Police in Harlan report a Harlan man was arrested Thursday on 12 counts of forgery and one-count of on-going criminal conduct, in association with check fraud. Officials say 32-year old Nicholas Gaer allegedly forged numerous checks on an account belonging to Martha Anastasi, of Harlan. Gaer was being held in the Shelby County Jail.

That same day (Thursday), Harlan Police investigated a report of damage to a vehicle in the 800 block of Tarkington. A 2004 Dodge Dakota pickup belonging to James Laver, of Harlan, sustained $400 damage. The incident remains under investigation.

The Harlan Police Department reports also, on June 30th, 22-year old Andrew Vasquez, of Harlan, was arrested and later cited for Criminal Mischief, after officers observed him allegedly throwing and breaking beer bottles in the 500 block of Market Street. The incident allegedly occurred while officers were investigating another, separate incident.

Interstate Power and Light Co. (IPL), an Alliant Energy company, announced today (Friday), that it will cycle air conditioners for all participating Iowa customers. Weather conditions are such that from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. today customers enrolled in the Appliance Cycling program will have their air conditioner cycled in 15-minute intervals to reduce overall energy usage.

Participating residential customers have a small control switch placed on or near their central air conditioner. Today, Alliant Energy will send a signal to all switches in the state. The control switch will cycle the outdoor cooling unit off and on every 15 minutes. The furnace fan will continue to circulate the cooler, drier air already in the home. 

Alliant Energy pays each participating residential customer $8 per month from June through September – whether the air conditioner is cycled or not. A similar program for electric water heaters is also included in today’s event. Customers enrolled in that program receive a $2 per month discount during the same June through September time period. 

Appliance Cycling events typically occur between May 15 and September 15 on weekdays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. They are not initiated on weekends or holidays.

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The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports Consent Agreements have been reached with two western Iowa entities associated with environmental violations which occurred in 2011. Officials said Thursday that Agriland FS, Incorporated, in Casey, has agreed to pay fish restitution and investigation costs of $6,258, along with a $10,000 penalty, for discharge of pollutants into water. And, the City of Council Bluffs has agreed to develop a written plan to respond to emergencies associated with fueling stations, and pay a $1,000 fine for underground storage tank violations. A consent order is issued in settlement of an administrative order or as an alternative to issuing an administrative order. A consent order indicates that the DNR has voluntarily entered into a legally enforceable agreement with the other party.

(A link to the Consent Orders can be found here:  http://www.iowadnr.gov/InsideDNR/AboutDNR/EnforcementActions.aspx)

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The Red Oak City Council, Thursday, approved the hiring of a Virginia man to succeed former Fire Chief Rick Askey, who has retired from the position. During a special meeting Thursday afternoon, the Council agreed to hire James Blount III, who has served with the Wythe, Virginia Fire and Rescue Department, since 1994. Blount is tentatively scheduled to take over the position of Red Oak Fire Chief on July 30^th. 

His starting salary will be $50,000 per year. Blount will bring his family with him when he transfers to Red Oak. They include his wife and four sons.

Authorities in Montgomery County are investigating a residential burglary in Stanton. Officials say 50-year old John Wayne Jewell, of 403 Elliott Street in Stanton, reported the break-in Thursday night. The incident is believed to have occurred sometime between July 3rd and the 5th. 

Officials say a person or persons unknown forced their way into the home and stole numerous personal documents, cash, and electronic items. The loss was estimated at $1,700.

Anyone with information about the break-in, is asked to contact the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 712-623-5107, or Crimestoppers at 1-800-432-1001.

A Red Oak teen claims another driver caused her to crash her vehicle Thursday night, east of Stanton. 18-year old Cassy J. Blystone was traveling west on Highway 34 about a mile-west of Viking Lake State Park, when a dark-colored, late-model truck passed her. Blystone told authorities the other vehicle cut her-off as it came back into the westbound lane. The action caused Blystone to veer to the north and lose control of the 1998 Chevy Cavalier she was driving.

The car traveled south across the eastbound lane of traffic before it left the road and went airborne for a short distance and hit the ground. Blystone said she may have hit the accelerator instead of the brake went the car came down. The vehicle continued southwest through a road ditch and became stuck on elevated terrain in the ditch. The accident happened at around 9:20-p.m., just west of the intersection of Highway 34 and Q Avenue.

Blystone complained of a headache, but neither she nor her passenger were seriously hurt. The car, which lost its right rear wheel during the crash, sustained $4,500 damage.

Much of Iowa is in the midst of the state’s worst drought in 24 years. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says Iowa’s rainfall totals over the last two months were less than half of normal amounts for May and June. “Probably the worst off area over that relatively short term would be in east-central and parts of northeastern Iowa,” Hillaker says. “Around Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities and Dubuque…those areas, in many cases, have maybe received 25-percent of normal rainfall over the past couple of months.”

In addition to the lack of rain, temperatures have been well above normal this spring and summer. The situation is similar to 1988 – the year of Iowa’s last major drought. “1988 is certainly the year that we’ve probably been comparing 2012 with the most often,” Hillaker says. “That particular summer was both unusually hot and unusually dry.” But, Iowa’s received nearly twice as much rain over the first half of this year compared to 1988. A report from the USDA this week found 73 percent of Iowa’s farm acres were either “short or very short” on subsoil moisture — that compares to just two-percent at this time last year. Hillaker says the recent heat wave is stressing crops even more.

“When temperatures are at 100 degrees or so, it basically results in evaporation rates roughly 25 to 30 percent higher than what would be the case if we had more normal temperatures, which at this time of year would be in the mid 80s,” Hillaker said. “It does make quite a bit of difference and dries things out much more rapidly than if we had moderate temperatures.” Monday’s USDA report rated 62-percent of Iowa’s corn as “good to excellent.” That compares to an 82-percent rating in Iowa at this time last year. Scattered showers and storms are in the weekend forecast and more normal temperatures, with highs in the 80s and overnight lows in the 60s, are expected Sunday and Monday.

(Radio Iowa)

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