The draft five-year transportation improvement plan that covers spending on all forms of transportation was presented to the Iowa Transportation Commission at their meeting Tuesday. Three-point-four BILLION dollars of the program goes for the state roadways and D-O-T spokesman Stuart Anderson says that includes a lot of ongoing work on the interstates.

“Probably the most significant projects on the interstates right now are what we would call modernization projects — so its totally reconstructing the interstate systems in Council Bluffs and Sioux City to meet modern design standards and to address increased traffic,” Anderson says. Another interstate project adds a segment to the work on the highway between Ankeny and Ames.

“This draft program does include the addition of reconstruction and improving I-35 from the north end of Ankeny up to Iowa 210 as you head towards Ames,” Anderson says. There are also several projects on non-interstate highway.

“We expect to complete the four-lanning of U-S 20 in western Iowa by this fall,” according to Anderson. “So that’ll complete the four-lane constructon of U-S 20 across the entire state. That’s been a project that’s been underway for many years.” Other state highway corridors are also in the plan.

“This five-year program continues work on four-lane improvements on U-S 30 in Tama and Benton County. And also U-S 61 down in southeast Iowa. So, significant corridor work will be continuing,” Anderson explains. Anderson says part of the funding comes form the gas tax increase.

He says this program includes a little more than 500 million dollars of the fuel tax increase implemented in March of 2015. The Transportation Commission will take a vote on the program next month. He says the plan is available on the D-O-T website for any comment and the commission will act on final approval during their business meeting on June 12th. Anderson says the years in this program have been some of the top years for the number of road construction projects.

(Radio Iowa)

MT. PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) — Federal immigration officials have raided a precast concrete manufacturing plant in southeastern Iowa. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers took an unknown number of people at Midwest Precast Concrete in Mount Pleasant into custody Wednesday.

The federal Justice Department said in a news release that special agents and deportation officers with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security executed a search warrant, along with help from local law enforcement. The department said there is “no threat to the public,” and said it would not comment further until court documents in the case had been filed.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Health officials in northern Iowa have confirmed seven cases of whooping cough in Cerro Gordo County. Mason City television station KIMT reports that the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health says it’s investigating instances of the highly contagious disease in the Mason City Community School District and among staff at a local McDonald’s restaurant.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is spread when infected people cough or sneeze. It starts like the common cold but can progress into violent coughing spells.

Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees, Wednesday, said the Atlantic Fire Department held its recognition banquet earlier this year, but the announcement of the 2017 Firefighter of the Year award was delayed, due to the absence of the recipient Mitch Peerbolte, who works at Peerbolte Chiropractic. McNees said it took longer than normal for the presentation, as Peerbolte left for an extended basic training with the Army National Guard just prior to the department banquet.

(Left) Mitch Peerbolte, 2017 Atlantic Firefighter of the year, and Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees.

Peerbolte was surprised with the presentation of the award at the department’s recent monthly meeting. According to McNees, “We waited quite awhile for the presentation and it was difficult to keep it a secret, but Mitch was definitely surprised when he was presented the award at our meeting. Mitch has been a very active firefighter since he joined and has a tremendous record of response and training hours, he has definitely earned the honor.”

Other’s recognized were Pete Smith as the Rookie of the Year, and Dustin McLaren as the Officer of the Year.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 33-year old George W. Poorker, of Emerson, was arrested at around 5:15-a.m. today (Wednesday). Poorker was taken into custody for Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations, and Interference with Official Acts. His bond was set at $3,000.

And, at around 4:55-p.m. Tuesday, 24-year old Joshua Michael Parker, of Glenwood, was arrested for Public Intoxication. His bond was set at $300.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa agency that promotes affordable housing has suspended the use of credit cards that were issued to employees outside the state’s normal program. The move by the Iowa Finance Authority comes as the agency faces multiple investigations into allegations of sexual harassment and questionable financial practices by its former director, Dave Jamison. Documents released under the open records law show that 21 employees of the agency had been issued Visa credit cards through Wells Fargo to cover travel, meeting and other expenses.

The agency’s board last week authorized an outside firm to review its budgeting and financial practices, including credit card spending. The state auditor is also investigating. Interim director Carolann Jensen said Wednesday that she doesn’t know why the cards were issued outside the state’s purchasing card program, which uses U.S. Bank.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports two men were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday. A little after 10-p.m., Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a pickup truck, south of Clarinda. The vehicle was pulled over for a traffic infraction. Upon further investigation, the driver, 47-year old David Allen Holste, of rural Clarinda, was arrested for Driving while license is barred. Holste was transported to the Page County Jail where he posted a $2,000 bond, and was released pending further court proceedings.

And, at around 8:30-a.m. Tuesday, Page County Deputies arrested 39-year old Timothy Blaine Clark, of Tarkio, MO. Clark was arrested on a Missouri warrant for Failure to appear on Narcotic charges. He was transported to the Page County Jail and held without bond on the warrant, while awaiting extrication to Missouri on the Felony charges. Charges in Iowa are currently pending.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Officials are continuing their flooding preparations for the swollen Mississippi River as it flows down the east side of Iowa. The river is expected to crest Thursday more than 2 feet (less than a meter) above flood stage at Camanche and nearly 3 feet above flood stage Friday at the Rock Island, Illinois, monitoring station opposite Davenport. The Quad-City Times reports that Davenport city workers have been erecting barriers and placing sandbags in expectation of what forecasters say will be moderate flooding. Water already has covered parts of LeClaire Park in downtown Davenport.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A defense attorney says Iowa prosecutors have decided not to challenge a court decision overturning the conviction of a retired Catholic priest accused of invading the privacy of students in a western Iowa High School bathroom. The Iowa Appeals Court last week overturned the Rev. Paul Monahan’s conviction on five counts of invasion of privacy. Monahan’s attorney, Dan McGinn, told The Daily Nonpareil that he was informed Friday, that the Iowa attorney general’s office wouldn’t pursue a further review. The office spokesman, Lynn Hicks, said Wednesday that the case didn’t meet criteria for an appeal.

The Iowa Sex Offender Registry no longer lists Monahan, who’d been ordered to register as part of his sentence.The Appeals Court said in its decision that the students had no reasonable expectation of privacy in a public bathroom at Treynor High School.

Red Oak Police say no injuries were reported when a Red Oak Fire Department truck transporting a person to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, struck a cement pillar near the hospital garage. Officials say 60-year old Terrence Berigan, of Elliott, was driving the 2016 Ford F-550 owned by the City of Red Oak, when he took a turn too sharp on the entrance drive, and struck the cement post that was in-place to protect the hospital garage from getting hit. The accident happened at around 2-p.m., Tuesday. Damage to the pillar was estimated at $50. The truck sustained about $5,000 damage. No citations were issued.