Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, late Monday evening, issued a report on four recent arrests. Last Friday, 29-year old Brett Michael Stacey, of Adair, was arrested at the Adair County Jail on a Montgomery County warrant for Sex Offender Registration Violation/1st offense. Stacey was held in the Adair County Jail on a $2,000 cash or surety bond, until being extradited to Montgomery County.

Also arrested last Friday, was 38-year old Donna Marie Ott, of Orient. She was arrested on an Adair County warrant for Failure to Appear for her arraignment. Ott was released the following day on a $1,000 cash-only bond.

On Dec. 30th, 37-year old Corey Lee Irvin, of Bridgewater, was arrested on a Polk County warrant for Operating a Vehicle without the owner’s consent. Irvin was held in the Adair County Jail without bond until being picked up by Polk County deputies the following day.  And, 18-year old Koy Alan Brandt, of Greenfield, was arrested Dec. 31st in Greenfield, following a traffic stop for a defective rear license plate light. Records indicated Brandt was driving with a revoked license. He was taken into custody at the scene for Driving While License Denied or Revoked, and subsequently released on his own recognizance with a citation.

The Montgomery County Extension and Outreach will be starting off the year with their new Ag Coffee’s.  The Ag Coffee’s will be a free monthly gathering to learn about topics in that affect the Ag world and feature conversation with area producers. January’s Ag Coffee will be on Farm Succession Planning, sponsored by Farm Credit Services of America.  By attending, you’ll learn a bit about the importance of transition planning and minimizing legal difficulties and confusion for your family during farm transition.

Join the Montgomery County Extension for their Ag Coffee, on January 23^rd at 9:30-a.m., at the Montgomery County Extension Office. The coffee will be hot and rolls will be ready!  Reservations are appreciated, but not required. For more information or to pre-register, contact the Montgomery County Extension Office, at 712-623-2592.

The cities of Griswold and Walnut are seeking pre-applications from homeowners interested in participating in the Community Development Block Grant home rehabilitation program.  Both cities, with the assistance of Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO), are submitting applications to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) in April for the housing CDBG program. If awarded, the program will provide funding to income qualified owner occupied homes within the target area. The homes will be brought up to the Iowa Minimum Housing Rehabilitation Standards, which may include items such as furnaces, water heaters, windows, doors, roofing, siding, foundation, etc.

All pre-applications are due by Friday March 29. If the cities are awarded a CDBG grant, all pre-applicants within the target area will be contacted to complete a full application. If you are interested in pre-applying please contact the respective city hall’s in Griswold and Walnut, or SWIPCO at 866-279-4720 for the application.

Southwest Iowa Planning Council is the council of government serving the eight counties of southwest Iowa with public transit, housing rehabilitation, and community and economic development. SWIPCO is an equal opportunity employer, provider, and lender.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A plea hearing has been scheduled Friday for two men charged with first-degree murder following the death of a Des Moines resident who was severely beaten in 2013. Polk County District Court records say 21-year-olds Terrance Cheeks and Leshaun Murray pleaded not guilty in July after the charges were filed. Prosecutors say the two were 15 when they attacked Mike Wasike during a carjacking. He died last January after years in care centers.

Court records say prosecutors have extended a plea deal to Cheeks that includes reducing the charge to second-degree murder. The records don’t show whether a similar offer has been made to Murray.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa continues to lose meat lockers in the state’s smaller towns. Brandi Janssen, who runs the Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, says without these processors, small-scale farmers will lose customers.  “Well, if you don’t have access to a market you don’t have much reason to farm,” Janssen says. “It’s just sort of a necessary chain. And then you need to make calculations about…how far is it economically feasible and humane to transport animals?”

Iowa State University researchers estimate Iowa has about a third as many small meat plants today as in 1965. “They’re critical for a healthy local food system,” Janssen says. “A small producer is not going to be able to access a giant, federally-inspected processing facility for products that he or she is going to sell to their local community.”

A long-time meat locker in eastern Iowa closed its doors at the end of December. The Holy Cross Meat Locker was famous for its smoked sausage, before it shut down after 72 years. Market watchers say Iowa is losing a lot of these small meat processors. The shops, sometimes run by just a handful of family members, generally butcher a limited number of cattle and hogs for retail or farmers’ markets.

(Thanks to Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 25-year old Caleb Joseph Proctor, of Bellevue, NE., was arrested late Friday morning at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office. Proctor was taken into custody on a warrant for Burglary, Criminal Mischief, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bond was set at $8,000. And, 43-year old Joshua Adam Miller, of Bellevue, NE., was arrested just before 1-a.m. Sunday, for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) — Republicans in the state legislature may pursue a policy that will require most “able-bodied” Iowa adults enrolled in Medicaid to work. Republican House Speaker Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake says it could help ease the worker shortage in Iowa.  “Certainly we’re not suggesting that people that are unable to work should, somehow, work. That’s not the point,” Upmeyer says, “but when we do have able-bodied adults that could work, we frankly need them in the workforce.”

The Trump Administration has given states the go-ahead to impose a work requirement for Medicaid recipients. Seven states have adopted the policy and eight other states have submitted requests for federal approval of the move. In 2018, Republicans in the Iowa legislature began reviewing bills to require “childless” adults who are Medicaid recipients *AND* receive food stamps to work or engage in volunteer activities if they are able. Upmeyer says the policy has not been labeled a top priority for Republicans this year, but it may be considered. “I think there are some inherent benefits to work. The rewards that are sort of intangible sometimes — in addition to a paycheck, you also feel a little better about getting up in the morning and having something to do,” Upmeyer says. “…We genuinely need people in the workforce and if there’s a way to do that where we can get people the skills they need to be more productive and have some opportunities they don’t have today, I think that’s worth considering.”

The 2019 Iowa legislative session starts a week from today (Monday) and Republicans will again determine what gets debated because the G-O-P won a majority of seats in the House and Senate in November.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports 28-year old Chad Sterling Cozad, of Creston, was arrested Saturday evening, at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Cozad was charged with possession of a controlled substance and later released from the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report a traffic stop early Saturday morning resulted in the arrest of a man from Cass County. A Deputy patrolling at around 1-a.m. near the intersection of Highway 59 and Highway 6,  observed an SUV with several equipment violations. Upon stopping the vehicle the driver, 58-year old Gary Joe Buboltz, of Lewis, was found to be driving without a license. Buboltz was subsequently arrested for Driving While Barred, and given written warning for the equipment violations.

A reported reckless driver was arrested late Saturday night, in Pottawattamie County. Authorities say a pickup heading eastbound over Interstate 480 into Pottawattamie County was later located, and the driver, 45-year old Michael Phillip Castor, JR., of Omaha, was taken into custody at around 10:45-p.m. for Eluding, OWI/1st offense, Interference with Official Acts, and Theft in the 1st degree. Castor was also arrested on a U-S Marshal’s warrant for being a Fugitive from Justice. Castor was being held without bond on the Fugitive warrant, and $10,000 bond on a felony Escape from custody charge.

And, an investigation into a reported Burglary in Avoca, Sunday morning, resulted in the arrest of a woman from Nebraska. 25-year old Michelle Grace Waldhauser, of Omaha, was taken into custody for Burglary in the 3rd Degree (Breaking and Entering) for an incident that occurred at a garage in Avoca, whereby she allegedly attempted to take a pancake-style air compressor valued at $500.  Waldhauser suffered apparent, minor injuries during the incident that happened in the 500 block of Locust Street, in Avoca.

Des Moines – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division report 24-year old Almedina Suljic, of Johnston was charged with one count of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information (Class D Felony) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. The charges against Suljic stem from an investigation that began in September 2018. It is alleged that Suljic submitted a fraudulent insurance claim to her insurance company seeking reimbursement through her insurance policy following storms that caused extensive flash flooding in the Des Moines Metro area this past summer.

Almedina Suljic

On December 27, 2018, a Polk County warrant was issued for the Suljic’s arrest. On January 3, 2019, Suljic turned herself into Polk County authorities. She posted a $5,000 bond and was released. Trial will be set at a future date. Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-242-5304.