DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A panel of state budget experts has maintained its earlier projection on Iowa’s revenue for the current fiscal year, and it continues to warn revenue is growing but at a slower rate. The three-member Revenue Estimating Conference said Wednesday it predicts the state will take in about $7.04 billion for the fiscal year that began last July. That’s the same figure the panel estimated in December, and it will allow Gov. Terry Branstad to keep his recommendations for the next state budget.

The panel expects the state to take in about $7.35 billion for the fiscal year that begins in July, a slight increase from their last projection. Members warned low commodity prices and other factors continue to slow the state’s economic growth. The panel made similar comments in December.

Authorities in Council Bluffs are investigating the deaths of two people found inside a home this (Wednesday) morning. KETV in Omaha reports one of the bodies, according to police, appears to have been shot. The incident was reported by a family member who found the victims at around 10 a.m. inside the home located near Langstrom and Grace streets.

No additional details have been released.

A woman from Nebraska who was arrested along with two other individuals Feb. 10th in Fremont County, was sentenced this week to 10-years in prison for a felony charge of Conspiracy to Deliver Methamphetamine. The Fremont County Attorney’s Office says the sentence for 32-year old Stacey Dawn Budenholzer, of Omaha, was handed down on Monday. The woman will not be eligible for parole until she has served at least one-third of her sentence under Iowa’s mandatory minimum sentencing law for methamphetamine distributors.

Stacey Budenholzer

Also arrested during the Feb. 10th investigation, was 36-year old Thomas Knipe, of Tabor, and, 25-year old Alexia Law, of Union, Nebraska. Knipe and Law have pleaded Not Guilty to their charges. Jury trial for both is slated for May 17th.
The case was investigated by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with the Shenandoah Police Department.

Cass County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall is issuing a reminder to property owners in the county: The second-half tax payments for real estate and mobile homes, are due now. Marshall says you can go on-line to pay your taxes at www.iowatreasurers.org, or pay in-person by debit or credit card, at the Cass County Treasurer’s Office.

The deadline for payments without penalty is Thursday, March 31st,2016. Payments with a postmark of March 31st, 2016, will also be accepted without penalty.

An attempt to execute arrest warrants for a Clarinda man Tuesday evening resulted in the arrest of a woman and the suspect. Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports deputies went to 500 N. 8th Street in Clarinda at around 5:30-p.m. Tuesday to execute two arrest warrants for 22-year old Christopher Wise, of Clarinda, for Revocation of Probation. Wise was found hiding under a mattress inside the residence.

During his arrest, a resident of the home, 26-year old Brooke Nichole Dawnn Washburn, of Clarinda, was arrested for Interference with Official Acts. She was being held in the Page County Jail on $300 bond, pending future court appearances. Wise was being held on $4,000 bond with regard to the warrants.

Wise

Washburn

The Cass County Board of Supervisors agreed to take under advisement until their next meeting, a request from the Schildberg Recreation Area Committee & Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department, for $40,000 to help secure a $360,000 Vision Iowa CAT (Community Attraction and Tourism) grant for improvements to the campground, three- stall restroom, shelter/shower house at the Schildberg Recreation Area.

Atlantic Parks and Rec Dept. Director Roger Herring, following-up on his presentation to the City Council two weeks, ago, explained to the Board if the Vision Iowa funds are approved sometime this summer after the application is filed next month, there would also be improvements made to the Pellet Wildlife Refuge Park. That includes a parking area, walking trails and stations where you can watch birds and other wildlife.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Director Roger Herring addresses the Cass Co. Board of Supervisors.

The Pellet Refuge is located just to the west of the dog park on the west side of Lake #2 at the Schildberg Rec Area. Cass County Conservation Director Micah Lee said the Conservation Board said people who had been using the area as a “mudding” area for pickups and ATV’s, created the unintentional ground work for a trail that could be used for the otherwise “underutilized area.” He said it would require some grading and addition of a cinder surface similar to the trail around the AMU well field east of Olive Street near KJAN, and making it slightly elevated, before other features could be added.

One of the features could be interpretive signage, or stations that utilize a smart phone app to identify birds, trees and native flora. Lee said another option is a possible “Fat Tire Biking” trail. Those types of bicycles are more suited to the serious off-road biking enthusiasts, and allow the bikes to more easily float over almost any terrain, as opposed to the skinny tires used by paved trail and road bike enthusiasts. The Conservation Board will discuss plans for the Pellet Wildlife Refuge area during their meeting Thursday.

The Vision Iowa CAT grant requires a 50-percent match, or, $180,000. The City of Atlantic has already committed $100,000 in support of the grant application. In-kind services are expected to meet the 25-percent requirement for the application, and Trees Forever is providing $2,000 worth of trees to be planted in the area. Those aspects and additional funds raised in donations and by local organizations, as well as $40,000 from the Board of Supervisors and other grant sources, are expected to comprise the total 50-percent match required.