Police in Council Bluffs are investigating a pair of attempted bank robberies that took place this (Friday) morning. Officials say both incidents occurred at separate branches of the People’s National Bank.

The first happened at around 10:30-a.m., when a white man with short hair, wearing a black coat and black shirt, alleged displayed a gun furing a robbery at the People’s Bank location at 333 West Broadway.  Bluffs Police Sgt. Chad Meyers said the suspect fled on foot toward Bluff Street, but he may not have gotten away with much cash, as a duffle bag was seen in the drive-through lane at the bank, with ink splattered on the cement around it. That would indicate a dye-pack…designed to make the cash unusable and identify a robber…may have exploded. Police officers and bank officials covered up the bag with a bucket to maintain the scene.

Meyers said the second robbery, occurred at around 10:50-a.m., at the 16th Street People’s National Bank location. No other details were immediately available concerning the second robbery.

Preliminary reports indicate two male suspects were involved. Both were still at large late this (Friday) afternoon. Officials say a third People’s Bank facility, at 201 Bennett Ave., went into lockdown following the first two robberies.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Reynolds today (Friday), announced that they will hold ten more town hall meetings focusing on their education blueprint on October 24th, 25th and 26th. The announcement brings the total number of education transformation town hall meetings to 17, with more to be announced in the coming days.
In southwest Iowa, town hall meetings open to the public will be held on:

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011
11 a.m.          In the auditorium at the Mt. Ayr High School
1:30 p.m.      In the  Bedford Community High School
3 p.m.            In the Commons area at the Clarinda High School
5:30 p.m.      At The Wilson Preforming Arts Center in Red Oak.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011
9 a.m.            At the Creston High School
11 a.m.          In the Auditorium at the Nodaway Valley High School in  Greenfield.
For more information, please visit www.governor.iowa.gov

(Atlantic) — CARF International has announced that CASS Incorporated, in Atlantic, has been accredited for the maximum accreditation period of three years for its community services in supported living, enrichment and employment for persons with disabilities.  CASS Incorporated has been fully accredited with the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities since 1983. 

The accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows the organization’s substantial conformance to over one thousand CARF standards across all areas of operations.  An organization receiving a three year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit that its programs and services are of the highest quality, measurable, and accountable. 

Founded in 1966, CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of persons served around the world. 

Three juveniles who allegedly vandalized a shelter house in the Bayard City Park last week reportedly posed for pictures following the incident. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Department, the incident took place October 4^th.

Officials say the three juveniles were observed playing on top of the shelter house. When a witness demanded the youth get down from the roof, they refused to comply, and then posed for pictures. The youth claimed they had a right to be on the roof, because it was a public park.

The juveniles allegedly ripped newly installed shingles off the shelter house roof. Charges are currently pending.

Area farm operators who have sustained major forage/crop production, and/or physical losses due to the combined effects of severe storms, excessive rain, flash flooding or other weather events, may be eligible for an emergency loan from the Farm Service Agency. FSA State Director John Whitaker said Thursday, the loans will cover a period from April 1^st, 2011 to present day. Applications for assistance should be completed at the Cass/Pottawattamie County FSA office in Atlantic. The final date for making an application is June 12^th, 2012.

Whitaker says the FSA may make Emergency Loans to eligible family farmers, which will enable those persons to return to their normal operations, if they sustained qualifying losses resulting from natural disasters. Applicants must be unable to obtain credit from other, usual sources in order to qualify for FSA Farm Loan Program assistance.

For more information, contact your local FSA office.

(Denison) — Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann says the thwarted terror plot against Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States shows terrorists are bold enough to think they can strike again on American soil.

“We have a very dangerous time in the United States that we’re looking at and part of that problem, unfortunately, is that President Obama has sent signals of weakness across the world and those signals have not been lost on foreign dictators like the dictator that’s in Iran and so now they’re so bold that they think they can have assassination plots in the United States,” Bachmann says. “That has to end.” Bachmann, who is in the midst of her third term in congress, is a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

“I know how to be tough on the terrorists. That’s exactly what we’ve got to do,” Bachmann said in Denison. “…I’ll tell the terrorists across the world that, ‘Not in our country, you don’t.'” Bachmann made stops in Denison and Sioux City Thursday. She is campaigning this afternoon (Friday) in Sioux Center, Rock Rapids and Estherville.

(Radio Iowa)

The Villisca Community School District’s Board of Education has put the State of Iowa on notice, that district officials intends to explore Whole Grade Sharing with the Stanton and Corning Community School Districts. The announcement, made during the board’s regular meeting Thursday evening, is required by State Code. Boards of Education are required to approve letters of intent to explore sharing with other districts, by no later than October 31^st. The State requires school districts considering wholegrade sharing to make a final decision on the matter, by February 1st.

Additional public meetings will be held with regard to Whole Grade Sharing, a joint meeting with the Stanton School Board at 7-p.m, Monday, in the Stanton High School gym, and with the Corning School Board at 7-p.m. Tuesday, in the Villisca High School gym.

Other, public input meetings will be held in Villisca on October 24th and November 17^th. Both meetings will take place in the Villisca High School gym, beginning at 7-p.m.

w/ Ric Hanson

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