CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A prominent youth basketball coach in Iowa has admitted to possessing nude photos and videos of 400 boys, including former players and their friends. Former Iowa Barnstormers Coach Greg Stephen pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually exploiting minors and possessing and transporting child pornography. He acknowledged in a plea agreement that police discovered files on his hard drive with the names of 400 different minors.
The folders contained videos of the boys undressing and showering that Stephen recorded with secret devices he placed in hotels, his home and lake house. Stephen recorded boys whom he enticed by posing on social media as teenage girls. Some images showed sleeping minors with their pants pulled down, including many in which Stephen recorded himself touching their genitals.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, earlier this week, gave their blessing to a woman who requested to paint a mural on the west side courthouse garage doors. According to County Auditor Dale Sunderman, Connie Boose appeared before the Board to say she wants to paint an Art Deco-style mural on the garage door, in keeping with the style of courthouse, which was built in 1934. Boose suggested an eagle motif for one of the doors, and a floral motif for the other. Painting an maintenance of the murals would come at no cost to the County.

Boose, who painted Coca-Cola murals in Atlantic, said the CPC and City of Atlantic asked her to look for three- or four-more places in town to paint other murals. Both the Supervisors and Sheriff Darby McLaren indicated they had no problem with the proposal. Boose said she will present her plan to the City and CPC for final approval. If that’s granted, the Supervisors will take official action on the project at a future meeting.

In other business, County Engineer Charles Bechtold reviewed current road projects. He said Fall pipe, rock and seal coat projects have been completed…a 1,500-ton capacity salt shed has been built, and more safety equipment has been purchased. Bechtold said also, an existing 58-foot wood trestle bridge on Quincy Road over Hoyt’s Branch, will be replaced with a 70-foot concrete culvert. During their next meeting on Oct. 24th, the Cass County Supervisors will hear an annual report and request for funding, from the Cass County Library Association, and accept the work and final application for partial payment on the gray water transmission to ethanol plant project, from Crow River Construction.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — A December trial has been scheduled for an 18-year-old man accused of helping to fatally beat a Decorah resident. Winneshiek County court records say Dalton Adam has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder. His trial is set to begin Dec. 12. Prosecutors say Adam and a 17-year-old boy attacked 46-year-old David Hansen after Hansen confronted the pair as they damaged property outside his home on July 12. He died Aug. 30.

Police in Creston say two men were arrested recently. At around 1:50-a.m. today, 28-year old David J. Downing, of Afton, was arrested in Creston for OWI/2nd offense. He has since bonded out at $2,000. And, 50-year old Jeffrey John Lusk, of Creston, was arrested in the 200 block of N. Pine Street, for Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree. Lusk was being held in the Union County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

(UPDATE 8-a.m.) Highway 92 west of Massena remained blocked as of 8-a.m. following a two-vehicle, head-on crash west of Massena. The crash occurred at around 6:45-a.m., between 720th and 730th Streets, or about two-miles west of Massena. Cumberland and Massena Fire and Rescue along with Medivac Ambulance were sent to the scene. Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren told KJAN one person was flown by helicopter to a trauma center. The status of a second victim of the crash was not immediately released.