COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Two Council Bluffs individuals were sentenced to federal prison for possessing firearms as felons. According to public court documents, in December 2022, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the joint Council Bluffs residence of Anthony Michael Huff, 37, and Bobbie Jo Adkins, 37. Inside the residence, a loaded 12-gauge shotgun was in a bedroom, where a marijuana grow lab was also located, as well as ammunition found in the living room. On Adkins’s cell phone, law enforcement later located photos of the shotgun where Huff told Adkins “we got the gun.”

Huff and Adkins are both felons and prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. In 2012, Huff was convicted of two felony counts of terroristic threats in the Nebraska District Court for Dodge County. In 2015, Adkins was convicted of possessing a firearm as a felon, in the Iowa District Court for Page County.

Huff received a 37-month sentence, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. Adkins received a 48-month sentence, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement (SWINE) Task Force.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Sioux Falls, South Dakota man and Guatemalan national was sentenced on November 26, 2024 in Council  Bluffs U-S District Court, to 15 years in federal prison for possessing a distribution quantity of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm as a felon and in relation to his drug trafficking.

According to public court documents, 47-year-old Johny Fernando Diaz-Mendez, was arrested in March 2024 and found in possession of a firearm in his waistband and a large quantity of methamphetamine. After completing his term of imprisonment, Diaz-Mendez will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the Iowa State Patrol.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

(Radio Iowa) – Wetlands in Iowa help prevent nearly 500-million dollars in flood damage every year, according to a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Report author Stacy Woods says wetlands are natural floodwater barriers that absorb and slow down rushing water like a sponge. Federal data shows a decline in the number of wetlands, especially in the Prairie Pothole region, Great Lakes and southeast. Woods fears the trend could accelerate, as a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year stripped away federal protections in the Clean Water Act for many wetlands.

Woods says, “It’s critically important that we really step up to protect the wetlands that remain, because we’re going to need them as our flooding frequency increases with this warming climate.” The report’s findings build on peer-reviewed research, which estimates one acre of wetlands provides 745-dollars of flood mitigation benefits to residential homes.

“We know that flooding is a significant issue,” she says. “It’s expensive, and it’s getting worse as the climate warms.” Along with flood mitigation, the report says wetlands provide habitat and food for roughly half of the endangered species in the U.S. They also act as natural pollution filters for drinking water. In the last two decades, Iowa has had six flood disasters with losses exceeding one-billion dollars.

“In our report, we were only looking at how wetlands benefit communities by mitigating flood damage,” Woods says, “but of course, wetlands bring so many benefits to communities.” The report recommends boosting conservation programs that help restore and protect these habitats.

(Radio Iowa) – An engineering study indicates between four and five MILLION dollars in repairs are needed for Spencer’s waste water treatment plant, which was damaged by catastrophic flooding in June. Kevin Robinson, Spencer’s Acting City Manager, says city officials are reviewing the study. “We’ll be meeting with Public Works, discussing the pros and cons of moving forward either replacing the stuff that was damaged in our normal project deadline and/or…is there a better path forward,” Robinson says. “The technology that we use is old.” Robinson says some FEMA disaster money could be used to improve the plant.

Spencer officials are also considering a plan that would use city and federal funds on a project to tear down seven apartment buildings in Spencer that were swamped by flooding in June. The city would spend 300-thousand dollars to acquire the property. Spencer’s Acting City Manager says the city would then apply to use federal funds to demolish the apartments. “Those properties sit development ready until our Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief funding comes in, which will be 18-24 months,” he says. Robinson says Spencer officials have discussed the plan with two state agencies that are involved in housing development projects.

“They believe that we could get flood-compliant apartment complexes back in those areas,” Robinson says. Eighty percent of the structures in Spencer were either damaged or destroyed in June by flooding or backed up sewer water. Spencer sits at the convergence of the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan Rivers.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Employment Appeal Board has ruled a Woodbury County Supervisor violated Iowa labor law by interfering with the constitutional rights of county workers who are members of a union. The board’s ruling refers to a news release Woodbury County Board of Supervisors chair Matthew Ung issued in late August, after local union members rejected a deal for better wages and benefits for lawyers in the county attorney’s office. Ung said the rejection endangered public safety and Ung promised county workers increased pay and benefits if they dissolved their union.

Ung has been ordered to make an official statement, admitting his promise of better pay if the union went away violated state law. Copies of Ung’s statement are to be posted for 30 days in places where Woodbury County employees regularly see notices about their employment. Ung says he’ll comply and won’t appeal the decision.

The head of the union that represent Woodbury County employees says the decision sends a clear message that union-busting has no place in our state.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors met this (Wednesday) morning, in Greenfield. During their regular weekly session, Adair County Recorder Kelly Mitchell, presented a request for an increase in fees for documents processed by her office, and a modernization initiative. Mitchell said the State of Iowa has not had an increase in those fees in over 40 years.

Iowa Land Records (ILR), she said, was one of the first statewide land record systems in the country. It continues to offer free access to over 22-million county and statewide land records and related information, with the Iowa County Recorders Association playing a central role in the operation and success of the ILR.

Making changes in the fee structure is something that’s been talked about in the courthouse for quite a while, according to the Supervisors.

Another benefit to increasing the fees, is the related increase in the County’s General Fund, according to Kelly Mitchell. While agreeing that it’s time to make the changes, they took no action on the request, as it was for informational purposes only at this time.

The Board heard also from Adair County Auditor Brenda Wallace, with regard to an abatement of taxes for a parcel in the City of Adair, where the individual has turned a building back in to the City, which in-turn will make it into a police department. The City, she said, has owned the land for decades….

The Supervisors unanimously voted to pass a resolution authorizing the abatement to take place. Adair County Engineer Nick Kauffman presented for the Board’s approval and Chair Jerry Walker to sign, contract and performance bond for the W-22 (Lee Township) bridge project. Kauffman also presented his weekly update on Adair County Secondary Roads Department activities. That included what he called a “Trial run” for the County’s snowplows, following Monday’s snowfall. It helped them to identify any potential problems they need to fix before we get “A real snow.”

Meanwhile, crews will continue to blade the gravel roads where needed, and hauling some rock to fill-in any mud spots that exist.