The Cass County Board of Supervisors heard a report this (Wednesday) morning from Guthrie County Executive Director of Health Services, Jotham Arber. After Sanitarian Steve Patterson passed away last March, Guthrie County officials decided to move all environment health services under the wing of the Guthrie County Health System, while retaining all the employees and services previously provided.

Arber explained they are updating some of the 28-E agreements for soil services, so all counties are on the same page. There are only minor changes in the way Cass County is charged for services, and the implementation of a Cost Report mechanism. The Cost Report, which will be presented once a year to the Supervisors, so they can see the costs broken down. It wraps the various elements of inspections and services into one hourly rate, such as postage, office supplies and so on. Mileage would be charged separately. Last year in Cass County, there were 35 Perc Tests, 34 Septic Systems Installed, 8 new wells, 46 water tests, 26 time of transfer inspections, 16 wells plugged and 2 well rehab’s conducted. The total number of hours of service amounted to 725, with a total of 17,632 miles driven by inspectors. After his report to the Board, Cass County Auditor/Board Secretary Dale Sunderman, read the Resolution for the 28-E agreement, which the available Board member approved unanimously, with Supervisor/Chair Gaylord Schelling and Supervisor Steve Green absent.

And, in his report to the Board, newly appointed Cass County Attorney Michael Hooper answered some Board member questions with regard to how bad checks are prosecuted in the County. Hooper said there are essentially two options that have been available for many years when a business comes in to his office with a bad check. The first is, it can be prosecuted as a Theft charge. The amount of the check determines the Degree of Theft charge.  The offender would be required to pay restitution at a rate of about $50 per month. There is also an informal way of handling such cases, a method Hooper says was in-place long before he was appointed.

He says the County Attorney’s Office collected money on the bad checks. They meet with the offender and let them know prosecution could move forward, but that they could also simply pay back the money, with the County Attorney’s Office receiving the payment and returning the funds to the affected business. In that scenario, there would be no prosecution.

A woman from Audubon County who was arrested and being held on a Pottawattamie County warrant, was picked-up by Pott. County Deputies, Tuesday afternoon, and transported to the Pott. County Jail. 27-year old Rebecca Lyn Matzen, of Exira, was wanted on a warrant for OWI/1st offense. Her bond was set at $2,000.

Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson today (Wednesday), reported two people were arrested recently. 29-year old Justin Cooley, of Atlantic, was arrested Tuesday for Theft in the 3rd Degree, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Institution (Jail). He was booked in the Cass County Jail. And, this (Wednesday) morning, 42-year old Samantha Clark, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for three-counts of Supplying Alcohol to a Person Under Legal Age. Clark was also booked into the Cass County Jail.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of 30-year-old Shae Daniel Lewis of Red Oak on Wednesday morning. Lewis was arrested at 7:55am in the 1200 block of Summit Street on two warrants for a domestic assault incident on January 14th. The warrants were for Domestic Assault 1st Offense and Criminal Mischief 3rd Degree. He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $2,000 cash bond.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Tuesday afternoon, of 36-year old Justin Wayne Schomburg, of Malvern. Schomburg was taken into custody for Driving Under Suspension. His bond was set at $300.

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

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VINTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have seized hundreds of animals from an eastern Iowa residence that’s also home to four children. Officials executed a search warrant around 9:10 a.m. Tuesday at the Vinton house and garage. The animals found included rabbits, rats, mice, hedgehogs, turtles, birds, guinea pigs, gerbils and a hall python. Several carcasses were scattered through the residence in various states of decomposition or stored in a freezer.

No charges have been reported. Officials say the children’s parents have been cooperating with state and local authorities. Volunteers from the Cedar Valley Humane Society and other rescue groups removed animals all day. Many of the animals were malnourished, dehydrated and living in overcrowded areas contaminated with fecal matter.

A coalition of more than two dozen state, local, and national organizations rallied at the statehouse today (Tuesday) urging passage of a package of bills they say will strengthen regulation of large hog confinement operations known as CAFO’s. The coalition says they have diminished the quality of life in the Iowa countryside. The Iowa Alliance for Responsible Agriculture is calling for a moratorium on new large hog operations until fewer than 100 Iowa waterways remain impaired. It’s one of several bills offered by Senator David Johnson, an Independent from Ocheyedan, to strengthen regulation of hog farms. “It’s time to get tough on poor siting of hog confinements — including those being built in environmentally sensitive areas, and locating CAFO’s where the smell and sound of someone else’s money is in your bedroom every night,” Johnson says.

Johnson say more large hog operations are going up in areas of the state where the environment is sensitive. “In northwest Iowa CAFO’s are creeping into Dickinson County where the Iowa Great Lakes and other natural features draw more than a million visitors every year,” Johnson says. “Some people there wonder if CAFO’s and Iowa’s famous vacationland can co-exist.”  Under the bill, the moratorium would last until Iowa redesigns the so-called Master Matrix plan adopted in 2002 that helps to determine if a livestock operation can be built. Critics say the plan is not working to limit the locations of livestock operations.

The chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee, Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Oskaloosa, has assigned the bill for consideration — be says he has concerns. “I just don’t think that’s the right way to approach whatever problem they’re trying to address,” Rozenboom says, “we are trying to grow Iowa, not hurt Iowa.” The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says there are roughly 13-thousand CAFO’s in Iowa, and the number continues to grow.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has joined a lawsuit that seeks to block the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality rules. The rules, enacted in 2015, barred Internet service providers from intentionally blocking, slowing down or charging money for specific websites and online content. “What was done three years ago was something that was fundamentally right. What is being done now is something that’s fundamentally wrong,” Miller said.

He added “The Internet service provider – companies like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon – shouldn’t be able to block particular services to Internet users. They shouldn’t be able to charge more for certain services as opposed to others. And they shouldn’t be able to slow down service and throttle it in other ways, in a discriminatory manner.” Miller believes the end of net neutrality rules will lead to Internet service providers charging more, primarily hurting individual consumers and small businesses. “The large companies, the established companies, are going to be able to pay more. Whereas, the startup companies are not going to be able to pay,” Miller said. “So, you have this discrimination against innovation in the area where probably innovation has thrived more so than any other part of our economy.”

Iowa and 20 other states, on Tuesday, filed a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals, formally commencing the lawsuit against the FCC and the federal government. The District of Columbia is also part of the lawsuit to block repeal of net neutrality rules.

(Radio Iowa)

A Council Bluffs Police Officer on patrol a little after 3-a.m. today (Wednesday) in the area of 35th and Avenue G, saw a silver 2001 Chrysler minivan that had been reported stolen on Jan. 15th. The officer kept the vehicle in sight, and forwarded information to Nebraska Authorities, as the van got onto I-480 West. While the vehicle was westbound across the I-480 Bridge, it stalled just before it reached the IA / NE state line. The Council Bluffs officer pulled in behind the stalled vehicle and activated his emergency lights. The driver – later identified as 51-year old Brian J. Hanson, of Omaha -abandoned the vehicle. He fled on foot into the east bound lanes of I-480.

Brian J. Hanson

The officer gave chase and caught Hanson. While officers were in foot pursuit of Hanson, the abandoned stolen van rolled backwards striking the push bumpers on the stopped / parked police cruiser. The cruiser sustained minor damage. Brian J. Hanson was arrested on a Felony warrant for being a Fugitive from Justice, and new charges that include Theft in the 2nd degree, Eluding, and Interference with Official Acts.