Cass County Extension is hosting an informational meeting this week for local residents who want to learn more about the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) pest. In mid-February, the presence of EAB was confirmed for the first time in Cass County, on a private property site in rural Massena. Since the first Iowa detection in 2010, the invasive, tree-killing pest has spread to 66 Iowa counties. EAB is a small, metallic green beetle native to Asia that attacks ash species. In its larval stage, the insect feeds just beneath the bark disrupting the movement of water and nutrients within the tree. Infested trees usually die within two to four years.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 18th, from 6:30 to 8 PM at the Cass County Community Center, 805 West 10th St., in Atlantic. There is no cost to attend the meeting, and no pre-registration is required. The meeting is for any interested home/land owner and other concerned citizens. The meeting will focus on identifying susceptible ash trees, the EAB insect and signs of infestation. Tree safety, treatment options, methods of spread for EAB and options to replace ash trees will also be covered.

Presenters for the event are Dr. Donald Lewis, ISU Professor and Extension Entomologist; Mike Kintner, IDALS Entomologist and EAB Coordinator; and Lindsey Barney, District Forester with the Iowa DNR. Time for will also be allowed for questions and discussion. For more information about the workshop, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass, stop by the Cass County Extension Office, or call (712) 243-1132.

Officials with the National Weather Service remind area listeners, that the weather radio transmitter site at Hancock remains off-air due to ice and snow this past winter, and it’s not known how long the repairs will take, but the transmitter will be repaired as quickly as possible.

If you have a weather radio you will not be able to receive warnings for storms in Cass and Audubon Counties. You should have other forms of staying alert to changing weather situations, by cell phone, radio or tv. Subscribe to your county’s Emergency Alert Notices through your Emergency Management Agency for immediate weather and civil emergency bulletings.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:33 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines say two people have been arrested and charged with attempted murder after a man with a gunshot wound to his neck was thrown from a car into a parking lot. The Des Moines Register reports that 19-year-old Tyron Cratty and 20 years-old Madalynn Perez, both of Des Moines, were arrested shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday. Besides attempted murder charges, each faces charges of robbery and going armed with intent. The victim’s name has not been released.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis-based company has issued a recall for fruit products sold in 16 states after being linked to a salmonella outbreak. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday the recall includes cut watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe produced by Caito Foods LLC. The fruit has been sold under various brands or labels at Kroger, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Target and Whole Foods. Authorities say 93 people have been sickened, 23 of whom were hospitalized.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The western Iowa city of Council Bluffs has received a Tree City USA Award _ one of 80 Iowa communities to qualify for the status. The award was presented by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on April 3. To qualify, communities must meet several established standards, including a tree ordinance, a board running the municipal tree program and a minimum of $2 per capita spent on trees annually.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack says he won’t seek re-election when his current term ends. The seven-term Democrat announced Friday he would retire at the end of his term after being elected seven times to represent southeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Loebsack was first elected in 2006, when he beat 15-term Republican Jim Leach in a race still recalled for its civility. Before being elected to Congress, he was a political science professor at Cornell College in Mount Vernon.

A small, crossover SUV was leaving a private residence near Danville, late Saturday morning, when it was struck by a train. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident in Des Moines County happened at around 11:30-a.m. southeast of Danville. The SUV, a 2017 Chevy Trax driven by 29-year old Amber L. Curry was leaving the residence drive onto old Highway 34 when Curry failed to yield to an eastbound train at a private driveway crossing. Her vehicle was struck broadside by the train and rolled over before coming to rest in the north ditch.

Curry, and her passengers, 27-year old Laura J. Burch, and 26-year old Anna N. Smith, all from Burlington, IA, died at the scene. Smith was the only vehicle occupant wearing a seat belt. The Patrol said there were no controls present at the private railroad crossing. The accident remains under investigation.

When a car struck a pickup truck Saturday morning in Pottawattamie County, the car veered into the median and caught fire. The Iowa State Patrol reports the car, a 2012 Chevy Sonic, was driven by 50-year old Virgil F. Crisman, of Omaha. Crisman’s car, and  a 2011 Ford F-250 pickup driven by 18-year old Michael Small, of Nicholasville, KY, were both traveling southbound on Interstate 29 at around 6:25-a.m., Saturday, when the Chevy rear-ended the pickup near mile marker 46. Crisman suffered non-life threatening injuries, and was transported by Council Bluffs Fire and Rescue to the UNMC in Omaha. The accident remains under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Congressman Dave Loebsack says he won’t seek re-election when his current term ends. The seven-term Democrat announced Friday he would retire at the end of his term after being elected seven times to represent southeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Loebsack was first elected in 2006, when he beat 15-term Republican Jim Leach in a race still recalled for its civility.

Before being elected to Congress, he was a political science professor at Cornell College in Mount Vernon. Loebsack says he intended to serve no more than 12 years but decided to see re-election after Donald Trump was elected president.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The western Iowa city of Council Bluffs has received a Tree City USA Award — one of 80 Iowa communities to qualify for the status. The award was presented by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on April 3. To qualify, communities must meet several established standards. They must have a tree ordinance, qualified leadership running the municipal tree program, a minimum of $2 per capita spent on trees annually and a celebration to mark Arbor Day, a holiday first observed in 1872, which celebrates the importance of trees.

State forester Jeff Goerndt says Council Bluffs has set an example for other Iowa communities and demonstrated “the great value of trees in providing multiple benefits for future generations.”

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis-based company has issued a recall for melon products sold in 16 states after being linked to a salmonella outbreak. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that the recall includes cut watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe produced by Caito Foods LLC. The fruit has been sold under various brands or labels at Kroger, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Target and Whole Foods. The affected states are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Health officials advise consumers to check packaging to determine if the melon was distributed by Caito Foods, and, if so, not to eat it. They advise stores to pull the products from shelves. Authorities say 93 people have been sickened, 23 of whom were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Salmonella Carrau is described as rare. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines say two people have been arrested and charged with attempted murder after a man with a gunshot wound to his neck was thrown from a car into a parking lot. The Des Moines Register reports that 19-year-old Tyron Cratty and 20 years-old Madalynn Perez, both of Des Moines, were arrested shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday. Besides attempted murder charges, each faces charges of robbery and going armed with intent.

The arrests came after police were called Friday afternoon for a report of a shooting victim lying in the Chapel Ridge Apartment lot. A witness reported seeing people get out of a car and pull someone out of the back seat, dumping him in the lot before speeding off. The victim’s name has not been released.

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds today received word that additional assistance is now available to public and nonprofit entities in flood-impacted counties.

A disaster declaration issued by President Trump on March 23, 2019, made 56 counties eligible to apply for emergency work and emergency protective measures assistance under the federal Public Assistance Program.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on April 11 announced that 13 of those counties are now eligible to apply for additional assistance for permanent work through the Public Assistance Program, to include the replacement or repair of disaster-damaged facilities such as roads, bridges, and public buildings. The counties included in this latest announcement are: Adair, Boone, Butler, Cass, Emmet, Guthrie, Kossuth, O’Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Tama, Union, and Woodbury counties. Twenty other counties are also eligible for permanent work through the Public Assistance Program: Buena Vista, Cherokee, Crawford, Dallas, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Harrison, Ida, Jasper, Lyon, Marshall, Mills, Monona, Polk, Pottawattamie, Shelby, Sioux, Winneshiek, and Wright.

Additional counties may be added to the Presidential Disaster Declaration for the Public Assistance Program.

The Presidential Disaster Declaration also made available federal Individual Assistance for five counties, which provides aid to eligible homeowners, renters, and businesses. Residents in Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, and Woodbury counties are eligible to apply for this program, regardless of income.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585 TTY. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time), seven days a week, until further notice.

For more information visit www.floods2019.iowa.gov.