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

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Police in Creston, late Tuesday morning, arrested 24-year old Zachery Chumbley, of Creston. Chumbley was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a charge of Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. He was released from custody soon thereafter, on a Promise to Appear in court.

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

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – An eastern Iowa hospital has announced layoffs and staff hour reductions that will affect 65 employees. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that Mercy Iowa City will also eliminate 50 positions through attrition and planned retirements. The Roman Catholic health care system says the reductions are a result of a “challenging health care environment” and a competitive Iowa City market. Hospital officials say the reductions will primarily affect administrative and support workers.

Mercy Iowa City announced earlier this year that it would become affiliated with the statewide Mercy Health Network, headquartered in West Des Moines. It previously tried to negotiate a partnership with Cedar Rapids-based UnityPoint Health, a move designed to increase operational efficiency. The hospitals later agreed not to pursue an affiliation.

MORAVIA, Iowa – Iowans with a passion for the rights of those with developmental disabilities are gathered in Moravia to discuss topics including new state policies impacting their lives, money management and coping with the challenges inherent with intellectual and physical disabilities. Rik Shannon, the public policy manager for the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council, says he hopes the three-day “Make Your Mark Self-Advocacy Conference” achieves one over-arching purpose. “It mobilizes Iowans with disabilities as advocates and as included and contributing members of the communities that they live in,” he says.

(Photo by Steve Buissinne/Pixabay)

Approximately 350,000 Iowans have some sort of disability. Shannon says there is strength in those numbers. He argues that if those individuals harness their collective voices, they can more effectively advocate for change that allows them to live independently and effectively. Shannon says they’ll look at new policies and regulations that define where it’s permissible for states to pay for Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services. “Others of our sessions are intended to build or enhance skills that contribute to successful community living and, as a result of that, greater independence,” he adds.

Shannon says some of those skills are very basic but vital. The ability to cope with stress and to build confidence are among them.

(Iowa News Service)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – County officials have approved emergency repairs to an aging Iowa courthouse with several deteriorating columns. The Sioux City Journal reports that the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors approved the work Tuesday for the courthouse in Sioux City. The work is scheduled for October and will take roughly a week to complete. It’s expected to cost roughly $22,000, less than the $50,000 originally predicted.

Cedar Rapids-based Vector Construction will try to stop corrosion on the columns by applying a coat of zinc that will meld with the existing steel-reinforcing bars. Officials say column deterioration exposed rusty rebar within the column pilings, causing large pieces of concrete to break away. The vote marks the third time in 18 months officials have ordered courthouse repairs.

Red Oak Police Tuesday night arrested a man wanted on a Montgomery County warrant. 79-year old Teddy Ernest Davies, of Red Oak, was taken into custody in the 2300 block of Eastern Street in Red Oak just before 10-p.m. He was wanted on a warrant for Assault While Displaying a Dangerous Weapon. Davies was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:54 a.m. CDT

(Spencer) — Authorities say an AMBER ALERT issued for three children out of northwest Iowa, was cancelled at around 9:20-p.m., Tuesday, after the three abducted girls from Spencer were found abandoned, but safe, in Sanborn, Iowa, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. No arrest has been made. Police were still searching for their mother 25-year-old Danica Arzaga — the girls’ biological mother and alleged abductor. The girls, who had previously been removed from her custody and placed into the care of a relative, were taken at around 7:30-a.m., Tuesday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman who says she was wrongly ticketed by an automated traffic camera when she wasn’t speeding is taking her case involving a $75 fine to the state Supreme Court. For Marla Leaf, it’s not a matter about money, but about constitutional rights. Her attorney will argue Wednesday that the city of Cedar Rapids is violating equal protection and due process clauses of the Iowa Constitution in part because it delegates police power to a private, for-profit company.

VERSAILLES, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri trooper will spend 10 days in jail and two years on supervised probation for the 2014 death of a handcuffed man who drowned when he fell out of a State Highway Patrol boat. Anthony Piercy was sentenced Tuesday on a charge of negligent operation of a vessel in Brandon Ellingson’s death on the Lake of the Ozarks. The Kansas City Star reports that Craig Ellingson of Clive, Iowa, says Piercy is the reason his son is dead.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The federal government continues to review Iowa’s short-term funding proposal to redirect Affordable Care Act money to lower some people’s health insurance costs. A representative for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says Iowa’s application for a so-called stopgap measure is complete and a public comment period will run until Oct 19. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen says he’s more optimistic about an approval than he was earlier this month.

VINTON, Iowa (AP) — Officials in eastern Iowa are blaming dense fog for the crash of a semitrailer and a garbage truck that killed one person. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened just before 7:30 a.m. Tuesday near Vinton, where heavy fog covered the area. Officials say the garbage truck pulled in front of a hay-grinder semitrailer, killing the garbage truck’s driver.

(In an update to our story posted below, just after 4-p.m. Tuesday) – Authorities say an AMBER ALERT issued for three children out of northwest Iowa, was cancelled at around 9:20-p.m., Tuesday, after the three abducted girls from Spencer were found abandoned, but safe, in Sanborn, Iowa, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. No arrest has been made. Police were still searching for their mother 25-year-old Danica Arzaga — the girls’ biological mother and alleged abductor. The girls, who had previously been removed from her custody and placed into the care of a relative, were taken at around 7:30-a.m., Tuesday.

The Amber Alert was immediately picked up by broadcasters and other media yesterday, but officials say technical issues delayed delivery of text messages to cell phones for a few hours.

************** Original story:

A statewide Amber Alert has been issued out of Clay County, Iowa, for three children. Authorities are looking for a 2003 Maroon Cadillac CTS with Iowa tags 561 XEY driven by 25-year-old Danica Arzaga. She’s described as being 5’3″ tall, 135-lbs, black hair, brown eyes, and has a large eagle tattoo on her chest. It is believed they are traveling in northwest Iowa or Minnesota.

The children abducted are 8-year-old Lillian Enos-Johnson, 8-year-old Adia Johnson Enos and 4-year-old Oliva Arzaga. They were abducted on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. from Royal. Olivia was wearing a pink pajama sleeper with slippers.

If you see this vehicle, you are asked to call 9-1-1. All abductors should be considered dangerous.

The Cass County Auditor’s Office reports 10 more candidates have filed nomination papers in advance of the Nov. 7th City Elections in Cass County. As of the close of business Tuesday at the Auditor’s Office:

• Darrin Hardisty, of Cumberland, has filed to fill one of 3 seats on the Cumberland City Council.
• Don Cohrs, Leroy Easter and Ryan Archibald (who was appointed to a seat earlier), all of Lewis, have filed for one of two seats on the Lewis City Council. There are now five candidates on the ballot for those two seats.
• Incumbents Lori Holste and Angela Redler have filed to run for one of five seats on the Marne City Council. Also filing papers for those seats on Tuesday, was Mark Opbroek, Wayne Preiester and Jericho Schmitt. All candidates are of course, from Marne. There are six candidates running for the two Marne City Council seats.
• Incumbents Jackson Bissell and Doug Venteicher, both of Massena, have filed to run for re-election to fill two seats on the Massena City Council.

In addition to those latest filings, the Cass County Auditor’s Office reports some City’s will have Public Measures on their ballots.

• In Cumberland, Public Measure C will ask voters if the Composition of the Cumberland Library Board should be altered. (50% approval is needed)
• In Lewis, Public Measure B will ask voters to approve a Lewis Library Tax Levy. (50% approval required)
• In Marne, Public Measure D asks if the terms of office to change to 4-years, and Public Measure E asks for a change in the use of the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenue. (50% approval is required for both measures)
• In Massena, Public Measure F also asks the voters in that community if there should be a change in the use of LOST revenues.
• And finally, in Atlantic, Public Measure G will ask voters if the Hotel-Motel Levy should be increased from 4-percent to seven-percent.

This Thursday at 5-p.m. is the deadline to submit nomination forms to the Cass County Auditors Office for persons wishing to run for office in your respective community.