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Mills County Sheriff’s report

News

February 14th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Monday, reported four recent arrests. Early Monday morning, 43-year old Travis Donald Batten, of Glenwood, was arrested at the Sheriff’s Office on a warrant out of Council Bluffs, for Violation of no Contact Order and Harassment in the 3rd degree. Batten’s bond was set at $1,400.

Sunday evening, 56-year old James Ray Clark, of Pacific Junction, was arrested in Mills County for Driving While Revoked. Bond was set at $1,000. And, 35-year old David Joseph Jay, of Glenwood, was arrested Sunday evening on a warrant for Ongoing Criminal Conduct and Theft in the 2nd degree. Bond was set at $30,000.

Friday afternoon, 28-year old James Robert Bahensky, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on Highway 34 at 180th Street in Mills County, for Driving Under Suspension. His bond was set at $300.

Iowa early News Headlines: Tue., Feb. 14th 2017

News

February 14th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 1,000 people gathered Monday night at the state Capitol for a legislative hearing about a bill that would dramatically change Iowa’s collective bargaining law. They will give their views on a 68-page bill that would remove most issues other than wages from Iowa’s collective bargain rules for public employee unions. The bill also would require unions to manually collect dues from members instead of automatic paycheck deductions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is turning to President Donald Trump’s favorite method of communication to try to get his attention. The 83-year-old Iowan is already adept at Twitter. Last weekend Grassley tried Twitter to reach Trump on the subjects of whistleblowers, declassifying information and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Grassley’s office says the senator hasn’t yet heard back from Trump.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Top administrators at Iowa State University have lost an appeal in a federal student free speech lawsuit. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Monday that ISU administrators including President Steven Leath violated First Amendment rights of two students who were top officers of the ISU chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Cheyenne River Sioux Chairman Harold Frazier says Dakota Access pipeline opponents haven’t lost hope that they can block its final stretch of construction. The Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux had asked a federal judge to temporarily stop drilling under a Missouri River reservoir in North Dakota until the tribes’ legal claims are resolved. The judge on Monday refused to immediately grant the request but said he’ll more fully consider it later.

Effort to track, boost Iowa high schoolers’ completion of federal financial aid forms

News

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

State officials are urging more Iowa high schoolers to fill out the federal form required to qualify for most financial aid for college. Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds says completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA can be a student’s first step toward “transforming” their life.

“The average federal Pell Grant for Iowans last year was $3348,” Reynolds says. “Filing the FAFSA may also help students obtain state and school-based financial aid, yet many seniors especially those from low-income (families) and who could be the first of their family to go to college may be intimidated.” Reynolds says the form has been “streamlined” and students have more time to file. As of last Monday, February 6th, 59 percent of high school seniors had filed the financial aid form. Reynolds says some Iowa high schools have really “low completion rates,” and there’s a new initiative to track which students have filled out the forms.

“That includes Akron-Westfield Senior High School, which jumped from 47 percent of students filing last year to 71 percent filing so far this school year, so that’s tremendous progress,” Reynolds says, “and we still have a lot of time left for the seniors to file.” Last year, about half of the Iowa seniors who completed the “FAFSA” process quality for federal Pell Grants. More than 70 Iowa school districts are now using a new website to track students have completed the paperwork. Karen Misjak, executive director of Iowa College Aid, is maintaining the website. Her agency distributes 70 MILLION dollars in state tuition assistance to college students and the “FAFSA” is used to determine who gets those grants.

“Iowa also sets the deadline to file a FAFSA at July 1, but there’s no reason to wait,” Misjak says. “Some scholarships and grants have earlier deadlines and even some have ‘first-come, first-served’ basis, so the earlier you complete your FAFSA and you’re in the system, then the better chances you (have) of receiving financial aid to go to college.” Again, “FAFSA” stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Go to  https://fafsa.iowa.gov/  to track “FAFSA” completion rates for more than 70 Iowa high schools.

(Radio Iowa)

Branstad comes out in favor of “modest” hike in statewide minimum wage

News

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Governor Terry Branstad says he’d like to see his fellow Republicans in the legislature pass a “modest” hike in the state minimum wage. “I just think we need to look at what our neighboring states are doing,” Branstad says. “I want to keep us competitive.” Iowa’s minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, identical to the federal minimum wage. Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota and Illinois all have higher base wage rates.

“I don’t want anything that’s going to destroy jobs, but I do think the present minimum wage has been in place for some time and it may be appropriate to do a modest increase over a period of time,” Branstad says, “like some of our neighboring states have done.” A bill that’s eligible for debate in the Iowa House would nullify the higher minimum wage rates approved in four Iowa counties, restoring a “uniform” statewide minimum wage rate of $7.25 an hour. Branstad says it “makes sense” to have a uniform minimum wage.

“I want to work with the legislature on this issue, but my preference would be to see a modest increase in the minimum wage, phased in over a period of time,” Branstad says. “But obviously this is a legislative issue and I always reserve judgment on bills until I see them in their final form.” The last time the Iowa legislature voted to raise the minimum wage was in 2007 when Democrats were in control of both the House and Senate. It was the first bill Democratic Governor Chet Culver signed into law.

(Radio Iowa)

Democrats accuse GOP of ‘railroading’ collective bargaining bill thru legislature

News

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Democrats in the legislature says Republicans are “railroading” a bill that narrows union negotiating rights public sector workers. The bill was revealed last Tuesday and it’s likely to be debated in both the House and Senate this week. “Republicans need to slow down the bill on collective bargaining and take time to listen to Iowans.” That’s Senate MINORITY Leader Rob Hogg, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids. HOUSE Minority Leader Mark Smith, a Democrat from Marshalltown, says “thousands” of Iowans attended forums and rallies this weekend to raise concerns about the bill.

“Iowans want to be heard on this issue and are fed up with this being ‘fast tracked,'” Smith says. A public hearing on the bill is set to begin at 6 p.m. tonight (Monday) in a statehouse committee room. Nearly a thousand people have registered to speak. House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, the top Republican in the legislature, says the G-O-P is not skipping any of the traditional steps for this bill.

“We’ve said all along we plan to use a pretty normal process,” Upmeyer says. “So the bill was introduced, subcommittee, committee, public hearing and then we’ll have a full debate on the bill.” However, the length of the debate may be measured in days rather than hours. The Democratic leader in the senate says Democrats intend to discuss each of the 67 sections of the bill in detail.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa State University loses appeal in marijuana T-shirt case

News

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State University has lost an appeal in a federal free speech lawsuit that affirms student rights regardless of political viewpoint. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Monday that ISU administrators including President Steven Leath violated First Amendment rights of two students who were top officers of the ISU chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws.

The students planned to print T-shirts depicting the school mascot and a marijuana leaf but Leath and others claimed it violated the school’s trademark policy. The appeals court upheld a federal judge’s ruling that declared the school’s policy violated the students’ free speech rights and barred the university from prohibiting printing the T-shirt.

The case drew support from conservative Christian groups which say they’ve faced free-speech discrimination on campuses.

Tractor weight theft reported in Audubon County

Ag/Outdoor, News

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s officials in Audubon County are asking for your help in solving a case of theft. Authorities say sometime during the evening or overnight hours of February 8th and 9th, tractor weights were stolen from a John Deere tractor in the 300 block of North Market Street, in Audubon. The weights were valued at more than $1,200.

Anyone with any information about the crime is asked to contact the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office at 712-563-2631, or Audubon County Crimestoppers at 712-563-2234.

Search Begins for Iowa’s Best Burger

News

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Iowa’s cattle producers are asking their fellow Iowans to help find Iowa’s Best Burger in 2017. In this year’s quest, the Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) and the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) are encouraging you to nominate your favorite burger, whether it’s gourmet or down-home style. This is the eighth year the two groups are holding the annual Iowa’s Best Burger contest, which officially kicks off February 13. All nominations must be in the IBIC office by 5 p.m. on March 13, 2017.

In order to recognize these great burgers, IBIC and ICA are asking Iowans to nominate their favorite burger for the award, and those nominations can be made by mail, text, or online. Details about the contest, rules, and nomination forms are available on the Iowa Beef Industry Council’s website, www.iabeef.org. Burger lovers can also find a link to the online nomination form at the Iowa Beef Council Facebook page; or by texting BEEF to 313131. Photos of your favorite burger can be shared socially using #IABestBurger.

Katie Olthoff, Director of Communications for the ICA, says “There are three ways to nominate your favorite burger. We are accepting nominations online at www.iabeef.org; by texting BEEF to 313131, which will provide a link to the online voting page, or a paper nomination can be mailed to the IBIC office.”

The nomination period ends March 13, 2017. The top 10 restaurants with the most votes are eligible for the title of Iowa’s Best Burger. The top ten finalists will be announced on March 20. Finalists will receive a certificate and will be eligible for the secret taste-test of contest judges. The 2017 Best Burger in Iowa will be announced on May 1 and will kick-off May Beef Month.

In 2016, more than 6,200 nominations for 311 restaurants were received in the contest. The final winners in previous years are: 2016 – The Chuckwagon Restaurant, Adair; 2015 – The Cider House, Fairfield; 2014 – Brick City Grill, Ames; 2013 – 61 Chop House Grille, Mediapolis; 2012Coon Bowl III, Coon Rapids; 2011Rusty Duck, Dexter; 2010Sac County Cattle Company, Sac City.

(UPDATE) DM Police: Woman is killed by husband who kills himself in stabbing & crash

News

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

Authorities say a Des Moines woman was murdered early this (Monday) morning by her estranged husband who was also killed during a police chase. Police and first responders were called to a home at 2:30 A-M on a report of a stabbing and found the body of 51-year-old Rasema Keco. The suspect was identified as her husband, 58-year-old Ekrem Keco. They no longer lived together and there was a no contact order on Mr. Keco for a child who lived at the house.

Within minutes, police in Altoona spotted the man’s vehicle but he refused to stop. During the chase, police say it appears Keco stabbed himself in the neck, then rammed the back of a semi-truck on Interstate 80 near Mitchellville and was killed. The woman’s death is the seventh homicide in Des Moines this year.

2 Atlantic men arrested on meth/marijuana charges

News

February 13th, 2017 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two Atlantic men were arrested on drug charges, Sunday. 35-year old Aaron Lee Latus was arrested for felony Possession of Meth 3rd/Subsequent Offense. Latus was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $5,000 bond. And, 26-year old Troy David Garrison-Romick, was arrested for Possession of Methamphetamine 2nd Offense and Possession of Marijuana 2nd Offense. Garrison-Romick was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $3,000 bond.

On Saturday, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 42-year old Matthew Paul Hardick, of Council Bluffs, on a charge of OWI/2nd Offense. Hardick was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $2,000 bond.