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

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A Council Bluffs Police Officer investigating a reported Burglary in Progress Wednesday night, was slightly injured when the suspect attempted to disarm the officer. Authorities say the incident happened at around 9-p.m. at 2924 Avenue D. When officers arrived and attempted to arrest 51-year old Mike Snyder, of Council Bluffs, Snyder, who was allegedly intoxicated and irate, attempted to disarm one of the officers on the scene. The officer suffered a cut to his hand in the scuffle, but did not require medical treatment.

Snyder was taken into custody after a brief struggle and transported to the Pottawattamie County Jail, where he was booked-in on charges that include Attempting to Disarm a Police Officer, Serious Assault on a Police Officer, and Interference with Official Acts.

A man in his 30’s is being sought in connection with an incident of assault involving a cutting tool, in Council Bluffs. According to Bluffs Police Sgt. Chad Geer, at around 3:50-p.m., Wednesday, officers spoke with a 15-year old male who had been assaulted with a knife. The unidentified victim said he was in the area of 25th Street and Avenue D, when he was approached by a white male subject who struck the teen with a sharp object, thought to be a box cutter.

The assailant, who was described as wearing a dark-colored stocking cap and coat, left the scene following the incident, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the assault is asked to call the Council Bluffs Police Department at 712-328-STOP (7867).

The area’s top news at 7:07-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 2:10-a.m. today (Thursday), of 30-year old Montana Wayne Kroupa. The Essex man was taken into custody on a Montgomery County warrant for Probation Violation. Kroupa was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 cash bond. Deputies with the Page County Sheriff’s Office assisted in conducting the arrest.

A recently released study by the Marine Corps found all-male squads were safer, more efficient and more lethal that squads the included women. Iowan Joni Ernst is the only female combat veteran in the U-S Senate, and says she is aware of the study, but hasn’t read the full report. “It is very interesting — I do think we have a number of challenges as we move into integrated combat roles for men and women. It is fascinating as we go through this,” Ernst says.

The Republican from Red Oak says she wants more information on the performance of women in the military. “I would like to see more than just a Marine Corps study,” Ernst says. “I would like to see across the board how we are integrating females into those combat roles in all branches, whether it is through the Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, etcetera.”

Ernst says the role of women in the military has been changing rapidly. “Going back to several weeks ago, we did have two females who graduated from the Airborne Ranger Training Brigade at Fort Benning, they completed Ranger school,” according to Ernst. “They are showing that women can compete and complete these types of courses. We need more information as actually move into integrating within the combat role, on the ground in combat.” She is anxious to see how the role of women in the military develops.

“I think many of us agree that certainly there are roles for women in combat. We want to make sure that no standards are lowered to enable women to participate. Certainly we have women who can meet those standards,” Ernst says. She says we need to do “what is right and best for all of our troops.” Ernst is lieutenant colonel in the Iowa National Guard and did a tour of duty in Iraq.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Tyson Foods is adding 60 jobs at ones of its Council Bluffs plants a month after closing a beef plant in Denison. Company officials say the Council Bluffs plant would add jobs to help produce pork chops and roasts. Plant manager Doug Griffin says he’s excited to be creating more jobs in Council Bluffs.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Two more University of Iowa presidential search committee members met eventual pick Bruce Harreld during his campus visit several weeks before his name was released as a candidate. Business school dean Sarah Gardial and Faculty Senate President Christina Bohannan confirmed Wednesday they attended a speech Harreld gave in July and had lunch with him. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Harreld also met Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter and search committee chair Jean Robillard.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A Colorado man has waived his right to a speedy trial on a murder charge in Black Hawk County. Thirty-seven-year-old Steve Fordyce Jr. is accused of shooting 43-year-old Donald Harrington in Waterloo last month. Fordyce had been scheduled to stand trial in November, but waived his right to the speedy trial at an arraignment hearing Tuesday.

RAYMOND, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a motorcyclist and a car driver have died in a head-on collision in Black Hawk County. The accident occurred Wednesday morning on a road between Jesup and Raymond. Names of the victims have not been released.

Just like popular television shows, real-world experts help government agencies and private companies nab cyber criminals. As technology continually changes, IT professionals say there is an increasing need for more cyber detectives and investigators. Headline-making data breaches such as the recent Ashley Madison hack are drawing attention to the need for professionals who can stop cyber criminals in their tracks.

Professor of Information Technology at Des Moines Area Community College Bryan Burkhardt says a vast spectrum of computer-related crimes including identity theft, harassment and virtual terrorism are becoming increasingly common. “As we continue to push more and more of our lives into a digital fashion, there are more and more opportunities for bad guys and bad gals to use digital devices to help commit crime, and so therefore I think that need is just going to escalate.”

He says there are opportunities for cyber-security professionals in both the public and private sectors. At the state and federal level, they help law-enforcement agencies investigate computer criminals such as hackers or child predators. And in the private sector, cyber-security exerts can prevent and assess emerging threats.

Des Moines Area Community College offers a two-year program in criminal justice with an emphasis on electronic investigation. Burkhardt says students learn how digital data is stored, used and deleted, along with vital communication and problem-solving skills for cyber crime fighting. “They also understand that the computer can only tell one component of it, or the digital device or mobile phone can only tell one component of it. It’s ultimately also linking it with a human story.”

As technology evolves, Burkhardt notes there will be a lifetime of learning for computer crime experts. And he says a good candidate also will have an understanding of legal rights and a curiosity to search for answers to questions that have never been asked. “You merge the scientist, the respectful legal entity as well as the technology strength person and you’ve got yourself a very good digital investigator.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for cyber detectives and investigators was about 77 thousand dollars a year in July of 2014.

(Iowa News Service)

The City of Atlantic’s Code Enforcement Officer reported to the City Council, Wednesday, that efforts to get people to comply with City Code regarding dilapidated properties and un-mowed lawns, met with success this past summer. Kris Erickson said the first thing she did when she was named to the positon, was to raise the City’s fees for abatements. That was accomplished with assistance from the City Administrator, Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent and Street Department Superintendent.

Erickson said “The purpose of raising the fees was to hopefully minimize the number of properties that are abated each year, as well as make them current. In doing so, the price of equipment used by the City to clean-up neglected properties was set at an hourly rate, which she says “Has had the desired effect we were hoping [for].”

The City’s Code of Ordinances pertaining to grass mowing was recently changed to state that a person who was in violation of the ordinance requiring the grass to be mowed , would no longer receive a letter in the mail notifying them they were in violation before City crews mowed the property if it was at 12-inches at the 1st and 15th of each month. The City would then bill the property owner for the time and equipment. Erickson said that change didn’t exactly work out as planned.

She said since there were a few “hiccups” in the new system, Mayor Dave Jones suggested to Erickson that “Instead of going back on piles of paperwork, certified letters and deadlines,” the City send out postcards be made up on a one-time notice warning citizens if they were in violation, and giving them a weekend to comply.

She said that little change in itself has cut-down on the number properties the city has had to mow. Altogether, there were 45 grass abatements. There also weren’t too many properties that required clean-up by Erickson and Wastewater Treatment plant staff, but there was one property in particular with no one living there, that took hours to clean-up, and a struggle with the property owner to get them to comply. The property at 808 Birch was cleaned-up in late August.

Erickson said the problem in the back yard wasn’t immediately noticed, because it was hidden from view. There was a privacy fence that, while maintained on the outside to keep up appearances, was neglected on the other side. Once all the brush was cleared away from the back yard, a scaffolding used for installation of siding was observed against the house. Neighbors said it had been there for a couple of years.

The property owners were identified as Imperial One Properties. It cost the City a total of around $3,254 to clean up the mess. The City has been in contact with the owners and is working to recoup the cost of time and labor expended. Erickson said she is working with Interim City Attorney Dave Wiederstein on how to deal with abandoned or unattended properties. Information has been gathered she said, that will allow the City to move forward with legal proceedings.