(updated 11/29: The charge was dismissed by the court on Nov. 22nd)

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Villisca man on Friday afternoon on theft charges. At 3:20pm Deputies arrested 40-year-old Jason William McCollum of Villisca on a Montgomery County Warrant for Theft 5th Degree. He was taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on $300 bond.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources are investigating a manure spill near a small stream about three miles southeast of Le Mars in northwestern Iowa. The Sioux City Journal reports that the rollover crash of a tanker truck on Thursday dumped up to 9,000 gallons of swine manure near the stream, and at least some of the manure leaked into the stream.

A news release from the department says a pumping company was called to try to contain and pump the spilled manure back into the tanker. The DNR says it will monitor cleanup, give advice and consider enforcement actions.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The parents of a 14-year-old Iowa girl are suing a county prosecutor to try to stop him from filing criminal charges against the teen after she sent suggestive photos of herself to a boy.

Marion County Attorney Ed Bull has threatened to charge the Knoxville girl with sexual exploitation of a minor or child pornography. Bull has said she can avoid the charge if she signs an admission of guilt, performs community service and temporarily gives up her laptop and cellphone.

The lawsuit was filed in September and amended Thursday to add new arguments and to add the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa as attorneys for the girl. The ACLU says it’s seeking to protect the girl’s rights to free speech and freedom of expression. The ACLU says the photos don’t show nudity and are not obscene.

Bull has asked the federal court not to intervene in a state prosecution.

Clarinda Police Cheif Keith Brothers says the Clarinda Police Department will begin Operation Blessing 2016, Monday, November 28th. This community project embodies the spirit of Christmas by helping to make sure every child in Clarinda receives a gift on Christmas day. Retired Police Chief Joe Newton and retired 911 Communications Supervisor Diane Newton will be managing the program again this year.

Children may be signed up for involvement in the program by calling the police department records office at 712-542-2194, extension 203, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Administrative Assistant/Records Clerk Tara McComb will take the child’s name, age, sex, address and two gift requests per child. Names of children can be submitted beginning Monday, November 28^th and will be accepted through Wednesday, December 21^st.

Cash donations in c/o of Operation Blessing 2016 can be dropped off at the office of Chief of Police Keith Brothers, Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.  or mailed to the Clarinda Police Department, 200 South 15th Street, Clarinda, Iowa 51632. Cash donations will be used by the Clarinda Police Department to purchase gifts for the children. If you wish to purchase a specific gift for a child, please contact the Clarinda Police Department and ask to speak with Joe and Diane Newton regarding purchasing a specific requested gift item(s).

Families will be contacted by the Clarinda Police Department when the gift items are ready to be picked up. If a family is unable to pick up the gifts, uniformed officers of the Clarinda Police Department will deliver the gifts.

Officials with the Cass County Health System Foundation have announced their 2017 Campaign to purchase a 3D Mammography Unit for Cass County Memorial Hospital. Foundation Director Dawn Marnin says “Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, and we all know someone who has been affected by it. Having this new diagnostic tool available right here in Cass County will allow women to be diagnosed up to 15 months earlier. Early detection remains the key to the successful treatment of breast cancer, which makes this campaign so vital.”

At a cost of $450,000, the 3D Mammography technology is a big investment, and the Foundation is busy planning a direct mail campaign, employee and community campaigns, spring gala, and golf tournament – all aimed at helping raise the needed funds. Once purchased, the 3D unit will completely replace the current equipment, and it will become the standard technology for all patients who receive an annual screening mammogram.

Carrie Schmitt, Director of Diagnostic Imaging, says “This technology provides greater detail and visibility than previous units.  It not only provides earlier diagnosis, but it will reduce the number of call backs for additional imaging, which means less radiation exposure for those patients as well as much less stress.”

A 3D mammogram is conducted in a manner very similar to a traditional mammogram, with a technologist positioning the patient and taking images from different angles. The images produced from 3D Mammography provide a radiologist with greater visibility of breast tissue than ever before, allowing for a more thorough assessment of the results.

In recent studies, 3D mammograms not only were able to find cancers that remained undetected by traditional mammograms, but also were able to significantly reduce the number of false results – cutting back the number of callbacks for unnecessary additional screenings. Overall, 3D Mammography has shown a 41 percent increase in the detection of invasive breast cancers compared to traditional technology, and a reduction in reported false positives of up to 40 percent.

To make a donation or learn more about this campaign, contact Dawn Marnin at mardd@casshealth.org or 712-243-7409.

On this Veterans Day, Senator Joni Ernst is raising concerns about how the Veterans Administration is responding to “whistleblowers.” “We do have to be vigilant in this oversight and it quite literally is a matter of life and death,” Ernst said during a senate hearing this year.

The V-A’s Office of Inspector General operates a hotline to field complaints from V-A staff and veterans, but Ernst says it’s unclear whether the agency is reviewing those complaints quickly enough. “All too many times in the past there has not been the follow-up necessary and those months delay could mean another veteran that has been left untreated or another veteran that takes their life because of a lack of care by the VA,” Ernst says.

Ernst is asking officials for an update on the case of Brandon Ketchum of Bettendorf, a 33-year-old veteran who committed suicide in July. Ketchum did tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Ketchum wrote on his Facebook page hours before he took his life that he had asked to be admitted to the V-A Medical Center in Iowa City, but was sent home with medication.

Later today (Friday), Ernst will be presenting three Iowa veterans with the medals they earned for service in times of war, but did not receive yet. One ceremony will be held in Marshalltown at 4:30 p.m. for a Vietnam veteran and a veteran of World War II. At 6 p.m., Ernst will be in Ankeny to award the Bronze Star and other medals to a Vietnam Veteran. Ernst held similar ceremonies earlier this week in Lenox, Newton and Cedar Rapids to present medals to veterans.

(Radio Iowa)

A high school student in Colorado, with ties to Atlantic, was recently selected as a Marie Curie Scholar starting this fall at the College of Saint Mary. A surprise scholarship check presentation of $80,000 honored Emma Turner, of Loveland, CO., Nov.9th, at Loveland High School. Emma is the daughter of Darrick & Laura Turner, of Loveland (and formerly of Atlantic), and the granddaughter of Atlantic residents Norman and Sherry Templeman, and Dennis and Jane Turner.

Emma plans to major in biology at CSM. College of Saint Mary’s prestigious Marie Curie Scholars Program, funded in part by the National Science Foundation, provides significant financial support and resources for academically talented young women who study science or math. Marie Curie Scholars may receive up to $20,000 annually for four years in gift aid – and participants also receive free tutoring, have opportunities for undergraduate research, may participate in National Institute of Health and NASA research fellowships, and attend and present at national conferences.

Fall is open enrollment season for many health insurance plans. One option is to simply re-enroll in the same plan you chose for 2016. However, that can be a risky strategy: insurance plans can change their coverage terms from year to year; consumer health-care needs can change, too. Instead, careful consumers will match their needs for the next 12 months to a policy that will provide adequate coverage at the most affordable cost.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering a FREE online workshop on Wednesday, November 30, from 6-8 PM. The Smart Choice Health Insurance Education program is research-based, non-political and non-commercial, and will equip consumers with tools they need to make the best possible decision when choosing health insurance plans for themselves and their families.

To register for this free online class register by noon on November 30 at http://tinyurl.com/pvmceb7. For more information, contact Barb Wollan, Human Sciences specialist in family finance, at 515-832-9597 or bwollan@iastate.edu.

A Southwest Iowa Beginner and Young Farmers group will kick off in Montgomery County on December 14, 2016. The Start to Farm: New Farmer Learning Network, organized by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is a statewide program designed to provide education and support for beginning and early-career agricultural producers.

The SW Iowa group will meet several times throughout the year to discuss farm management and beef cattle production topics. Based on priorities and specific topics determined by the group, they will discuss production techniques, ways to grow and improve business practices, and farm management strategies.

Production topics include: winter nutrition, reproduction management, preconditioning, nutrition management, low-stress weaning, pregnancy checking, body condition scoring and more. Farm Financial topics include: developing farm financial statements, using key financial rations and indicators, managing cash flow, financing capital assets and livestock economies.

Participants will participate in a wide variety of activities, including the opportunity to learn about resources available to get started and tour successful farming operations. They also will become part of a community of Iowa beginning farmers.

There is no registration fee for this program. It will be held in the White 4-H Exhibit Building at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Red Oak, Iowa. The program will begin at 6:30 pm, and it will end at 8:30 pm. The address is 1809 4th Street, Red Oak, Iowa. For more information contact Montgomery County Extension at 712-623-2592, or through their website at www.extension.iastate.edu/montgomery ,or “like” Montgomery County-IA Extension on Facebook.

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

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