DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad has signed a bill into law that will remove a penny-per-gallon tax on gasoline that has been used to pay for the cleanup of leaking underground petroleum storage tanks in Iowa. Branstad said at a bill signing Monday that the tax’s purpose is done and there’s enough remaining money available to address future issues. The tax will expire Dec. 31st.

The Iowa Legislature created the cleanup program in 1989 to pay for costs tied to environmental contamination from underground petroleum storage tanks located near gas stations. The environmental protection charge collected 1 cent per gallon of motor fuel. Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Chuck Gipp says drivers could see relief at the pump since gas retailers will be expected to pay less in taxes.

The Atlantic Police Department reports six arrests. Last Wednesday, 29-year old Jeffrey Knight, of Atlantic, was arrested for Going Armed with Intent. On May 10th, 66-year old Dean Adams, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Montgomery County warrant for Public Intoxication, and 27-year old Cara Larson, of Atlantic, was arrested for Simple Assault causing bodily injury.

On Thursday, 30-year old Summer Cole, of Atlantic, was arrested for Burglary in the 2rd degree and Theft in the 5th. And, on Friday, Atlantic Police arrested 25-year old Alexandra Smaridge, of Atlantic, for Theft in the 4th degree. That same day, 37-year old Esuek Phylon, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intox.

All six subjects were booked into the Cass County Jail.

The Glenwood Police Department is reporting three recent arrests. On Saturday, 63-year old George Okalona, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. And, 50-year old Ronald Cook, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order. On Friday, 28-year old Jeffrey Neppl, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Harassment. Bond for all three men was set at $300, each.

Authorities in Union County received two theft reports last week. On Saturday, a Lorimor woman said someone took a red, 1999 Honda ATV from a shed on her property. The theft happened sometime over the past week. The ATV was valued at $3,000. And, on May 10th, a rural Creston man reported the theft of a Ruger, Mark 3 .22-caliber handgun. The weapon was taken from his vehicle sometime over the course of the past two months. The loss was estimated at $350.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office said also, an accident early Saturday morning resulted in a pickup being totaled, but no one was hurt. 29-year old Christopher Ham, of Lorimor, was traveling east on 3rd Street at around 1:50-a.m., Saturday, when he lost control of the 1999 Chevy S-10 he was driving. The pickup sideswiped a tree and then an Alliant Energy utility pole, snapping the pole in half. Ham told authorities he was being chased by an unknown vehicle when the incident occurred. Officials cited Ham for Failure to Maintain Control, and Driving While Revoked. Damage from the crash, including to the pickup and pole, amounted to $5,500.

A study finds the number of Iowa high school students who drink alcohol is falling but a state health official says the numbers are still far too high. Julie Hibben, in the Bureau of Substance Abuse at the Iowa Department of Public Health, says moms and dads in Iowa can have a significant impact on the well being of their kids — all it takes is a little time.

“A way that parents can address substance use with their children is really by having conversations with them,” Hibben says, “not being afraid to talk with them about what’s happening, if any of their kids are feeling pressured at school by their peers to use substances and just to have open conversations about that.” An Iowa study finds the frequency of binge drinking, illicit drug use and cigarette smoking is lower among kids between 12 and 17 whose parents engage in monitoring behaviors, like helping with homework.

“We’re seeing rates decrease when it comes to underage drinking, which is really good news,” Hibben says. “We feel like our prevention efforts are working but we still have a lot of work to do. We know that, depending on the data source, Iowa tends to be in the top five to ten states with the highest rates of underage drinking.” According to the latest Iowa Youth Survey, 23-percent of the 11th graders in Iowa reported having one drink of alcohol in the last month, and of those, 14-percent binge drank, meaning, they had five or more drinks of alcohol in a row within a couple of hours.

“Even though we’re seeing decreases, which we’re excited to see,” Hibben says, “we know that prevention is working in communities and across the state, there’s still some work we need to do to address that issue and make the decreases even more.” Each year, more than 43-hundred people under age 21 die from homicides, suicides, car crashes and drowning related to drinking alcohol. This is National Prevention Week, which Hibben says is an opportunity to raise awareness about underage drinking, emphasize healthy choices, and encourage each other to make a meaningful difference. The theme is “It’s Up to All of Us.”

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors approved a funding request from Cass County Tourism officials, for new tourism brochures. Kenner Baxter presented a mock-up of the brochures and spoke about them during the Board’s meeting this (Monday) morning. She said the last time the brochure was updated, was in 2007, so it’s time for a new one. The brochures are entitled “Explore Cass County.”

Kenner Baxter displays a mock-up of the new Cass County Tourism brochure, “Explore Cass County.”

They were created by Hotch Studios, of Atlantic, a graphic design company. Baxter says they were reasonably priced. The bid for the design cost came in at $270. The printing of 2,500 brochures at Safeguard Business Systems in Atlantic, will cost $288, for a total of $558, which the Board agreed was very reasonable. Kenner said the brochures will be printed in the next couple of weeks. She said they really need them because the “Our Iowa” bus tours are coming through this summer, and they have the old brochures, so “we need to give them something new.”

The brochures will be available at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce office and at all Iowa Welcome Centers.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports a Cass County man was arrested last week on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation. 37-year old Shawn Glen Wolverton, of Atlantic, was arrested Thursday afternoon in Greenfield, and brought to the Adair County Law Enforcement Center and later released on $5,000 bond.

A man from Stuart was arrested Thursday afternoon also, for Domestic Abuse by strangulation. 34-year old Justin Patrick Beaman was arrested by Stuart Police and later released on $2,000 bond.

And three eastern Iowa men were arrested Friday morning by the Iowa State Patrol, in Adair County. The men, 25-year old Christopher Patrick Carr and 23-year old Ramon LaMar March, both of Davenport, and 18-year old Tyler John Guizar, of Buffalo, were in a vehicle that was stopped on I-80 near the Adair Exit. The men were charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marjuana, and later release on $1,000 bond, each.

(9-a.m. News)