DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Health officials have identified three cases of influenza in Iowa. The state Department of Public Health said Tuesday the cases were reported in Henry, Johnson and Polk counties. Additional information was not released.

The State Hygienic Laboratory’s confirmation of the cases indicates influenza activity remains at a low level in Iowa. However officials say it indicates the virus is circulating in the state. Flu symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches. About 300,000 Iowa residents get the flu every year.

BOONE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in central Iowa say they’ve uncovered a massive collection of photographs and videos showing nude female juveniles, and they believe they were amassed over several years by high school students. The state Division of Criminal Investigation said Tuesday that a system of storage accounts was discovered after a male juvenile was accused in August of trying to extort sexual photographs and sexual acts from a female juvenile. The male faces an extortion charge.

Authorities said online-based storage accounts with nude photographs and videos had been under the control of numerous current and former high school students in the Boone area. The accounts have been secured. Authorities are working to identify the individuals in the photographs and videos. They called it an active investigation, and additional charges are possible.

A public hearing will be held Wednesday evening in Atlantic with regard to the vacating of a Lot in the Southern Heights Subdivision. The matter will be taken up as part of the Council’s regular meeting, which begins at 5:30-p.m.

Interim City Administrator John Lund says the Community Development Committee has not given a recommendation regarding the disposal of Lot A, which has been a topic of discussion among the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Development Committee and Council, since January, 2013.

Lund says he and former City Administrator Doug Harris “Greatly Disagreed” on the specifics of the issue, and that “Misinformation was spread as fact,” yet he will not comment or make a recommendation regarding the Disposal of the Lot, other than to say the materials he prepared “Showing that the process in which [the] matter was handled in 2013 was correct and appropriate.”

Following the public hearing, the Council will act on a “Resolution approving the disposal of City-Owned Real Property: Lot A.” The Council will also act on a Resolution approving the disposal” of City-owned properties at 1200 Birch, and 1106 Poplar, Streets. Both properties were acquired by condemnation. Lund says at least one person has expressed an interest in purchasing the Birch Street property, while there has been no interest to date, in the Poplar Street property.

In other business, the Council will act on approving the Interim City Administrator’s Contract, following a recommendation by the Finance and Personnel Committee. The committee met last Wednesday to discuss Lund’s salary. The proposed contract between Lund and the City is for six-months, with a salary of $32,500, or less than half of what he originally asked for. The Council would then review his contract at the end of the six-month time frame.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s office is asking for the public’s assistance in looking for a stolen vehicle. Sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday of last week a white 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe with Iowa plate 029-XLZ was stolen from a resident in the south west part of Montgomery County. If you have information on the stolen vehicle should contact the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office at 712-623-5107 or Montgomery County Crime stoppers at 1-800-432-1001

The pilot who died in a plane crash near Dubuque late last night was the Libertarian candidate for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat. The family of Douglas Butzier (BUTZ-ear) has confirmed Butzier was piloting the plane that crashed near the Dubuque Regional Airport at about 11 p.m. Monday. No one else was in the plane.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the single-engine plane took off from the Ankeny Regional Airport at about 10 p.m. and crashed at 11 p.m. about a mile north of the runway in Dubuque. Butzier, who was an E-R doctor, was born in Mount Pleasant and grew up in Cedar Falls.

Butzier, who was 59 years old, has been working at Dubuque Mercy Hospital for the past 17 years.

An Atlantic man was arrested Monday on charges of Disorderly Conduct and Harassment in the 3rd degree. Atlantic Police say 24-year old Tyler Mills was booked into the Cass County Jail.

And, an accident at 7th and Olive Streets Monday afternoon caused $11,000 damage, but no one was injured. Authorities say vehicles driven by Shelbie Ferguson, of Atlantic, and Bryson Hall, of Winterset, collided after Hall’s truck cut the turn too short as it was turning left from southbound Olive onto eastbound 7th Street.

No citations were issued.

One person died following an accident this (Tuesday) morning in Pottawattamie County, near Avoca. The accident happened on Highway 83, at around 7:35-a.m. According to the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Department of Transportation workers were on location erecting a construction zone sign,  when they saw a vehicle pass by with the male driver appearing to be slumped over, leaning toward the driver’s door.

The workers were nearly struck as the vehicle passed westbound, left the road and came to rest in a harvested cornfield, where DOT Workers rendered aid.

The driver was transported by Avoca Rescue to Myrtue Medical Center-Harlan where he was pronounced deceased.  His name was being withheld pending notification of family. The accident remains under further investigation.

The Atlantic Community School District will need to make some substantial cuts in its budget over the next five years. That was the word Monday night from Iowa Association of School Board Finance Director Gary Sinclair. Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein told KJAN News the Sinclair demonstrated a financial planning tool that will enable the district to reign-in its spending practices.

Sinclair showed the Board of Education a model of a five year projection with one-year action tool that looks at past and current budgets, along with current trends. Amstein says the district’s biggest issue is overspending, which is eating into its unspent balance. He says if the district continues with its spending habits without making any adjustments or reductions to the budget, the district’s unspent balance will be at zero, which is not where they want to be.

Amstein says Sinclair pointed out $480,000 needs to be cut in fiscal year 2016 in order to meet the district’s financial goals. The process of reducing costs he says, will be one that will be ongoing over the next two-to three-years. Amstein said the budgeting tool will allow them to examine every spending process and focus on putting together a prioritized list for areas to be reduced.

He says they’re not in a position right now to recommend any cuts. They are and have been looking at reducing costs for the current year’s budget, but he admits that having 80-percent of that committed to salaries, there’s not much they can do with that aspect of the budget.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board approved a request for Modified Allowable Growth and Supplemental Aid for a Special Education Dept. deficit.  The Special Ed deficit this past year, according to Amstein, was about $460,000.

They also approved several resignations in the Food Service Department, the retirement of a custodian, and the resignation of High School Guidance Secretary Jess Erhman.

Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office arrested an area man today (Tuesday), following an investigation that dates back to Feb. 27th. Authorities say 38-year old Jason Allison, of Shenandoah, was taken into custody from the Page County Sheriff’s Office, on Delivery of Methamphetamine charge.

Allison was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $50,000 bond.

An official with the Shelby County Health System said today (Tuesday), residents of the County Can be confident in [the] hospital system, which has facilities and proper protective equipment and protocols in place for individuals who contract very contagious diseases.” Public Health Director, Calla Poldberg said in a news release, “Our hospitals and staff are well trained and ready for any public health threat, should the need arise.”

Poldberg says “It’s important to remember Ebola is not a virus spread through the air, and is only contagious if the infected person is having active symptoms. Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of a sick person or exposure to objects such as needles that have been contaminated.
Shelby County Public Health has been and will continue to work closely with the Iowa Department of Public Health to ensure we are ready to respond should the need arise.”

The IDPH has been working with CDC and local public health agencies by:
• Enhancing surveillance and laboratory testing capacity in states to detect cases.
• Developing guidance and tools for health departments to conduct public health investigations.
• Providing recommendations for healthcare infection control and other measures to prevent disease spread.
• Disseminating up-to-date information to the general public, international travelers, and public health partners.
For the latest information on Ebola, visit www.cdc.gov.