Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert reports, the Shelby County Emergency Management Office in cooperation with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Harlan Police Department will be working on updating our emergency contact information for all the businesses in the county. This information will be used to assist responding emergency departments with calls to local businesses such as an open door after hours or a fire.

Any new businesses that do not receive a call from the Emergency Management Department by 3/1/18 are urged to call (712) 755-2124 so that we can add their information to the list. Information obtained is not shared,  sold, or used for any other purpose.

AMES, Iowa – Feb. 5, 2018 (12:45 p.m) – The Iowa Department of Transportation is reporting that southbound Interstate 35 between exit 113: 13th Street and exit 111: US 30 (Ames) is blocked due to numerous crashes. See the latest traffic information on https://hb.511ia.org.

At least two accidents were reported on Interstate 80 in Cass County, late this morning. According to dispatch reports, an SUV rolled into the ditch just west of mile marker 60, and a semi vs. car collision occurred just east of the 60 in that same area. So far, injuries appear to be minor, but authorities are just arriving on the scene. Atlantic Fire and Rescue, along with Medivac and Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies were en route to the scene.

Other accidents were reported to have occurred in Greene County on Highway 4, between Jefferson and Bagley, and on Highway 30 between Jefferson and Grand Junction. Road conditions have been rapidly deteriorating across central and western Iowa. Visibilities are limited as well by the snow and blowing snow.

The City of Harlan is asking for the cooperation of the citizens of Harlan with snow removal operations. 2-4 inches of snow are forecast. Please keep vehicles off the city streets starting tomorrow (Tuesday 2/6/18) This will allow city crews to get your street plowed quickly and efficiently. It will also eliminate the need to write parking tickets.

Thank you for your assistance and feel free to call City Hall with any questions at 755-5137.

Iowa’s public schools are lobbying for an extension of the statewide one percent sales tax that helps pay for new buildings and other school-related infrastructure. The tax is scheduled to end in 2029. Republicans in the legislature say they’re willing to continue the tax for 20 years beyond that — but may require a portion to be used for direct property tax relief. Representative Ashley Hinson is a Republican from Marion. “Giving them the resources that they need to build safe classrooms for our students, modern classrooms for out students,” Hinson says, “and so we are looking at the extension of that one-cent sales tax that has had support across the state of Iowa for years.”

School officials say they’ve used nearly all the tax that will be collected now through the end of 2029 as leverage to pay off bonds borrowed to finance infrastructure projects. Hinson says she and her Republican colleagues haven’t settled on “specific language” yet — but may prevent sales tax money from being spent on certain projects. “The priority is on schools and, you know, if a school needs a boiler and they build an athletic facility, people might think those priorities are a little bit backwards so I think what we’re trying to do is make sure that the dollars go to what they should go to first, as a priority, and so we’ve talked about the whole gamut of options,” Hinson says. “We’re looking at some triggers in place to give some more local control to people, so they might be able to hold their school boards more accountable.”

An analysis from the Legislative Services Agency indicates the 20-year extension of the statewide one-cent sales tax could generate as much as 16 BILLION dollars for school infrastructure over those two decades.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County say a search warrant executed Friday at 211 Court Street, in Harlan during a Theft investigation, resulted in the arrest of 35-year old William Joseph Bullock, of Harlan. Bullock was taken into custody at around 11-a.m. on a Pott. County warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order. He was brought to the Pott. County Jail and booked-in.

At around 2:25-a.m. Saturday, Sheriff’s Deputies in Pottawattamie County arrested 35-year old Nicholas Jon Edison, of Crescent, for Aggravated assault. The arrest was the result of a call to a residence in the 800 block of Valley Drive in Crescent, following a reported disturbance. Edison allegedly assaulted his 39-year old girlfriend, causing apparent, minor injury. Alcohol was believed to be a contributing factor toward the incident.

And, at around 9:40-p.m. Saturday, 57-year old Joel Leon Peters, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact and/or Protective Order. Peters was taken into custody after Pott. County Deputies were called to a residence in the 600 block of Oakland Avenue, in Oakland, for a report of a possible wanted subject who was in the residence, “hanging out” with another male in the living room. Deputies arrived on the scene and spoke with Peters, who knew he was wanted on a warrant for his arrest. Authorities noted Peters was somewhat confrontational during their initial contact with him, but was transported to the Pott. County Jail and booked-in without incident.