Persons with gun permits in Mills County are being reminded to stop by the Sheriff’s Office to exchange your paper permit (to carry and purchase) for a photo permit, associated with your current weapons permit. All permit holders who applied or renewed their permits from July 1st, 2017 through Dec. 15th, 2017, need to get their photo permits.

If you have any questions, call the Mills County Sheriff’s Office at 712-527-4337.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports six arrests have taken place over the past couple of weeks. On Dec. 28th, 30-year old Lucas James Bogart, of Red Oak, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension.

And, there were five arrests on Dec. 23rd: 36-year old Kathy Kayleen Zimmerman, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Driving While Barred; 53-year old Robert Lee Paulson, of Mineola, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault; 39-year old Jessica Marie Rokusek, of Omaha, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension; 49-year old Michael John Koperski, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault, and, 34-year old Shawn Lee Richter, of Malvern, was arrested Dec. 23rd in Mills County, on a warrant for Assault Causing Injury.

There were also five accidents in Mills County, only two of which resulted in injury. On Dec. 26th, vehicles driven by 41-year old Chad Gentz, of Abilene, KS, and 67-year old Leo Wallace, of Omaha, collided at the intersection of 188th Street and Highway 34. The accident happened at around 4:40-p.m., when Gentz stopped at, and then proceeded into the intersection. His 2005 Ford was struck by Wallace’ 2014 Ford. Wallace was transported by Glenwood Rescue to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs.

The other accident happened at around 12:40-p.m. on Dec. 27th, when a rural letter carrier lost control of his 1995 Jeep near the intersection of 350th Street and Elderberry Avenue. The vehicle slid into the north ditch, missed a power pole and rolled onto a barbed wire fence before coming to rest on the passenger side. The driver, 47-year old Christopher Delong, of Shenandoah, was seated on the right side of the vehicle as a normal part of his delivery duties. Delong was transported by Malvern Rescue to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, in Red Oak.

Sheriff’s officials in Audubon County report an Atlantic woman was arrested Friday, on a charge of Simple Assault. 34-year-old Randi Irene Shafer was taken into custody as the result of an incident that occurred in the 200 block of N. Main Street, in Kimballton. Shafer was subsequently released and is scheduled to appear before the magistrate on January 4th. Deputies also arrested 23-year-old Dylan Michael Jager, of Elk Horn. He was arrested Sunday for child Endangerment and Failure to use Child Restraint Device. The charges stem from an incident that occurred in the 200 block of West Esbeck, in Kimballton.

Jager later posted bond and was released. He’s set to appear before the magistrate on January 4th.

Authorities in Pottawattamie County say a Carter Lake Police Officer was taken to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs as a precautionary measure Monday morning after he responded to an incident at a Carter Lake motel and later became light headed. Carter Lake Police Chief Shawn Kannedy told KETV in Omaha, that the incident happened after employees at a Super 8 motel around saw bags of drugs left in a room and called police at around 11-a.m., Monday.  Officer Brock Gentile was on the scene along with Pott. County Sheriffs Deputies, the Iowa State Patrol, Omaha Police and Omaha Fire fighters. Gentile brought the drugs back to police headquarters to be booked into evidence and test the narcotics.

Kannedy said that’s when Gentile got light headed. Afterward, Carter Lake police requested additional help to make sure wasn’t the powerful drug fentanyl or something more dangerous. The drug tested positive for methamphetamine. The bags contained about 1.5 lbs. of meth. Officer Gentile was held overnight in the hospital, and was expected to be released and back to work today (Tuesday).

The investigation is currently in the hands of the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force. Investigators are working to track down where the drugs came from based on the log of motel guests.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Democratic lawmaker has filed a lawsuit alleging Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and a top aide broke the law when they transferred $13 million from a reserve fund to balance the budget. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday against Reynolds and Department of Management director Dave Roederer by Rep. Chris Hall, the ranking member on the House Appropriations committee.

It asks a judge to declare that Reynolds’ proclamation ordering the fund transfer in September was illegal and to void “all actions” taken as a result. At issue is a $13 million transfer from the State Economic Emergency Fund, which was created to cushion the blow of fiscal downturns on core services. The lawsuit claims that the legal conditions weren’t met to trigger the governor’s transfer authority, an argument Reynolds has dismissed.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests. Saturday morning, 27-year old Chantel Marie Jones, of Lorimor, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center for simple assault. Jones was later released from Jail on $300 bond. And, 23-year old Patrick Riley Iiams, of Creston, was arrested Friday nighton a Union County warrant for probation violation. Iiams was picked up from the Montgomery County Jail and transported to the Union County Jail where he is being held on $5,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lottery players have a chance at winning two giant jackpots that together amount to nearly $800 million. The Mega Millions drawing will take place Tuesday night, offering players an annuity jackpot of $343 million, paid over 29 years. The game’s cash option is an estimated $215 million. It’s the largest Mega Millions prize since a $393 million drawing last August.

On Wednesday night, players of the Powerball game will seek a $440 million annuity prize, or a $278.3 million cash prize. Powerball hasn’t had such a big prize since August, when a Massachusetts player won a $758.7 million jackpot.

The odds of winning jackpots in either game are incredibly small. Mega Millions has odds of one in 302.6 million and Powerball is slightly better at one in 292.2 million.