The new year didn’t get off to a very good start for a family in Council Bluffs. KETV in Omaha reports Council Bluffs firefighters were called to a home near 36th Street and A Avenue shortly after 1-a.m. today (Tuesday). The fire was reported to have started in the back of the house. A neighbor told the station they thought fireworks placed by the porch may not have been fully extinguished, but a Council Bluffs Fire Department battalion chief could not immediately confirm whether improperly disposed fireworks were the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported. The incident remains under investigation.

Deputies in Fremont County arrested a man on an assault and other charges this (Tuesday) morning. Authorities received a call at around 3-a.m. about a possible assault in progress at a residence in Sidney. Deputies arrested 47-year old Daniel Jay Lewis, of Sidney, for Domestic Abuse 2nd Offense, Simple Assault, 2 counts of Harassment 1st Degree, Criminal Mischief 3rd Degree, and Interference with Official Acts. Lewis was being held in the Fremont County Jail, without bond, pending initial appearance with the Magistrate.

(Radio Iowa) — The state’s top gambling regulator says Iowa’s casino industry appears on track to pay the State of Iowa about 320 million dollars in taxes during the current state fiscal year. Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission administrator Brian Ohorilko says that’s roughly equal to what the state-licensed casinos and race tracks collected in state taxes during the previous 12-month period. “That is really the story of the Iowa gaming dollar the past handful of years, ” Ohorilko says, “very predictable, very stable — a very mature market.”

Upgrades at the state-licensed casino in Riverside were completed last year and Ohorilko says that casino may see a slight increase in its revenue this year. “The I-74 bridge in eastern Iowa has impacted the Bettendorf casino. As that continues to be completed, we may see a bump in that market,” Ohorilko says. In western Iowa, a new Native American casino has opened in Carter Lake — potential competition for the three state-licensed casinos in Council Bluffs. “It’s really hard to speculate any impact in that area,” Ohorilko says.

Ohorilko says regulators are monitoring the casino in Marquette. “They’re having some trouble servicing some of their debt. It is not a profitability issue with the Iowa casino,” Ohorilko says. “It is a corporate issue and so I do not expect any interruption in employment or the facility being open, we just may see different owners, which could be a good thing.” Isle of Capri Casinos announced in October of 2016 that was selling the Marquette casino to a holding company based in Illinois for 40 million dollars.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Monday, of 38-year old Clinton Johnson, of Athelstan. Johnson was arrested in the 200 block of 3rd Street in Athelstan, on two Class-D felony counts of felon in possession of a firearm. He was being held at the Taylor County Jail without bond until seen by a magistrate.

Griswold Fire and Rescue and Medivac Ambulance was called to the scene of a rollover accident this morning north of Griswold, at 542nd and White Pole Road (Highway 6). The accident was reported at around 6:40-a.m.  According to dispatch reports, one person was able to get out of their vehicle, was conscious and breathing, and denying any injuries. The crash reportedly involved a red Ford pickup driven by a 40-year old man from out-of-state. Additional details are currently unavailable.

(Radio Iowa) – The Commissioner of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Roxann Ryan, says she has heard from a lot of local and county law enforcement agencies that are having a hard time filling open positions. “I think every law enforcement agency is struggling with recruitment. And not just law enforcement — I think most employers are struggling to find the kind of people that they really are looking for,” Ryan says.  She says the state organization has not seen the same issue. “I have to say in the last basic academy that we had, we had hundreds of people who applied and we were not able to hire everybody who was qualified to work,” Ryan says, “I am going to knock on wood — we have not had trouble getting people to come and work at the Department of Public Safety.”

Ryan says the search for qualified people seems to lead to a lot of turnover in other state departments. “We’re seeing that more and more in agencies, that people are moving from one agency to another agency during their careers,” according to Ryan. “We don’t see that as often in our department. Usually we have people who start at a fairly young age and then stay until retirement.”  Ryan says they do see officers looking to move to the Iowa State Patrol or other positions in the Department of Public Safety. “In the last basic academy we had 24 and I think we had six that had previously worked as law enforcement officers. And in the academy before that we had 22 and I think that we had four that previously worked at another agency,” Ryan says.

She says those officers make a decision soon after entering law enforcement that they want to work for the state. “Usually they will transfer relatively early in their careers — so they are usually under 30 when they come to the Department of Public Safety,” she says. Ryan is retiring after working in the department for more than ten years. She joined the Department of Public Safety in 2006 as a lawyer and was appointed Public Safety Commissioner in 2015 by then Governor Terry Branstad.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating a hit-and-run accident that took place early this (Tuesday) morning. Officers were dispatched to 2759 West Broadway Street, at the Taco Bell, in reference to the accident. When officers arrived they were informed that a blue Ford Mustang was westbound on Broadway, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the bench for the bus stop. The vehicle then rolled over a light pole and came to rest against Taco Bell’s building.

The unknown driver got out of the vehicle and left the area on foot. Officers checked the area and were unable to locate the driver.