Tickets to Iowa State men’s basketball games were hard to land for fans this year but easier for one group: legislators being entertained by University President Steven Leath. An Associated Press review shows 10 lawmakers accepted invitations to sit with Leath courtside at Hilton Coliseum, including House Speaker Linda Upmeyer and education appropriations subcommittee chairman Cecil Dolecheck.

While legislators paid a face value ranging from $25 to $50, comparable seats are open only to donors or cost far more through brokers. Lawmakers avoided fees of $4 to $6 apiece assessed on tickets bought by phone and online, the way most fans acquire them. They could also access the in-stadium sports bar usually open only to donors, where soda and appetizers are free.

Lawmakers deny the arrangement violates the gift law.

In an update to our earlier report, officials with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said today (Friday), that a person who allegedly posed as a Sheriff’s Deputy Thursday afternoon, has been identified, and “A thorough investigation is underway. The community is no longer in danger from this individual.” The Sheriff’s Office cautioned parents however, to “Please educate your children how to handle strangers approaching them. Proper training and preparation can help keep our children safe!”

Earlier, authorities had said a middle-aged male described as being approximately 5’8″ tall, heavyset with short dark brown hair and going bald approached a group of juveniles between 4:00 and 4:15 PM near the high school in Corning.

The man allegedly identified himself as a sheriff’s deputy and informed the group he was looking for a fight in progress and he was taking them to jail. The individual was driving a late 90’s or early 2000’s Chevrolet or Ford pickup black and red with a silver stripe down both sides.

The group of juveniles left the scene and the man who spoke with them drove off.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office today (Friday) warned parents to monitor their kids’ usage of realistic-looking, air soft guns and make sure they’re using them responsibly. In their Facebook post, authorities showed two rifles, and asked if you could identify which one was real and which one wasn’t. The fake one almost got a person shot.

Photo from Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

Authorities said “A few days ago, Deputy Grove and Deputy Gries were given this terrible scenario as a suspect reached for the top weapon. Fortunately the suspect followed the verbal commands issued by the deputies and did not brandish the weapon in their directions. Only after the suspect was taken into custody did deputies determine the weapon was an air soft rifle. The orange barrel had black electrical tape on it to make it look more realistic.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that deceased Slipknot bassist Paul Gray’s child may sue for loss of a parent’s companionship, affirming the rights of children born after a parent’s death. The ruling Friday comes in the wrongful death lawsuit that Gray’s widow filed after the heavy metal bassist died of a drug overdose in May 2010.

Brenna Gray sued several medical care providers that were treating her husband’s drug addiction. Lower courts dismissed the suit because its filing two years after Gray’s death exceeded Iowa’s statute of limitations.

The Supreme Court upheld the dismissal for Brenna Gray – but said her daughter could pursue damages. The court said the deprivation of her father’s comfort and guidance is no less real because she didn’t experience it while in utero.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $415 million, making it the largest since a record-setting prize in January. Winning numbers for the game will be drawn Saturday night, and if no one has the lucky ticket, the prize will likely grow substantially by the next drawing Wednesday.

Although $415 million is nothing to turn your nose up at, it’s far smaller than the largest-ever $1.6 billion jackpot that prompted some to wait in hours-long lines outside lottery retailers. Three people bought winning tickets for that prize in January.

Powerball is played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning are one in 292.2 million.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – Prestage Farms is pressing forward with plans to build a hog processing plant somewhere in Iowa, now that Mason City has said no. The City Council rejected an agreement Wednesday with Prestage to build a $240 million plant that the company says would have employed around 1,800 people.

Prestage spokeswoman Summer Lanier says the company is considering other Iowa locations but wouldn’t name them. Officials in Fort Dodge and Webster City both had been in talks with Prestage before the company chose Mason City. Fort Dodge officials say the city couldn’t afford the incentives Prestage wanted. Webster City Mayor John Hawkins says city officials will be reaching out for Prestage’s reconsideration.

Mason City residents who opposed the plant raised environmental issues and expressed concern about possible harm to property values.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce’ Image Committee has presented the Mailander Law Office with a “Community Improvement Award.” The award recognizes the successful efforts to improve a property in the Atlantic Area, and leave a positive impression on both their clients and the community.

The Mailander Law Office has been in existence since 1982 with an office in Anita. In November of 2012, they opened an office in Atlantic at 104 E. 5th Street. The Atlantic office is staffed by Attorney Jonathan “Jack” Mailander and staff Andrea Steffen and Emily Soper. Serving both the Atlantic and Anita offices are Attorneys James W. Mailander and Karen L. Mailander, with the assistance of the Anita staff of Brandi Sargent and Mona Christensen.

Pictured: Gene Fischer, Bill Saluk, Rich Perry, Gerald Brink, Ouida Hargens, Jim Mailander, Jack Mailander and Andrea Steffen.

The Community Improvement Award is given to a business that takes pride in making Atlantic a welcoming and beautiful community by continuing to improve its appearance. If you would like to nominate a business or community member for a Community Improvement Award please contact the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce: 712-243-3017 or chamber@atlanticiowa.com.

A child found wandering the streets late Thursday evening in Atlantic, was at least temporarily turned over to officials with the Department of Human Services (DHS) for protective custody. Atlantic Police Lt. Jon Parsons told KJAN News the search for the boys’ parents began at around 8:35-p.m., after he was spotted by an off-duty dispatcher with Cass County Communications.

The child, who was estimated to be somewhere between 3-and 5-years of age, was apparently unable to tell police who he was, or who his parents were. That prompted authorities put out a plea for help through the local media and social media, to try and find his parents. Authorities finally made contact with family members, just before 10-p.m.

Parsons said it appears the child’s grandmother was watching him and she may have fallen asleep. She thought the child had been picked up by the parents. When officers found the child, he was placed in protective custody and the parents were eventually reached and informed of his status. Parsons wasn’t sure if the child was still with the DHS as of this [Friday] morning.

Officials with the DHS will likely conduct an investigation into the matter, according to Lt. Parsons, and it will be up to them to determine if any child neglect charges will be filed. Parsons declined to release the name of the boy, his parents or grandmother, while the case remains under investigation.

The school board for the Lenox Community School District spent about 45-minutes to an hour Thursday evening discussing how they wish to proceed with a possible Superintendent sharing agreement between the Lenox and Griswold Community School Districts. Lenox High School Principal Mike Still told KJAN News the Lenox School Board voted unanimously (5-0), to continue pursuing sharing with Griswold.

The Griswold School Board voted earlier this week to continue with discussions, as well. Still says there’s a number of things that need to take place before anything is set in stone. He says Superintendent Dave Henrichs will likely go to Griswold and meet with the Griswold School District’s Board and staff, and then hold a community forum. The Griswold Board will then determine the next steps.

If Henrichs ultimately becomes the shared Superintendent for both districts, it’ll be a bit of a commute for him, but it’s better than the alternatives. Still says an hour’s drive is better than a two-hour drive.

Lenox Community School District serves the counties of Adams, Ringgold, Taylor, and Union in southern Iowa.

A traffic stop Wednesday afternoon in Shelby County resulted in the arrest of two people on drug and weapon charges. Sheriff Mark Hervey reports deputies initiated a traffic stop at around 5-p.m. at the intersection of Highways 44 and 59. A 1996 Ford Escort, occupied by a man and woman, was searched, during which a handgun was discovered.

Further investigation revealed a controlled substance in the vehicle, believed to be methamphetamine. The occupants of the car, 37-year old Benjamin Allmon, of Harlan, and 20-year old Hannah Krogh, of Otho, were taken into custody.

Allmon faces felony charges that include: Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver; and Failure to Affix a drug tax stamp. He also faces a simple misdemeanor charge of drug paraphernalia possession.

Krogh faces felony charges of Possession with the Intent to distribute, and Failure to affix a drug tax stamp, along an aggravated misdemeanor charge of Carrying a concealed weapon, and a simple misdemeanor Possession of drug paraphernalia, charge.

Both were being held in the Shelby County Jail on $100,000 bond, each. Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted at the scene by the Harlan Police Department and their K9 unit.