A former Perry man who was set to stand trial Tuesday in connection with a fatal 2009 crash in Guthrie County, will instead make his appearance in court in May. A judge has continued the trial for 30-year old Thomas Dugan until 9:30-a.m. May 15^th in Guthrie County District Court. A Pre-trial conference in the case is set to take place April 30^th.

Authorities allege Dugan was behind the wheel of a car that went out of control and crashed in rural Guthrie County on August 24^th 2009. The crash killed a passenger in the car, 28-year old Adam Anderson, of Bagley, and resulted in Dugan suffering critical injuries. Both men were ejected from the vehicle, which rolled end-over-end multiple times before coming to rest in a soybean field.

Charges of vehicular homicide, reckless driving and drunken driving were filed against Dugan in February of 2011, after DNA tests indicated he was the driver of the car. Prior to the test results, authorities couldn’t determine which man was behind the wheel.

When it gets underway in May, Dugan’s trial is expected to last about four days.

CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-POLK-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD COUNTIES…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS UPGRADED THE WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR THE ABOVE COUNTIES TO A HIGH WIND WARNING, WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING…

* SHORT TERM TRENDS…STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE
  TO STRENGTHEN THIS MORNING AND BECOME MORE WESTERLY DURING THE
  DAY.

* WINDS…WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OF
  50 TO 60 MPH EXPECTED.

* IMPACTS…LOOSE OBJECTS WILL BE BLOWN AROUND. HIGH PROFILE
  VEHICLES WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY DRIVING ESPECIALLY ON NORTH
  SOUTH ROADS AND INTERSTATES. ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES OR TREE
  DAMAGE MAY OCCUR NEAR REGIONS OF PEAK GUSTS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED
OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS
OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday, a Hamlin woman was arrested Sunday evening on an assault charge. 32-year old Brooke Marie Hines faces two counts of Assault on a Peace Officer. The charges stem from an investigation into an incident which allegedly occurred in the 1500 block of 200^th Street. Hines was brought to the Audubon County Jail and released from custody after appearing before the magistrate.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating the assault of a woman who suffered severe facial injuries. Officials say they received a 9-1-1 call at around 11:20-p.m. Tuesday, about a woman in her 40’s who was found beaten in the 200 block of South 9^th Street, in Council Bluffs. The woman was transported by Council Bluffs Fire and Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, for treatment of severe facial injuries and trauma to her body. The unidentified victim was unable to provide authorities with information on the suspect as of this morning. Her name was being withheld, pending notification of family.

Iowa’s governor returned from a five-day trip to Washington, D.C. , Monday, and Governor Branstad made a face-to-face appeal to officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers on flood-related issues. “I was really encouraged about that meeting. The Corps has not always been as responsive to governors as they are at this time,” Branstad says. “We discussed the need to adequately prioritize flood control as a top priority in the Missouri River management and the fact that this is an area where the federal government can be more effective.” Branstad asked the Corps to make a temporary levy protecting the southwest Iowa town of Hamburg permanent. The governor says he mentioned several unresolved flood-related issues still pending in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City which were struck by severe flooding in 2008. Branstad also made a pitch for a “flow study” of the Des Moines River to update flood preparation plans in the state’s capitol city.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

Can you tell the difference between a “scud” cloud, and a “wall” cloud? Do you know the difference between a “funnel cloud,” and a Tornado? Trained storm spotters know the difference, and serve as the local eyes for the National Weather Service when severe weather threatens. Each year, meteorologists with the National Weather Service (NWS) travel to most of the 51 counties they serve to provide a comprehensive multi-media spotter training presentation. The classes are hosted by local emergency management officials, fire departments and a few amateur radio clubs. There are several opportunities for you to attend one of these classes free of charge. The classes typically last one-to two-hours.

The courses cover information about severe weather climatology, severe thunderstorm types, different weather threats and how to identify them, how to report severe weather, spotter safety and severe weather communications. If a class is not offered in your county, you are welcome to attend a class in a nearby county.

In the KJAN listening area, classes are being offered in March at the following locations and times….

March 8th     at the Prescott Fire Station in Adams County, beginning at 7-p.m.

March 14th   at the Lewis Fire Station in Cass County, starting at 7-p.m.

March 15th  at Southwestern Community College in Creston Room 180, at 7-p.m. (Union County)

March 21st  at the Mt. Ayr Courthouse Assembly Room, at 7-p.m. (Ringgold County)

March 26th at the Carroll Fire Station, beginning at 6:30-p.m. (Carroll County)

March 27th at the Farmers and Merchants State Bank in Winterset, at 7-p.m. (Madision County)

And, in April….

on the 4th, at the Audubon Courthouse, beginning at 6:30-p.m. (Audubon County), and on the 18th, at the Menlo Community Center in Menlo (Guthrie County), beginning at 7-p.m.

For other locations, dates and times, check out http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dmx/?n=spotterinfo

338 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2012

…VERY STRONG WINDS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA WEDNESDAY…

A STRONG WINTER STORM WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN MINNESOTA BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. AS THE STORM TRACKS THROUGH THE REGION WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 30 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS 45 TO 55 MPH. THE STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP NEAR SUNRISE OVER WESTERN IOWA AND INCREASE OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION BY LATE MORNING.

A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE FAR WEST & SOUTHWEST COUNTIES IN OUR LISTENING AREA (MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT- PAGE) FROM 7-A.M. WEDNESDAY UNTIL 4-P.M., AND FROM 6-AM UNTIL 6-P.M FOR CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR AND RINGGOLD COUNTIES.

* TIMING...STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP BY 6 AM WEST OF HIGHWAY 71 BY SUNRISE AND INCREASE TO NEAR INTERSTATE 35 BY 9 AM CST. WINDS WILL REMAIN STRONG FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. A CORRIDOR BETWEEN HIGHWAY 30 AND HIGHWAY 34 IS EXPECTED TO EXPERIENCE THE HIGHEST WINDS WITH GUSTS TO OVER 50 MPH AT TIMES.

* WINDS…WINDS WILL REACH 30 TO 35 MPH FOR MUCH OF THE DAY WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 45 AND 55 MPH BY LATE MORNING THROUGH MID AFTERNOON.

* IMPACTS…LOOSE OBJECTS WILL BE BLOWN AROUND. HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES WILL HAVE DIFFICULTY DRIVING ESPECIALLY ON NORTH SOUTH ROADS AND INTERSTATES. SNOW DEVELOPING OVER FAR NORTHERN IOWA BY MID MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WILL RESULT IN A PERIOD OF LOWER VISIBILITY AND POSSIBLY DIFFICULT TRAVEL FOR SEVERAL HOURS. ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES OR TREE DAMAGE MAY OCCUR IF STRONGER WINDS DEVELOP OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL IOWA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH WIND GUSTS TO OVER 45 MPH. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION. MINOR PROPERTY DAMAGE MAY ALSO OCCUR DUE TO UNSECURED OBJECTS BLOWING AROUND.

The Atlantic Fire Department was dispatched to a ceiling fire at the Salvation Army Thrift Store in Atlantic, at 716 W. 7th Street. The building has been evacuated, and the first fire crews on the scene show no smoke. Police also reported smoke, but nothing visible inside, either.

As it turns out, it was just the ballast on a light fixture that had burned out and was causing the smell. No damage or injuries were reported.

(corrected phone number at bottom of story)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say opportunities to spend the summer in an Iowa state park is available for individuals who serve as campground hosts. Hosts are needed for the season at Pine Lake, Pilot Knob, Walnut Woods, Lake Keomah, Lake Manawa, Lewis and Clark, Bellevue, Backbone, Beeds Lake, Clear Lake, Ledges, Nine Eagles, Pikes Peak, Viking Lake, Yellow River and Elk Rock. If an entire season is too much, three state parks have host needs of shorter durations. Hosts are needed from April through June at Lacey-Keosauqua, from the end of June through October at Prairie Rose, and for July and August at Volga River.

Campground hosts receive free camping at a designated site while they help state parks staff by assisting campers, explaining park rules, and helping with registration, and serving as an impromptu local tour guide. Hosts will help park staff to keep the park clean and with light maintenance.

Applications are available online at http://volunteer.iowadnr.gov then click on the campground hosts link toward the middle of the page.  Or, call 515-242-5074 to have an application mailed. Linda King, with the DNR’s office of volunteer services, said they would like to get hosts placed in parks by around the middle of March, so they are ready to go, in April.