Two women from Nebraska were arrested early Saturday morning on drug charges, in Audubon County. The Sheriff’s Department says 21-year old Angellena Jo McDonald and 20-year old Morgan Kay Slusser, both of Omaha, were taken into custody at around 3-a.m. following a traffic stop in the 3100 block of Highway 71. McDonald faces Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charges. Slusser was charged with Possession of Marijuana/2nd offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The pair were later released after appearing before a magistrate. Their preliminary hearings were set for Aug. 28th.

And, a Kimballton woman was arrested at around 1-a.m. Sunday following an incident on Main Street in Kimballton. 40-year old Jennifer Ann Albert was charged with Public Intoxication and Interference with Official Acts. She later posted bond and was released, with orders to appear in court this Thursday.

Officials with Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) reported today (Monday) they have been notified that some of their customers are still being contacted by someone claiming to be from AMU and that their account was past due. The caller indicates that their service would be disconnected shortly if payment was not made over the phone. The person IS NOT FROM AMU. Similar scams have been made across the country and have occurred locally in the past.

If your account is past due, you will be contacted by an individual who will provide their name and indicate that they are with Atlantic Municipal Utilities. You will not be required to make payment over the phone to prevent service from being disconnected. Additionally, prior to being disconnected for a delinquency, you would receive written notice in the mail from AMU and notice posted to your residence. Furthermore, AMU’s office hours are Monday through Friday from 7am-4pm. AMU will not contact you regarding delinquency or account balances outside of those hours.

A young man from Lenox was arrested early Sunday morning after he told officers responding to a call in the 100 block of east Kansas Street, that he was drunk.

Bryan Garcia

Officers agreed 19-year old Bryan Garcia was intoxicated and placed him under arrest for public intoxication and minor in possession of alcohol. Garcia was subsequently transported to the Taylor County Jail.

No injuries were reported following an accident Sunday night in Adams County. Sheriff’s Officials say 55-year old Michael Wayne Murren, of Creston, was driving a 2000 Ford F-250 pickup that hit a cow in the middle of the road, near Walnut Avenue and 140th Street. The accident happened at around 11:20-p.m.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman was in Iowa over the weekend. He stopped at the Iowa State Fair to talk trade with cattle producers. Ambassador Froman says he’s cautiously optimistic about the T-P-P or Trans-Pacific Partnership, and about getting Japan to drop its tariffs to zero, although he is unsure about a specific timeline. “We’re deeply engaged with them on an ongoing basis,” Froman says. “We have reached an agreement with them that there would be no product area exclusions, so everything’s on the table, all product areas are to be covered and that’s a big deal.”

The T-P-P is a proposed regional free trade agreement being negotiated by the U-S, Canada and Mexico with several nations in the Asia-Pacific region, including: Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam. Iowa Cattlemen’s Association president Ed Greiman, of Garner, says they pushed the ambassador on further opening the market for beef in southeast Asia. “One of the biggest things we talked to him about was TPP, the Asian trade,” Greiman says. “We’ve got to get rid of those tariffs and the ban. The other thing I really pushed on him was China. We know if we ever opened up that door, I’d hate to speculate what the cattle market would do. I asked him if that was possible and he said it actually is.”

Froman also talked about the Russian ban of all U-S ag products and says the market impact is negligible.  “It’s unfortunate that they decided to go down this path,” Froman says. “It further isolates them internationally. It won’t affect us that much. It affects, we think, less than one-half of one-percent of our ag exports, but it’s already having an effect on prices in Russia. Prices are going up there. It’s going to damage the purchasing power of their own people.” He believes Russia is using the ban as an excuse as the U.S. has had ongoing issues with that nation, including the recent unrest in Ukraine.

(Radio Iowa)

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office has issued a report on recent arrests and accidents. Officials say 19-year old Alec James Kalkas, of Imogene, was arrested last Thursday for Driving While Suspended. On Aug. 5th, 28-year old Ronald Elroy Hankins, of Tabor, was arrested for Driving While Barred. And on Aug. 2nd, 48-year old Linda Rene Mees, of Riverton, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault and Interference with Official Acts.

Also arrested on an assault charge, was 26-year old Dustin James Howard, of Hamburg, who was taken into custody on a charge of Serious Assault, Aug. 1st. That same day, 24-yearold Kyle Matthew Geurtz, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant.

And Fremont County Sheriff’s officials say no injuries were reported following an accident Aug. 3rd, just off I-29 at Exit 10. A Missouri man was driving a 2009 van and exiting the interstate, when he hit another van driven by another man from Missouri. The vans collided near the stop sign at the end of the exit ramp.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors, on Tuesday, will officially receive correspondence from the Iowa DNR, with regard to the expansion of two swine facilities near Orient. According to the Board’s agenda, the DNR intends to issue construction permits for the “Circle G” and Geidel Pork sites.

In their meeting last month, the Supervisors had recommended the DNR not approve expansion plans by the Geidel family of their hog confinement operations, based on scoring of the Master Matrix. The Geidel brothers each want to double their hog operations from 2,500 head to 5,000.

In other business, the Board will hear from County Engineer Nick Kauffman, with regard to various road projects and related contracts.

The meeting begins at 9-a.m. at the courthouse, in Greenfield.

w/ Ric Hanson

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DES MOINES, Iowa – Oftentimes, the issue of hunger is associated with people in inner cities, where the cost of living tends to be high. But a new study shows some of the greatest need can be found where America’s food supply is grown and raised. Jon Bailey, director of rural public policy program for the Center for Rural Affairs, authored the report, which examines the use of food stamps, now called SNAP benefits, from 2008 to 2012.

“And what we found is that during that time period, more households in rural areas received SNAP benefits than did households in more urban – both metropolitan and small-city – areas,” he says. During the years reviewed, more than 14 percent of rural households received SNAP benefits, compared to slightly less than 11 percent of urban households.

Another key finding, says Bailey, is that rural areas and small cities have higher percentages of households with seniors and children receiving food support than in larger urban areas. “SNAP is providing a way for those people and those households to meet their food needs, which is important,” he points out, “because those two population groups are probably most at risk of hunger and food insecurity.”

In rural areas, one in nine households has a SNAP recipient who is either under age 18, or an adult 60 years of age or older.

(Iowa News Service)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Fewer people in Sioux City are reporting dog bites in the wake of a crackdown on pit bulls and vicious dogs. The Sioux City Journal reports that officers responded to 37 percent fewer dog-bite complaints last year than they did in 2007, the year before the city banned pit bulls. The ban included an exception for owners who registered their pit bulls, but no new pit bulls were allowed. More than 550 were registered before the April 2009 deadline. That number has since declined to 163.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Police are investigating a fatal overnight shooting of a man in Davenport. The Quad-City Times reports that police were called to the shooting around 12:15 a.m. yesterday. Officers found a man lying unresponsive in a yard. An autopsy has been scheduled.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Two South Florida men face felony charges after a shooting outside an eastern Iowa vacation resort and apartment complex. The Burlington Hawk Eye reports that 26-year-old Donald Watkins and 30-year-old Virgil Griggs, both of Miami, were arrested.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A well-known Iowa City restaurant is reopening after a basement fire nearly three months ago. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that the Hamburg Inn Number 2 will be serving breakfast once again by this morning. The restaurant is a popular spot for students, Iowa City residents and presidential candidates competing in the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses.