(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller filed a lawsuit Monday to shut down an alleged puppy-laundering ring. Spokesman Lynn Hicks says the ring sold nearly 13-hundred puppies. “And what puppy laundering is, basically is and effort to obscure the source of dogs and deceive customers about where the puppies are coming from,” Hick says.  He says the pure-bred puppies were sold as rescue animals by non-profit organizations to organizations outside of Iowa. “Especially places like California and Chicago, which have bans on puppy mill dogs,” according to Hicks. “You can’t in those locations, you can’t buy dogs that have come from anywhere else besides animal shelters or rescue groups.”

In addition to California and Illinois, the dogs from Iowa were also sold in Florida and New Jersey. “There is a for-profit breeder based in Britt call J.A.K.’s (Jacks) Puppies. And our lawsuit is alleging that they are essentially serving as the broker, and transferring these dogs through two non-profits — Hobo K-9, and Rescue Pets Iowa — essentially laundering through the non-profits, selling them, and exporting them out-of-state,” Hicks explains.  The lawsuit alleges the puppies were sold from September 2016 to July 2018 for 714-thousand-510 dollars. Hicks says they want the operation stopped. “We’re asking the judge to dissolve the non-profits, number one. We are asking them to put a temporary injunction stopping all the defendants in this case from doing any business or charitable activities involving transferring animals and stopping them altogether form doing deceptive practices. And we’d also like to see some civil penalties,” Hicks says.

He says they are also seeking refunds for those who bought these dogs. “These dogs were sold for, in some cases, a few thousand dollars at pet shops in California and Chicago. They thought they were buying rescue pets — and they actually didn’t know where they were coming from,” Hick says. The individuals names in the lawsuit are: Jolyn K. Noethe of Britt, president of Hobo K-9 as well as co-president, secretary and director of J.A.K.’s Puppies; Kimberly Dolphin of Britt, treasurer of Hobo K-9, as well as co-president, secretary and director of J.A.K.’s Puppies; Megan Peterson of Wesley, a manager with J.A.K.’s Puppies and secretary of Hobo K-9; Russell Kirk of Ottumwa, president, secretary, treasurer and director of Rescue Pets Iowa. Hicks says you should know where the animal you are buying is coming from.

He says it is likely not a rescue animal if they are charging you thousands of dollars. “In some cases these dogs were not spayed or neutered. Those are all red flags that this is probably not a rescue dog. Most rescue organizations charge minimal fees,” Hicks says. The lawsuit seeks civil penalties for up to 40-thousand dollars for each violation.

(Radio Iowa) — “Catastrophic devastation.” That’s how Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds describes the carnage from the second major flood along the Missouri River within a decade. “We’ve got towns that are shut down. We’ve got businesses that have been impacted. We’ve got individuals that are moving. We’ve got hospitals that are being shut down and the water supply,” Reynolds said. “Iowans are hearty and we’re tough and we know how to take care of ourselves, but after several times of this happening, it’s just ‘enough is enough.'”

Reynolds toured flood-impacted areas of southwest Iowa Monday, with stops in Council Bluffs, Glenwood, Pacific Junction and Hamburg. While in Hamburg, Mayor Cathy Crain told Reynolds citizens fought valiantly, but water seeped through barriers and swamped all but the northern portion of the community.”We had to give up the fight. We’ve never done it before,” Crain says. “We go back from us to our father’s generation to our grandfather’s generation and we never gave it up, but had to today.” Flooding not only knocked out the city’s water plant, but also Hamburg’s City Hall, fire station and almost all the businesses in the community. The mayor says virtually all the equipment the city owned is gone.  “We lost everything. We have no equipment…We don’t even have a lawmower, but look like leather. O.K.? We’re tough. We’re going to be able to do this,” she said. “We have two pickups left and a skid loader.”

Governor Reynolds met with officials from Hamburg and Fremont County inside an elementary school that’s now serving as a temporary city hall. Reynolds also got updates on other communities such as Percival, where floodwaters entered the community Monday afternoon. She also heard concerns about how this latest flooding incident will impact the local farming community. Fremont County Supervisor Dustin Sheldon says many residents were still recovering from the floods of 2011. “You’re going to lose a lot of farmers financially because they can’t recover from this. They’ve mortgaged farms, just now kind of getting back to where you can make a living again and here it happens again,” Sheldon said. “What do we do?”

Sheldon and other officials say it’s time for federal flood control policies to change. Others expressed anger that federal officials forced the city to remove fortifications to a levee which helped protect Hamburg during the 2011 flooding. The governor says she intends to review that levee issue. “To build something and then have them tell you, ‘You have to tear it down’ — I mean just the frustration. There seems to be no common sense,” Reynolds says. “There seems to be bureaucracy and red tape.”

Reynolds says the state will come up with a plan to rebuild and recover. “We’ve got farmland that’s been impacted. We’ve got bridges that we have to replace. We’ve got secondary road system all across this state that’s being impacted by the flooding,” Reynolds says. “…We’ve got a long road ahead.”

Interstate 29 has been closed in southwest Iowa due to flooding. Rivers in other parts of the state are elevated and ice jams have been reported in places like the Cedar Rivers in Cedar Falls and the Iowa River in Iowa Falls. There were sandbagging efforts in Iowa Falls Monday to protect the city’s water supply.

A regular meeting of the Atlantic City Council will be held 5:30-p.m. Wednesday (March 20), at City Hall. On their agenda is recognition of the Atlantic High School State Speech and State Wrestling teams.

The Council will also act on an Order accepting an amendment for the Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) Grant, a Resolution for which was approved in July 2017, and is between the State of Iowa’s Enhance Iowa Board and City Council. The Grant for  $175,000 is for ongoing park development at the Schildberg Recreation Area and Campground. The agreement requires all grant purchases be completed by April 31, 2019. Work still remains on the project that should be complete before the end of the Summer. Former Parks and Rec Director Seth Staashelm was able to obtain an extension from the Board to complete the project by no later that Nov. 30, 2019. The Council must formally amend the agreement at the request of the State.

There will also be a Public Hearing during the Council’s meeting, with regard to “Vacating and Conveying a portion of an alley east of 708 W. 10th Street, as part of efforts by the City to “Clean up the plat map,” according to City Administrator/Zoning Administrator John Lund, who recommends the Council approve the plan as proposed. The hearing will be followed by the first reading of an Ordinance to that effect.

The final order of business for the Council, prior to regular reports, is for them to approve the Mayor’s request to re-appointment: Joyce Jensen to the Board of Adjustment; Judd Meneely to the AMU Board, and Jennifer Miller to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The latter two have terms expiring April 1, 2019. Jensen’s term expired in February.

Police in western Iowa are looking for a Nebraska man suspected of robbing a convenience store in Council Bluffs. Bluffs Police report the suspect, 28-year old Ryan Ross, of Bellevue, NE., entered the Kwik Shop at 3632 Ave G at around 2:25-a.m.,, and demanded money from the cashier. After the clerk handed the suspect an undetermined amount of cash, the suspect fled the scene in his vehicle.

Robbery suspect Ryan Ross

Video surveillance was able to get the vehicles license plate information. The suspect (Ross) was driving a 2018 Red Toyota with Texas license number KBX6564. If you see the him, or the vehicle, please contact the Council Bluffs Police Department at 712-328-5737 or contact Crime Stoppers at 712-328-STOP (7867). Do not approach Ross, as he is considered to be armed and dangerous.

Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Nebraska today (Tuesday), to survey damage from flooding in the Midwest. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that President Donald Trump requested Pence go to the Midwest to see the damage. Sanders says Pence will be joined by Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. The tweet did not say where in Nebraska Pence would go.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports 18-year old Garrett McClain Walhovd, of Adair, was arrested last Wednesday evening (March 13th), for distributing marijuana to a 15-year old. Walhovd was driving west on Interstate 80 at around 6:25-p.m., after allegedly having just purchased marijuana in Des Moines. He is alleged to have provided marijuana to the juvenile without charge. Walhovd was taken into custody for a Drug Distribution to a person under 18. He was released from the Adair County Jail the following day on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

Deputies in Adams County arrested a woman Monday night after she was seen operating a 4-wheel ATV on a roadway. The woman, Christine McGlade, of Carbon, was known to have not held a valid license. McGlade was taken into custody at around 8:05-p.m., for Driving While Barred.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation Monday in response to flooding and flash flooding beginning March 13 and continuing.  The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program, for these five counties: Crawford, Delaware, Page, Palo Alto, and Tama. The addition of those five counties brings the number of counties impacted by recent flooding to 41 counties.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Nebraska to survey damage from flooding in the Midwest. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted that President Donald Trump requested Pence go Tuesday to the Midwest to see the damage.

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (AP) — Beto O’Rourke has entered the 2020 Democratic presidential race amid much fanfare and media attention. In the first days of his campaign, he ran a 5-kilometer race, was mocked for flailing his arms so much when he speaks and drove a Dodge Caravan from Iowa through Wisconsin and Michigan to Ohio, stopping to talk with voters along the way. O’Rourke also showed some inexperience on foreign policy but talked up his U.S.-Mexico border expertise, and explained his changing views on health care.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal of the felony convictions of three top staffers on Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign. Campaign chairman Jesse Benton, campaign manager John Tate and deputy campaign manager Dimitri Kesari were convicted in 2016 of causing false records and campaign expenditure reports to be filed to the Federal Election Commission.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Barriers have been emplaced to protect some Cedar Rapids neighborhoods from floodwaters. The National Weather Service says the Cedar River is expected to crest later Monday at 18.5 feet. That’s nearly 3 feet into what the service says is major flood stage but nearly 13 feet below the 2008 record of 31.1 feet. Any flooding isn’t expected to reach houses and businesses.

(Radio Iowa) — Mills County officials are continuing to monitor flooding conditions throughout the area. The western one-fourth of the county — including the city of Pacific Junction — remains under an evacuation order due to rising water and the shutdown of utilities. The county’s public information officer, Sheri Bowen, says the majority of the floodwater from the Missouri River is coming from over-topped levees south of Highway 34.

“We’re seeing water coming back up into the corridor that’s running in directions we’ve just not seen before,” according to Bowen. “It’s back filling, it’s moving north, it’s flowing the wrong way — it’s just a whole lot of unusual water movement out there. So, we are continuing to monitor that area to ensure that it’s not accessed by folks who could have some sort of injury in that area, so we’re protecting that areas, protecting folks’ valuables and property the best we can.” Pacific Junction was placed under a mandatory evacuation order by Mayor Andy Young Sunday night.

Bowen says the evacuation order was prompted as water came into the city from the south and filled the streets. “There is a layer of water there and our aerial photos from Sunday showed that (the town) was pretty well surrounded — it was just dry within the community. The biggest change here is that the water is coming from the south and has filled those streets.” Bowen says those displaced by flooding are being directed to the American Red Cross shelter at Salem United Methodist Church in Council Bluffs. She says other flood victims have found refuge in Glenwood.

“Our goal is that everyone is safely evacuated and that they were able to safely find shelter. One of the pluses for the folks in Pacific Junction is that they did have a little bit of time to prepare and get ready. And I think they did have some good plans as to where they might go,” Bowen says.

Bowen says those wishing to donate food or time can go through Grace United Methodist Church in Glenwood. She says clothing and food donations can also be made to the Mills County Storehouse or the Open Closet program. Bowen says the county is working to setup an official avenue for monetary donations to flood relief. “We’ll be publicizing that information when we have it available. I would caution folks — Go-Fund-Me pages are a great resource for people and I’m not saying that’s not an appropriate use of your dollars — but please know that we will be coming up with an official Mills County flood relief fund,” Bowen says.

For more information on donating to flood relief in Mills County, contact Bowen at 712-527-0137, or the Mills County Communication Center at 712-527-4817.

(Radio Iowa) — A proposed change in how a federal block grant for mental health services is distributed in Iowa drew support and objections today (Monday) during a public hearing at the Iowa capitol. About five MILLION dollars has been sent THIS YEAR to 25 community mental health centers. The new plan would use that federal money to help set up mental health services for children in Iowa. Cynthia Steidl Bishop is C-E-O of a non-profit that provides mental health services in 11 counties.

“First I want to say that I fully support creating a children’s mental health system,” Steidl Bishop said. “What I don’t support is taking money from one mental health system to fund another mental health system.” Andrew Allen, C-E-O of Youth Shelter Services, is a member of the state board created to develop a children’s mental health system in Iowa. Allen says while he’d like to be discussing “new” funding, he supports the funding shift.

“Too often kids get smaller versions of what was created for adults. Kids are not simply short adults,” Allen said. “Kids are distinctly different and need specialty programs and benefit from specialty providers focused on them.” Allen says the money should help create a separate system for children’s mental health needs. “I’m frustrated that often times the prerequisite to get funding for kids is to serve adults,” Allen said. “It’s backwards.”

Liz Cox, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Iowa, says improving the children’s mental health system is critical to Iowa’s well-being, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of the 25 community mental health centers. “These agencies are the only resources in many of our counties in our state, especially rural counties, and those communities rely heavily on their services to get the funding they need,” Cox said. “And not only do they need to preserve their funding, they need additional funding so they can expand their services to children.”

The proposal is included in a larger bill that spells out how several federal block grants are to be distributed in Iowa. The bill will be considered by a House subcommittee tomorrow (Tuesday).