Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County say a man wanted on a Shelby County warrant for Assault causing serious injury, was arrested in Walnut, Monday evening. 38-year old Jason Wayne Anderson, of Walnut, was taken into custody without incident, by a Pottawattamie County Deputy at around 6-p.m., in the 500 block of Country Street.

And, a Council Bluffs man was arrested Monday afternoon, for Driving While barred. 28-year old Christopher Smith was taken into custody in Minden, after a deputy observed Smith’s pickup did not have license plates and initiated a traffic stop.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday), released a report on six recent arrests. Last Friday (July 28th), deputies arrested 68-year old Stephen Adam Boltz, of Council Bluffs, for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and for being a Fugitive from Justice. That same day, 32-year old Joshua Stephen McDermott, of Omaha, was arrested at the Pott. County Jail, on three warrants for Failure to Appear in court.

On July 27th, 38-year old Joseph Corey Jack, of Malvern, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation. And, there were three OWI-related arrests. Saturday night, 41-year old Lee Alfred Miles, of Tabor, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense. Sunday afternoon, 36-year old Kimberly Irene Melancon, of Omaha, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, Careless Driving, and having no valid driver’s license. 42-year old Timothy Edward Runyon, of Hastings, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense, Sunday night.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office said also, a Malvern woman reported an incident of Burglary in the 3rd degree and Theft in the 3rd. The incident happened at a location on Lincoln Avenue. And, no injuries were reported following an accident Saturday morning, in Mills County. Authorities say 53-year old Annette Johnson, of Council Bluffs, was driving a 1998 Lexus southbound on Interstate 29 at around 6:30-a.m., and had taken the Exit 35 off-ramp. She continued south in an attempt to head east on Highway 34, but her car went out of control in the clover leaf of the exit and hit a wooden sign post. It also hit a metal sign post before coming to rest in the ditch, south of the clover leaf.

The Atlantic City Council, during their meeting 5:30-p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, will act on approving a Resolution that proposes to put before the voters, a public measure that increases the Hotel-Motel Tax three-percent. If approved by the voters later this year, it would bump the tax to seven-percent beginning January 1st, 2018.

Voters in November 2010 approved by a super majority, the imposition of a Hotel-Motel Tax at a rate of four-percent that went into effect in January, 2011. The revenues from the tax were to be used for improving, repairing, operating and maintaining the parks and recreational facilities and grounds in the City of Atlantic. Since the tax went into effect, the Schildberg Recreation Area Taskforce has been reviewing the future of the park system. They concluded additional resources are necessary to continue the progress made over the past seven-years. If the Council vote to approve the tax language to be placed on the ballot in the General Election, it will need to pass by a simple majority of the voters.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on approving a Resolution that would amend the City’s Personnel Policy, with regard to the payroll system. The submission of time sheets early leaves Department Heads essentially guessing how many hours an employee would work, or if they would use sick leave or vacation time. City Clerk Barb Barrick has consulted with the Personnel and Finance Committee, and it was agreed that the payroll system needs to be changed. The Resolution repeals an existing “Pay Period,” subsection in the City Code, and adopts the following language: “Both hourly and salaried employees of the City are paid semi-monthly. All employees shall be paid on the second and fourth Friday of the month.” And, a sentence dealing with overtime would be replaced with “The workday shall begin at 12:01-a.m. on Sunday and end at 12:00 midnight the following Saturday.”

The Council will also act on an Order to close Cedar Street from 2nd to 3rd Streets on August 6th, for the 1st United Methodist Church Community Block party, which takes place from 5-until 7-p.m.  A separate Order to be approved is for the closing of all relevant streets at certain times on August 12th, for AtlanticFest.  The following streets would be affected:

• Chestnut Street (both lanes) – from 6th to 7th Streets (5-a.m. to 6-p.m.); and 2nd to 6th Streets,  (5-a.m. to 6-p.m.)
• 6th Street (both lanes) – from Walnut to Chestnut (5-a.m. to 6-p.m.).
• 6th Street – from Chestnut to Poplar Street (5-a.m. to 8-p.m.),
• 5th Street – Chestnut to 1/2 block east of the alley before the Post Office (5-a.m. to 6-p.m.); and from Chestnut to Poplar (5-a.m. to 6-p.m.)
• 4th Street – from Chestnut to 1/2 block east, right before the alley (5-a.m. until 6-p.m.); and from Chestnut to Poplar (5-a.m. to 6-p.m.)
• 3rd Street – From Walnut to Poplar (5-a.m. to 6-p.m.)

Walnut Street will remain open for the duration of AtlanticFest.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The livestock sale at the Cass County Fair will begin at 8:00 this morning at the indoor show ring.  We’ll have some live updates throughout the morning from the sale on KJAN.  CLICK HERE to see the sale listing!

(Updated 8:55-a.m.) The Creston Police Department today (Tuesday) reports three people were arrested on separate charges, Monday. At around 11:30-p.m., 21-year old Ryan Parmenter, of Creston, was arrested in the 500 block of N. Cherry Street, on a charge of Interference with Official Acts. He was later released on $300 bond.

19-year old Natalie Eslinger, of Creston, was arrested at a residence in the 800 block of N. Cherry Street, for Public Intoxication. She was transported to the Ringgold County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

And, 60-year old Virginia Lee Wilson, of Creston, was arrested at the Creston Wal-Mart store Monday afternoon, for Theft in the 5th degree. Wilson was released on a promise to appear later, in court.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Police in Council Bluffs are investigating an armed robbery at a convenience store. The incident happened at around 1:20-a.m. today (Tuesday), at a Kwik Shop located at 3632 Ave G. The man  pointed a handgun at the clerk and demanded the money out of the register. He also demanded cigarettes from the clerk.

The suspect then fled the store on foot to the north with the cigarettes and an undetermined amount of money. He was last seen entering a light colored sedan parked about a block away. The vehicle proceeded to head west to the interstate. No injuries were reported.    

The suspect was described as a younger black male in his 20s, approximately 6’0’’ tall weighing around 180 pounds. He was wearing black shirt with writing on it, blue jeans and black bandana over his face.

Police in Red Oak, Monday, arrested a 14-year old male for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The unnamed teen was taken into custody in the 600 block of W. Coolbaugh Street and transported to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, where he was cited, and then released to a parent.

State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald is asking the governor to reconsider the idea of a short-term borrowing plan for state government. Fitzgerald says it makes sense to borrow now, in preparation for a couple of “problem months” in the first half of 2018 when the state may not have enough cash in reserve to pay its bills on time.

“It’ll be borrowing in September, paying it off before the end of the year, so it doesn’t add to the state debt and, if we borrow early by what’s known as arbitrage, we can make money on the money we don’t use to pay for borrowing,” Fitzgerald says, “so it doesn’t cost us anything. It just ensures the state can pay its bills on time. That’s all it does.”

Farmers often take out short-term “cash flow” loans, as they don’t have enough cash on hand to buy seed and fertilizer at the beginning of the year, but are able to repay the debt at year’s end when the crop is sold. Fitzgerald says the state has done this kind of maneuver before the months of March and April can pose a problem. The state is waiting for Iowans to submit their income tax payments in March and April, while at the same time continuing to make school aid payments, send out tax refunds and cut paychecks for state workers.

“This year we ran short. We squeaked by,” Fitzgerald says. “Next year it’ll be harder because we won’t have as much reserves to rely on.”  In June, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds rejected Fitzgerald’s initial call back for a short-term borrowing plan. Fitzgerald, who’s a Democrat, plans to send Reynolds a formal proposal this month, hoping for a different result by September. “We need every penny we can get right now,” Fitzgerald says. “We have a tough year ahead of us.”

The state’s cash reserve has dwindled, plus part of what remains will be used to cover a shortfall in the previous year’s budget when the books on the fiscal year that ended June 30th are closed in September.

(Radio Iowa)