COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A Council Bluffs shelter has begun work on a $3.6 million expansion that will allow it to help more women and families. The Daily Nonpareil reports that the Micah House announced the public part of its Shelter Reimagined campaign Thursday. The nonprofit raised $2.1 million in the “quiet” phase of the campaign, leaving $1.5 million left to be raised to reach the final goal.

The organization serves as an emergency homeless shelter for single women and families. The nonprofit says it provides shelter, meals, case management services, health care access and budgeting classes.
The expansion is already under construction. Shelter officials say it will accommodate an additional 250 women and 24 families annually. The shelter served almost 60 women and more than 200 families last year.

Police in Council Bluffs Thursday evening, put out a call for information from anyone who might be able to identify a 23-year old man with developmental issues who was unable to communicate with authorities and who was left alone at the Super 8 Motel. Thursday evening, officers were contacted by family members of the man, whose name is Tyler.

Tyler from TX

They were able to determine through the family, that he is from Texas.

Tyler’s family had been traveling and stayed the night at a hotel in Council Bluffs. On the morning of the 21st the family, who had been traveling in two separate vehicles, left for their destination of Grand Forks, North Dakota. One of the family members stated he observed Tyler follow his mother out of the room and thought he would be riding with her. Other family members left a short time later in the second vehicle, without Tyler. The family arrived in North Dakota at separate times. Once they all got to Grand Forks, they realized that Tyler had not been in either car and immediately made contact with the Council Bluffs Police Department. The Council Bluffs Police Department, along with officials from the Iowa Department of Human Services, were able to reunite Tyler back to his family early this morning.

It was determined that this was an unintentional oversight by family members; no criminal charges are going to be filed.

A destructive pest of ash trees has now been confirmed in Buchanan, Hamilton, Hardin and Pottawattamie counties. The Emerald ash borer (EAB), an exotic pest from Asia, was first found in Iowa in 2010 and has now been detected in 61 Iowa counties. Insect samples were collected from ash trees in Winthrop (Buchanan County), a rural area east of Randall (Hamilton County), Eldora (Hardin County), and Council Bluffs (Pottawattamie County). The samples were submitted to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which confirmed them positive for EAB. Buchanan and Hardin Counties involved ash trees on private property, whereas Hamilton and Pottawattamie County findings occurred in the right-of-way along I-35 and I-80, respectively.

Mike Kintner, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship EAB and gypsy moth coordinator, says “June is typically the time of year we receive a surge in phone calls about poorly looking ash trees. We urge people to continue to report suspicious symptoms in counties that are not yet known to be infested. People can really help minimize the spread of this pest by not giving it a ride in infested firewood between counties or from home to campsite.”

Since the dispersal of this beetle by natural flight is limited to only short distances, people serve as the mode of transportation involving longer distances. Beneath the bark in the larval stage EAB can unknowingly be transported in firewood. Numerous other insects and diseases can also hitchhike in firewood. Iowans are encouraged to use locally sourced firewood, burning it in the same county where it was purchased. Adult beetles begin to emerge from May to June and can be found throughout the summer months. The metallic-green beetle is slender and approximately 1/2 inch long. After emerging from a tree the beetle leaves behind a telltale D-shaped exit hole approximately 1/8 inch in diameter.

EAB-infested ash trees can include branch dieback in the upper crown, water sprouts along the trunk and main branches, vertical bark splits, D-shaped emergence holes, S-shaped tunneling under loose bark, as well as woodpecker damage. EAB larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk. Starved trees usually die within 2-4 years.

The State of Iowa continues to track the movement of EAB on a county-by-county basis. Citizens who suspect an EAB infestation in ash trees in their area are encouraged to contact one of the following:

·         Iowa Dept. of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, State Entomologist Office: 515-725-1470

·         Iowa Department of Natural Resources: 515-725-8453

·         Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Entomology: 515-294-1101

At this calendar date, the treatment window for soil-applied preventive treatment measures (soil injection, soil drench, or granular application) and basal bark sprays has ended. Trunk injections can be done now through the end of August if a landowner is interested in protecting a valuable and healthy ash tree within 15 miles of a known infestation. Good ground moisture is essential for systemic insecticide movement in a tree. Full details are available in Iowa State University Extension and Outreach publication PM2084: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/13114. To find a certified applicator in your area, download PM3074 and follow the steps: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/Finding-a-Certified-Pesticide-Applicator-for-Emerald-Ash-Borer-Treatment

A traffic stop on a speeding vehicle in Pottawattamie County, Thursday, resulted in the discovery of 50-pounds of marijuana, and the arrest of two people. The Pott. County Sheriff’s Dept. says Deputy Brian Miller pulled over a Mazda on I-80 near Council Bluffs, at around 2:25-p.m. while speaking with the driver, Miller detected the odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. A subsequent search revealed the weed in vacuum sealed bags. Taken into custody for Possession with the Intent to Deliver, was 24-year old Anthony TJ Smith, of LaCrosse, WI., and 21-year old Hoza Deloner Wright III, also from LaCrosse.

And, a report of suspicious activity at the Capri Motel in Avoca this (Friday), resulted in the arrest on drug charges, of 40-year old Paula Jean Burnison, of Avoca. Authorities say they recovered nine-tenths of a gram of methamphetamine in a baggy, and a 4.4-gram bag of marijuana, along with a glass meth pipe. Burnison, who was said to be under the influence of narcotics at the time of her arrest, was taken into custody at around 3:30-a.m., for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

And, there were three persons at the Pottawattamie County Jail who were served with warrants, Thursday. 38-year old Mickey James Scott, of Bellevue, NE, was arrested at the jail on a Nebraska warrant, for being a Fugitive from Justice. 58-year old Miguel Serge Taylor, of Council Bluffs, was served with a warrant for Theft in the 5th Degree (False Pretences/Swindle and/or Con game). And, 31-year old Michael Theodore Hodges, of Council Bluffs, was served with a warrant out of Nebraska, for being a Fugitive from Justice. All three men were turned over to Pott. County Corrections staff.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety says they’re trying to figure out why a “test Amber Alert” message that was sent out Thursday afternoon. Cell phones buzzed with the startling announcement. IDPS officials told KCCI that the department didn’t send the alert, and they’re working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to see what triggered the event.

DOON, Iowa (AP) — Some northwest Iowa residents have been evacuated following a train derailment that caused a crude oil leak. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that residents living along a rural road south of Doon have left their homes. Sheriff Stewart Vander Stoep in neighboring Lyon County says the train derailed between 5 and 5:30 a.m. Friday just south of Doon. He says it’s unclear how much oil has leaked.

It’s also unclear how many cars derailed and what caused the derailment. A BNSF spokesman didn’t immediately return a call from The Associated Press. Floodwater along the Little Rock River is running over a road north of the track. Evacuations have occurred downstream at Rock Valley, where the Rock River is expected to crest later today (Friday). The Little Rock flows into the Rock River.

The 2018 Cass County Relay for Life is tonight at the Atlantic High School Track. A wide range of activities will be available throughout the day to help raise money to fight back against Cancer, celebrate survivors, and remember those lost to the disease.

Action got underway this morning with the Relay for Life Tractor Ride that departed from the Cass County Fairgrounds.

All survivors in the area are welcome to attend the survivor meal with check-in beginning at 4:30pm. All survivors and one guest are welcome to come enjoy a free meal generously provided by Hy-Vee and enjoy fellowship with fellow survivors. Survivors will receive a survivor shirt and pin. Pennants will also be available for purchase in honor and memory of loved ones during the survivor meal leading up to the Relay kickoff on the track.

Activity on the track begins at 6:00pm with the reading of pennants and the Survivor Lap. All survivors and caregivers are welcome to walk around the track for the opening lap of Relay. The public is encouraged to some out and show their support for all the survivors in the area and cheer them on during the opening lap.

Education, activities, food, and entertainment will dot the rest of the night. Stop by the Education Tent for free treats and educational information. Bid on silent auction angel food cakes until 7:45pm and check out the other fundraisers that many teams will have going.  Kids will enjoy a bounce house and other games on the south side of the field. Entertainment will be provided by guitarist Bradley Dennis, Dance Atlantic, and Mike and Nancy Gibson. Food and cotton candy will be available for purchase from the Atlantic Kiwanis and Lewis Life Preserver’s team.

Come out to the Atlantic High School track tonight for a night of Celebration, Remembrance, and Fighting Back against Cancer.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), Iowa Board of Pharmacy and Iowa Pharmacy Association are sponsoring a statewide Narcan Access Day on June 29, 2018. The event is intended to expand availability of naloxone (Narcan) for anyone concerned about or who personally uses opioids. Narcan is a prescription medication that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose; it is not a cure for an opioid overdose, but it does buy time until emergency medical treatment is available.

Limited quantities of free Narcan kits will be available at over 350 participating pharmacies in Iowa. “This is a great opportunity to equip Iowans most at risk for encountering or experiencing an opioid overdose,” said Kevin Gabbert, IDPH Opioid Initiatives Director.

IDPH purchased approximately 2,000 two-pack Narcan kits using federal grant funding. The normal cost for an individual to purchase the same kit from a pharmacy would be around $150. To access the list of participating pharmacies, visit http://bit.ly/2MrSNq3. To learn more about naloxone, visit https://idph.iowa.gov/mat/overdose.

ROCK VALLEY, Iowa (AP) — Evacuations have been ordered for a northwest Iowa community along the swollen Rock River. Churches have been designated as emergency shelters in Rock Valley, a Sioux County community of about 3,300 residents. The National Weather Service says the Rock River is expected to crest later Friday about a foot below the 2014 record of nearly 23 feet, when several Rock Valley homes were damaged by the floodwater. Flood stage is 16 feet.

The service has issued flood warnings for several other rivers and creeks in the area, including the Big and Little Sioux rivers, the Floyd River and the Ocheyedan River near Spencer.

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

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