A special election was held Tuesday, in the Adams County City of Prescott. Voters cast their ballots for Mayor, and two Council Member At-Large positions, all three posts were to fill vacancies. There were a total of 80 votes cast out of a possible 157 (50.96% turnout).

Unofficial results from the Adams County Auditor’s Office the vote totals follows (*=winner):

Mayor

Jerry Loghry     26

Theresa West   54*

Council At-Large (Term expires 2019)

Lanna Ray        26

Kimberly Reed 53 *

Undervote   1

Council At-Large (Term expires 2021)

Cheryl Holbrook   55*

Gregory Allen Wilkinson   24

Undervote   1

(Radio Iowa) — Despite months of heavy flooding in the southwest Iowa community, Hamburg officials say Popcorn Day is still on for September. The annual town festival dates back to the 1960s. Judy Holliman, a member of the Hamburg Kiwanis — which sponsors the event, says with all of the devastation the community has endured this year, having the celebration is important to restore a sense of normalcy.

“We’ve had the barriers up and we’ve had sand on Main Street,” Holliman says. “We’ve had people leaving, families leaving and businesses leaving. We’ve been asked if we’re going to have Popcorn Day and yes, we need Popcorn Day. We need to have a diversion besides looking at water and looking at sand.” Holliman says community members will work hard over the next six weeks to prepare the town for the celebration on September 7th.

“The mayor, city council and city workers have all said that they are going to take the sand off Main Street and take the barriers down,” Holliman says. “They want us to have a full day of Popcorn Day like we’ve had in the past.” Another event organizer, Elaine Howard, says Governor Kim Reynolds is scheduled to serve as the parade’s grand marshal. Howard hopes Popcorn Day can serve as a thank you to the dozens and dozens of volunteers who helped the community in recent months.

“So many people have wanted to give support to Hamburg,” Howard says. “We just want them to come and join us on Popcorn Day for our celebration. The ‘Not All Heroes Wear Capes’ is very apropos for our parade title. We’ve had such wonderful volunteers that have come in since March 17th and prior to that since we were sandbagging on the 15th and 16th.”

The festival got its start in 1961 when local businessman Art Vogel, the owner of Vogel Popcorn, created a way to thank farmers who grew popcorn for his business.

Red Oak Police arrested a woman Tuesday evening on a Theft charge. 31-year old Jennifer Rose Latham, of Red Oak, was arrested at the Red Oak Dollar General Store at around 5:24-p.m., on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Latham was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report a motorcycle struck a deer Monday night, resulting in the motorcycle operator being sent to the hospital. 65-year old Steven Johnson, of Malvern, was riding a 2015 Indian Roadmaster northbound on 315th Street at around 9:45-p.m., when his cycle struck a deer a few miles north of Malvern. Johnson was transported by Malvern Rescue to the UNMC in Omaha.

Cass County ISU Extension and Outreach Director Kate Olsen reports the phones at the Extension Service in Atlantic were restored to operational status late Tuesday afternoon. The phones went down at around 12:15-p.m., leaving persons needing information or wishing to contact the Extension, no option but to stop-in or e-mail extension staff.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man already in federal prison on gun convictions has been sentenced to another 20 years for trying to hire a hitman from behind bars to kill two northeastern Iowa people. Federal prosecutors say 45-year-old Jason Harriman was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Harriman was convicted in January of two counts of murder-for-hire. Prosecutors say Harriman began serving a 15-year federal sentence in 2011 on gun charges and made multiple phone and email contacts from prison with someone he thought was a hired killer. The person was actually an undercover federal agent.

Investigators say Harriman met with the agent in prison and agreed to pay the “hitman” $21,000 for the murder of two people — even signing a contract.