COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A man who was arrested after a police standoff in Council Bluffs faces additional charges. The Daily Nonpareil in Council Bluffs reports that 29-year-old Kevin Bequette is now charged with second-degree theft and second-degree criminal mischief.

Police say the Omaha Area Fugitive Task Force located Bequette at a Council Bluffs home on June 2 and attempted to arrest him on a warrant for a parole violation. A standoff ensued in a detached garage, in which police say Bequette threatened to tamper with a natural gas line. Bequette allegedly started a small fire in the garage, and police say he tried to compromise the gas line.

After the standoff, police say they found two stolen Honda vehicles, which in part led to the additional charges.

Authorities in Pottawattamie County say a Cass County man was injured during a rollover accident Tuesday afternoon. The Pott. County Sheriff’s office reports 19-year-old Joshua Turack, of Griswold, was traveling west on Dogwood Road at around 12:50-p.m., when his 2003 Saturn Ion went out of control on the gravel, and rolled into a ditch before coming to rest on its top. The accident took place just west of the intersection of 550th Street and Dogwood Road.

Turack suffered minor injuries during the mishap, but he refused treatment at the scene.

(12-pm News)

The Iowa Pork Industry Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are teaming up to provide training for pork producers and others who need certification in the Pork Quality Assurance Plus version 2.0 (PQA Plus v2.0) and/or Transport Quality Assurance program. The certification sessions have been set for Thursday June 19th, 2014 at the Cass County Extension office in Atlantic Iowa.

Updated in June 2013, the revised in PQA Plus® v2.0 provides a framework for significant, relevant food safety standards and improved animal well-being. Pork producers pride themselves on the commitment to continuous improvement and the PQA Plus is regularly revised to increase its effectiveness, incorporate new research information, and ensure the program’s validity.

ISU Extension Swine Specialist Matt Swantek will be offering the TQA training from 12:30 – 3:00 p.m. and the PQA Plus® v2.0 training from 3:15 – 6:00 p.m. Training sessions are limited to 30 persons, but requires at least 5 participants are needed to hold the training sessions.

All training events are sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers Association and are free for all Iowa pork Producers. Pre-registration is requested to lclemenson@iowapork.org or (800) 372-7675.

There is an on-line re-certification option for those who have current PQA Plus® certification. Contact Matt Swantek (mswantek@iastate.edu) or any other PQA Plus® v2.0 certified Adviser for additional information and setting up the ability to test on-line. New certification or producers with expired certification will require a face-to-face training.”

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The embattled assistant director of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy has been fired, weeks before he was set to retire following a 48-year career in law enforcement. Academy director Arlen Ciechanowski told The Associated Press that he has dismissed assistant director Michael Quinn. He said he couldn’t elaborate because it’s a confidential personnel issue.

The firing is puzzling because Quinn announced in April that he would retire June 30 following months of criticism for making inappropriate sexual and threatening remarks to female cadets and colleagues. Ciechanowski had let Quinn stay in his job but gave him a final warning after a 2012 investigation found that he violated anti-discrimination and violence-free workplaces policies.

Democrats and advocates for victims had repeatedly criticized Gov. Terry Branstad’s administration for keeping Quinn at the academy.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County say one person was injured during a single-vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon, about 4 miles northwest of Emerson. Authorities say Ida Dixon, of Malvern,was transported to the Montgomery County Hospital by Red Oak Rescue, after the 2008 Hyundai she was driving westbound on Highway 34, crossed the eastbound lane of traffic and entered the south road ditch, striking the embankment.

The car came to a rest in the south road ditch. Officials say a non-contact vehicle owned by Eva Hall sustained collateral damage from gravel flying off the shoulder of the road and hitting her vehicle. The accident happened at around 1:30-p.m.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report three people were arrested Tuesday. 33-year old Kale Garrett Hardman, of Malvern, was arrested at around 9:30-a.m. on a Mills County warrant for Operating a Motor Vehicle without the Owners Consent. Hardman was taken into custody at the Pottawattamie County Jail. His bond was set at $2,000.

32-year old Erin Catherin Hausen, of Villisca, was also arrested Tuesday morning at the Pott. County Jail. She was wanted on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. Bond was set at $25,000.

And, 40-year old Ronald Loren Gray, of Pacific Junction, was arrested Tuesday evening, on a charge of  Harassment in the 3rd degree. His bond was set at $300.

The Shelby County Board of Supervisors approved a new 2 year contract with the county’s union representatives. In a board meeting Tuesday, the contract for Shelby County Sheriff, Emergency Management and Secondary Roads was approved with increase in wages, insurance and deferred compensation. The contract states on July 1st, 2014, a cost of living raise of 2.25 percent will go in effect and then on July 1st, 2015, the contract will increase by 2.5 percent.

The deferred compensation went from $48.07 to $50 per pay period and insurance increases increase on July 1st, 2014 from 10 percent to 12 percent and another 3 percent in 2015. The Supervisors also noted the language in all three contracts had some changing and cleaning up to make them all universal. Secondary roads saw an increase in longevity to match the Sheriff’s and EMA and their boot allowance increased to $25. Supervisor Steve Kenkel said the board was disappointed in one aspect of the new contracts, “I thought everything went fairly well. I know the board is really disappointed in we initially had a proposal in there to enact performance evaluations on an annual basis with performance pay. Long story short, all three unions rejected that offer. So we will keep trying.”

In other business, Shelby County Auditor Marsha Carter presented the canvass voting from the primary election that was held on Tuesday, June 3rd. Carter stated the county had 15.05 percent of the residents vote which she said was “good for a primary but overall pretty sad.” The Supervisors approved the canvass. They also approved the early retirement application of Secondary Road Shop Officer Denny Anastasi. This was the second early retirement application approved and will save the County about $51,000. Shelby County Engineer Dan Ahart said Anastasi has put in 43 years of service to the county. His last day on the job is June 27th.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A nonprofit network of investors, companies and public interest groups says in a new report that manufacturers depending on U.S. corn and other commodities must send strong signals to farmers to help preserve water and soil. The Boston-based group called Ceres is working with several companies, including food giants General Mills and Unilever. Both of those have adopted sustainability programs suggested by Ceres that set specific goals for suppliers and farmers.

The report calls for the establishment of corporate policies setting specific goals for suppliers that reduce environmental impacts, procurement contracts requiring that crops be sustainably grown, and efforts to identify areas of high water stress, groundwater pollution and overuse of fertilizer.

Ceres also recommends companies substitute other grains for corn where environmental benefits are well-demonstrated.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says taxpayers in Iowa and nationwide will be the losers under President Obama’s newly-announced student loan plan. More than 200-thousand Iowans have student loans. With what the president’s proposing, Goss says colleges, universities and borrowers will benefit.  “A lot of it is at the taxpayer expense,” Goss says. “A lot of these men and women that are out there working don’t have kids in college, won’t have kids in college, and it’s a big transfer of income to those of us who have university educations, or particularly those of us who are in university education.”

Goss says students owe about one-point-one trillion dollars to the federal government in loans. He says the government will pay the loans back to the universities regardless of how much the students pay back. While the president’s executive order has some good aspects, Goss cautions that capping student loan payments at ten-percent of income will benefit borrowers, but will eventually fall on the backs of taxpayers.

“I just don’t know if we can afford it, all in the guise or all in the belief that we’re increasing human capital, the value of human knowledge out there,” Goss says. “I think it’s a poor expenditure.” Nearly 72-percent of Iowa’s college graduates have student loan debt, the 4th highest percentage in the nation. Goss says the president’s proposal on counseling new college students makes sense.  “Letting students know what they’re getting themselves into, and their parents as well,” Goss says. “We need to more properly indicate what universities are bringing to the table, what we’re doing for these young men and women, or in many cases, older men and women.”

Iowa college grads have an average of 29-thousand dollars in debt. Goss estimates the President’s proposal will cost the federal government five-billion dollars per year. He says misplaced priorities from university leadership have led to higher education costs. He says the executive order amounts to another subsidy from the federal government to colleges and universities at taxpayer expense.

(Radio Iowa)

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones today (Wednesday), issued a proclamation pertaining to public transit. The proclamation says “Whereas Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) is the public transportation system for Atlantic, and the surrounding region; and Whereas, SWITA provides rides to school, work, shopping, and medical appointments for the citizens of Atlantic; and Whereas, SWITA provided over 40,000 rides last year to the citizens of Atlantic; and Whereas, SWITA employs 26 staff members and drivers in the Atlantic community providing; and Whereas, National Ride Transit Week is June 15th to June 21st, 2014; Therefore, be it resolved that I, Dave Jones, Mayor of the City of Atlantic, do hereby proclaim June 16th through the 20th, 2014 as RIDE SWITA TRANSIT WEEK.”

One of the various forms of SWITA transportation available to area residents.

Officials with SWITA will be celebrating national Ride Transit Week June 15th through the 21st, with multiple activities planned throughout the week. SWITA will kick off the week by participating in an escort convoy of Cass County veterans going on an honor flight to Washington D.C. SWITA will also provide free transportation to area rest home residents to view the convoy and participate in the “flag waving” along the travel route.

Also, SWITA will provide free rides for taxi customers in the cities where SWITA operates the taxi service. SWITA Executive Director John McCurdy says “Free Taxi Ride Day is one of the best ways we could think of to celebrate Transit Week.. It gives SWITA the opportunity to give back to the customers who rely on our taxi services and encourages new customers to try it out.”

In addition to Atlantic, mayors in the cities of Clarinda, Glenwood, Harlan, Missouri Valley, Red Oak, and Shenandoah have been asked to sign proclamations declaring June 16-20 Ride SWITA Transit Week. SWITA will also give a few lucky riders Ride Transit and SWITA materials through the week.
Southwest Iowa Transit Agency is one of 16 regional public transit agencies in Iowa and serves Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties in southwest Iowa. In 2013 SWITA provided over 400,000 rides and travelled over 1.6 million miles. This service is essential for giving SWITA clients personal mobility and freedom and gives options to commute to work, go to school, medical appointments, or shopping trips.

For more information, or to schedule a ride on SWITA, please call 800-842-8065 or visit www.swipco.org.