As you may have heard on our newscasts Wednesday, the US Postal Service is considering closing several Iowa post offices, including locations in Brayton, Cumberland, Kimballton, and Lewis.

Western Iowa Congressman Steve King has released a statement on the possible closings, saying he will help develop an individualized plan to ensure that the feedback and concerns of each community are brought to the attention of the Postal Service. He says, “The USPS cannot be allowed to take advantage of this situation to shirk its responsibilities in western Iowa.”

Sentencing is scheduled for today in the case of a Crescent man accused of supplying alcohol that resulted in the death of a Harlan teenager last fall.

27-year-old Dustin Thomas pled guilty to supplying alcohol to an underage person resulting in death last week. He could face as much as five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Nine other people had been charged in the incident where minors had been drinking at a party.

Thomas was arrested in February on accusations that he provided alcohol that resulted in the death of 17-year-old Julio Caceres. On October 11 Caceres died as a result of injuries suffered in the alcohol incident the previous weekend

Thomas had admitted to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation that he bought a bottle of Black Velvet that Caceres drank at the party.

Charges were filed following an investigation by the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.

The Cass County Sheriff’s office reports the arrests of several people the past few days.

On Tuesday, 34-year-old Jason Glen Dukes of Anita was arrested on charges of OWI 2^nd Offense and Driving While Revoked. He was taken to the Cass County Jail and was released later the same day on his own recognizance.

Also on Tuesday, 18-year-old Austin Allen Schmitt was arrested on a warrant for Delivery of Marijuana, Distribution of Drugs to Persons Under 18, two counts of Use of Individual Under 18 in the Drug Trade, and two counts of Using a Juvenile to Commit and Offense. Schmitt was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was held on $45,000 bond. Two other unnamed juveniles were arrested in this case as well.

On Monday, 37-year-old David Daniel Good of Anita was arrested for Possession with Intent to Deliver and Driving While Barred. He was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was held on $7,500 bond.

Also on Monday three people were arrested on drug charges after a Cass County traffic stop.

Twenty-one-year-old Cam Christopher Jahnke was arrested on charges of Possession with Intent to Deliver and Possession of a Controlled Substance. He was taken to the Cass County Jail and was held on held on $6,000 bond.

Twenty-one-year-old James Michael Howard of Atlantic was arrested on charges of Possession with Intent to Deliver and Possession of a Controlled Substance. He was taken to the Cass County Jail and was held on held on $6,000 bond.

Also as part of that same traffic stop, 27-year-old Alanda Nevelle Starkey of Lawrence, Nebraska was arrested on charges of Possession with Intent to Deliver and Possession of a Controlled Substance 3^rd Offense. She was taken to the Cass County Jail and held without bond

Last Friday, 42-year-old Shannon Sue Prall of Atlantic was arrested for Domestic Abuse Simple Assault. She was transported to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office where she was released Saturday on her own recognizance.

And last Thursday, 37-year-old Gregory James Storjohann of Walnut was arrested for Driving Under Suspension. He was taken to the Cass County Jail where he pled guilty and was released that day.

Authorities in Fremont County report a Shenandoah man was injured in a motorcycle crash in Shenandoah.

Twenty-seven-year-old Corey Whitehill of Shenandoah was driving a 2001 Honda Motorcycle on Highway 59 near Highway 2. Whitehill lost control of the bike after passing a vehicle and crashed into a ditch.

Shenandoah rescue transported Whitehill to the Shenadoah airport where he was flown to Creighton Medical Center.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office and Shenandoah Fire assisted at the scene. Further information on the accident is unavailable.

The annual August roadside survey of upland game will begin August 1. Staff with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will be driving through different areas of Iowa looking for pheasants, rabbits quail and partridge. The survey tracks population trends and provides reliable predictions of the fall pheasant harvest. The survey concludes on August 15.

Also anyone interested in deer hunting this fall may begin purchasing licenses for the upcoming season on August 15. Season dates and license quotas were approved at the July meeting of the Natural Resource Commission of the Iowa DNR. Licenses are sold at nearly 900 locations across the state. Locally, you can get your license at the Cass County Courthouse. For more locations visit: www.iowadnr.gov.

Western Iowa Tech Community College in Denison will be offering a Moped Safety Class on Saturday September 17, 2011 from 8:30am to 2:30pm. The course is designed for people age 14 or 15 who wish to obtain a moped license. It is an approved course of training in the skills required by the Iowa Department of Transportation prior to obtaining a moped license. To register, call WITCC at (712) 263-3419.

* Press release

The US Post office is considering closing more than 3,600 post offices throughout the US.

Several offices in southwest Iowa are on the list of offices that might be closed. They include locations in Brayton, Cumberland, Kimballton, and Lewis.

It is important to note that just because a post office is on the list, it does not necessarily mean it will close.

This past January, about 1,400 post offices were considered for potential closings. Two-hundred-eighty offices have officially been closed, but of those 200 passed their reviews and will remain open.

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A rear end accident Saturday on interstate 80 in Adair County Saturday led to two children suffering possible injuries.

At about 1:30 Saturday afternoon, 1997 Chevrolet Suburban driven by 56-year-old Mark Patterson of Tama was traveling westbound on interstate 80. A 2009 Chevrolet Impreza driven by 53-year-old Peggy Hobus of Avoca was traveling just behind Patterson.

As Hobus was driving, she turned to looked in towards the back of her vehicle in response to a passenger opening a back door of her vehicle. When she turned back she saw Patterson slowing down in response to traffic that was slowing down in front of him.

Hobus then rear-ended Patterson’s vehicle.

Injured in the incident were two children in Hobus’s vehicle. They are both 12 years-old and were transported by Stuart rescue to the Adair County Memorial Hospital for unknown injuries.

Hobus was cited for failure to stop within the assured clear distance. Approximate damage from the incident amounted to about $5,000 each for Hobus’s and Patterson’s vehicle.