w/Mark Saylor

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A man who left a liquor store in Red Oak allegedly without paying for merchandise, was arrested on a trio of charges after police stopped a vehicle he was in as it was about to leave the store’s parking lot Friday afternoon. Red Oak Police say 31-year old Zachariah Michael Holland, of Red Oak, allegedly trespassed on property owned by Southwest Iowa Liquor on east Oak Street, in Red Oak.

Officers located Holland in the back seat of  a Chevy Cobalt that was about to leave the property, and found him to have an open container of alcohol. Holland was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and charged with Trespassing, Theft in the 5th Degree, and for having an Open Container of alcohol as a passenger.

Holland was being held in the jail Friday, on $300 bond.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois State Police say they are turning over to a private forensics group the unsolved 1992 slaying of an Iowa-bound college student from New Jersey. WMAQ-TV in Chicago reports the case involving Tammy Zywicki will be reviewed by the Philadelphia-based Vidocq Society. That’s a volunteer group largely of retired forensic and law enforcement professionals.

Tammy Zywicki

Zywicki was 21 and driving to Iowa’s Grinnell College for her senior year in August 1992 when her car broke down along Interstate 80 in north-central Illinois’ LaSalle County. Her stabbed, blanket-wrapped body was found days later and hundreds of miles away along on entrance ramp to Interstate 44 in southwestern Missouri near Joplin.

No one has been charged, and no arrests have been made. Zywicki’s parents now live in Florida.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s top insurance official has asked a court to end a consumer-owned cooperative that was selling health insurance to residents in Iowa and Nebraska. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Nick Gerhart said Friday he would seek liquidation of CoOportunity Health. He expects the process to be complete by late February.

CoOportunity is a federally funded nonprofit aimed at providing more health care options in Iowa and Nebraska. State regulators took over CoOportunity late last year after the organization’s available funds were depleted. Gerhart says he chose liquidation after determining that the cooperative’s medical claims would exceed its cash on hand. He recommends people find other health insurance coverage by March 1.

The Des Moines Register reports CoOportunity insures about 120,000 people in Iowa and Nebraska.

Cass County Treasurer, Tracey J Marshall is issuing a friendly reminder to property owners about the availability of the Iowa Property Credit Claim. Iowa residents are eligible to file a claim for Property Tax Credit if total 2014 household income is less than $22,011 and one of the following applies:

· You are 65 years of age or older as of December 31, 2014
· Or are totally disabled and 18 years of age or older by December 31, 2014.

The deadline to file an application for Reduced Real Estate Tax with your County Treasurer’s Office is  June 1st, 2015. Mobile Home Owners may be eligible to claim a reduced tax rate on Mobile Home Tax, if your 2014 household income was less than $22,011 and you are 23 years of age or older as of December 31st, 2014.

The deadline to file the application for Reduced Mobile Home Rate with your County Treasurer’s Office is June 1st, 2015, in order to receive a reduced rate for both semi-annual tax payments.

Police in Harlan say the driver of a vehicle that struck a legally parked car last weekend, was cited for Leaving the scene of an accident, Failure to Maintain control and Violating a One-way traffic designation. Officials say Scott Debord, of Harlan, was traveling southbound on 6th Street which is a one-way northbound road, when the 2013 Dodge he was driving hit the front of a legally parked 1999 Ford registered to Douglas Kloewer, of Harlan, which was located on the east side of the 1400 block of 6th.

The initial impact caused Kloewer’s vehicle to be pushed into the front of a 1997 Chevy, also owned by Kloewer. After the accident, Debord left the scene. His vehicle was later located at his residence. Damage from the collisions amounted to $11,500.

Officials with the Harlan Police Department, Friday afternoon, released a report on their most recent arrests and incidents. Authorities said on Wed. (Jan 21st), 35-year old Nicholas Gaer, of Harlan, was arrested on two active Shelby County warrants for Failure to Appear. Taken into custody Tuesday (Jan. 20th), was 22-year old Jeremiah Bowers, of Harlan, who was charged with Driving While Suspended.

On Sunday (Jan. 18th), Harlan Police cited two individuals following a traffic stop. 19-year old Elijah Williams, of Harlan, was cited for being a Minor In Possession of alcohol, as a passenger. The driver, 20-year old Ethan Williams, of Harlan, was cited for Speeding. Both were cited and released.

On Jan. 16th, officers in Harlan arrested 42-year old Bradley Fink, of Harlan, following an investigation into a report of a large amount of copper stolen from the Nishnabotna Valley REC (Rural Electric Cooperative). Fink was charged with Theft in the 3rd Degree, given a court date, and then released. On Jan. 14th, assault charges were filed against 29-year old Charlene Brown, of Harlan, and 29-year old Eric Wilds, of Shelby, after a complaint was filed by Tina Heller of Westphalia. The complaint alleges the pair threw chewing tobacco at, and kicked, Heller’s car.

On Jan. 13th, 27-year old Jackie Thielen, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Crawford County warrant and taken to the Shelby County Jail before being transported to Crawford County. That same day, 35-year old Eric Allan Sorensen, of Walnut, was arrested after officers were called to an unknown person knocking on a door. Sorenson was found in a running car at the rear of the residence. He was taken to the Shelby County Jail and charged with OWI and arrested on an active warrant for Theft in the 5th degree.

In an update to our earlier report, Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer, Friday afternoon, provided a few more details on a tragic event that took place Thursday evening. The Sheriff said 7-year old Malaki Mildward, of College Springs, had been mauled by his family’s two six-month old dogs. The incident happened at around 4:50-p.m., Thursday, at 709 Glen Avenue, in College Springs. The breed of dogs involved in the attack were not disclosed.

When Deputies arrived EMS from Clarinda and College Springs were administering CPR to the child, who was then rushed to the Clarinda Regional Health Center. He boy was pronounced dead at 5:50 PM.

Legislative forums are set to take place Saturday in Mt. Pleasant, Shenandoah and Clarinda, with regard to the proposed closing of the Mt. Pleasant and Clarinda Mental Health Institutions (MHI). In southwest Iowa, one of the forums will be held at 8-a.m. in Shenandoah at the Safety Center. The second takes place at 10-a.m. in Clarinda, at the Lied Public Library. The announcement of the additional meetings in Shenandoah and Clarinda were only made public Friday morning on the “Save Iowa’s Mental Health Institute’s” Facebook page.

Last week, in an announcement that startled leaders of both legislative parties, Governor Terry Branstad  proposed closing two of the state’s four institutes for people with mental illnesses. The idea of closing at least one of the institutes has been debated off and on for decades, as their populations dwindled and costs soared.

At least report, there were just 24 residents at the Clarinda facility and 47 at the Mount Pleasant facility. A consultant hired by the state in 2009 recommended closing the institutes in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant. A separate state task force disagreed, saying that none of the institutions should be closed until suitable alternatives in the community were set up and running.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Former Iowa State receiver P.J. Harris has been arrested and charged with strangling his girlfriend. Harris was booked on an aggravated domestic assault/strangulation charge. He was being held in a Story County jail without bond.

Ames Police spokesman Jason Tuttle says Harris’ girlfriend told officers Harris pushed her against a wall, threw her on a bed and began to strangle her Thursday. Tuttle says officers observed scratches on the woman. Harris caught nine passes for 55 yards last season. Iowa State spokesman Mike Green says Harris was kicked off the team on Jan. 13 for violating team rules.