OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the Missouri River reservoirs have begun the spring runoff season with slightly more space than the normal amount for flood control storage. The corps says that as of Thursday, the system storage had an extra 300,000 acre-feet of storage. Runoff is expected to be near normal this year. Corps officials say the reservoirs were at desired levels last spring, but a late buildup of snow in the Rockies and heavy rains in Montana and other upstream areas in May led to record runoff. The corps was forced to release massive amounts of water from the dams, causing record flooding downstream. The more than 2,300-mile-long river flows from Montana through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri.

A search is underway in Pottawattamie County for four men Council Bluffs police say attacked 33-year old Jason Muller outside of his home on South 8th Street Sunday afternoon. The suspects include one black male and 3 white males. Council Bluffs Police Dept. Sgt. Chad Meyers says they do not have a lot to go on. He says authorities are looking for a blue sedan. In each case, the descriptions are vague, but it’s all officials have to work with. 

Sgt. Meyers says around 3:00 Muller was working on his car and had gone into the house when he heard someone near his vehicle.  When he went outside to check it out he was attacked. Muller suffered severe facial injuries but will recover.  He says this is the same area where 40 year old Andrea Moulton was badly beaten on February 28th.  Meyers said there’s nothing to indicate at this time, that the two incidents are related. 

Both Moulton and Muller remain hospitalized.

(Karla James/Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports today (Tuesday) three arrests occurred over the past couple of weeks. On Monday (March 5th), 33-year old Bridget Lea Barnholdt, of Atlantic, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Barnholdt was taken to the Cass County Jail where she was being held on $10,000 bond. This past Sunday, 24-year old Raymond Carl Egner, of McClelland, was arrested on charges of OWI 3^rd or Subsequent offense, Driving While Barred, and Driving Under Revocation. Egner was taken to the Cass County Jail where he posted $7000 bond and was released. And, on February 25th, 23-year old Raymond Lee Miller, of Casey, was arrested on a charge of Driving While Barred. Miller was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released the following day on his own recognizance.

The Cass and Adair County Boards of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meetings Wednesday, beginning at 9-a.m. in Atlantic and Greenfield, respectively. In Atlantic, the Board will act on approving an expenditure of Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds, to eliminate a deficit balance in the Baughman Drainage District Fund, and, a liquor license application for the Griswold Golf and Country Club (Class C license with Outdoor Service and Sunday Sales Privilege).

In Greenfield, the Supervisors will hold a “Years of Recognition” coffee, and discuss a Fiscal Year 2013 Health Levy, as well as a Funeral Assistance Ordinance. They’ll also hear from County Custodian Rich Wallace, with regard to wiring and storage bids, and windows. At 10-a.m., Mel Obbink, with Sidwell, will lead a presentation on the GIS (Geographic Information System).

Iowans have a chance tonight (Tuesday) to express their opinions about several proposed changes in hunting and trapping regulations for next fall. Perhaps the biggest change would apply to deer hunters. Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Bureau Chief Dale Garner says some areas of the state have too many deer, but other areas have dropped below or near department goals. “We would like to reduce the antlerless tags to stabilize the herd,” Garner said.

The proposed changes involve shortening the length of the January deer hunting season, eliminating the November antlerless season altogether and changing the early muzzleloader season to reduce the harvest in the antlerless portion of the deer herd. The proposals are meant to satisfy the concerns of hunters who believe deer reduction efforts have gone too far. The DNR estimates deer numbers in Iowa are down 30% compared to a high mark in 2006. Iowa hunters, during the recent 2011-12 deer hunting seasons, killed 121,407 deer — down 4.5% from the previous year. Changes are proposed for waterfowl hunting and trapping as well.

“We’re looking to potentially increase quotas for both otters and bobcats,” Garner said. “For migratory birds, we have an opportunity to possibly add a (third) zone to the state, which will impact us for four years, so this is a chance for people to think about what that might do.” The possible changes will be discussed during public meetings tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. at 18 locations across the state. The list of possible changes is available online at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Portals/idnr/uploads/Hunting/proposed_changes2012.pdf

In our area, the public meetings will be held in: Carroll, at the Carroll High School; in Council Bluffs, at Abraham Lincoln High School; in Creston, at the Creston High School, and in Onawa, at the Onawa-West Monona Junior/Senior High School.

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa & Ric Hanson/KJAN)

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The Chair of the Cass County Democratic Party says Democrats in the County will hold their election-year Convention this Saturday. According to Sherry Toelle, the event takes place in the Cass County Courthouse, beginning at 9:30-a.m. Saturday, March 10th. Toelle says four delegates will be elected to represent Cass County at the Democratic Party’s District and State Conventions, later in the year. Other agenda i

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An Iowa Red Cross worker expects to return to the state today (Tuesday) after moving around to several states helping with tornado recovery. Siouxland Red Cross communications director, Tammy Pech, was in Henryville, Indiana Monday — a town that was hit with an E-F-four (EF-4) tornado packing winds of 175-miles-an-hour. “The town is pretty much leveled, every home has some sort of damage. A lot of the homes have a destroyed status to them,” she says describing the damage. “As you look out over the fields, or you look out over the hill, what used to be homes and trees and schools are gone, just big piles of rubble. So, it was pretty devastating to see,” Pech says.

The Red Cross is providing shelter and counseling to the storm victims. Pech says the disaster mental health volunteers are going out and making sure everyone is well, especially since they had a tornado go through the same area last year as well. Pech had left Sioux City for Harrisburg, Illinois last Tuesday to help with storm recovery in that area, and has been moving from state to state as the tornadoes have moved through. That included a close call with one of the storms. “Friday we learned that this tornado system was coming through, so they prepositioned us over in Kentucky. And was we were heading east, we actually got stuck in a town called Mount Vernon, and we actually had to take shelter ourselves from three tornadoes that came within 10 miles of us as we were driving,” Pech says. You can help the tornado recovery by donating to the effort. “They can call 1-800-Red-Cross. They can click RedCross.org, or they can text Red Cross to 90999, and that’s a 10 dollar donation on their cellphone bill,” Pech says. The tornadoes claimed 39 lives in five states.

(Dar Danielson/Radio Iowa)