A woman from Bridgewater was arrested last week in Adair County, on a Dept. of Corrections warrant for Parole Violation on an original felony controlled substance violation charge. 41-year old Virginia Jean Keasey was taken into custody by Adair County Deputies on Feb. 10th and immediately transferred to the authority of Ringgold County. She remains in the Ringgold County Jail, with a probation hearing was set for Feb. 26th.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports also, 35-year old Robert Sims, of Bridgewater, was arrested at around 11:50-p.m. on Feb. 11th, for Driving Under Suspension. Sims was cited at the scene of the traffic stop, and then released from custody.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say a Grand Junction man was seriously injured Sunday afternoon while snowmobiling west of Boone along U.S. Highway 30. 35-year old Damion Louk was third in line of five snowmobiles traveling eastbound in the median of the highway,when the left front ski caught deep snow near a culvert snapping the connections and sending him and the snowmobile air born.

Louk was traveling at an estimated speed of 60 miles per hour and was thrown approximately 150 feet before landing near the shoulder of the highway. Authorities say they believe his helmet may have not been fastened, as it came off during the incident and landed separately. Louk was transported to Boone County Hospital where he was later transferred by helicopter to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.

The incident remains under investigation. Deputies with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, members of the Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Department of Natural Resources assisted at the scene.

Several area school district Boards of Education are holding their regular monthly meetings, Monday evening. When the CAM School District Board gathers for their meeting at 6:30-p.m. in the Anita High School Media Center, they’ll discuss and/or take action on: Open enrollment applications; Resignations/early retirements; Contracts; Bids for a Chevy Suburban; Driver Education contract/fees; the CAM Education Association (CAMEA) initiation of bargaining toward the 2016-17 Master Contract, and they’ll review the abstract votes from the PPEL election as well as discuss the Capital Projects plan.

The Audubon School Board meeting will be held in the High School Board Room beginning at 7-p.m., Monday. On their agenda is: Approval of the Auditor’s Report; The initial proposal from the Audubon Education Assoc.; The final reading of Board Polices pertaining to Board Conflicts of Interest, Transporting students in private vehicles, employee qualification and recruitment selection, purchasing/bidding, and the care, maintenance and disposal of school district records.

Other Action items include the acceptance of a quote for the softball field light project, and approval of the FY 2017 School Calendar, along with a decision on school Make-up days. Prior to adjournment, the Audubon School Board will hold an Exempt Session for strategy negotiations with a collective bargaining unit.

And, in Elk Horn, the Exira-EHK School Board meeting begins 7-p.m. Monday in the High School Conference Room. On the agenda is Driver’s Ed teacher contracts, the future of Early Retirements, and approval of a Superintendent contract for 2016-17.

Members of the Griswold School District’s Board of Education will meet Monday evening (Feb. 15th), during a regularly scheduled session in the Central Office Board Room. During their 5:30-p.m. session, the Board will receive follow-up information on the Security project, as well as discuss and act on the second reading of various Board Policies.

New business for the Griswold School Board includes: Setting the specifications for Mowing and Liability Insurance; Approval of Early Retirement applications; Reviewing bids for lawn chemical application; Board Self-Assessment, and Discussion on Sharing with other districts. They’ll also hold the first-reading of numerous Board Policies.

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry Branstad has ordered all flags in Iowa be flown at half-staff from sunrise Monday, Feb. 15, 2016 until sunset, on the day of internment, to honor former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Justice Scalia passed away on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016.

The governor’s directive applies to all U.S. and state flags under the control of the state. Flags will be at half-staff on the state Capitol building and on flag displays in the Capitol complex, and upon all public buildings, grounds, and facilities throughout the state.

Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — At least 103 cases of teacher misconduct in Iowa were omitted from a national database since 1990. The Des Moines Register’s investigation  revealed errors in Iowa’s information, so state officials have ordered a full audit of the system.

Duane Magee leads the Iowa agency that licenses teachers. He says the state wants to make sure that all of the teachers sanctioned in the state are reported to the national database. State law also limits the amount of information the state Board of Educational Examiners can share about teachers, which could make it hard for school districts to ensure they’re not hiring someone with a criminal record.

Sydney Dimmler

Gregory Welcher

Sheriff’s Deputies in Adams County arrested two people Saturday evening on felony charges. 19-year old Gregory Welcher, of Thayer, and 18-year old Sydney Dimmler, of Corning, were arrested at around 6:25-p.m.

Welcher faces a Class-B felony charge of Distribution to a Person Under 18 on Certain Real Property. His bond was set at $25,000. Dimmler faces a Class-D felony charge of Conspiracy to Distribute to a Minor. Dimmler posted a $5,000 bond and was released from custody.

The case remains under investigation.

A traffic stop early this (Sunday) morning in Montgomery County, resulted in the arrest of one person on drug charges. Deputies stopped 37-year old Mark Anthony Stowe, of Atkinson, IL., at around 3:05-a.m. at the intersection of Highway 34 and M Avenue.

Stowe was subsequently charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

Page County has a top ranking in Iowa it isn’t proud of: teen pregnancies. On top of that, the southwest Iowa county is in the top 15 in the state for sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) among those under age 21. The Daily NonPareil reports, as a result of those dire statistics, a teen pregnancy prevention initiative has been started in conjunction with Mills County, which is in the top five for teen pregnancies and also highly ranked for STIs.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Prison inmates in Iowa are paying cheaper telephone rates to talk to their families under a rule change that Gov. Terry Branstad has highlighted as part of his criminal justice reform efforts, but the change was also federally mandated.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted changes last year, including a rule that prisons can charge inmates a maximum of 11 cents per minute for telephone calls within the United States. The Iowa Department of Corrections removed a more expensive flat rate in January.

Branstad highlighted the change in his Condition of the State address when he specified his criminal justice reform efforts in Iowa. Branstad’s spokesman says the timing of the federal requirement is coincidental, though a corrections spokesman says the change was greatly influenced by the FCC.