The Union County Sheriff’s Office says officials with Iowa Select Farms at 1152 220th Street,  reported Tuesday morning that sometime over the weekend, someone got into their building and took items valued at $1,400 altogether. The missing property includes a bolt gun, assorted tools and office supplies.

Two Glenwood men were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday. Glenwood Police say 27-year old Thomas Cash was arrested for Disorderly Conduct, and 18-year old Dakota Grund was taken into custody for Theft in the 4th degree. Their bonds were set at $300 and $1,000 respectively.

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

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A Cass County man was cited Tuesday afternoon near Walnut after he bailed out of an SUV Monday night. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports 18-year old Robert Lee Hitch III, of Atlantic, was issued a citation/summons to appear in court for allegedly interfering with official acts.  Authorities say a Pott. County Deputy was on routine patrol at around 8:40-p.m. when he saw a Jeep on Antique City Drive in Walnut traveling southbound towards Highland. The deputy observed the Jeep swerve as he was turning around.

As his cruiser was coming up behind the SUV, the Jeep turned onto Highland eastbound and sped-up before turning into an alleyway. When the vehicle stopped, a man later identified as Hitch took off. He was issued the citation/summons Tuesday afternoon after being located by authorities. The driver of the vehicle was identified as Alex Williams.

Two men were arrested on drug charges Tuesday morning east of Council Bluffs, after Pott. County Deputies were called to the area of Highway 6 and the WestFair complex for a report of a man trying to flag down passing traffic. Two men in an SUV were located and were arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana. The men were identified as 19-year old’s Austin M. Brewer, of Sioux City, and Terrill M. Henrich, of Hinton. Authorities seized into evidence nearly .7 grams of marijuana in a glass jar and plastic bag.

And, an Avoca man was arrested Monday afternoon on a assault charge, for allegedly choking his wife while he was intoxicated. 36-year old Derek Gagne was taken into custody at around 3:30-p.m., Monday in Avoca, and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault by impeding airflow. His 41-year old wife suffered apparent, minor injuries during the incident.

A man from central Iowa was arrested Tuesday in Creston on a Polk County warrant for Parole Violation. 34-year old Adrian Allen Albert Jacques, of Des Moines, was taken into custody at around 4:40-p.m. in the 800 block of Jefferson Street, in Creston. Jacques was being held without bond in the Union County Jail while awaiting extradition to Polk County.

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

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines Water Works’ board has decided not to appeal the dismissal of the utility’s lawsuit against three counties. The lawsuit dismissed March 17 by a federal judge accused the counties of allowing agricultural drainage districts to send nitrate pollution into the rivers the utility uses for drinking water.

Water Works CEO Bill Stowe said in a news release after the board’s decision Tuesday that “central Iowa will continue to be burdened with expensive, serious and escalating water pollution problems.” The Des Moines Register reports that the board had originally agreed to spend $1.35 million to pursue the lawsuit.

Stowe says the board “views these resources would be better spent finding other avenues to pursue environmental protection rather than legal action, like trying to affect public policy through lobbying.”

A traffic stop Tuesday night in Red Oak resulted in an OWI arrest. Red Oak Police say 67-year old Daniel Lee McCue, of Red Oak, was taken into custody for OWI/2nd offense, at around 10:10-p.m. at the intersection of Highway 34 and 200th Street. McCue was being held at the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 cash bond.

Details of the spending plans Republicans in the legislature have crafted are dribbling out at the state capitol, but these draft plans are not yet available online for public review. Representative Cindy Winckler of Davenport, a Democrat, says that is a concern because the House Appropriations Committee plans to vote on the G-O-P’s education budget today (Wednesday).

“So we have a very short time period for individuals to have input on this bill,” Winckler says. Republican Representative Cecil Dolecheck of Mount Ayr says he has been getting feedback from lobbyists who represent institutions that are going to see budget cuts.

“From the comments and stuff that I’ve been getting, the public is fairly well aware of what’s already in the bill,” Dolecheck said, laughing. Winckler said: “I would imagine that some of the public is, but not all of the public and until it’s online, it isn’t a public document.”

Republicans plan to reduce state spending at the state universities by 32 million dollars in the coming year. The University of Northern Iowa’s budget reduction would be about half of what Republican legislators are recommending for the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A longtime Iowa research center for sustainable agriculture is on the chopping block in the Republican-controlled Legislature. A GOP-led budget committee voted Tuesday for an education bill that includes cutting nearly $400,000 from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. The legislation will require more votes before it can be finalized. The bill also includes cutting $1.5 million from the Iowa Flood Center at the University of Iowa.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the names of five people killed in a fiery Mason City crash. Police in Mason City say an officer discovered the accident scene around 2:40 a.m. Monday. On Tuesday the Mason City Police Department identified the driver as 20-year-old Zachary Hartley. His four passengers were identified as 17-year-old Donte Foster, 18-year-old Roderick Lewis, 14-year-old Sydney Alcorn and 19-year-old Alex Wiebke. All of them lived in Mason City.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque woman accused of beating to death her ex-husband with a baseball bat has again been found not mentally competent to stand trial. The Telegraph Herald reports that the finding for 53-year-old Dolores Flynn was released Tuesday. Flynn has pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder in the January 2016 baseball-bat slaying of 72-year-old Gary Breckenridge.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s Education Department says the state’s high school graduation rate has increased for the fifth year straight, even as dropout rates increased slightly for the first time since the 2009-10 school year. In a news release Tuesday, the department said 91.3 percent of students in the 2016 graduating class graduated within four years, up from 90.8 percent from the previous year. Iowa’s annual dropout rate was 2.8 percent last year, up from 2.5 percent the previous year.