The field and grassland Fire Danger Index in Shelby County remains in the “Low” risk category this week. That was the word today (Monday), from the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency, who said also, that the weekly notifications will likely be discontinued soon, unless unusually dry conditions return to the area.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests over the weekend. On Sunday, 27-year old Brett Douglas Johnson, of Griswold, was arrested on a charge of OWI 1^st Offense. Johnson was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance. And, on Saturday, 24-year old Jodi Lynn Brookshire, of Audubon, was arrested, also on a charge of OWI 1^st Offense. Brookshire was taken to the Cass County Jail where she was released later that day on her own recognizance.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Police in Red Oak Police report the arrest early this (Monday) morning, of 45-year-old Raymond Lee Briggs. The Red Oak man was taken into custody on a charge of 2nd degree theft. Additional information on the charges is not available. Briggs was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $10,000 bond.

Sheriff’s deputies in Fremont County arrested two people Saturday on weapons-related offenses, after authorities investigated the reported shooting of a vehicle early that same day, in the 1100 block of Hamburg. During their investigation, authorities executed a search warrant at a residence in the 2700 block of Bluff Road in Fremont County, which led to the arrest of 20-year old Dalton Shane Haler and 22-year old Joshua Allen Reafling, both of Hamburg.

Both men face Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon, Reckless Use of a Firearm and Conspiracy, charges. They were brought to the Fremont County Jail, where Raefling posted at $17,000 bond, and Haler was still being held on $17,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state Senate panel will hold a hearing to review the quality of care at the Iowa Veterans Home. The Monday meeting comes after more than 40 former staffers signed a letter that was printed in The Des Moines Register complaining about the current leadership at the home. A news release from Senate Democrats says David Worley, the commandant of the Veterans Home, will testify at the hearing.

The home in Marshalltown is Iowa’s largest nursing home and among the biggest in the nation for veterans and their spouses. The home is made up of two separate facilities. One provides nursing care for about 500 residents. The other is a residential care facility where 100 more people live mostly independently.

Legislators return to the statehouse today (Monday) with all the major issues they’ve faced since January unresolved. Ten-member negotiating committees have been assigned to find compromises on property tax reform, education reform and a new health care plan for low-income, uninsured Iowans. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs won’t speculate on which deals may be easier to strike. “We’re working on all of them, people of good faith really are and there’s ideas being exchanged,” Gronstal said late last week.

House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, a Republican from Hiawatha, is also striking a positive tone. “We’re very pleased with a lot of the progress that was made,” Paulsen says, “….remain optimistic that the conference committees will be able to work out some of these differences.” The 10-member conference committee assembled to strike a deal on education reform didn’t meet last week, however. Paulsen says he’s “extremely frustrated” about that lack of action, but he’s still unwilling to declare that any of the disagreements have reached the stalemate stage.

“We’re trying to set it up for success and I’m expecting to have success,” Paulsen said late last week. “That’s what Iowans expect.” Gronstal wants to keep all 150 legislators in Des Moines this week rather than sending most home if they’re not involved in behind-the-scenes negotiations over key issues. “We’ll make that judgement as we move along,” Gronstal said late last week. “I’m not a great fan of having people leave because they’re all part of this process. Everybody has a vote. We need to share concepts and things with each other as we’re working though our differences.”

The 2011 legislative session ended on June 30th, but through most of May and June that year it was just legislative leaders who stayed at the statehouse to negotiate. Legislators receive an annual salary, plus daily expense money to cover the cost living in Des Moines during the legislative session. However, those daily expenses in even-numbered years like 2012 last just 110 days — so their daily expense allotments ended last Friday.

(Radio Iowa)

The recent rain and snow have played havoc with outdoor events and activities, but all the moisture has a positive side. Tim Hall of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says moisture of any type is important after the severe drought that hit the state. “This is exactly what we’d hoped for, is sustained long-term, better then normal precipitation during the months when we typically get a lot of rain anyway. And March and April and May are pretty wet months, and we are getting more than normal right in those months,” Hall says.

April set a new statewide average for rainfall at six-point-five-two inches (6.52), with normal rainfall for April at three-point-five-one (3.51) inches. A new drought map comes out Thursday, and Hall expects to see the areas with severe problems continuing to shrink. “We’re making some real improvement in the drought conditions in the state, and I think we’re gonna continue to see improvement in the near future,” according to Hall. Not only has the amount of rain increased, it is coming at a time where the frost is out of the ground — so the rain that falls or snow that melts — sinks into the soil.

“In fact our groundwater folks who work with a lot of the water utilities in northwest Iowa are starting to see that reflected in the water levels in some of the wells that are used to supply drinking water,” Hall says. “So we’re starting to see some gradual recovery in the levels in wells, which is indicative of the water making it down into the ground where it is going to do some real good.” He says those areas that were not hit as hard by the drought are building up some reserve with the rains that’re falling now. Hall says that makes it less likely they’ll get back into a water shortage.

“I think if the rainfall stopped for a couple of weeks, which it probable will — I mean we go through periods where we don’t get rain for a couple three weeks — the real danger is if that rainfall slows down or stops and we get excessively hot where the demand for water also starts to go up in conjunction with the rain going down,” Hall says. Hall says farmers are probably really hoping the rain will stop for awhile so they can get into the fields — but he says even they will be happy that all the moisture is replenishing the groundwater.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The legislative session will look different starting today. Friday was the last day for much of the temporary staff and the student pages who work in the Legislature. The Republicans who control the House and Democrats who rule the Senate are still trying to find resolution on education funding, property tax reductions and low-income health care.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 50 Iowa sex offenders have permits to carry guns in public because a two-year-old law makes it harder for sheriffs to deny permits. Washington County Sheriff Jerry Dunbar says he worries about sex offenders having guns because many of them use intimidation to get what they want. He says a gun would help that.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Generational farm owners have until June 1st to apply for the century and heritage farm program. It recognizes families that have owned their farms for 100 years and 150 years. More than 17,000 farms across Iowa have been recognized as century farms since 1976.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman has been charged with using a 16-year-old girl in a prostitution business. The girl offered to have sex with an undercover police officer who contacted her for $70. Police say that the investigation led them to arrest 20-year-old Brittany Lanier on suspicion of human trafficking.