SAC CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man was electrocuted in a tree trimming accident in Sac County. The sheriff’s office says 63-year-old Edward Peters, of Lake View, died on Monday while working near Nemaha. Sheriff Ken McClure says Peters, who owned Peters Painting and Tree Trimming, was leaning on a boom truck, while a worker in a bucket on the truck was cutting branches. McClure says the 50-foot boom touched an overhead power line. Electricity traveled through the truck and Peters, who died at a hospital in Sac City. An autopsy is pending.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports a Coin man was arrested Thursday, on burglary and other charges. 45-year old Jeffrey Paul McCoy was taken into custody at around 2:20-p.m., following an investigation into an incident which occurred shortley after midnight, March 1st, at 2346 P Avenue in Page County. McCoy was charged with Burglary, Domestic Abuse Assault, and Assault. He was brought to the Page County Jail, posted bond, and was released pending additional court proceedings.

The Atlantic Police Department reports two arrests over the weekend. Authorities say on Saturday, 34-year old Arthur Davis was arrested for Interference with Official Acts. And, 42-year old Angela Cook was arrested for 1st Offense OWI. Davis and Cook are from Atlantic. Both were brought to the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

Last week’s killer tornadoes missed Iowa, but dozens of Iowans are responding to help residents in other states recover and rebuild. Volunteers from Iowa’s Red Cross chapters, from Sioux City to Des Moines to the Quad Cities, are loading up emergency response vehicles or hopping on planes. They’re heading for states as close as Illinois and as far away as North Carolina and Alabama. So far, the Red Cross has opened 25 shelters in 11 states after the tornadoes injured hundreds of people and killed at least 39. Iowa church groups are also responding. Volunteers from a West Des Moines church are in Harrisburg, Illinois, working to clear fallen trees with chainsaws. To donate, visit RedCross-dot-org.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Members of the City Council in Atlantic will act on adopting the Fiscal Year 2013 budget during their meeting Wednesday evening, at City Hall. A public hearing on the budget will precede a vote on approving a resolution adopting the budget. City Administrator Doug Harris says following the hearing, the Council can reduce, but not increase the Municipal Budget, which calls for expenditures of more than $13.6-million dollars. Harris says that’s a decrease of over $9.8-million (42%) from the current FY 2012 budget. If approved, the budget would result in a Total tax levy rate of $17.24 per thousand dollars valuation on regular property, or $3.00 per thousand, on Agricultural land. During the public hearing, any resident or taxpayer may present objections to, or arguments in favor of, any part of the proposed budget.  The meeting begins at 5:30-p.m., Wednesday.

Harris says the FY 2013 budgets for the City’s 15 Operating Funds total $10.1-million, which is an increase of nearly $1.1-million (12%) over the current year. He says the “Lion’s share” of the increase is due to the $725,000 increase in the Wastewater Fund, to pay for a portion of the news Wastewater Treatment Plant improvements being funded out of current revenues, and, the cost of principal payments to the State Revolving Loan (SRL) fund.

Other factors contributing to the large increase in the Operating Budget, include the use of some fund balances from the Storm Water Fund ($200,000) and the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Fund ($650,000), for one-time capital improvement projects. Those changes aside, Harris says the rest of the Operating Budgets are up 1.5%, or $107,000.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will hold the second reading of an ordinance calling for the speed limit to be changed on 22nd Street, from Highway 71 to Olive Street, and from Chestnut Street to Highway 6. The ordinance states the speed limit on those sections of 22nd Street, will be reduced from 45-, to 35-miles per hour. Some councilpersons have already received feedback from the public in opposition of the change in the speed limit, which was reviewed last month by the Community Protection Committee. Councilman Steve Livengood will report on the CPC’s findings and recommendation, during Wednesday evening’s meeting.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested on drug charges this past week. On Friday, 38-year old Victor Bruce Ingram, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Driving Under Suspension. And, 43-year old Curtis Lee Clark, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Possession of Methamphetamine.

On Sunday (March 4th), 18-year old Mikala Nicole Dixson, of Shenandoah, was arrested on a charge of Simple Assault. And, last Thursday, 57-year old Henry Thomas Toogood, of Ft. Worth, TX, was arrested for Failure to have an Iowa Sales Tax Stamp and Failure to hold a Peddlers License.

Residents of Pottawattamie County have an opportunity to attend one of several listening sessions scheduled to take place throughout the County, with regard to possible county-wide trails. The Pottawattamie County Conservation Board will meet with residents to gather public input on the future of multi-use trails. Mark Shoemaker, executive director of the Pottawattamie County Conservation Board, says the meetings are to being held to discuss where the trails should be located. He says anyone attending the sessions will discuss the future of the multi-use trails and asked to offer their opinions on where the lines should be drawn as to where the trails should be. 

Shoemaker says there are some short trails already in place, in Pottawattamie County. That includes the Wabash Trace, in Council Bluffs, several trails within the Council Bluffs city limits, some short trails in Oakland and other communities. Some trails are under development in other communities within the County. The main purpose of the meetings is to eventually connect the trails to every community in Pottawattamie County.

The County-wide trail planning listening sessions will be held in  four cities across the county. They will be held March 8^th, from 7-to 9-pm at the Neola Community Center; at the Carson Community Center, March 10^th, from 9am-11am; and at the AHST High School in Avoca, March 14^th, from 7-9pm. The final session will be held March 22nd, at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Looft Hall – Room 10, from 4-to 6-pm. Shoemaker says even if a meeting will not be held in your community in Pottawattamie County, you are still welcome to attend one of the meetings elsewhere in the County. The Pottawattamie County Conservation Board is also scheduling a water trails meeting at the Botna Bend Park in Hancock on Wednesday, March 21^st.

(courtesy Joel McCall/KNOD, Harlan)