w/ Brett Johnson

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Emergency Management Officials in Mills and Pottawattamie Counties have lifted their bans on open burning which were set in place a little more than a week ago. The Burn Ban in Mills County ended at 8-a.m. today (Friday). The Burn Ban in Pottawattamie County will no longer be in effect as of 6-p.m today (Friday).

Forecasted temperatures and precipitation chances have prompted Fire Chiefs tin both counties to lift the open burning ban that was issued on February 1st. Fire officials want to remind citizens to always have safety measures in place when burning, even when environmental conditions appear safe.

The lifting of the open burning ban does not apply within the corporate city limits of Council Bluffs and other communities within Pottawattamie County where city ordinances restrict open burning year-round. Please check with your local City Hall for more information regarding open burning within city limits.

348 PM CST FRI FEB 10 2012

…WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM CST SATURDAY…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WIND CHILL ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 8 AM CST SATURDAY.

* SHORT TERM TRENDS…COLD TEMPERATURES ALREADY IN PLACE ARE EXPECTED TO SLIP FURTHER THIS EVENING. THE FAR NORTHWEST ALONG WITH SNOW COVERED AREAS OF WEST CENTRAL IOWA WILL SEE TEMPERATURES EVENTUALLY DIP TO ZERO OR BELOW.

* WINDS…A NORTH TO NORTHWEST WIND AT 2O TO 30 MPH WILL BE COMMON THIS EVENING. THE WIND WILL DIMINISH SOME OVERNIGHT BUT SHOULD REMAIN IN THE 10 TO 20 MPH RANGE.

* IMPACTS…WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES WILL SLIP TO NEAR ZERO THIS EVENING AND IS EXPECTED TO FALL TO BETWEEN -20 TO -25 AFTER MIDNIGHT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND WIND WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS…MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES.

The Lenox Police Department reports two people were arrested on drug charges, Thursday, following an investigation into a suspicious vehicle parked at the Lenox High School. Officials say 21-year old Victor Daniel Govea and 20-year old Maria Alvarez, both of Lenox, were taken into custody at around 2:15-a.m.

Alvarez was charged with possession of meth, possession of alcohol under the legal age and possession of an open container of alcohol in a vehicle. Govea was charged with possession of meth, OWI-1st offense, open container of alcohol, failure to have a driver’s license, identity theft, a class D felony, and forgery, a class D felony. Both are being held in the Ringgold County Jail. .

The pair was arrested after Lenox Police stopped the vehicle they were in as it was leaving the Lenox High School parking lot. The vehicle was stopped for an equipment violation. When the officer approached the vehicle he could see several open bottles of beer. The driver (later identified as Govea) provided a Virginia drivers license identifying him as 32-year old Jeiel Hernandez. The man said he lived in Lenox. Alverez was a passenger in the car.

During a search of the vehicle, the officer located methamphetamine. While the search was underway, the owner of the vehicle, Alfredo Zapata-Gonzalez, arrived on the scene. Zapata-Gonzalez was issued a citation for allowing an unlicensed driver to operate a vehicle and the car was released to him.During the investigation it was discovered Hernandez’s real name was actually Victor Daniel Lopez Govea.  The Lenox Police Department obtained a search warrant for Govea’s residence, and at around 1:30-p.m., Thursday, officers with the Lenox Police Department, Taylor County Sheriff’s office, the Ringgold County K-9 unit and the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Office served the warrant at the home, which resulted in the recovery of additional evidence. The investigation continues, with additional charges possible.

The Page County Sheriff’s Department reports a Clarinda man was arrested Thursday night, on Domestic Abuse, drug and theft charges. 44-year old Alan Craig Gardner was taken into custody at around 8-p.m.  The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office says they received a call that same evening from the Page County Sheriff’s Office, indicating a male matching the description of Gardner was in the Clarinda Hospital. He was wanted on warrants stemming from the chase that began with a vehicle stolen from Northwest Missouri. The February 2nd chase wound its way through southwest Iowa and ended north of Hamburg.

Gardner had been on the loose since he and 37-year-old Sean Christopher Schmidt of St. Joseph, MO abandoned the vehicle, which crashed into a levee and burst into flames. Schmidt was arrested after he was seen walking along the West Nishnabotna River levee, several hours after the crash,  and following an extensive manhunt.

Gardner was identified at the hospital by Clarinda Police as the second chase suspect, and was placed under arrest. He was picked up by Fremont County deputies and was being held in jail on $50,000 bond. He’s been charged in Fremont County with Conspiracy to Manufacture Methamphetamines, Possession of Precursor/Anhyrdous Ammona, Unauthorized transport of anhydrous ammonia, Possession of a Controlled Substance, Methamphetamine, and Theft in the Second Degree. He faces additional charges in Page County, of Domestic Abuse and Theft in the 2nd Degree. Bond on those charges was set at $10,000.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Newly released FBI memos detail a sensitive investigation into fundraising in the Carter White House that started with a comparison to Watergate but fizzled after uncovering no criminal wrongdoing.  The memos were released from the file of Charles Manatt, an Iowa native and top Democratic Party official who was interviewed during the investigation. The records became public after Manatt, who grew up on an Audubon farm and graduated from Iowa State University, died last year in Virginia at age 75.
 
Experts say the memos provide an intriguing look at one of the first major campaign finance investigations after Watergate. FBI agents investigated whether Carter or his aides improperly solicited donations from prominent business leaders during a White House meeting, but found no evidence to support an anonymous source’s claim.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports a Panora man was arrested last weekend, after he allegedly displayed a weapon during a domestic disturbance at Lake Panorama. 51-year old Peter Aldrich Kelloway, II, was charged with Domestic Assault with intent and/or display of a weapon, one-count of Child Endangerment without injury, and two-counts of Assault with the use or display of a weapon. Kelloway was released from custody Monday on a $500 bond, with orders to appear in court for his preliminary hearing on Feb. 23^rd. 

Sheriff’s officials say they received a 9-1-1 call at around 1:30-a.m. Sunday, February 5^th, regarding a domestic issue, from a residence at the lake. When a deputy arrived on the scene, he observed Kelloway allegedly displaying a shotgun, and called for back-up. Troopers with the Iowa State Patrol, along with officers from the Guthrie Center and Panora Police Departments responded, but Kelloway was taken into custody without incident.

What do bald eagles, great blue herons and bullfrogs have in common? They are three of many species which benefit every year from the efforts of Iowa’s volunteer wildlife monitors! These volunteers make a big impact by contributing a small amount of time to studying our native wildlife. Last year, our volunteers monitored bald eagle nests, waterbird rookeries, falcon eyries and amphibian habitats. We hope to expand this program with the addition of new volunteers in 2012.

 Interested in becoming a certified volunteer wildlife monitor? The DNR is looking for volunteers comfortable with technology, have good note-taking skills, enjoy observing wildlife and want to enjoy the outdoors. First-time volunteers must sign up for one of our educational workshops. A $10 registration fee pays for training materials, a meal, subscription to our newsletter, a frog and toad call CD or bird identification guide and certification costs. 

During each workshop participants will be oriented with the history and purpose of the program, trained in monitoring techniques, familiarized with the natural history of the animals to be monitored and provided the opportunity to practice newly acquired skills in a short field lab session. Registration forms are available on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/volunteerwildlifemonitoring.

Among the locations for the 2012 Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring Program Workshops is: 

Page County – March 11

2039 Highway 71 North, Clarinda, IA 51632

10:00 am to 4:30 pm

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a cow was killed, but no one was injured, when a pickup collided with the animal Thursday evening, in Stanton. Sheriff Joe Sampson says Jason Poston, of Villisca, was traveling south on Q Avenue just before 5-p.m., when he topped a hill south of 230th Street, and came upon cattle on the road.

Poston, who is the President of the Villisca School Board, was unable to avoid the animals, because there was a railroad overpass in the victinity. The 2009 Chevy Silverado pickup he was driving hit one of the cows, which rolled to the bottom of a bank next to the railroad tracks.

The owner of the cows, Kit Johnson, of Stanton, was contacted by the Montgomery County Communications Center and notified about the accident. Johnson told authorities he knew the cattle were out, and had been attempting to corral them. Officials with the Burlington Northern Railroad were also notified. Poston’s pickup sustained $9,000 damage. The black cow his pickup struck, was valued at $1,000.

w/ Ric Hanson

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