The American Red Cross chapter that serves southwest Iowa is hosting what’s called a Mass Care Boot Camp starting next week for those interested in volunteering. Chapter spokeswoman Alyson Roach says the free event is a great way for those who were considering getting involved to learn about the program. Roach says, “It’s a chance for new volunteers to get to know the Red Cross and think of what they might fit into in the organization.” Roach says those who attend the boot camp will see what options are available to volunteers. How a person serves depends on their availability and lifestyle. Roach says some volunteers are able to travel and go to disaster sites for several weeks at a time, like last year’s tornado in Joplin, Missouri.

“We have volunteers who respond periodically to big disasters in other states,” she says. “Other volunteers respond weekly to house fires.” Roach says those attending the boot camp will be able to see what positions are available. She notes, volunteers are not assigned to certain areas but select how they want to help.

She says, “What a volunteer is available to do and what they want to train for is entirely up to that individual.” The goal of the free boot camp is to boost the number of local volunteers after last year’s busy storm season and Missouri River flood. The classes run February 27th through March 4th. Classes will be held in Omaha and in Council Bluffs. Learn more at “redcrossomaha.org”. 

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

U-S Attorney Nicholas A. Klinefeldt announced Thursday that two Clarinda men, 33-year old Edward Eugene Gray, Jr., and 23-year old Levi Edward Gray, were sentenced Tuesday, for their participation in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey sentenced Edward Gray, Jr. to a total of 20-years in prison. The sentence included 180 months on the conspiracy charge and 60 months for possession of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking offense. Levi Gray was sentenced to 2-years in prison on the conspiracy to distribute charge. Both were sentenced to a term of five years supervised release.

According to the written plea agreement, from approximately January of 2004 until November of 2010, the Grays were involved in the distribution of methamphetamine in the Southwest Iowa and Northwest Missouri areas with co-conspirators Orvis Lee Wagaman, of College Springs, Iowa; Edward Eugene Gray, Sr., of Coin, Iowa; and others. In addition,  Edward Eugene Gray, Jr. was aware that a co-conspirator carried a firearm while distributing methamphetamine with Gray, Jr., and the possession of the firearm was in furtherance of the drug conspiracy. Wagaman, and Edward Gray, Sr., have entered guilty pleas to the drug conspiracy and are scheduled for sentencing on March 27th, 2012.

The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office (MO), Buchanan County Drug Strike Force
(MO), NITRO Task Force (MO), Tri County Task Force (Adams, Ringgold, and Taylor Counties), Ringgold County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office, Page County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office, and the Ringgold and Taylor County Attorneys’ Offices. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman, Thursday, said the County has chosen to do a county-wide mailing of voter registration cards this year as we have had Election Precinct changes based on the 2010 census and we have also had several voting center changes since the 2000 census.

Sunderman requests that you do not return the card if all the information is correct and you would be checking the top box (the one to the left of the statement “I am the registered voter named on this card, and I still live at the address listed.”)   It is not required that you return the card.  The cost to return each card to the County Auditor is over one dollar (about $1.08).

Iowa Code Section 48A.28(3) states that certain information must be placed upon the second half of the postcard used to send the new voter registration form.  The Code states: “The card shall contain boxes for the recipient to check to indicate one of the following:
(1)  That the recipient is the registered voter named on the card, and is still a resident at the address listed.
(2)  That the recipient is the registered voter named on the card, but is no longer a resident of the address listed.
(3)  That the recipient is not the registered voter named on the card, and the registered voter named on the card is not a resident of the address listed.

The Cass County Auditor notes that if the recipient needs to mark the box before the statement for number (2) or number (3), the recipient should return the card to the Cass County Auditor. However, if box number (1) applies, then the recipient does not need to return the card.   They may take the voter registration card, trim it if they wish, and place the new registration card wherever they choose to keep identification cards and discard the second half of the postcard.

Two area school districts were among six districts from around the state selected to receive up to $38,000 in reimbursements, as a match for a new school bus, to replace the oldest buses still in regular use. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the East Union School District in Union County, and West Harrison School District in Harrison County, were among those receiving a new bus, and retrofit refunding. Each of the six districts will also receive full reimbursement for retrofits, to reduce diesel emissions on bus engines older than 2004 models in their fleets. A total of $280,359 will be awarded.

The funds were made possible by the Iowa DNR through the U-S Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Diesel Campaign. School Administrators of Iowa is handling administration of the grants on behalf of the DNR. The Bus Emissions Education Program (BEEP) assisted with grant publicity and other roles.

Additional information about the grants and BEEP is available at www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/AirQuality/BEEPSchoolbusEmissGrants.aspx.

The Atlantic Police Department reports 23-year old Kayla Ashburn was arrested Wednesday. Ashburn, of Atlantic, was taken into custody for unlawful possession of Prescription Drugs, and, for Driving While Revoked. Ashburn was booked into the Cass County Jail.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Sears says it will sell 11 stores in nine states including stores in Coralville and Council Bluffs.  The stores will be sold to mall operator General Growth Properties, which owns the malls in which the stores are located. The deals will close within the next two months.  Sears will continue to operate the stores into 2013. Final closing dates will be announced later this year.  The Coralville store is at the Coral Ridge Mall and the Council Bluffs store is in Mall of the Bluffs.
     Sears posted a fourth-quarter loss on Thursday. Its revenue fell 4 percent as demand in categories like appliances and consumer electronics fell. The store sales are part of a plan to raise cash to help offset poor performance.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The United States Postal Service says it is backing off of proposals to close mail processing plants in Cedar Rapids and Waterloo. The agency announced today (Thursday) it would close smaller plants in Carroll and Creston and move their work to Des Moines.  The postal service had been studying whether to close the plants since last fall as part of a nationwide downsizing of its distribution network.  Bruce Clark, president of the Iowa Postal Workers Union, says the closures of Carroll and Creston were probably inevitable since they did not have automated machinery. But he said the decisions to keep Cedar Rapids and Waterloo open were “fantastic news.”   In a statement, the postal service said it found “no significant opportunity to improve efficiency or service” by closing Waterloo or Cedar Rapids.

A Crime Scene Technician with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office received a bit of a scare Wednesday afternoon, while she was conducting a crime scene processing and inventory of a recovered stolen vehicle parked at the County and City of Council Bluff’s impound lot on South 15^th Street in Council Bluffs. Sheriff Jeff Danker says the unidentified woman discovered a round cylinder in the vehicle which she thought, was a red fire extinguisher. He says as she was pulling the object out of the vehicle, she discovered there were wires attached and a digital timer. Bomb squad experts from the sheriff’s office and Council Bluffs P-D used a “disruptor”-type round to blow the device open. At that point, Danker says they were pretty sure it was not an explosive, but did give the appearance of a bomb.

He says the first disrupter round didn’t give them a good enough look at the inside of the device, so a rope was attached to it. The device was pulled out of the vehicle and a second disruptor round was fired to open it up a little bit more. That’s when they knew it definitely was not a bomb. The bomb squad was on the scene from about 4-to 6-pm, Wednesday.

A traffic stop on Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs Wednesday afternoon, resulted in the arrest of two Ohio men, the seizure of a small amount of drugs and drug paraphernalia, and a large amount of cash. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker says the arrests occurred after Deputy Brian Miller pulled over a 2012 Chevy Impala for speeding, on westbound I-80 about two-miles north of the Iowa Western Community College campus (Mile marker 10), at around 3:15-p.m. Danker says when Miller approached the car to speak with the driver, he could smell marijuana. Miller conducted a “probable cause” search of the car and found a baggie of marijuana along with some rolling papers. A further search resulted in the discovery of $50,000 in U-S currency.

The occupants of the car, 28-year old Antione Parker, and 27-year old Shawn Petrack, both of Canton, OH, were arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance for personal use, and brought to the Pottawattamie County Jail in Council Bluffs, where they were being held this (Thursday) morning, on $1,000 bond, each.