DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Four more Iowa farms are testing positive for bird flu.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture says an egg-laying farm and a turkey farm in Buena Vista County bring to 15 the number of cases in that county in northwest Iowa. A broiler farm in Osceola County is the state’s first indication of the disease on a farm raising chickens for meat. Officials said Tuesday the farm has 700 birds. Most of Iowa’s affected chickens are egg layers.

Lyon County also has its first case. It’s on an egg farm.

Iowa has 49 cases of bird flu in 13 counties. More than 26 million birds will die.

Minnesota and Wisconsin have no new cases but Nebraska reported its first on a farm with 1.7 million chickens.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office recently received a report of a mower theft in Afton. An Afton man reported Monday (5/11/15) at 12:45pm that someone had taken his John Deere X300 mower valued at $3,400.00 from his residence. The theft occurred Monday morning and the mower was later recovered in Adair County.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two recent arrests.  On Tuesday at 9:15pm officers arrested 51-year-old Scott Timothy Brown of Grant for Interference with Official Acts following an incident in the 600 block of 2nd Street in Grant.  Brown was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 bond.

Early this (Wednesday) morning at approximately 1:16am officers arrested 29-year-old Montana Wayne Kroupa of Red Oak for Possession of Marijuana With Intent to Deliver, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and a valid Montgomery County warrant for Criminal Mischief 4th Degree.  Officers also arrested 25-year-old Jessica Faye Davis of Red Oak for Providing False Identification Information and Driving While Revoked for OWI.  Both arrests came as the result of a traffic stop at Eastern Avenue and 190th Street in Red Oak.  Both individuals were taken to the Montgomery County Jail where Kroupa was held on $5,000 bond and Davis held on $1,000 bond.  The Red Oak Police Department assisted in the arrests.

A traffic accident in Villsica Monday afternoon invloved three vehicles, a building and left one person with minor injuries.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Officials report that the accident happened at about 3:37 Monday afternoon at the Villisca Foods Parking lot at Third Avenue and Sixth Street.

Deputies report that Elizabeth J. Goettsch backed out of her parking spot in the the grocery store lot and pulled forward striking a pickup driven by Steven Williams of rural Clarinda. Goettsch unintentionally hit the accelerator mistaking it for the brake and rammed into a parked Mitsubishi Lancer.  The force pushed the Lancer into the south wall of the Villisca Foods building.

Goettsch was taken to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. Williams was not hurt in the accident.

The 2001 Ford Taurus owned by Goettsch sustained estimated $4,500 damage. The 2009 F450 pickup owned by Mediacom and driven by Williams received $1,000 damage to the utility bed. The 2002 Mitsubishi owned by Stephanie L. Gray sustained $4,500 damage and is considered a total loss. The Villisca Foods Store damage was estimated at $1,500.

Creston police report a number of arrests and a possible theft on Monday, May 11th.

at 5:00 am, police say 38 year old Robert Owen Hiatt II of Creston was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a Union County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault and a Parole Violation.  Police report that Hiatt was awaiting an appearance before a magistrate.

At 9:04 am, 46 year old Susan Rae Lemon of Creston was arrested on a charge of Diving While Barred.  She was released on a $2000 bond.

Also Monday at 3:30 pm, 21 year old Lacey Michelle Cain of Creston was on a Union County warrant for a charge of 5th degree theft.  She was released on a $300 bond.

At 4:47pm Monday, 21 year old Patrick Riley Iiams of Creston was arrested at his home on a pair of Union County Warrants charging him with Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of a controlled substance.  He was released on a $1000 bond.

Also, Creston police took a report from Brandon Douglas Wright of 511 West Montgomery Street in Creston that several items were stolen from his residence between 6:00 am and 8:00 pm on Monday.  Those items included a Grand Theft Auto V video game, and XBox 360, a US Cellular Tablet and an XBox Controller.  The value of the items was estimated at $290.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green reports that on Wednesday, May 13th between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm, residents in the northern part of the city of Atlantic will most likely hear and emergency siren.  Currently, that area of the community is served by three small sirens, some that date to the late 1960’s.  The older sirens are getting more expensive to repair, so Green says they are looking at the possibility of replacing the oldest units with one larger siren that will have more volume and a larger coverage area.

Wednesday morning, a siren company will bring a special truck to town that will lift a test siren into the air to find out if it will provide the same or better coverage than the current units.

Should there be inclement weather, the test will be cancelled.

Cass County Sheriff’s officials report that on Monday, May 11th, 24 year old Morgan Kay Leeder of Griswold was arrested on three charges.  They include Operating While Intoxicated first offense, Assault on a Peace Officer and Interference with Official Acts.  Deputies report that Leeder was taken to the Cass County Jail and was released later on Monday on a $1000 bond.

DENISON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a 20-year-old man convicted last week of killing two elderly people in Deloit has tried to escape the Crawford County Jail.

The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office says Jayden Chapman assaulted a jailer on Monday while trying to flee.

Chapman faces two life terms for the slayings of 80-year-old Marvin Huesling and 81-year-old Alice Huisenga in Deloit. Authorities say Chapman and Michael Schenk shot the pair in March 2014 at a trailer home and then set it on fire. Schenk was sentenced in March to two life terms for his role in the slayings.

The new charges facing Chapman are assaulting a jailer and attempting to escape.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A jury has awarded a former Bedford High School football player almost $1 million in a case involving the school’s response to head injuries.

The Des Moines Register reports 18-year-old Kacey Strough had a pre-existing medical condition known as a “cavernous malformation,” or abnormally formed blood vessels, in his brain.

Strough’s attorney argued the vessels bled after he suffered a head injury, but he was allowed to continue practicing and playing.

Jurors Monday found the school district and a school nurse were negligent for not notifying coaches of Strough’s potential concussion or brain injury, as well as failing to follow up with Strough’s grandmother to ensure he was treated.

Strough had a blood clot removed near his brainstem in November 2012. He has permanent injuries and uses a wheelchair.

On May 1st, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad declared a state of emergency, due to a rapidly expanding avian flu outbreak, saying the entire state was at risk from the spread of the disease. The announcement mean authorities have the power to enforce preventative measures against the spread of the outbreak, at least through the end of May. On Wednesday, the Cass County Board of Supervisors will discuss the declaration, and possibly act on passing a resolution, as a proactive/preventive approach to the potential civil emergency in Cass County.

In other business, the Board is expected to act on: Approving a Veterans Affairs Commissioner appointment for a three-year term, running from July 1st, 2015 through June 30th, 2018; and, on a Cass Township Trustee appointment to fill a vacancy term through 2016. They’ll also act on approving the contract and bond with A.M. Cohron for a bridge replacement project over Baughman Creek, northeast of Griswold.

During last week’s meeting, Amy Hook, co-owner of the Griswold Golf and Country Club, requested the start of the project be delayed until September, so as to not affect their business during the busiest part of the golf season. The Board discussed with Engineer Charles Marker the feasibility of delaying the bridge replacement project until September, but Marker said was too early to say if that is an option, because of the process it takes to get the contract signed. Amending the contract to provide for a later start date, would make the process more involved, he said, and require additional discussion with the contractor, not to mention the possible, additional cost to the County.

The Cass County Board of Supervisor’s meeting begins at 8:30-a.m. Wednesday in the Board Room at the courthouse, in Atlantic.