(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two, non-injury accidents occurred over the weekend. Saturday afternoon, a 1997 Dodge driven by 55-year-old Todd Lasswell, of Red Oak, was traveling north/northeast on W. Railroad Street, approaching the intersection with 287th Street, when the vehicle went out of control and drove through the driveway of the Silver City Historical Society. The vehicle continued onto the grass and struck a utility pole, before crashing into an embankment on 287th Street, and coming to rest.

Lasswell told authorities that as he was coming down the gravel road (W. Railroad Street), he saw another (Non-contact) vehicle headed southbound on 287th. When he tried to slow down, his vehicle, which he claimed has had “Bad ball joints,” began to slide when he hit the brakes, causing the vehicle to impact the pole and embankment.

And, at around 7:50-p.m. Sunday, 65-year-old Theresa Olsen, of Omaha, was driving a 2017 BMW northbound in the left lane of I-29 in Mills County, when the car struck a square bale of hay in her lane. The bale was from an unknown source.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Coca-Cola Days will be held September 23rd and 24th in Atlantic. The event is the second largest collector’s show in the United States and includes a tailgate barbecue open to the public, a Show, Swap & Sell, and a Coca-Cola themed raffle. The theme for the 2022 Coca-Cola Days is “Best in Show”. The committee wanted to tie in a Fair theme due to the event taking place at the Cass County Fairgrounds this year.

Raffle items include: A Coca-Cola Cooler filled with Coca-Cola Product and Hy-Vee, Fareway, and BP gift cards worth $100 each. Tickets are available at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce for $5 a ticket or 5 tickets for 20. The winner will be announced Saturday, September 24th at 2 PM at the Show, Swap & Sell meet at the Cass County Fair Grounds. Tickets will also be available for purchase that day.

T-Shirts for the 2022 Coca-Cola Days Celebration are also available for purchase. The shirts are heather grey and feature the theme, “Best in Show”. T-Shirts can be purchased for $20 at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce or day-of at the Show, Swap & Sell Saturday, September 24th.

For more information on Coca-Cola Days or a full list of activities, please visit www.atlanticiowa.com, call the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 712-243-3017 or email chamber@atlanticiowa.com.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports numerous arrests from over the past week.  At around 6:40-a.m. today (Monday, 9/19), 26-year-old John Thomas Lawrence Cannon, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in the area of Ives Avenue & Highway 34, for Disorderly Conduct. (Bond: $300)

Sunday night, 39-year-old Michael David Barton, of Glenwood, was arrested for Harassment in the 3rd Degree (No Bond).

There were two arrests in Mills County on Saturday: 30-year-old Aaron Ray McDaniel, of Malvern, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving Under Suspension, charge. (Bond $2,000); and, 20-year-old Jacobb Anthony Bowman, of Missouri Valley, was arrested on I-29 at Bunge Avenue, for OWI/1st offense (Bond $1,000).

Four people were arrested on separate charges last Thursday, in Mills County: 41-year-old Donovan Edward Hankins, of Tabor, was arrested on warrants for two counts of Violation of Probation ($20,000 bond); 20-year-old Mykla Christine Montgomery (No known address), was arrested for Theft in the 3rd Degree ($2,000 bond); 45-year-old Justine Elaine Gregory, of Glenwood, and 65-year-old Jo Ann Rae Delashmutt, of Council Bluffs, were each arrested on charges of Burglary in the 3rd Degree. Their bonds were set at $5,000 each.

And, on Sept. 14th, 39-year-old Daniel Charles Meggison, of Malvern, was arrested for Assault while Displaying a Dangerous Weapon (Bond $2,000), and, 19-year-old Nolan Michael Cherek, of Plattsmouth, NE, was arrested in Mills County on two counts of Theft in the 1st Degree (Bond $20,000).

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State officials unveiled plans for a major development on the grounds of the Iowa State Center between Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum. CYTown will include a hotel and convention center, a medical clinic as well as restaurant, retail and office space.

That’s I–S-U athletic director Jamie Pollard, who says they will seek approval from the Board of Regents for phase one of the project in November. 

Iowa State athletics took over the Iowa State Center three years ago. Pollard says in total it is about a 20-year project and they hope to have some of the restaurant and retail operations up and running by the Fall of 2025.

Pollard says work will begin following approval by the Board of Regents.

The target for completion of the parking lot improvements and infrastructure is August 2025. The university plans to seek final approval from the Board of Regents later this fall to begin work on the project in January 2023.

(Creston, Iowa) – The driver of a 2007 Pontiac Grand Am fell asleep at the wheel Saturday afternoon, in Creston, and crashed into a parked pickup truck, causing a chain reaction accident. According to Creston Police, 15-year-old Jake Nelson Hoyt, of Creston, was traveling north on Sumner Avenue at around 12:19-p.m., when he fell asleep. He told authorities that he crossed two opposite lanes of traffic, and when he woke up, saw he was approaching the rear end of a truck, but it was too late to take evasive action.

The car hit a curb before hitting one parked truck, which in-turn, struck another parked truck. Hoyt was injured during the accident and transported by EMS to the hospital in Creston to be checked out and treated. Damage to the Grand Am, registered to Andrea Hoyt, of Creston, was estimate to be $5,000.

Damage to the pickups, a 2014 Ford F150, and a 2015 Dodge R25, was estimated at $200 each.

(Radio Iowa) – A policeman in southern Iowa has been fired for conduct unbecoming to an officer. Chief Tom Demry of the Centerville Police Department said in press release that Officer Jacob Downs, a member of the department since 2017, was terminated on Thursday following an internal investigation for “violation of department general orders.” According to public documents, Downs sent an explicit video to at least one person while he was on duty. The investigation also revealed that Downs took part in a sexual relationship with at least one person who has a notorious reputation in the community for criminal behavior.

The review found Downs violated rules on ethics and his “actions and associations brought the department and himself into dispute and ridicule.” A complaint was submitted to the department on August 31st and Downs was placed on paid administrative leave on September 1st.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater had a very light report for the media this (Monday) morning. In the report, the Sheriff said 24-year-old Dylan James Albaugh-Cornelison, of Adair, was pulled over on Highway 25 at around 6:24-p.m., Sept. 12th.  Albaugh-Cornelison was cited for Driving while license suspended and revoked. His license had been revoked for OWI/Test Failure and suspended for Violation of Probation. Albaugh-Cornelison was released from the scene with his citation.

(Radio Iowa) – Officials with the U-S Army Corps of Engineers will cut short the navigation season on the Missouri River this fall due to the continued drought. John Remus, chief of the Corps’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Office, says they’ve been conserving water for months. “We restrict our releases from Gavins Point, we start cutting service to navigation,” Remus says. “When that both is a lesser service during the flow support season and then if it gets worse, we will make that flow support season shorter.”

Clear signs of the drought first began to emerge in July of 2020, and Remus says one priority is to keep a reserve of water in the upstream reservoirs. “If it gets real bad, if we reach a certain level of storage in the system, we don’t support navigation at all for that year,” Remus says, “and if we ever reach that, and we never have, we could maintain that lower level of service to all the other purposes, even if we get what we call lower decile run offs which are very, very dry years.”

The Corps has cut back releases, dropping Missouri River levels by a full foot, which will impact boat traffic and could affect municipal water supplies and other utilities that rely on the river. Navigation continues on the Missouri, though barges will have to lighten their loads to float. Remus says the navigation season will end November 28th, which is three days early.

(Area) – The area Boards of Supervisors will hold their regular (separate) weekly meetings, Tuesday morning. Beginning at 8:30-a.m., the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will meet in Red Oak. New Business includes: Approving an abatement of taxes for the county farm, in the amount of $4,278; ISAC support of a petition to Intervene with action, as needed; the tax transfer to Secondary Roads – 2022 Month of August; Monday Club – Certificate of Appreciation; Technology quotes update, with action as needed. Discussion will once again be held, with regard to the Carbon Summit pipeline.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will meet at 9-a.m. Tuesday, in their courthouse Boardroom. Discussion and/or action items include: The Cass County Attorney/Sheriff’s Office sharing of an employee, and a resolution approving the Title 6 Program between the DOT and Cass County Secondary Roads; also Zoning Ordinance changes. The Board will receive updates from Jothem Arber, Cass/Guthrie County Environmental Health, and County Engineer Trent Wolken.

In other business, the Cass County Supervisors will hold recess to hold a hearing with regard to changes to Cass County Ordinance #2, followed by a return to the regular session, and action on Ordinance #2 – General Relief Assistance Program. They are also expected to discuss and/or act on matters pertaining to: a Carbon Dioxide Pipeline; Sale of the County-owned farm; and appointment of a Brighton Township Clerk, along with two Washington Township Trustees.

And, the Shelby County, the Board of Supervisors will meet at 9-a.m. Tuesday, in their room at the Courthouse, in Harlan. Auditor/Commissioner of Elections, Mark Maxwell, will comment before the Board on the Post Election Audit, followed by a Board canvas of votes for the Harlan CSD Bond Vote. The Board will act on: an application for the use of building and grounds; A fiscal year sponsorship of the Sheriff’s Department grant; A Home Base Iowa initiative, and an agreement between the Iowa DOT and Shelby County Secondary Roads, for the Title 6 Program.

Regular reports will be presented to the Shelby County Supervisors from the following Department Heads: Terri Daringer – Environmental Health; Kyle Lindberg – Jail Administrator; Alex Londo – EMA Coordinator, and Brandon Burmeister with the Secondary Roads Dept. The Board is also expecting to receive a report from the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce.

(Radio Iowa) – One of the key structures on the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls is going to get an update to its roof. U-N-I vice president Michael Hager says the fabric portion of the UNI-dome roof is going to be replaced.

The UNI-dome was built in 1976 and the original roof was all fabric and held up by air. The building hosts the high school football playoffs, U-N-I football games, and many other events. Hager spoke to the Board of Regents during their meeting last week and says they are looking at two types of fabric that have the benefit of making things brighter inside.

He says the new fabric will have a brown color when it is installed.

UNI photo

This new product is projected to last 20 to 25 years.

Hager says the fabric does not require a lot of ongoing maintenance.

The Board of Regents approved the eight-million dollar budget for the replacement, which also includes some other related work on the building. Hager says the project will be paid for mostly with gift funds — but some university funds will also be included as well as athletic department funds.