Red Oak Police Department arrested a Red Oak man after a traffic stop on Tuesday night. At 10:35pm Officers stopped a vehicle for a traffic infraction at the intersection of 2nd and Joy Streets in Red Oak. It was discovered that the passenger in the vehicle 19-year-old Brandon Kyle Beckstead of Red Oak had an active warrant from Mills County for 5th Degree Theft. Beckstead was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and booked in awaiting extradition to Mills County.