Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees reports the Yard Waste site near the Schildberg Rec Area, will re-open today (Tuesday) at Noon. Please do NOT pile anything on or close to smoldering debris, and observe any cones that are in place.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 30-year old Michael Lawrence Mabe, of Malvern, was arrested Monday night. Mabe was taken into custody for Ignition Interlock Required and Driving Under Suspension. His bond was set at $600.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Police in Council Bluffs say an Officer-involved shooting incident happened early this (Tuesday) morning.  Just before 3:00 am, Council Bluffs police officers attempted to pull over a suspicious pickup in the 3400 block of South 11th Street, near a construction contracting company that was not open for business. The driver of the pickup fled the area, at high speeds and in a reckless manner. A pursuit of the pickup ensued, entering onto south bound Interstate 29, with the vehicles exiting at the Highway 370 interchange. The truck then drove north, on the frontage road that runs parallel to I‐29, eventually returning back to I‐29 near the 45 mile marker, by driving through the ditch that separates the roadways.

Once back on the I‐29, the driver of the pickup intentionally rammed two Council Bluffs police vehicles. The officer that had been operating the second cruiser that had been struck, discharged his service weapon, striking the driver of the pickup. The driver of the pickup, a 28 year old male, was then removed from his vehicle and taken into custody. Officers’ on‐scene rendered medical aid until the Council Bluffs Fire Department arrived. The man was transported to an Omaha area hospital by ambulance for treatment of a gunshot wound to his arm and cuts to his faces. His injuries are not considered life‐threatening at this time.

Charges are pending on the driver of the pickup. Per standard procedure, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation was called to investigate the Officer Involved Shooting, while the Council Bluffs Police Department will look into any criminal actions committed by the suspect. The lanes of south bound I‐29 were shut down for several hours as the scene was documented and processed. Two of the officers involved were treated and released from a local hospital. Authorities are not releasing the name of the suspect or the officers involved at this time. Additional details are expected later this afternoon.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two men have been charged with murder following the death of a Des Moines resident who was severely beaten when his car was stolen in 2013. Twenty-year-old Leshaun Murray and 21-year-old Terrance Cheeks Jr. have been charged with first-degree murder. The two were 15 at the time of the carjacking in which Mike Wasike was injured. Wasike died in January after years spent in care centers.
Murray and Cheeks have been in prison since their convictions for robbery. Online court records don’t list the names of attorneys who could comment for them regarding the newly filed charges.

A third person involved, Kenneth Barry, was 17 at the time. He has not been charged with murder.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.2MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The National Weather Service says strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop across much of western and central Iowa late this afternoon into this evening. The main threats will be large hail and damaging winds, although an isolated tornado or two remain possible. Localized heavy rain will also be possible into the overnight hours as the thunderstorms persists. Stay tuned for weather watches and warning, and be prepared to seek shelter when severe storms approach. KJAN will keep you informed on-air and on our social media apps.

Today (Tuesday) will be a somber day for the law enforcement community in Council Bluffs, marking one year since the death of Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Burbridge. He was fatally shot by an escaping inmate who was later caught after a car-jacking in Omaha. Sheriff Jeff Danker says while a year has passed, the incident is still fresh in everyone’s minds.

“When something like this happens, it pretty much changes everybody,” Sheriff Danker says. “It can happen. Law enforcement is a dangerous profession. It brings home that it can happen anywhere at any time to anybody.” Another deputy was shot and wounded in the incident which happened during an inmate transfer. The sheriff says there was an immediate and generous outpouring of sympathy that’s continued for all these months. “The other law enforcement agencies, the citizens, everybody’s been so supportive,” Danker says. “We really appreciate it. When a tragic event like this happens, it really helps you get through it by having the support of your community behind you.”

Today, law officers will be putting black bands on their badges, there will be a moment of silence at the time of the shooting, and flags across the county will be at half staff. There’s also a service planned this weekend in Council Bluffs featuring a life-size sculpture of a horse. “On Saturday, they’re going to have the unveiling of this Horse of Honor at the old Squirrel Cage Jail,” Danker says. “A number of different artists have put different work on that horse, just things that were special to Mark in his life.”

The inmate accused in the death of Burbridge is 25-year-old Wesley Correa-Carmenaty. He was sentenced to life in prison, plus 175 years after he entered guilty pleas to first-degree murder, attempted murder, escape, kidnapping and other crimes.

(Radio Iowa, w/thanks to Karla James in Omaha)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A report says a business conditions index for nine Midwest and Plains states has surged to its highest level in a dozen years. The report released Tuesday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index hit 64.5 in April, compared with 62.1 in March. The February figure was 59.7.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says much of the recent manufacturing sector growth has been driven by exports. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth in that factor. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

The business with the only state license to manufacture marijuana for medical use is planning a news conference at the state capitol today (Tuesday), hoping to convince lawmakers to let more Iowans use cannabis products. Senators from both sides of the aisle favor the move, but House leaders are against changing the law which limits use to about 15 medical conditions. Senator Tom Greene, a Republican from Burlington who is a pharmacist, supports a law that would let cannabis oil, pills or creams be used as treatment whenever a doctor thinks it might be useful. “I think it behooves every one of us here in the Senate to contact our representatives who serve our same districts in the House and tell them that 80 percent of Iowans want us to move on medical cannabis,” Greene says.

Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, says there’s been a reduction in opioid overdose deaths in states that have legalized marijuana for broader medical use. “We’re raging incrementalists here, how we approach these issues, but at some point it’s time to step up and look around the country, see what’s working and take some votes around here on some of this stuff,” Bolkcom said.

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, a Republican from Clear Lake, says lawmakers should wait until an advisory board reviews the new state law and makes recommendations later this year. Cannabis products will be sold from five state-licensed “dispensaries” starting December 1st.

(Radio Iowa)