CRESTON – Iowans interested in the results of DNR studies to improve water quality in Green Valley and Thayer lakes in Union County can attend a meeting Nov. 8. Citizens are encouraged to bring their questions and ideas to improve the lakes to the meeting for discussion.

Green Valley Lake is on the state’s list of impaired waters for high levels of algae, low levels of dissolved oxygen, and low water clarity. Thayer Lake is on the impaired waters list for high levels of algae and low water clarity. The studies, or DNR water quality improvement plans, show how these problems are caused by too much phosphorus in the lakes. The problems impact recreation on the lakes and aquatic life.

The plans explore the amounts and sources of phosphorus entering the lakes and offer potential solutions to reduce those levels and work toward fixing the problems. The documents are designed as a guide for local resource agencies, partners, stakeholders and residents to improve the lakes. Staff from the DNR’s Watershed Improvement Program will be on hand to deliver a presentation and answer questions.

The Nov. 8 meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Southwestern Community College, 1201 W. Townline St. in Creston in Room 124 of the Performing Arts Center. Those not able to attend the public meeting can receive more information at www.iowadnr.gov/Environmental-Protection/Water-Quality/Watershed-Improvement/Water-Improvement-Plans and can submit comments on the plans by Nov. 27 via:

Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources said Thursday, that the wastewater operator for the city of Malvern had reported they discovered a break in a sewer main where it crosses Little Creek about one-fourth mile southwest of town.

The city estimates the discharge rate at 100,000 gallons per day. The untreated wastewater is discharging into the creek, not far from where it flows into Silver Creek.

The city was expecting a contractor to begin repairs soon. The DNR recommends keeping children and pets away from the area until 24 to 48 hours after repairs are complete. The city is collecting water samples in Little and Silver creeks for laboratory analysis.

A call about a stolen vehicle in Page County late this (Thursday) morning, resulted in the arrest of a rural Braddyville man. Deputies responded to 3343 290th Street (about 3 miles NE of Braddyville) at around 11:35-a.m.

During the investigation, a stolen 2002 Ford F-550 Super Duty 4×4 dump truck was recovered.  The truck had been reported stolen from Mills County on October 23rd, 2017.

John David Stone

47-year old John David Stone was subsequently arrested for Felony Theft in the 1st Degree.  Stone was transported to the Page County Jail for processing, and was unable to post a $10,000 bond. He remained in the jail pending future court proceedings.  The stolen vehicle was returned to the owners.

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker reports drugs were seized and three people were arrested as the result of a search warrant executed at around 10:10-a.m. Thursday (Today) at 203 East Welch Street in Crescent. Evidence recovered from the home included:

• A white crystal substance that field-tested positive as methamphetamine
• A green Leafy Substance that field-tested positive as marijuana
• A stolen handgun
• An undetermined amount of U.S. currency
• And two vehicles.

April Starkey

Bryan J. Brown

Jim W. Metzger

Taken into custody at the residence, was:

• 46-year old Jim W. Metzger, of Crescent, who faces charges that include Possession with intent to deliver/methamphetamine; Gathering where controlled substances unlawfully used. He was also wanted on a warrant out of Colfax County, Nebraska: for Fail to appear/Traffic Offense related.
• 27-year old Bryan J. Brown, and 36-year old April L. Starkey, both of Council Bluffs, were arrested for Felon in possession of a firearm; Possession with intent to deliver/methamphetamine; Prohibited Acts; A Tax Stamp Violation and Theft 4th Degree. Starkey was also wanted on a warrant out of Council Bluffs for Assault.

All three were transported to Pottawattamie County Corrections and held without bond.  All three will appear before a judge on Friday, October 27, 2017. The arrests and charges were the result of a multi-agency investigation involving the Iowa Department of Transportation – Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Division of Intelligence and the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Oct. 26, 2017 – The Iowa Department of Transportation will hold a public information meeting Thursday, Nov. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. to discuss the proposed improvements and right of way needs of the Interstate 29/480/West Broadway interchange area in Council Bluffs from just north of the Union Pacific Railroad’s crossing to just south of the 25th Street interchange. The area also includes the I-29 and I-480 interchange.

All interested persons are invited to attend this meeting at the Council Bluffs Interstate Program Office in the Mall of the Bluffs, 1751 Madison Ave., in Council Bluffs. The meeting will be conducted utilizing an open forum format. Iowa DOT staff will be available to informally discuss the proposed improvements anytime between 5 and 7 p.m. No formal presentation will be made.

The meeting space is accessible for persons with disabilities. However, if you require special accommodations at the meeting, please notify the Iowa DOT contact listed below by Oct. 30.

For general information regarding the proposed improvements or public information meeting, contact Scott Suhr, transportation planner, Iowa DOT District 4 Office, 2210 E. Seventh St., Atlantic, Iowa 50022, phone 712-243-3355 or 800-289-4368, email scott.schur@iowadot.us.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has outlined priorities for combating opioid abuse in the state, but she stopped short of offering specifics on future legislation or whether there will be additional state money available.

Reynolds told reporters Thursday she will prioritize existing initiatives in Iowa that aim to prevent and treat opioid abuse, including increasing participation in a prescription monitoring program and expanding education on decreasing opioid prescribing.

A Reynolds spokeswoman says the governor is still formulating her 2018 legislative package. Reynolds’ comments come on the same day that President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency. Trump’s declaration includes no new money, and a state health official says it’s not immediately clear how it will impact Iowa.

ALTA VISTA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have charged a northeast Iowa couple with murder in the death of their 4-month-old son, whose maggot-infested body was found in a baby swing in the family’s home.

Twenty-year-old Cheyanne Harris and 28-year-old Zachary Koehn were arrested Wednesday on charges of child endangerment and first-degree murder in the death of their son, Sterling Koehn. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2.

Authorities say in court records that deputies and medics called to the couple’s Alta Vista apartment on Aug. 30 found Sterling dead in the swing. A medical examiner found maggots in his clothing and skin that indicated he hadn’t had a diaper change, bath or been removed from the seat in over a week.

Police in Sac City report a man who allegedly tried to break into an apartment was shot twice by a man who lives there. Authorities say Bendji Joseph, of Fort Dodge, was breaking into the apartment at 211 S. 5th Street, around 4 a.m. Wednesday when he was shot. Joseph, who allegedly intended to commit a serious or aggravated assault, was shot with a .9mm pistol by Miguel Alcantara.

Joseph was transported to Loring Hospital in Sac City, for treatment, and was later life-flighted to Mercy Hospital in Sioux City, where he is believed to be in stable condition. The man faces Felony charges of Burglary in the Third Degree, and Burglary in the First Degree. Assisting the Sac City Police Department during the incident, was the Lake View Police Department, the Sac County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sac County Attorney’s Office.

The investigation is ongoing.

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — A prosecutor says a gender-fluid Iowa teenager was kidnapped, suffocated and executed by two cousins who believed the teen was a cute girl. Prosecutor Christopher Perras detailed the 2016 death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson in opening statements Thursday at the trial of Jorge Sanders-Galvez. Perras said Johnson “was a friendly high school student with a bright future” who sometimes dressed as a girl. Relatives say Johnson identified as both male and female.

Perras says Johnson was wearing a pink headband and hair extensions when Sanders-Galvez and his cousin saw the teen at a store. Perras says the men followed Johnson in their car, then took the teen to a Burlington home. He says a struggle ensued during a sexual encounter, and the men suffocated Johnson, shot the teen and dumped the body in an alley.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Iowa State University administrator is suing the school, saying it gives students accused of sexual assault more protection than victims. The lawsuit filed by Robinette Kelley alleges the university blocked her attempts to properly investigate sexual assault complaints and stopped her from ensuring the university was Title IX compliant.

The Des Moines Register reports Kelley was the university’s equal opportunity director and federal Title IX coordinator for more than two years. The lawsuit is requesting that the university be required to develop a strategic plan for sex discrimination-related cases and to allow the Title IX coordinator to act independently from other university officials. A university spokesman denies that Kelley was treated “in any way that was retaliatory, discriminatory, or otherwise illegal.”

Kelley was fired in October 2015. She now works at North Carolina State University.