Creston Police early this (Wednesday) morning, arrested 37-year old Briankeith A. Whitfield, of Creston, on numerous charges. Whitfield was taken into custody at around 1:30-a.m, at 603 W. Adams St., for Going Armed with Intent, Harassment in the 1st Degree, being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent offense, and for Possession of Paraphernalia. He was being held in the Union County Jail on $17,300 bond.

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

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Members of the Exira-EHK School Board will meet 6-p.m. today in the Conference Room in the Elk Horn building. On their agenda is discussion and/or action on: The Exira School playground equipment; Driver’s Ed Contracts; a P-Card Resolution authorizing issuance of individual procurement cards; prepayment of late June bills; Milk, bread and fuel bids; a transfer from the General Fund to Activity Fund, for the Yearbook account of negative balance at the end of June; approval of a New acceptable use policy for Technology during the 2018-19 school year; action on bus bids, and personnel matters.

The Board will also receive an update on construction projects.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines plans to resume ticketing Monday of speeding violators caught by an automated speed radar camera on a heavily traveled portion of Interstate 235. Citations haven’t been issued since April 26 last year, upon an order from the Polk County District Court. Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Muscatine appealed the court ruling. Those cities had sought the judicial review after the Iowa Transportation Department ordered some speed cameras turned off, saying the cameras didn’t make interstates safer.

This past April 27, however, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the department didn’t have authority over speed cameras, clearing the way for cities to employ them. The Des Moines Police Department said in a news release Tuesday that “a significant increase in speeding violations was noticed” after the ticketing halted.

Republican Congressman Steve King was an active tweeter, Tuesday, urging people to call congress and voice their opposition to bills that would provide what King calls “amnesty” to anyone who entered the U.S. illegally.  King tweeted out a link to an interview he did with T-M-Z about the separation of children from parents crossing illegally at the southern border. King told the T-M-Z cameraman there is “nothing cruel” about the way the children are being treated and they are not being held in cages. King has toured detention centers near the southern border before. The use of chain link fencing is needed, King has said, to separate the boys from the girls.

King said on Twitter that the only way to stop what he describes as a “flood of illegals” is for the U.S. to deport “substantially more…than the number of those who arrive seeking amnesty.”

(Radio Iowa)

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports three people were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday night. At around 11:20-p.m., 59-year old Deann Rachelle Russell, of Ft. Myers, FL., was arrested at the intersection of Highway 34 and 200th Street. She was charged with Interference with Officials Acts and held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond. At around 9-p.m., 42-year old Misty Schalome Currin, of Red Oak, was arrested near N. 3rd and E. Hammond Streets in Red Oak, for Driving While Suspended. Her bond was set at $566.25.  At about the same time, 37-year old Quinton Scott Swanberg, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 600 block of N. 3rd Street, in Red Oak. The report did not indicate what the charges were. Swanberg was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

HARLAN, Iowa (AP) — A former city administrator in western Iowa has been charged with stealing from the city. Shelby County Court records say 67-year-old Terry Cox is charged with felony theft, felonious misconduct in office and misdemeanor records tampering. His lawyer, Mark Weinhardt, says Cox will plead not guilty. Cox’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 5.

He was city administrator for Harlan until he resigned in 2016 after questions were raised about his expenses. A state audit requested by the city identified nearly $145,000 in improper and unsupported disbursements from July 1, 2004, through June 30, 2016. Cox’s attorney says the audit report is flawed.

Police in Red Oak, Tuesday night, arrested 57-year old Tony Joe Christensen, of Red Oak. He was taken into custody for Public Intoxication, and transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for evaluation before being transferred to the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $300.

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a 9-year-old boy who was found underwater Sunday at a central Iowa lake has died. The Des Moines Register reports that Landyn Short, of Tama, died Tuesday at a Des Moines Hospital. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office says the boy was reported missing in the water at Rock Creek State Park, near Grinnell, around 1:30 p.m. Sunday and found underwater about 45 minutes later.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — With recent heavy rains and more on the way, the National Weather Service says there is a potential for more serious flooding in the southern half of Iowa by week’s end. While only some scattered thunderstorms are expected across the state for much of Tuesday, more widespread storms and heavy rain are expected Tuesday night into Wednesday, with some spots possibly getting up to 4 inches.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Environmental activists are asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ authority to manage a program designed to limit water pollution. About 30 members of the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement held a rally Tuesday at the state Capitol. They distributed a letter to the EPA where they alleged the DNR hasn’t done enough to adequately regulate massive hog farms.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state housing agency that’s been reviewing its decision to lease new office space is moving ahead with the relocation plans. The Iowa Finance Authority says its board of directors agreed Tuesday to reaffirm the move after receiving a new external review of expected costs. The agency says the review shows the move would be the most cost-effective option in year ten when compared to choices like staying in the current location.

In light of recent public outbursts during the Atlantic City Council meeting, and subsequent verbal sparring with the Mayor and Councilpersons, the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, will review a Resolution pertaining to Public Forum Procedures. City Administrator John Lund says the Council passed a Resolution in Feb., 2002, which set the rules of procedure at Council meetings. The first rule states “THe Mayor shall preserve order and decorum and shall decide all questions of order, subject to an appeal to the Council.” Lund says the Council may choose to amend the current resolution, but until any changes are adopted, the Mayor is still entrusted to execute the Resolution.

Lund says the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC), a non-profit organization that helps local governments better serve their citizens by providing legal and policy guidance on any topic, says “Limiting public comment time in a council meeting is not a violation of the 1st Amendment, as some have claimed. Meetings must be public, according to Iowa Code, which also outlines specific instances where a governmental body may enter into a closed session. The law does allow the public the right to attend those meetings, but does not require those bodies to allow a public forum. Most cities, however, allow audiences to speak at meetings, even though it not required (except in the case of published Public Hearings).

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will discuss and consider a possible Business Grant Program in the form of a CDBG, or Community Development Block Grant, specifically for downtown facade restoration. The City already has an Economic Development Revolving (EDR) loan fund for Atlantic businesses. And, the City contributes between $30- and $43,000 to non-profit entities, according to Lund, that are considered to be charitable. That doesn’t include contributions to their economic development partners SWIPCO, CADCO and the Atlantic Chamber.

The Council will act on an order closing certain streets for the American Legion Post #43’s “Welcome Home” event this Sunday, from 10-a.m. until 3-p.m. The event is designed to honor members of Company K, 168th Infantry Battalion, who served in World War II. Those soldiers did not receive a homecoming event upon their return from the War. The members of that unit all passed on, but the ceremony is fitting, according to City officials, in light of Atlantic’s Sesquicentennial observations.