The Clarinda Police Department reports two arrests and two cases of theft or vandalism this past weekend.

On Friday, July 13^th shortly before 4 AM. officers responded to 500 block of East Stuart Street to deal with a 14 year old white male juvenile who was out of control at the residence and destroying property. Officers were able to restore order and no arrests were made.

On Saturday, July 14^th The Clarinda Police Department reports three separate, unrelated incidents.

At about 2 AM, officers responded to a fight in the 200 block of East Lincoln Street. A 35 year old male was involved in a minor scuffle with his 25 year old sister. Officers were able to restore order and no arrests were made.

Also Saturday, 26-year-old Amanda Marie Searl of Clarinda reported that a door handle on her 2007 Buick Lucerne had been damaged in the 100 block of Logan Street. Damage was estimated at about $180.00. There are presently no suspects and the incident remains under investigation.

Clarinda Police also say Saturday that 70-year-old Fred Bennage of Clarinda reported that two tires had been slashed on a 1990 Ford F-150 pickup truck while the truck was parked in the driveway at 606 N. 11^th Street. Damage is estimated to be $200.00. There are presently no suspects and the incident remains under investigation.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Clarinda man and an ATV accident on Saturday.

The Sheriff’s Office says that on Saturday at about 1:45 PM on highway 2 about a half mile west of Clarinda, deputies arrested 35-year-old Steven Wayne Nothwehr of Clarinda for OWI first offense.  The arrest stemmed from a traffic stop where Nothwehr was operating a blue 2001 Dodge pickup traveling eastbound on Highway 2.  He was released pending an appearance in Page County District Court.

Later  Saturday at about 6:30, the Page County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the 2100 block of A Avenue for an ATV accident.  28-year-old Toby Jerome Scharp of Shenandoah was riding an ATV on A Avenue south of highway 2 when the ATV rolled and landed on top of Scharp.  He was treated for injuries at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital.  The accident remains under investigation.

w/ Brett Johnson

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Officials say tips are now pouring in from across the country because of national attention to the search for two missing northeast Iowa girls. Rick Abben — chief deputy in the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s office — says the calls are coming in from “all over.”

“Every tip that comes in is something that needs to be checked,” Abben says, “and we’re doing that.” The two girls were last seen riding their kids in downtown Evansdale early Friday afternoon. Some of the tipsters claim to have seen the girls outside of Evansdale — even in other states.

“We have people that think they may have seen someone and those tips are being followed up on,” Abben says. Abben would not estimate how many tips investigators have checked out, and ruled out. He dismisses the idea national attention to the case and tips from around the country are an unnecessary diversion for law enforcement.

“Law enforcement…we think we’re all professional here or try to do the best we can and so things are proceding,” Abben says. “But I don’t think it’s hurt anything, by any means.” The girls’ bicycles were found on a nature trail, near Meyers Lake and officials began draining the lake early Monday afternoon to completely rule out the possibility the girls drowned. A reporter asked Abben Tuesday afternoon if investigators from the F-B-I and other agencies might leave the Evansdale area if no more clues are found.

“Right now we’ll have ’em here as long as we need,” Abben says. “We’re still working this as a 24/7 operation. Nothing has been said that, ‘Hey, if the lake is dry that we’re going home’ because we’re not going to do that. We’ll just have to see what happens once the lake is drained.” Abben has been the chief spokesman for the search effort, which began Friday afternoon. Abben told a reporter yesterday the investigation was in the “same place” as it had been at the start and there was “nothing more” to say.

“We continue to get leads in continuously and they’re being to be followed up on, but we have,” Abben said, pausing before adding: “We still haven’t found these two young ladies.” As for whether the girls’ relatives may be suspects, Abben gave this response:

“Everyone is, you know, a suspect until we find something. (The families) have been talked to. They’ve been very cooperative with us and we have no reason to believe that there’s any foul play or anything at this time, so we just continue to investigate.” Search dogs have been seen around the lake, but Abben told reporters he is not able to discuss what the dogs did or may have found.

A 12-year-old girl drove her Mom’s minivan into a porch early Tuesday morning in Council Bluffs.

The Omaha World Herald reports the accident happened at about 2:00 AM Tuesday at 712 27th Avenue.  The newspaper says a Council Bluffs Police Officer saw a 2004 Kia Sedona driving with no headlights that turned onto 27th Avenue where it jumped the curb and hit the porch.  The home sustained about $800 damage.

According to the The Omaha World Herald, the 12-year-old girl told officers she took her mother’s van to go to Casey’s while her mother was asleep.  The newspaper reports the girl was charged with suspicion of driving without headlights, no driver’s license and operation without owner’s consent. After being taken to the county jail, she was released to the custody of her mother.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of two people this past week on unrelated charges.

On July 10, the Sheriff’s Office arrested 19-year-old Jason Paul Porter of Dexter on a Sheriff’s Office warrant for OWI 1^st Offense. Porter was taken to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office where he was released the following day on his own recognizance.

Last Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office arrested 51-year-old Kevin Floyd Edwards of Creston on charges of Reckless Driving and Failure to Have a Valid License. Edwards was taken to the Cass County Jail where he pled guilty and was released the following day.

The Elk Horn-Kimballton School Board will have their regularly scheduled meeting this evening.

On the agenda is the resignation of a high school English teacher and contracts regarding drivers education and a preschool para.  The Board will also appoint a School Board Lawyer and a School Board Secretary/Treasurer.

New business for the EHK School Board will be discussion and possible action on adding door between the 3rd grade and SPED Classrooms, approving new lighting elements for exit signs, and approving catastrophic accident insurance.  Other new business includes approving the Danish Villages Voice as the official newspaper of EHK.

The meeting of the Elk Horn-Kimballton School Board will be held tonight at 7:00 in the Family and Consumer Science Room.

The Cass and Adair County Board of Supervisors will both meet this morning.

In Atlantic, the Cass County Board of Supervisors will hear from county attorney Dan Feistner regarding an update of employee handbook and/or bargaining unit negotiation services.  The supervisors will then hear a quarterly activity report regarding Cass County conservation.  The board will also hear an update from county engineer Charles Marker.  The meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors will be held this morning at 9:00 at the Cass County Courthouse.

In Greenfield, the Adair County Board of Supervisors will hear the final report regarding the SICOG Housing Trust Fund.  The board will then hear from Lori Nosekable regarding  the rationalization of mental health services.  The supervisors will also hear a secondary roads update from county engineer Nick Kauffman regarding three new hires and bids for other projects taking place around Adair County.  The meeting of the Adair County Board of Supervisors will be held this morning at 9:00 at the Adair County Courthouse in Greenfield.

The Atlantic City Council is scheduled to meet tonight.

On the agenda is the re-construction of the Sunnyside Tennis Court.  The Council will review final plans and specifications and set dates for a public hearing for project bids.

The Atlantic Council will also authorize the Mayor to sign a cooperative agreement between the City of Atlantic and DNR for water recreation access at the highway 83 and Sunnyside Lane ramp that was lost during construction of the new waste water treatment plant.  The DNR has agreed to reimburse the city for 63% of the costs of that project.

Other matters the Council will act on include the disposal of property located in the 300 block of Cedar Street and a public hearing regarding a proposed tax agreement between the City and United Steel Erectors.

The meeting of the Atlantic City Council will be tonight at 5:30 at Atlantic City Hall.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) –  The Missouri River Historical Development board, a nonprofit partner in the Sioux City riverboat casino, has voted to solicit proposals for a land-based casino. The Sioux City Journal says Penn National Gaming, the owner of the riverboat, will have to compete with other bidders if it wants to continue its partnership with the nonprofit group, which jointly holds the gambling license.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A state official says that up to 250 employees in northeastern Iowa lost their jobs following the collapse of a financial empire owned by a businessman arrested in connection with a $200 million fraud scheme. Iowa Workforce Development spokeswoman Kerry Koonce said the agency is piecing together the economic damage caused by the sudden downfall of Peregrine Financial Group CEO Russ Wasendorf Sr., who was arrested and charged last week.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) – Farmers have told Iowa Governor Terry Branstad they’re facing a possible financial disaster if the drought doesn’t break. Corn and pork producers met with the governor today at a forum in Mount Pleasant. One expert says this is the worst dry spell in Iowa in nearly 25 years.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa says testing of a white powdery substance in an envelope mailed to a residence hall shows no harmful substances. A student counselor reported feeling ill after opening the envelope at Stanley Hall yesterday. More tests are being run on the powder.

EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) – The FBI says dogs aiding in the search for two missing girls have picked up their scent near Meyers Lake in northeast Iowa. But a spokeswoman says there are no witness reports to confirm Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey were at the lake. Family members say they believe the girls were abducted.