BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — Decades after they died, the military is seeing a surge in identifications of U.S. service members who had been classified as missing in action.
The number of identifications is expected to reach 200 this year, more than triple what used to be the norm.
The increase by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is credited to increased funding and new techniques for tracking remains and identifying them. The soaring number of identifications followed years of complaints that the process was ineffective.
The increase has led to a surge of long-delayed memorial services and burials across the country as families and entire communities honor those killed.
Joani McGinnis, of Shenandoah, Iowa, said her family is planning a service Friday now that they understand what happened to her uncle, Sgt. Melvin. C. Anderson.

(Corrects to indicate the subject is a man) — The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a man was arrested at the Rodeway Inn in Red Oak, Tuesday afternoon. Following an investigation into an incident at the hotel, 24-year old Adrian Concepcion Gonzalez, of Stephensville, TX, was taken into custody for Obstruction of Emergency Communications. His bond was set at $300. And, 54-year old Deanna Kay Sowers, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 5-p.m. Tuesday, following an incident that occurred in the 1500 block of 150th Street, north of Red Oak. Sowers was booked-into the Montgomery County Jail for Simple Domestic Assault. She was being held without bond, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

A traffic stop in Red Oak at around 2:10-a.m. today (Wednesday), resulted in the arrest of a woman on drug and other charges. Red Oak Police say 35-year old Christina Dawn Short, of Council Bluffs, was taken into custody at around 2:45-a.m. for Possession of a Controlled Substance (Meth) and Driving Under Suspension. Short was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Dept. K9 Unit assisted in the investigation.

At around 11:35-p.m. Tuesday, Red Oak Police conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with an expired registration. The driver, 20-year old Kevin Ruben Avalos-Ruiz, of Red Oak, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension (4th offense). Avalos-Ruiz was also cited for expired registration and no proof of insurance. He was booked-into the Montgomery County Jail, where bond was set at $566.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

BELLEVUE, Neb. (AP) — Decades after they died, the military is seeing a surge in identifications of U.S. service members who had been classified as missing in action. The number of identifications will likely reach 200 this year, more than triple what once was the norm. The increase by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is credited to increased funding and new techniques for tracking remains and identifying them. The soaring number of identifications followed years of complaints that the process was ineffective.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney Michael Avenatti’s brash confidence is being closely watched by Democrats in Washington and key political battleground states with a mix of intrigue and trepidation. Trump’s victory over more experienced politicians in the 2016 campaign has reshaped traditional views of who would make a viable presidential candidate. Yet some party leaders are worried about trying to replicate Trump’s approach by backing another untested and unpredictable candidate.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein says President Donald Trump’s attack on her handling of an allegation against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is “ridiculous and an embarrassment.” The ranking member of the Judiciary Committee again denied she breached the confidence of Christine Blasey Ford, who said Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her decades ago. Feinstein responded to Trump’s claim Tuesday at an Iowa rally by saying, “Even the reporter who broke the story said it wasn’t me or my staff.”

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — For years the target of the chant “Lock her up!” at Trump rallies has been Hillary Clinton. Now it’s the senior senator from California, Democrat Dianne Feinstein. In Iowa for a rally Tuesday night, the chant came as President Donald Trump repeated his unsupported assertion that Feinstein leaked a letter written by the woman who accuses Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were teenagers. Feinstein denies that she leaked the letter.