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

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A Council Bluffs woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a drug task force found her with more than six grams of methamphetamine. The Daily NonPareil says 32-year old Amber Walker fought back tears as she pleaded guilty Tuesday, to an amended charge of drug possession with intent to deliver. The amended charge is a Class C felony. Walker was initially charged with a Class B felony for being in possession of more than five grams of meth.

Fourth Judicial District Judge Mark Eveloff sentenced Walker to 10 years in prison. She will need to serve at least one-third of the sentence before she will be eligible for parole. Walker was arrested and booked into Pottawattamie County Jail, where she will remain until she is transferred to the Iowa Correctional Institute for Women in Mitchellville.

According to the arrest affidavit, on Sept. 28th, Walker, and her boyfriend at the time, Vicente Gomez, were inside an apartment on the 800 block of Fifth Avenue when Council Bluffs police officers and investigators with the Metro Fugitive Task Force appeared at the door. The task force was looking for Gomez, who had a warrant out for his arrest from Sarpy County, Nebraska.

According to police, while apprehending Gomez, investigators saw drug paraphernalia and suspected meth in the apartment. Gomez and Walker were in the back room of the apartment, and Walker did not allow investigators to search the room. Council Bluffs narcotics officers arrived with a search warrant. After the entire apartment was searched, police found 6.1 grams of meth.

Gomez remains held in the Pottawattamie County Jail on $50,000 bond. His trial is set for Feb. 16, 2016.

ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) – An Iowa television station was doing a live update on a Minnesota bank robbery when police say the suspect returned to rob it a second time.
KIMT-TV of Mason City, Iowa, was outside Sterling State Bank in Rochester on Tuesday when a bank employee ran out and pointed out the robbery suspect. Reporter Adam Sallet broke away from the report, saying: “I have to go. I have to call 911.”

The Post-Bulletin reports that police spotted the suspect’s vehicle on U.S. Highway 52. Minnesota State Patrol says the 36-year-old Rochester man was pulled over south of Minneapolis and arrested. Police Capt. John Sherwin says the man is suspected of robbing the bank two days in a row. In both robberies, the suspect presented a note and escaped with money.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Two youth organizations in Sioux City have teamed up with a bicycle shop owner and anonymous donors to give bicycles to more than 300 children. The Sioux City Journal reports that Girls Inc. gave out 115 bicycles Friday, and the Boys Club of Sioux City surprised 225 boys with bikes Tuesday afternoon. The children also received helmets and locks.

Doug Albrecht, owner of Albrecht Cycle Shop, worked with the anonymous donors to order the mountain bikes. The team assembled about 60 bicycles a week over five weeks. The retail value of each bike is about $400, but Albrecht was able to get a discount from the manufacturer since they were purchased in bulk. He says this is the largest one-time donation the bikes shop has ever seen.

Officials with the Adair-Casey and Guthrie Center School Districts have released details about a proposed five-year, Whole Grade Sharing agreement. According to information on the districts’ websites, each district would maintain its own kindergarten-6th grade program. 7th and 8th grade students would attend class at Adair-Casey. 9th-12th graders would attend high school in Guthrie Center. In addition, both districts would share all activities in grades 7-12, including their athletic programs. All high school competitions would take place in Guthrie Center, with the shared districts jointly competing in the West Central Activities Conference. The agreement would go into effect July 1st, 2016.

Public hearings regarding the proposed agreement will take place this (Wednesday) evening at the Adair-Casey Junior-Senior High School Library, beginning at 7-p.m., and on Tuesday, December 22nd, in the Library Media Center at the Guthrie Center High School.

Further details about the proposed WGS agreement are available at http://gcs.dynamicwebware.com/school_board/ACGC-WGSA_12.15.pdf
And, details on the activity agreement can found at http://gcs.dynamicwebware.com/school_board/ACGC-activitysharingagt-12.14.pdf

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa health officials say half of all potential contracts for Medicaid services have been signed ahead of the state’s switch to privatized care on Jan. 1. The Iowa Department of Human Services says the four private companies taking over the state’s Medicaid program have signed a total of more than 62,000 contracts with medical providers.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say they’re trying to figure out how to respond to excessive alcohol consumption at multiple state beaches. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said it’s collecting informal public comments on ways to reduce alcohol-related incidents on beaches at state parks and state recreation areas. Iowa State Parks Bureau Chief Todd Coffelt says the inquiry is in response to reported cases of excessive alcohol consumption at multiple state beaches.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Federal education officials say Iowa and Nebraska have the top high school graduation rates in the country. Data released by the Education Department show Iowa ranked first among all states with a graduation rate of 90.5 percent for the 2013-2014 school year. Nebraska came in second with a graduation rate of 89.7 percent for the same period.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The value of Iowa farmland has declined for the second year in a row. An Iowa State University survey says the statewide average is about $7,600 an acre, compared to $8,700 two years ago. Researchers say they’re not expecting a rebound soon because of falling farm income and stagnant commodity prices.

Fifteen Iowa cities will benefit from a combined total of more than $9.1 million in low-cost water quality loans through the State Revolving Fund. Among them, is Underwood, which is receiving $313,000 for a sewer lift station and force main, and, Winterset, which is receiving $1.4-million for sewer treatment improvements.

State Revolving Fund Construction Loans are a low-cost construction financing option available for Iowa cities and municipalities for water quality initiatives. Planning & Design Loans are zero percent loans that assist with the first-phase of project expenses. The Iowa Finance Authority and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources jointly administer the State Revolving Fund in Iowa.

The State Revolving Fund has awarded Iowa communities and municipalities more than $2.5 billion in Construction Loans and $130 million through Planning & Design Loans since the program’s inception. More information is available at IowaSRF.com.

More than 200 Iowans will be getting refunds after they unknowingly enrolled in an expensive buying club. A Tennessee-based company that operates the website SavingsGalore.com has agreed to stop enrolling Iowans and make some $20,000 in refunds. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office reports the company failed to post clear notices and disclosures about when a consumer is being signed up for a buying club membership.

In many cases, Iowans discovered unexpected membership charges to their credit or debit cards, but they’d gone unnoticed for months or even years. According to the A-G’s office, consumers who signed up for the buying club will be contacted by the state about their refund.

(Radio Iowa)

Visitors planning a trip to some State Parks in Iowa, may want to double check conditions as recent unseasonable rains have had some impact. Among the impacted parks is Springbrook State Park, which is closed to vehicular traffic due to a road construction project and flood waters are over the main road. The Sherburne Cabin can still be accessed from the west and the park office is still accessible from the east. The Education Center is unaffected by the flooding.

Because conditions can change rapidly in flood conditions, state park visitors are encouraged to check for closures posted the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/parks or the parks reservation site at http://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com or by contacting individual park offices directly.

The Iowa DNR is seeking informal public comment on a draft proposed rule under consideration that would ban alcohol year-round on all beaches in state parks and state recreation areas. The proposed ban would apply to the sand or the fenced in area of the beach, the adjacent designated swimming area, and a 200-foot land buffer surrounding the sand or fenced in area. Rental facilities that are within the 200-foot land buffer that have been formally reserved through the DNR will not be subject to the ban.

The ban is being considered because incidents reveal a continued pattern of excessive alcohol consumption at multiple state beaches, which threaten the safety of the general public and personnel.

Comments may be directed to Jessica Manken at 515-725-8488 or at Jessica.Manken@dnr.iowa.gov through close of business on Monday, December 21, 2015.