A traffic stop early this (Monday) morning, in Council Bluffs, resulted in a chase, brief foot pursuit, and arrest. Authorities say just before 12:30-a.m., a Council Bluffs Police Officer observed a gray Hyundai Tiburon run a red light at a high rate of speed with its headlights off at S. 24th St and I-80. The officer initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle, but the driver refused to yield. The car continued east on Interstate 80 to Madison Ave.

Andre Shupe

Officers were advised the same vehicle had eluded the Nebraska State Patrol a short time prior to being spotted in Council Bluffs. Police were able to deploy stop sticks at S. 1st St and Pierce St causing the driver’s side tires to deflate. The vehicle then turned west onto Kanesville Blvd and continued west to 17th St and W. Broadway where it tried to turn south and became high centered on the curb.

The suspect driver, later identified as 28-year old Andre Shupe, of Council Bluffs, then ran south before being caught by officers. Shupe was transported to Pottawattamie County Jail where he was charged with Reckless Driving, Operating While Intoxicated, Possession of a Controlled Substance and numerous other traffic offenses.

Three people were arrested Sunday night in Montgomery County, on Theft-related charges. Red Oak Police arrested 24-year old Kristopher James Koon, of Red Oak, at around 10:05-p.m. on a Montgomery County warrant for Contempt of Court, on an original charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Koon was being held at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $300 bond.

And, Sheriff’s Deputies in Montgomery County arrested 37-year old Joanie Lynn Mohn, of Red Oak, and 31-year old Tyanna Karee Monrreal Robles, of Bellevue, NE., at around 8:30-p.m. Sunday, for Theft in the 4th Degree. Their arrests were the result of an investigation into alleged shoplifting at the Red Oak K-Mart Store. Red Oak Police assisted in making the arrests.

The Iowa House and Senate are starting what is likely to be the final week of the 2016 legislative session today (Monday). Final decisions must be made on the next state budget, while advocates continue to lobby for expanded state investment in water quality measures and an expanded medical marijuana law.

House Republicans and Senate Democrats must resolve their dispute over the G-O-P aim to “defund” Planned Parenthood. Republican Representative Dave Heaton of Mount Pleasant says this has been a fight in the legislature in each of the past five years. “I am not going to predict the outcome,” Heaton says. “I can’t.” Republican House Speaker Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake sees a clear path to resolving the final “sticking points” in the budget.

“We’ll continue to work our way through that and get those issues resolved, but we will resolve them,” Upmeyer says. “We always do.” Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says farmers need “significantly” more state grant money to install conservation measures in their fields, but Northey doesn’t expect major action from this year’s legislature. “It will be a lost opportunity,” Northey says. According to Northey, the threat of federal regulation and a Des Moines Water Works lawsuit challenging the way three northwest Iowa counties manage farm chemical run-off has “gotten people’s attention.”

“We’ve seen so much engagement by farmers and groups and cities and other organizations out there that are engaging in water quality,” Northey says, “sense there’s a momentum to make these kinds of improvements that the legislature is sensing that some dollars could do some good.” More than 20-million dollars is already set aside in the legislature’s current budget plan for water quality measures. House Republicans voted last week to redirect currently-collected state taxes on water usage and casinos to water improvement projects. Northey, who is a Republican, favors that plan because it doesn’t raise new taxes. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs says the House G-O-P plan “isn’t much of a solution.”

“The House plan pits water quality against every other priority in state government because it produces no new revenue and, in fact, steals existing revenue that comes to the state,” Gronstal says, “which makes it hard to fund education.” There are a handful of other issues that may be resolved before lawmakers adjourn for the year. Gronstal says that includes legislation to establish new state oversight of private boarding schools.

“I think it would be horrible to leave a situation where people can establish facilities to allegedly take care of kinds and where really bad things go on,” Gronstal says. The Midwest Academy in Keokuk and Montrose was closed in January after allegations of sex abuse surfaced. A group of advocates continue to press lawmakers to set up a state-sanctioned production and distribution network for medical marijuana. They want Iowans with a variety of illnesses and conditions to be able to use it.

Republican House Speaker Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake says there are “many ideas” but no consensus on the issue. “There are people with interests in that and there have been discussions, so we’ll see how it goes,” Upmeyer says. Upmeyer believes the state should wait for the federal government to act and set a uniform national policy for medical marijuana.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 2:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An English bulldog named Vincent has claimed top dog status at the 37th annual Beautiful Bulldog contest at Drake University. The tongue-in-cheek contest on Sunday featured 45 English bulldogs dressed up in costumes. It’s the opening event of the Drake Relays, a prestigious track and field meet to be held next week at Drake Stadium. Vincent will serve as the meet’s mascot.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill pending in the Iowa House would allow specially trained psychologists to prescribe medication to mentally ill people in hopes of alleviating a shortage of treatment options, but the proposal has run into opposition from some of the state’s psychiatrists. Supporters of the bill hope to ease treatment delays, especially among rural patients, that can stretch on for a month or longer and require long drives to larger cities. Some Iowa psychiatrists in the change could be risky.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Officials say residents in a northwest Cedar Rapids neighborhood no longer need to boil their water as a safety precaution. Last week, there was a water main break in the area that led to an isolated outage for about 60 homes.