Sheriff’s Deputies in Page County today (Monday), arrested 71-year old Phillip Eugene Holmes, of Clarinda. Holmes was arrested at the Page County Courthouse on a Page County Warrant for Criminal Mischief 5th and Trespassing.

He posted $300 bond and was released pending further court proceedings.

AMES, Iowa – Aug. 12, 2019 – The Iowa Transportation Commission today (Monday) approved $7.6 million for the fiscal year 2020 State Aviation Program, which includes several subprograms. The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) will fund $4.5 million for aviation safety, planning, and airport development projects at 19 different airports throughout Iowa. Among them is a Fuel system upgrade for the Red Oak Municipal Airport. The project will receive $129,375 toward a total project cost of $172,500. And, the Shenandoah Regional Airport will receive $90,000 toward the $120,000 cost of the construction of six unit T-hangar taxi lanes. The Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City will receive $425,000 to rehabilitate “Taxiway A.” The project will cost $3.29-million.

Projects funded through the AIP include runway, taxiway, and apron development; fuel systems; navigational aids; maintenance of aviation weather systems; runway marking; windsocks; emergency operational repairs; land-use planning; air service development; and the mitigation of obstruction and wildlife hazards at airports. AIP programs are funded with revenue from aircraft registration fees and aviation fuel taxes.

Aviation vertical infrastructure programs will provide $3.1 million for projects at 10 general aviation airports and eight commercial service airports throughout Iowa. The Atlantic Municipal Airport will receive $75,000 toward the $168,750 cost of Hangar Rehab; The Harlan Municipal Airport is receiving $75,000 for the $101,400 cost of Hangar door installation, and the Shenandoah Regional Airport will receive $150,000 toward the $250,000 cost of the construction of a 6 unit T-Hangar. The Sioux Gateway Airport will receive $134,923 toward the $155,00 cost of terminal and hangar repair.

The programs provide funding for the maintenance and development of airport facilities, such as terminal buildings, maintenance facilities, and aviation hangars. Vertical infrastructure programs are funded from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund. The State Aviation Program supplements local and federal funding sources and seeks to maintain a safe and effective statewide air transportation system.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A prosecutor says no charges will be filed against an officer who fatally shot a man who was holding a gun on a woman who later was charged with two Council Bluffs slayings. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said Monday that Council Bluffs officer Paul Damrow fired the shot Wednesday that killed 28-year-old Troy Petersen, of Essex. Council Bluffs Police Chief Tim Carmody said that, “in that moment, he took the shot to save a life.”

Authorities say the woman, 44-year-old April Montello-Roberts, of Shenandoah, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Authorities say she and Petersen killed 52-year-old Jerrot Clark on Aug. 4 and 51-year-old Steven Carlson on Wednesday.

Authorities say Petersen was holding a gun on Montello-Roberts in the cab of a wrecked pickup truck when he was shot. The pickup carrying the two crashed during a pursuit in Council Bluffs.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Lawyers for an Iowa inmate serving a life sentence for a 1980 murder conviction will be allowed to search for missing evidence that they want for DNA testing.
Judge Stuart Werling has ordered the Muscatine County attorney’s office to allow lawyers for William Beeman to search all evidence and storage locations for several items that may have semen or blood on them. Werling also ordered the office to allow Beeman’s lawyers to review all files in its possession related to the investigation and evidence collected and to arrange a similar inspection of state records.

Beeman was convicted in the stabbing death of 22-year-old Michiel Winkel, whose body was found at Wildcat Den State Park. His lawyers say the conviction is questionable because it was based largely on a confession that he claims was coerced.

They have petitioned to test a sexual assault kit that included sperm and blood recovered from Winkel and several items of her clothing found at the scene. But Muscatine County and state authorities say they looked and can’t find the evidence.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man who court records say told an officer he was trying to kill himself by driving the wrong way on Interstate 80, has been charged with first-degree murder for the crash death of a Texas resident. Iowa court records say 32-year-old Stephen Lucore also is charged with vehicular homicide, willful injury and serious injury by vehicle. Johnson County Jail records say Lucore remained in custody Monday, pending $1 million bail.

The Iowa State Patrol says Lucore did not turn on his headlights the night of June 16 as he drove 80 mph eastbound in the westbound I-80 lanes between Tiffin and Oxford. Lucore collided with another car, fatally injuring its driver. He was identified as 31-year-old David Sawyer, who lived in Frisco, Texas. Two of his passengers were injured.

A court document says Lucore told a trooper that he was trying to kill himself by driving against traffic.

IRWIN, Iowa – Republican Bret Richards is the first candidate in Iowa’s Fourth Congressional District to gather the necessary signatures to have his name placed on the 2020 Republican primary ballot. Republican candidates in the congressional district next year are required to gather 1,874 signatures, which is 1 percent of the total number of votes cast for the party’s 2018 gubernatorial nominee, Gov. Kim Reynolds. Candidates must also gather eligible voters’ signatures equal to at least 1 percent of the GOP vote in at least 20 of the district’s 39 counties. Iowans seeking federal offices must file their nomination petitions with the Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office between Feb. 24 and March 13, 2020.

(R) Bret Richards 4th District congressional candidate.

Campaign spokesperson Eric Woolson says the Richards campaign has gathered more than 3,650 signatures to date, topped the 1-percent threshold in 26 counties and has already collected signatures in every county. The Shelby County businessman and U.S. Army veteran spent the summer at almost 30 county fairs, listening to thousands of voters who, according to the campaign, says “want a representative focused on fixing America’s health care system, securing our borders and making immigration laws work, and solving the debt crisis.”

Bret Richards earned an ROTC scholarship to the University of Iowa to study civil engineering and served as a U.S. Army officer in the United States and Germany. He and his wife, Jill, returned to Irwin to work in the family business, which included a chain of convenience stores that employed more than 300 Iowans, and raise their three children. In addition to working at a full time job, he continued his education and earned a master’s degree in leadership and a Ph.D in human capital management, both from Bellevue University. Since the family business was sold in 2015, Richards has held several adjunct professor positions teaching all levels of students, currently at Creighton University. He has also stepped up to serve his community in a variety of roles, including as mayor of Irwin, coach of the local Little League team, and board member for the Manning Regional Healthcare Center.

The City Of Dexter has issued a temporary Boil Order,  affecting all Dexter residents and businesses. The order follows repairs to a leaking water main.  The city is advising residents on the Dexter water supply to the following: Do not consume or ingest any water from your normal household taps or public supplies without first boiling. You may use water for bathing, laundry and cleaning without any concerns.

This is a temporary order and you will be notified as soon as samples are confirmed free of any contamination.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports deputies arrested an Essex man Friday, at the Pottawattamie County Jail. 19-year old Harley Thomas Martin was arrested on a Page County Warrant for Probation Violation. Martin was unable to post $10,000 bond and was transported to the Page County Jail, where he is being held pending future court appearances.