An investigation Sunday into a reported suspicious vehicle in the vicinity of 155th and Highway 71 in Montgomery County, resulted in a traffic stop and an arrest. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says upon further investigation, 19-year old Nicholas Freund was taken into custody for OWI/2nd offense. Freund had a BAC (Breath Alcohol Content) of 0.190 (a little more than twice the legal limit), and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held on the OWI charge.

BRUSSELS (AP) — A vast, globalized industry of low-cost social media manipulation service providers continues to flourish, distorting both commerce and politics — including the verified social media accounts of two U.S. senators. That’s according to a new investigation by researchers from the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence.

FILE – In this Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 file photo, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, uses his smartphone during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Researchers from NATO StratCom, a NATO-accredited research group based in Riga, Latvia, paid three Russian companies 300 euros ($368) to buy 337,768 fake likes, views and shares of posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok, including content from verified accounts of Senators Grassley and Chris Murphy. Both senators consented to participate. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

They paid just 300 euros for 337,768 fake likes, views and shares of posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok, including content from the verified accounts of Senators Chuck Grassley and Chris Murphy. Both senators consented to participate in the experiment.

The researchers said that while Twitter and Facebook have made some improvements, TikTok appeared defenseless.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa reported another 138 deaths related to the coronavirus Sunday. The high death toll follows two days when no deaths were reported. The state said 3,589 deaths have been linked to COVID-19 in the state. Officials have said there is a lag between when a person dies and when it is reported. Over the past week, Iowa has been reporting an average of 45.86 deaths per day. Iowa also reported 1,158 new virus cases to give the state a total of 267,144 cases since the pandemic began. The state said 639 people were hospitalized with the virus on Saturday, down from 679 the day before.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An outside audit found that a Des Moines library employee who died in April improperly charged more than $28,000 to a library credit card. The auditors the city hired found that Bekki Kirkland made 159 fraudulent transactions between 2016 and 2020. Roughly one-third of the improper purchases the former office manager made were to purchase prepaid VISA gift cards. Library staff discovered several suspicious purchases on a credit card Kirkland was authorized to use shortly after her death. Library Director Sue Woody said in a statement that additional procedures have been put in place to protect library funds in the future.

FAIRFAX, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified the man who died in an eastern Iowa apartment fire. The Linn County Sheriff’s office said Sunday that Ronald Weston, 43, died Friday in the fire in Fairfax. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire was reported shortly after 10 p.m. Friday. Flames and smoke were coming out of the six-unit apartment building when firefighters arrived. Weston was found in an upstairs unit.

The Audubon and Griswold School Boards will hold their separate, monthly meetings, Monday evening. The Griswold School Board meeting begins at 5:30-p.m in the Conference Room. Their session is expected to cover the following action [A] or Informational [I] items:

• The 2nd reading of some 400- 500- 600 and 700-series Board Policies. [A]
• An update with regard to COVID-19. [I]
• Closing of the FY2020 Financial Books  [A]
• Consider acceptance of the 2019-20 Audit report [A]
• Consider approval of the District Developed Special Education Plan [A]
• Consider approval of the Early Graduation list. [A]
• And, the 1st reading of Board Policies, Series 403. [A]

The Audubon School Board meets 7-p.m. Monday in the High School Board Room. Action/possible action items on their agenda include, but are not limited to:

• The awarding of Asbestos Abatement bids
• Awarding of Building Project bids: General contractor; Electrical; Mechanical; Fire Suppression.
• Set the date and time for a Special Meeting to: Approve financing bids, & award bids for the Building Project.
• Approve request for SBRC for MSA Dropout Prevention
• Appointing a member to the Assessor Conference Board
• The 2nd reading of various Board Policies
• and any Personnel matters to come before the Board.

Afterward, Superintendent Eric Trager will present his monthly report to the Board, followed by the Transportation Report and Principal’s Reports.

FAIRFAX, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified the man who died in an eastern Iowa apartment fire. The Linn County Sheriff’s office said Sunday that Ronald Weston, 43, died Friday in the fire in Fairfax. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire was reported shortly after 10 p.m. Friday. Flames and smoke were coming out of the six-unit apartment building when firefighters arrived. Weston was found in an upstairs unit.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An outside audit found that a Des Moines library employee who died in April improperly charged more than $28,000 to a library credit card. The auditors the city hired found that Bekki Kirkland made 159 fraudulent transactions between 2016 and 2020. Roughly one-third of the improper purchases the former office manager made were to purchase prepaid VISA gift cards.

Library staff discovered several suspicious purchases on a credit card Kirkland was authorized to use shortly after her death. Library Director Sue Woody said in a statement that additional procedures have been put in place to protect library funds in the future.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board of Directors will hold their regular monthly meeting via Zoom, Monday evening, beginning at 5:15.  On their agenda under Action Item/New Business, is the following:

• Information/discussion with regard to the Ice Skating Rink
• Water Recreation Equipment news
• Update on the trails around Atlantic
• Distribution of Parks and Rec brochures
• An update on the website
• And, information with regard to Pool Shade.

In the Director’s Report, Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen is expected to discuss:

• Ongoing tree pruning
• The “Turkey Hunt”
• Winter activities
• Applying for grants
• Donation links
• along with Entry signs, and the Park Shop.

Red Oak Police, Saturday, arrested 24-year old Brandon Joseph Floyd Light, of Red Oak. Light was taken into custody at around 5:20-p.m. in the 700 block of E. Washington Avenue, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense, a Serious Misdemeanor. He was being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail.

FAIRFAX, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man has died in an Iowa apartment fire. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that the fire was reported just after 10 p.m. Friday in Fairfax. Smoke and flames were pouring from the apartment building when deputies and fire crews arrived. The release said the victim was found in an upstairs unit and pronounced dead. His name was not immediately released. The cause of the fire has not been determined. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting in the investigation. The sheriff’s office says the Red Cross is helping displaced residents.