U.S. Cellular, in conjunction with its partner King Street Wireless, has announced that additional parts of Iowa will receive high-speed 4G LTE services by the end of 2013. Some cities in the 4G LTE addition include Atlantic, Carroll, Centerville, Creston, Emmetsburg, Estherville, Spencer, Spirit Lake and Storm Lake.   The company says more Iowans will enjoy access to 4G LTE speeds that are up to 10 times faster than 3G and similar to a cable Internet connection.

4G LTE speeds provide an enhanced wireless experience with fast web browsing, smooth video streaming, video chatting with no buffering and speedy app downloads. U.S. Cellular currently offers 10 4G LTE devices that include smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S III and Samsung Galaxy Note II, in addition to a tablet, hotspots and a wireless modem.

By the end of 2013, U.S. Cellular says its customers in more than 3,800 additional cities and towns will have access to 4G LTE speeds. Currently, 61 percent of U.S. Cellular customers have access to 4G LTE speeds and 87 percent are expected to be covered by the end of the year.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Department reports two arrests over the past couple of weeks. On Monday, 41-year old Pedro Quintanilla-Flores, of Lenox, was arrested for Driving While Barred. He was also cited for No Registration and No Proof of Insurance. His arrest occurred after he was pulled over for allegedly  speeding.

And, on February 2nd, 22-year old Derek Martin, of Creston, was arrested in Adams County following a traffic stop on Highway 34. Martin was taken into custody on a charge of OWI/1st Offense, and for Driving While Suspended. He was brought to the Adams County Jail and held on $2,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The state Senate has approved legislation that would increase state funding for K-12 schools by 4 percent for the 2014-2015 school year.   The Legislature is required to set school funding more than a year in advance, prompting Thursday’s Senate vote. Because lawmakers didn’t approve a budget last year, the Senate last month passed a bill increasing funding for the coming school year.

In the House, Republicans in a committee approved a scaled-backed version of Gov. Terry Branstad’s education reform proposals Wednesday night. The revised plan reduces teacher raises backed by Branstad and lets schools opt-out of minimum salary hikes or leadership bonuses.

The dueling efforts show the distance between the Democratic-majority Senate, the Republican-controlled House. A spokesman for Branstad says the governor was encouraged that House lawmakers were debating education reform.

Iowa’s shortage of nurses is starting to be solved through a University of Iowa program which officials hope will see an increase in state funding. U-of-I President Sally Mason briefed legislators on the program called Better Future for Iowans. Mason says the goal is to help would-be nurses achieve their aspirations through distance education. “Some of which allow place-bound Iowans to get a full University of Iowa degree without ever having to leave his or her home community,” Mason says. “Right now, we’re able to do that in all of the community colleges across Iowa for the nursing degree.”

A study by the Iowa Council of Nurses projected a shortfall of 25-hundred registered nurses in Iowa in the coming years. Mason says the U-of-I program is already making a difference. “It’s allowed many of our nurses in small communities across Iowa to go from their two-year nursing degree to a four-year bachelor of science in nursing degree without having to leave their jobs, leave their homes or do anything that would disrupt their lives.” Mason says if the legislature appropriates more money, a business degree program for working professionals in Des Moines can be extended to other locations around the state. She made her budget request before a joint House-Senate committee which oversees spending on education.

(Radio Iowa)

TIMOTHY JAMES GLENN, 30, of Winterset, died Mon., Feb. 11th. A Memorial service for TIMOTHY GLENN will be held 2-p.m. Sat., Feb. 16th, at the Redfield American Legion Hall. Johnson Family Funeral Home in Dexter has the arrangements.

Memorials may be directed to the Timothy Glenn Memorial Fund, in care of the funeral home. Online condolences may be left to the family at www.johnsonfamilyfuneralhome.com.

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One person was injured during an apartment fire this morning, in Atlantic.

402 Maple Street fire in Atlantic (Ric Hanson photo)

Firefighters were called to 402 Maple Street at around 8-a.m. Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees told KJAN News the incident was reported by a resident in a neighboring apartment, who smelled smoke.

He said the resident couldn’t get a man living in the apartment to evacuate. Atlantic Police Lt. Dave Erickson also tried but was unsuccessful in getting the man out. McNees said firefighters made entry into the building and were able to remove the man from the home, along with the rest of the tenants. The victim was taken to the Cass County Memorial Hospital for treatment.

McNees said the fire, which apparently started in the kitchen, spread to the wall and into the ceiling. There are four apartments in the two-story structure, three of which were believed to have been occupied by a total of six-residents. The other occupants were expected to return to their apartments once the structure was ventilated. Atlantic Fire was on the scene for about 45-minutes.

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Police in Council Bluffs say they think they know the motive behind the shooting of a Council Bluffs woman and her child, but they’re being mum on the reason, for now. According to the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, investigators say rumors, and comments by the wife of the Harlan man charged in the shooting that the incident happened over a tax refund, are not true. They say there is also no truth to the rumor the victim, 22-year old Heather Wilson, pulled a gun the alleged assailant, 30-year old Ronald Farr, of Harlan.

The shooting of Wilson and her 19 month old son Tyson Underwood happened early Tuesday morning outside an apartment complex, in Council Bluffs. Court documents indicate Farr’s wife, Lisa, told investigators the shooting occurred over a $6,000 tax refund payable to Farr, that was allegedly in the possession of the father of Wilson’s children, who refused to give it back.

Sgt. David Dawson with the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division told the paper that story is not true. Lisa Farr also told investigators that the shooting was self-defense. She claimed Wilson pulled a gun on Ronald Farr, Dawson said investigators have found no evidence Wilson had a gun. Wilson suffered eight gunshot wounds during the incident. Her son suffered a gunshot wound to his arm.

Farr, who was arrested without incident at his home in Harlan,  faces three counts of attempted murder, two counts of willful injury causing serious injury and one count of going armed with intent. He made his initial court appearance Wednesday during a video conference, where associate district court Judge Charles Fagan set a preliminary hearing for Friday, February 22^nd. Farr remains in the Pottawattamie County Jail on $1-million bond.

Construction on a two-story community center in the Montgomery County community of Stanton is set to begin soon. According to the Omaha World-Herald, work on the Viking Center in Stanton will begin on or about April 1^st. A non-profit group…”Stanton Friends”…has raised $3.2-million dollars through donations, to help pay for the community center, which is expected to open in December, 2013.

The facility, in a town of around 700 people, will feature a public library, a preschool, multipurpose/community room with a kitchen, a health and wellness area, gymnasium, and storm shelter. The idea for the 25,350-square foot Viking Center was formed during a community meeting in 2007. The following year, residents in the area formed the non-profit “Stanton Friends” group, to take the lead on bringing the concept to reality.

Officials say more than 400 people, businesses and foundations donated to the fundraising campaign for the multi-function building. Donations are still being accepted to develop the structure’s interior, purchase gym equipment and furnish the library.