A chase that began in Omaha Tuesday night and ended in Pottawattamie County, resulted in a Nebraska woman being sent to the hospital and then on to jail. Sheriff Jeff Danker says the driver of the vehicle, 22-year old Rebecca White, of  Plattsmouth, Nebraska, was being held in the Pott. County Jail on charges that include Possession of Controlled Substance-Methamphetamine, Eluding, Reckless Driving and having No Valid Driver’s License. She has since been released on her own recognizance.

The incident which led to her arrest in Iowa began at around 11-p.m. Tuesday. Danker says  Pottawattamie County Communications was advised that the Omaha Police Department had been involved in a pursuit of a silver Pontiac bearing a Nebraska license plate. The pursuit was terminated by Omaha Police at the state line. Authorities were cautioned that occupants of the vehicle were possibly in possession of a stolen firearm and known to go armed.

Pottawattamie County deputies located the vehicle at Highway 6 & Interstate 80. One of the deputies began to follow suspect vehicle, and at the 14 mile marker of I-80 confirmed that it was the vehicle that had been involved in the Omaha pursuit.  After following the car for a couple of miles,  the deputy activated his cruiser’s emergency lights in attempt to stop the vehicle.

The car however continued eastbound on I-80.  The pursued vehicle hit stop sticks that were deployed just west of the Underwood exit but the car continued to elude authorities.  Near the 19 mile marker of I-80,  the driver’s side rear tire began to deflate but the vehicle continued to flee and eventually lost both tires on the driver’s side, all the while  maintaining a speed of 70 mph on the rims.

White exited I-80 at the 29  mile marker and continued to drive in an erratic fashion until the rims separated from the vehicle on Tamarack Road, in Pottawattamie County. At this time White pulled the car into a private driveway and fled on foot, wearing a back pack. Deputies gave chase and caught the woman between two buildings on private property. White was taken into custody and transported to Mercy Hospital by Neola Rescue for treatment of possible injuries.

While at the hospital, deputies were informed by the nursing staff that they had found what were believed to be narcotics in White’s bra. A field test of the substance came up positive for methamphetamine. In addition, during the course of their investigation, deputies learned that the vehicle she was driving had been purchased by White about  2 months earlier, had not been registered, and was still registered to another person.

A Crawford County Republican is officially running for State Representative of District 18. Steve Holt, of Denison, submitted his nomination petitions and Affidavit of Candidacy today (Wednesday) to Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz. District 18 includes portions of Crawford, Harrison and all of Shelby County.

Holt lives in Denison with his wife and five children. He is a retired Marine and small business owner. Holt said, “I am truly honored to seek this office and represent the voters of District 18.” Holt’s objectives include reducing the size and intrusion of government, strengthen Second Amendment rights and encourage risk taking and greater economic opportunity through education and tax reform.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A 43-year-old Sioux City man has denied accusations that he used an extension cord to beat his grandson.  The Sioux City Journal says Dayle Webbs pleaded not guilty on Monday to child endangerment resulting in injury. His trial is scheduled to begin June 24.

Court documents say that on Jan. 5 Webbs hit his 6-year-old grandson on a shoulder and thigh and on his neck, back and stomach after the boy got out of bed to get a drink of water. The documents say open, bleeding wounds on the boy’s shoulder and thigh were still visible 20 days later.

The Annual Easter Egg Hunt in Atlantic should be even more special this year, thanks to a donation from the Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund.

(Submitted photo)

The Fund’s Melanie Petty recently donated $100 to Atlantic Nursing and Rehab Center Administrator Kellie Jimerson,  for ANRC’s Easter Egg Hunt which will be held Saturday, April 19th.

Officials with the Iowa Association of Realtors (IAR) said today (Wednesday) home prices rose slightly and sales decreased in February. IAR’s March 2014 Housing Trends Report shows that the average sale price of homes across Iowa was $141,489, up .5 percent from last February. The average sale price in February 2013 was $140,751.

Home sales decreased by 5.1 percent from last year. The realtor’s group reports 1,792 homes sold in February 2014, while 1,889 homes sold in February 2013. Twenty-six of Iowa’s 44 local boards reported increases in average sale price, while 16 boards had increases in the number of sales.

The statewide average number of days on the market last month was 103 days, up 1 day or 1 percent from last February. Twenty-three boards showed a decrease in days on the market. Kathy Miller, IAR 2014 President, says “The extreme cold, snow, and wind that we’ve experienced this winter, has definitely influenced buyers and sellers across the state. Sellers are inclined to wait for warmer weather to list, and buyers are reluctant to move in the inclement weather we’ve experienced.”

Miller expressed optimism by saying, “However, spring is in the air; and we’re sure to see an increase in activity in March. Interest rates remain low, which should bring buyers to the table and help sellers get their properties sold.”

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Atlantic City Council will hold a public hearing during their meeting this evening at the Senior Center, with regard to the proposed Fiscal Year 2015 City Budget. City Administrator Doug Harris says the proposed budget, which represents the 16 operating funds of the City, is down 4.3-percent from the current fiscal year. That’s slightly less than the 4.9-percent reduction shown in the original proposed budget. Even though the overall budget is down 4.3-percent, the underlying operating budget for next year will be up 1.6-percent, or about $100,000. The proposed budget will require a tax increase of 1.8-percent in the City portion of the tax levy, or a seven-tenths (0.7)-percent increase in the total property tax levy, which means a 32-cent increase per $1,000 of taxable valuation.

Harris says the reason the overall budget is down 4.3-percent, is due to a reduction in the amount to be spent out of the Local Option Sales Tax Recreation Improvement Reserve to cover the cost of overruns on the new Park Maintenance Building. The reduction was possible because the City is able to use some of the contingency bond funds to cover part of the expense.

Harris said the City’s Operating Budget was adjusted upward following the completion of work on the new Wastewater Treatment Plant, and was necessary due to accounting changes in the Debt Service Fund, as well as a communications grant that was hosted by the Atlantic Fire Department. In a related note, the Council will act on setting April 2^nd as the date for a Public Hearing on proposed amendments to the FY 2014 (current year) Budget, the “Lion’s share” of which, according to Harris, is due to the “Multi-year nature of the numerous bond funded capital improvement projects” the City has undertaken in the past few years.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on approving a change order in its contract with Hawkins Construction, for improvements to the new treatment plant. The change order represents a $32,322 decrease in the original contract price to compensate the City for engineering fees related to the repair of defective work on the plant’s blower building. The meeting starts at 5:30-p.m. in the Atlantic Senior Center.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Authorities in Montgomery County report a Missouri man was arrested early this (Wednesday) morning in Stanton, on drug charges. 24-year old Kiley Brian Caron, of St. Joseph, MO., was pulled over for a traffic violation at around 4:20-a.m. at James Street and Broad Avenue, in Stanton. He was subsequently charged with Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Caron was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Authorities say a man from Massachusetts and a woman from Iowa have died in a car crash in southeastern Massachusetts.    Police say their vehicles struck head-on on Route 44 in Middleborough at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.  The drivers were identified as 64-year-old Dennis Canning of Middleborough and 30-year-old Kimberly Bebare of Ames, Iowa. Both died on impact.

Neither vehicle had any passengers, but a dog in Bebare’s car survived and is in the care of the town’s animal control officer.  Police say the cause remains under investigation.