The trial of one of three people charged with the murder of a Council Bluffs woman began Tuesday at the Pottawattamie County Courthouse. On Wednesday, the jury heard testimony in the case against 47-year-old Clarence L Woolsoncroft. Woolsoncroft stands accused of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery and conspiracy in connection with the January 14^th death of Tammy Rocha.

Prosecutors say minutes after Rocha and Woolsoncroft had a playful snowball fight, Woolsencroft drove Rocha to a home owned by Lisa A Reeves and her father, Bryan E Reeves. The three are suspected of conspiring to assault Rocha over the theft of a cell phone and some jewelry.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, Dale Mercer, a passenger who rode along with Rocha in Woolsoncroft’s truck the night of the attack, testified that he had never met Woolsoncroft, but Rocha called the man to give them a ride home from the Horseshoe Casino.

Mercer said as Woolsoncroft drove the truck north on 35th Street and made a left turn onto Fifth Avenue, Rocha questioned where they were going. Mercer said Woolsoncroft told her he needed to see some people, but Rocha warned him those individuals would attack her. As the truck approached a house at 3510 Fifth Avenue in Council Bluffs, Rocha tried to push the accelerator pedal, but Woolsoncroft was able to brake and put the truck in park. Mercer said three to four people were waiting near the street for the truck to stop.

Lisa Reeves allegedly began to assault Rocha in Woolsoncroft’s pickup before Woolsoncroft allegedly pulled Rocha out of the truck. Reeves continued to assault the woman, who was eventually found in the street with multiple stab wounds. Rocha later died at the Nebraska Medical Center.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has sent a letter to President Barack Obama requesting a Presidential Disaster Declaration as a result of tornadoes and severe storms that occurred in western and northwest Iowa April 9^th and 10th.

The Public Assistance Program, which provides assistance to public entities and select nonprofit agencies, is being requested for: Buena Vista, Cherokee, Ida, Monona, Pocahontas and Sac Counties. Public Assistance funding may be used to rebuild damaged infrastructure that may include roads, bridges, culverts, and other public facilities, or to cover costs of emergency work during debris removal after the storms.

Branstad has also requested from the Small Business Administration (SBA) a Physical Disaster Declaration for Monona and Pocahontas counties due to a tornado and severe storms that devastated more than 350 homes and/or businesses April 9-10. The Disaster Loan Program allows for low-interest loans to be made available for the victims of a disaster.

An Iowa native who was active in getting Kansas to pass a law that bans abortions after the 20th week of a pregnancy is in Iowa, urging lawmakers here to do the same thing. Cheryl Sullenger (SULL-ehn-jer), a Marshalltown native, lives in Wichita, Kansas, where late-term abortion doctor George Tiller worked until he was shot to death. 

“The last thing you want to be known as is the late-term abortion capitol of the country,” Sullenger says. “We experienced that in Kansas and, frankly, it traumatized the community.”

Sullenger says Council Bluffs could become the next Wichita, as a late-term abortion doctor from Nebraksa — LeRoy Carhart — hopes to open an abortion clinic in Council Bluffs. A Nebraska law which took effect in mid-October prevents Carhart from performing abortions in his Bellevue, Nebraska, clinic after the 20th week of a pregnancy. Carhart has said he hopes to open a clinic in Council Bluffs, and the Iowa House has passed a bill that would set up a late-term abortion ban in Iowa. The bill has stalled in a Senate committee. Sullenger, who is senior policy advisor for the anti-abortion group “Operation Rescue”, is urging senators to act. 

“You guys have an opportunity to close that down before it gets here and once things like this get started in a state, it’s very difficult to get them out,” Sullenger says. “But you guys have an opportunity to nip this in the bud and protect women and their viable babies from exploitation.”

Carhart’s website says a “South West Iowa” abortion clinic will be “available soon.” It shows the charge for an abortion performed after the 24th week of a pregnancy would be about three-thousand dollars.

(Radio Iowa)

An Atlantic man was arrested Tuesday, on a charge of Public Intoxication.  Authorities say 19-year old Cody Pleis was brought to the Cass County Jail & held pending a court appearance.

The Iowa State Patrol in association with the Montgomery County Attorney’s office have filed charges against an Essex woman, in connection with a crash late last year that claimed the life of two Cumberland children. 18-year old Karli Jo Brown, of Essex, was arrested Tuesday on two-counts of motor vehicle homicide and one-count of serious injury by a motor vehicle, with regard to a November 28^th crash that resulted in the deaths of 5-year old Maliki Todd and 4-year old Alex Todd. The children’s mother, 25-year old Nina McNeese, was injured in the crash.

The accident occurred on Highway 48 in a no-passing zone. Officials say Brown was southbound on Highway 48 when she attempted to pass two vehicles. He car collided head-on with McNeese’s vehicle, at the crest of a hill.

In the complaints filed against her, prosecutors allege Brown operated a motor vehicle in a reckless manner which intentionally caused the deaths of the two children and resulted in serious injury to McNeese. She was also cited for allegedly speeding, texting while driving, and passing in a no-passing zone.

Brown was taken into custody Tuesday, but later released on $10,000 bond. Her preliminary hearing was set for May 10^th in Montgomery County Court. If convicted on the charges, Brown faces a total of up to 25-years in prison and/or fines of up to $30,000.

Time is running short to purchase your tickets to enjoy a meal on Mother’s Day with world renowned opera singer and Iowa native, Simon Estes. Greenfield Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ginny Kuhfus says tickets for the meal with Estes….which follows his concert May 8^th , at the Nodaway Valley High School…cost just seven-dollars. The concert begins at 3-p.m. in the school gymnasium.

Tickets for “Premiere seating,” which puts you right up front by the stage, are $20. General admission tickets are $10. Estes will, of course perform during the concert. And, he’s bringing some people along with him to make the event even more enjoyable. Kuhfus says some area students will be on the stage as well.

The 32-member Simon Estes Music High School Choir from Capetown, South Africa will be there, along with students from the Nodaway Valley High School, Adair-Casey and Orient High Schools.

Kuhfus says Estes’ visit to Greenfield is part of his ’ 99 county “Roots & Wings tour,” which combines his performances with school assemblies. Proceeds from the sales of tickets will benefit efforts to restore the E.E. Warren Opera House in Greenfield, and the Simon Estes Iowa Educational Foundation, which provides scholarships to aspiring young Iowa artists.

Kuhfus says work on the Opera House is progressing nicely, thanks to a 1.2-million dollar grant the Chamber, Main Street and Development Corporation received in August, 2010. The I-Jobs grant will allow the project to be completed by February, 2012.

Tickets for the meal with Simon Estes must be purchased by this Friday, April 28^th.  Tickets for the meal and/or concert can be purchased in person at the Greenfield Chamber Main Street Office, or by calling 641-743-8444.

Image from Ryan's FaceBook page (used w/his permission)

An Iowa National Guardsman from Cass County is one of several soldiers credited with the recent capture of a highly sought insurgent financier in Afghanistan’s Paktia province. The Army says the arrest of the unnamed insurgent came April 17th near Gardez. The man was among four men in a car that was stopped during a sweep performed by members of the Guard’s 1-168th Battalion, the Afghan National Army and the local police.

Members of the battalion’s D Company identified the suspect using photos and other evidence. Sgt. 1^st Class Ryan Johnson, from Griswold, told a Des Moines Register reporter the insurgent’s capture equates to taking the legs off of a table one-by-one. Eventually, he says, The whole thing’s going to collapse.” Johnson said the financier was “One of those legs, and now the table is wobbling.” Ryan is on leave from the Cass County Sheriff’s Department, while serving on active duty in the military.

The Army says the operation also uncovered two homemade bombs. At one point, insurgents lobbed four mortar rounds and fired rifles at guardsmen who were trying to pull an armored truck out of the mud. The soldiers tracked the firing to a house, where Afghan officials arrested five people who allegedly had gunpowder residue on their hands. The mortar tube was not found, but Guard leaders declared the overall operation a success.

Company D Commander, Capt. Kent Greiner said “We’ve definitely taken the wind out of the sails of the insurgents for a while.” He added that they’re “Striking a nerve with them, and we’re going to keep striking that nerve to see what happens.”

Officials with the Nishna Valley Trails Association have announced a guest speaker for the next meeting, which takes place Monday, May 2^nd. Brian Leaders, a landscape architect with the National Parks Service’s “Rails, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program,” and who works out of the Midwest Region’s Omaha office, will share plans and programs for trail development in Cass County.

In addition, there will be updates on the development of the T-Bone trail in Cass County, and on organizing for the coming of RAGBRAI to Atlantic in July, as well as planning for other future events.

The Nishna Valley Trails group will meet from 6-to 7-pm Monday, May 2^nd, at Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in Atlantic, located at 1101 East 3^rd Street. The public is welcome to attend.