Members of the Harlan Municipal Utilities Board of Trustees reached an agreement Thursday night on how to increase HMU’s water utility revenue. In a tough but necessary decision, the board had to decide on how to increase the water utility revenue by 27 percent or $379,317 annually. Chief Executive Officer Tom Gaffigan says the increase is all for the state revolving fund for the Water Treatment Plant. He says the difficult part was figuring out how to fairly distribute the cost. Gaffigan presented the board with 8 options. After much discussion from all the board members, the board voted on Option #6, which was to assign 50 percent of the required revenue adjustment to the service charge or separate bill line item special charge and the remaining 50 percent of the required revenue adjustment to the commodity charge. Essentially, Gaffigan says this will evenly divide the needed $379,317.

He says half that amount, $189,658.50 will be obtained by increasing everybody’s water rates.  It won’t be a service charge though. It will simply be a line item on the bill. The separate bill line item charge will be a monthly charge of $6.55 per customer. The charge will be introduced to customers on July 1^st, 2012. The other half of the money will come from the Commodity charge. Whereas the line item of $6.55 per month will go directly to the new wastewater treatment plant, the Commodity charge is what residents and businesses pay per gallon of water. The costs will be spread over all customer classifications. It reflects what others use in water, so it becomes clear everyone is paying their fair share. 

The Harlan Municipal Utilities Board also adopted resolution number 60. The resolution was to approve the new service rules of the municipal gas utility. Gaffigan explained in the meeting the service rules are rules and regulations to meet existing federal guidelines and not a rate or cost increase. After a few quick updates on the Water Treatment Plant and the Operations Center, the Board then went into a closed meeting to discuss the new CEO candidate. Once the closed session was over, the HMU board approved Darrell Wenzel as the new Chief Executive Officer for Harlan Municipal Utilities. Wenzel will take over for the retiring Gaffigan, who says his replacement is well qualified for the job. Wenzel begins in his new position on Monday, May 21^st.

(courtesy Joel McCall/KNOD)

A pit bull that was attacking another dog last week was shot to death by the victim dogs’ owner. According to the Guthrie Center Times, the incident occurred at around 8:30-a.m. Thursday, May 3^rd, at a trailer court on Ashton Street, in Guthrie Center. Guthrie Center Police Chief Mike Herbert told the paper a pit bull owned by Melissa Brooks, was loose and got into the yard of her neighbor Steven Leivas, where the animal attacked his dog. Herbert said it was not the first time the pit bull attacked Levias’ dog.

Despite attempts by several individuals to stop the dogs’ attack, the pit bull refused to release its bite on Levias’ dog. Herbert says that’s when Leivas enetered his home, came back out with a shotgun, and killed the pit bull. Herbert said Leivas cooperated with authorities following the incident. He was subsequently charged with discharging a firearm inside city limits. Brooks was not cited in connection with the incident.

An Atlantic man was arrested early this (Friday) morning on an OWI charge, in Audubon County. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports 52-year old William Gregory Welter was taken into custody at around 2:30-a.m., following a traffic stop on Highway 71, near 345^th Street. Welter was brought to the Audubon County Jail and later released, after appearing before the magistrate.

The Atlantic Police Department reports the arrest Thursday of four individuals. 23-year old Damion Selders, of Carson, turned himself-in to authorities.  Selders had been wanted on a Cass County warrant for Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree. He was booked into the Cass County Jail, posted bond, and was released.

And, taken into custody Thursday on charges of Public Intoxication, were: 18-year old’s Tyler Doll and Joseph Riesberg, along with 20-year old Michael McConnell. All three are from Atlantic. Each was booked into the Cass County Jail and held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

A chase that began in Omaha with a stolen vehicle report ended near Neola Thursday evening, but not before the vehicle being pursued reached speeds of up to 130-miles per hour. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker told KJAN News that at around 5:45-p.m., deputies were alerted by Omaha Police to the pursuit of a black Acura stolen from an Omaha Acura dealership, occupied by two men and a woman, all of whom were from Omaha. Danker says deputies in Pott. County picked up the chase after it crossed the Missouri River into Iowa, off of Interstate 480.The vehicle entered Interstate 80 and entered Council Bluffs, at speeds of up to 100-miles per hour. As it left town, the car was traveling up to 130-miles per hour, passing cars on both shoulders and driving recklessly.

Omaha Police helicopter “Able 1” followed the pursuit from the above. Danker says a Pott. County Sheriff’s Deputy was about to deploy stop-sticks at the Neola Exit, but the car was traveling too fast. The driver of the car saw the deputy redeploy the stop-sticks east of the Neola Exit, and took evasive action. The car jumped the median and began heading westbound on I-80 and got off at the Neola exit. The car went out of control and ended-up in a ditch.Danker says the two men bailed out of the car and took off. The rear seat female passenger also got out of the car, but stayed with the vehicle and surrendered to authorities.

The driver of the car was identified as 22-year old Robert Frederick. The front seat passenger was identified as 20-year old Jake Scripter. The female was identified as Samantha Garbez. Danker says investigators in Omaha believe Scripter was the one who stole the car. Both men face 1st degree theft and Interference with Official Acts charges. Frederick faces additional charges of Reckless Driving and Operating without a Valid license. Garbez was not charged. She was transported by Neola Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, after complaining of chest pains. Frederick and Scripter refused medical treatment. Both men were scheduled to appear in court this morning. Their bonds was set at $10,000 each.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad has signed an executive order legalizing the use of lead shot in the hunting of doves, rescinding an action by the state Natural Resources Commission.  Branstad’s action today (Friday) allows dove hunters to use lead shot when the season begins in September.  The Iowa Natural Resources Commission last year approved a rule banning lead shot for dove hunting. The Legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee then agreed to postpone the rule to give the Legislature time to pass a law that would allow lead shot for dove hunting.  This year, the House passed a resolution, but the measure died in the Senate.  Opponents of dove hunting say the pellets contaminate the environment for other animals. Hunting groups say steel shot costs more and doesn’t work as well.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Triple-A predicted we’d see gasoline selling in Iowa at four dollars a gallon or higher by Memorial Day, but a new government report is forecasting much cheaper prices. The U-S Energy Information Administration now estimates the national average price this summer will be three-79, even lower in the Hawkeye State. Rose White, at Triple-A-Iowa, says pump prices have been steadily falling for weeks. “As this industry is, it’s very unpredictable, but certainly this latest news is welcome news for all motorists,” White says. “Oil prices are down about 9% in the last six days. In fact, for the last 23 days, retail pump prices have declined.” 

Iowa has one of the lowest gas prices in the country, averaging three-57 a gallon, about 18 cents below the national average. She says prices will still likely rise as the summer approaches, but not as high as they’d first thought. “Based on what we’re seeing now, which is an improvement in supply levels and economic concerns that are driving down crude oil prices, the combination of factors certainly is reversing earlier projections,” White says. “Right now, we’re expecting prices to stay right at that $3.70 level for many of the summer months.”

Between January and April, gas prices nationwide rose a whopping 20-percent. Some politicians blame President Obama for the increase, but White says that’s not a legitimate claim. “It’s hard to put the blame on any one organization, industry or country, certainly not on one person,” White says. “It’s a global issue, based on supply and demand.” Oil prices have dropped about eight-dollars a barrel since early April. Iowa’s current average gas price of three-57 a gallon is down from three-92 a year ago.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)