Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones has plead guilty to dumping refuse into Missouri River floodwaters. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Jones accepted responsibility for polluting the water, and was fined $150 plus court costs. Another misdemeanor charge of violating an open-burning ban was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

The charges stemmed from an incident near Tekamah, Nebraska in late September, when Jones, his friends, and family members removed and burned flood damaged furniture and mattresses from a cabin he owns near Tekamah. On September 24^th, some debris from the fire, including charred parts of furniture, slid off into an a slough (slew), or inlet, about 250-feet from the river. Jones said the debris most likely entered the inlet when the remains of the fire were doused. He claimed it was unsafe to retrieve those items that fell into the river.

The incident was reported to authorities in Burt County, NE, by a neighbor.

Suveillance video still frame of robbery suspects (photo courtesy Harlan P.D.)

Police in Harlan say a Crimestoppers reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of two individuals allegedly involved in the armed robbery Monday morning, of a convenience store in Harlan.

The male was described as being about 6-feet, or 6-feet 4-inches tall. He had dark hair, wore blue jeans and a dark hoodie.  The female he was accompanied by had long dark hair. She wore a hot pink hoodie and blue denim capris.  Both subjects are believed to be in their mid-20’s.  The pair left the area possibly driving a black, or dark colored four door sedan. 

another still frame from surveillance video (from Harlan P.D.)

Both are considered armed and dangerous. Police caution the public not to approach them.  If you have any information on the crime,  call 911 or the Harlan PD at 712-755-5151. Again, a Crimestoppers reward is being offered for any information leading to the suspect’s arrest and conviction.

Police in Atlantic report two local men were arrested Monday on Burglary and Theft charges. 19-year old’s Joshua Chapalonis and Brandon Fredericksen, both of Atlantic, were charged with Burglary in the 3rd Degree and Theft in the 2nd Degree. Both men were brought to the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.  And, 41-year old Greggory Carl Traver, of Atlantic, was arrested Monday on a Warrant for Failure to Appear at the Child Support Hearing. Traver was also booked into the Cass County Jail.

In other news, Atlantic Police say Cassandra Long, of Marne, was cited Tuesday for Failure to Maintain Control/Reduce Speed, following an accident just before 8-a.m., near the intersection of 7th and Spruce Streets. Long, and Susan Nymand, of Atlantic, were traveling east on 7th Street, when Nymand slowed for a vehicle in front of her which was turning south onto Spruce. As Nymand was slowing, Long’s vehicle rear-ended Nymand’s vehicle, causing a total of $2,200 damage. No injuries were reported.

Volunteers are needed to help residents in far southwest Iowa restore their homes and lives after this summer’s Missouri River flood. Shari Bowen, spokeswoman for the Mills County emergency management office, says they’re holding clean-up events beginning on Friday. “We are going to be starting with a brief orientation at 8:30 in the morning and then we will be sending crews out to multiple locations in the western part of Mills County,” Bowen says. “We will be working with some folks who need some things moved and need some things cleaned out.” Bowen says those who cannot physically help can still be of service this weekend, especially if they have computer skills. 

“We’re also looking for a few volunteers to help us at the Glenwood Library on Saturday morning,” Bowen says. “They would need to be prepared to assist people to log on into FEMA on the computer and get them through the process of signing up in the FEMA Individual Disaster Assistance area.” Bowen says they’re working with the United Methodist Disaster Response Group which put the call out to its members. 

“We are hoping that will bring us a significant number of volunteers but we need those local folks as well,” she says. “Right now, we don’t know what to expect. We have lots of families who have needs. We honestly don’t know how many we will be able to serve. That depends on how many people come out to help those days.” If you can lend a hand, call (712) 527-4231 to register. Those with pickup trucks and trailers are also asked to bring those to help in the clean-up.

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Ric Hanson

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A study by a University of Iowa researcher found that age, education and race were factors that didn’t follow the norm in determining who would be impacted by the mortgage crisis. Jerry Anthony examined bankruptcies from 2007 where people had become “house broke” or faced a mortgage payment that became too big. Anthony says he was surprised to find that people over the age of 40 were not more financially stable than younger homeowners.

He says the study found people over the age of 60 paid a higher percentage of their income on housing than people under the age of 40. Anthony says you would expect people over the age of 60 to have paid off most of their mortgage, and have lower mortgage costs, but he says that wasn’t the case. Anthony, an associate professor in the school of urban and regional planning, says older people tend to carry more debt, and lenders seemed to target them.

Anthony says “predatory lenders” took off between 2006 and 2007, and “targeted people of that older generation in a pretty systematic manner.” He says the lenders would offer loans against the equity in homes and that gave people a bigger debt load. Anthony says education didn’t help people stay away from problems, as the study found those with less education had lower housing costs.

Anthony says people were perhaps too smart for their own good, as they consolidated all of their unsecured loans into a mortgage secured by their home. He says that can lower the interest rate and give you a tax deduction for the loan interest, but he says on the down side, if you miss mortgage payments, lenders are going to come after your house. Anthony says if you miss a few credit card payments, the credit card companies are not going to come after your house. The study also found the mortgage problems didn’t follow the tradition trends when it came to race.

Anthony says all research from the past has been consistent in finding that Hispanics and African-Americans paid more for their housing when compared to whites. But he says this study found no race differences when it came to the bankruptcies, which he says was surprising. Anthony says there’s plenty of blame to go around for the mortgage crisis, from predatory lenders to naive consumers. Anthony says people should re-think the idea that owning a home is always the best way to go. He says it depends on how long you plan to stay in the home and how much you would have to pay in rent.

(Dar Danielson/Radio Iowa)

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Police in Shenandoah report a Kentucky man was arrested Tuesday night on drug charges, following a traffic stop. Officials say 52-year old Charles Davis faces a Felony charge for Possession of a Controlled Substance, and a misdemeanor Possesion of Drug Paraphernalia charge. The charges were the result of a traffic stop by two Shenandoah Police  officers, who found Davis was allegedly in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Davis was being held in the Page County Jail on $5,000 bond.

Shenandoah Police report also, two people were arrested recently following a large fight which occured Saturday at the Elks Club on Highway 59, in Shenandoah. Officials say Shenandoah residents, 22-year old Karisma Garcia, and 18-year old David Delafuente were charged with Disorderly Conduct. The pair were cited into court. Shenandoah Police were assisted in handling the event by deputies with the Page and Fremont County Sheriff’s Offices,  Essex Police, and the Iowa State Patrol.

Authorities in Shenandoah are also investigating a car that was reported stolen Sunday from a Shenandoah, and recovered the next day in the City limits.

A high speed chase involving an erratic driver Tuesday night in northwest Jefferson, lead to two-vehicle crash that killed one-person and injured another. The Iowa State Patrol reports the driver of the vehicle being pursued, 18-year old Jonathan Dalton Bindel, of Jefferson, died in the crash. A passenger in the vehicle, 20-year old Miranda Sue Parris, also of Jefferson, was injured, and transported by Jefferson Rescue, to the Greene County Medical Center in Jefferson. Both of the accident victims were wearing their seat belts.

Officials say Bindel’s 2006 Ford Taurus was being pursued by a State Trooper on westbound Highway 30 at around 11:30-p.m.  The Patrol says Bindel was driving erratically and at a high rate of speed. A Ford F-250 pickup driven by on-duty Jefferson Police Officer Heath Aaron Enns,  was traveling north on North Grimmell Road, and had turned east onto Highway 30 to assist with the pursuit, when Bindel drove into the eastbound lane of Highway 30.

The Patrol says Enns tried to avoid a head-on collision by driving onto the shoulder, but his pickup was hit by car, causing the pickup to spin around and enter the south ditch, before it rolled over and came to rest on its wheels. After the impact, the Taurus came to rest in the south ditch. Officials say Enns was not injured in the crash.

Santa’s sleigh may be lighter this holiday season. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says consumers in Iowa and nationwide are continuing to show signs of hesitation about buying, so merchants are beginning to make plans for another slow December.

“Retailers are very guarded on what’s going to happen,” Goss says. “As a result, they’ve been very cautious in terms of expanding their inventories. They’ve pared them back fairly significantly.” Iowa and the Midwest are in better shape than many other states and regions, Goss says, and growth in holiday sales here ought to be higher than elsewhere, too.

“In my judgment, we’re going to see growth from last year of about three to four-percent,” Goss says. “At the national level, it’s going to be about half that, one to two-percent.” With consumer confidence tanking, he says that projection is a far cry from where it would ordinarily be during a healthier economy. “While it’s not as good as we’d like to see, a normal expansion would be in the six to seven-percent range but still, it’s much better than what we saw last year,” Goss says.

(by Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)