LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Bedbugs have been sharing space with two students who live in a dorm room at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.   Ashleigh Auman told Lincoln television station KLKN that she and her roommate noticed the bugs when they returned to their ninth-floor room from winter break. The women reported the bugs to university officials after the roommate was bitten on her arms and legs.  Some bedbugs were found in a cork board. 

The Abel Hall dorm is home to hundreds of students, so officials have been taking precautions against the bedbugs spreading elsewhere. Exterminators have been called in, clothes and bedding have been washed and mattresses exchanged. In June bedbugs turned up in a laboratory used as office space by the university’s College of Engineering.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Most Iowans aren’t usually eager to attack the task of doing their taxes, but as of yesterday (Tuesday), the Internal Revenue Service was accepting electronically filed returns for the first time in the new year. People who are due a large refund are usually the first to zap in their returns and I-R-S spokesman Christopher Miller says e-filing is growing in popularity. “In fact, in Iowa, well over three-quarters of people last year e-filed their returns,” Miller says. “That leads the country and we expect that kind of a trend to continue.” Many Iowans may make a trip to the office supply store to buy that big box of tax preparation software but he says they really don’t need to do that.

Miller says, “You can go to IRS.gov and electronically file your return for free using the same type of tax software that these providers are using and letting 70% of the people across the country use through this system called Free File.” If filling out the federal tax forms is something you’d rather avoid as long as possible, you’ll have longer to procrastinate this year.

“April 15th falls on a weekend, a Sunday,” Miller says. “The following day, Monday, might be a good day to do it but it’s Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia and that particular holiday has the same impact as federal holidays on tax days.” Miller says federal tax deadline day won’t arrive until April 17th, which is two days later than usual. For answers to your other taxing questions, visit IRS.gov. 

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County say a man wanted in Nebraska was arrested at Noon on Monday. 23-year old Justin Lee Chamley, of Omaha, was taken into custody at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, for being a Fugitive From Justice.  He was being held without bond at the Jail in Glenwood. The warrant stems from his arrest on a charge of Receiving Stolen items with a value of more than $1,500. Chamley was arrested in mid-Sept., 2011, in connection with the break-in’s of numerous vehicles in La Vista, NE, and the theft of items from those vehicles, as well as attempted burglaries of sheds and/or garages in the La Vista area. And, late last month, Chamley was arrested on a warrant for conspiracy, on-going criminal conduct, 3rd degree burglary and two counts of 2nd degree burglary.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports also, the arrest last Friday, of 36-year old Amy Kathleen Reeves, of Malvern, on a charge of Failure to Appear on an original charge of Theft in the 5th degree. Her bond was set at $100. And, 21-year old Charles Lucas Wendt, of Pacific Junction, was arrested Friday for violating the terms of his probation. Wendt was being held in the Mills County Jail on $1,000 bond.

The Atlantic City Council Wednesday, will hold a public hearing on the proposed 2012-2013 Capital Improvement Projects (CIP). The hearing will take place during the Council’s regular meeting, which begins at 5:30-p.m.  Following the hearing, the Council is expected to act on a motion to authorize the advertising of bids for those projects. 

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will hold the first reading of an amendment to the City’s Traffic Control Ordinance, which calls for the adding of a stop sign on Pine Ridge Road, at 22^nd Street. They’ll also consider a Resolution granting approval of an application by John and Rita Welch, for an Industrial Property Tax Exemption on a new 9,000 square foot building, located at 800 Park Drive, and hear a report from Councilman Shaun Shouse, with regard to discussion about a proposed Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Policy.

Those of you who couldn’t get our AM 1220 signal in your place of work or at home, may now be able to listen to KJAN on FM 101.1! Not all areas will be able to receive the signal, but if you get the chance, tune to 101.1-FM. Thanks for listening to “The Station Where Your Friends Are!”

The Atlantic Municipal Utlities’ (AMU) Board of Trustees, Monday, named Steve Tjepkes as the next General Manager of the local utility. The action took place during the Boards’ regular meeting. Tjepkes’ appointment becomes effective with the retirement of current General Manager Allen Bonderman on March 31st, 2012.

Tjepkes is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, and is a Certified Public Accountant. After working for some eight years for two different private accounting firms, he joined AMU in April of 1993 as Comptroller. His responsibilities over the past eighteen years at AMU included oversight of all financial operations, including billing, collections and accounting, as well as customer service functions.

As the chief financial officer for the organization, Steve has worked closely with the previous two General Managers. He also has acted as the Secretary for the Board of Trustees, and has a good working relationship with the Board. Steve and his wife Julie are longtime residents of Atlantic, and both are extremely active in their church and various community organizations.

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker says an Pennsylvania man was arrested Friday afternoon on drug charges, following a traffic stop on Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs. The Sheriff says Deputy Brian Miller stopped a Nissan Altima for speeding on I-80 near the 5-mile marker, at around 1-p.m., Friday. After speaking with the driver, Miller became suspicious the man may have been trafficking drugs. The deputy asked 25-year old Joshua Ampolsk, of Wynnewood, PA, for permission to search the vehicle, but Ampolsk refused.  When Miller conducted a perimeter search of the vehicle using his k-9 partner “Francisco,” the dog alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics in the car, which provided the deputy with probable cause to conduct a search. While searching the car, Miller recovered 61-pounds of marijuana, and 2-pounds of Hashish.

Ampolsk was taken into custody on a felony charge of Possession with the Intent to Deliver/marijuana, Prohibited Acts/distribution of illegal substances, and a drug tax stamp violation. He posted a $5,000 bond that same day, and was released from custody.