A former western Iowa resident, now living in Joplin, Missouri, is asking people to pray for the victims of last Sunday’s tornado. The EF5 twister left a six mile path of destruction and has now claimed 132 lives. Jeff Wehr, a former resident of Westphalia and a Harlan High School graduate, has been living in Joplin for four years. Wehr, his wife and three sons all survived the storm. However, the family knew the middle son – Josh – was located in the path of the tornado. Wehr says they didn’t hear from him for five hours after the storm passed.

“It turns out, he came across one of the buildings that was flattened and he saw two girls trying to crawl out from underneath it. So, he stopped and he drove them to the emergency room,” Wehr said. “He turned right around and went back. He was just shuttling people, as he found them, back and forth.” Wehr’s entire family was eventually reunited on the north side of town, at their home, which was not damaged. The tornado ripped through the middle section of Joplin. Wehr says if people are unable to help Joplin residents with cash donation, they can still help with their prayers.

“To me, personally, that’s the most important thing are the prayers,” Wehr said. “I know so many people want to do things, but they don’t know what they can do. I just tell them, ‘pray for us.’ Pray for all of those victims who are going to be going through this for a long time.” Officials announced this morning (Friday) that 232 people remain unaccounted for five days after the deadliest tornado in the U.S. in 64 years.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Police Department reports today (Friday), the arrest Thursday of 21-year old Vicente Vasquez, of Marne. Vasquez was taken into custody on a Cass County Sheriff’s warrant for Violation of probation.

The man was booked into the Cass County Jail.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Department says a Corning man was arrested early this (Friday) morning, on a Simple Assault charge. 37-year old Aaron Anderson was taken into custody just after 1-a.m., after deputies were called to Lake Binder on the edge of town.

Officials say a female camping at the lake was allegedly assaulted by Anderson, who was arrested and brought to the Adams County Jail, where he was being held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

And, authorities in Adams County are investigating an incident which occurred at around 8:30-p.m. Thursday at the K-C-C- Motel on the southeast side of Corning. Officials say two men were allegedly fighting. One of the men gave deputies several different names and date of birth. He being held in the Adams County Jail while authorities were trying to determine his true identity.

Authorities in Montgomery County say one person was arrested Thursday evening on an alcohol-related charge. 22-year old Travis L. Treat, of Red Oak, was located at his home at around 8:20-p.m., and taken into custody without incident, on a charge of Providing Alcohol to Minors, a Serious Misdemeanor offense.

Treat was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 cash bond.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports the agency has entered into a voluntary, enforceable agreement known as a “Consent Order,” with a Pottawattamie County livestock producer.
Cyclone Cattle, L.L.C. has agreed to maintain its open feedlot 36488 Beechnut Road, in Carson, in accordance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and pay $3,500 penalty for past water quality violations which allegedly occurred in March, 2010.  $2,000 of the penalty will be paid to Pottawattamie County Conservation Board for environmental projects in the county. The penalty has been paid.
The DNR has also reached “Consent agreements” with two western Iowa individuals.
In Harrison County, Walter H. Marshall, Jr., of Missouri Valley, has agreed to make a payment of $260, which satisfies the administrative penalty obligation of order. And, in Mills County, Kenneth Knight Sr. has agreed to pay a $500 penalty for open dumping and open burning violations which allegedly occurred in January 2009 and March, 2010.

A consent amendment is issued in settlement of a previous administrative order or to amend a pre-existing consent order. A consent amendment indicates that the DNR has voluntarily entered into a legally enforceable agreement with the other party.

(Kansas City, Kan., May 26, 2011) – A beef feedlot in Underwood, Iowa, has agreed to pay a $20,000 civil penalty for unpermitted discharges of wastewater from the
facility into Mosquito Creek. Moran Beef, Inc., agreed to pay the penalty as part of an administrative consent agreement filed by EPA Region 7 in Kansas City, Kan.

In June 2009, EPA inspectors visited the facility and found that it lacked controls to prevent the discharge of animal waste into Mosquito Creek and its tributaries.

A subsequent inspection in October 2009 collected samples of effluent that showed the facility was discharging pathogens, ammonia and nitrate into an unnamed tributary of the creek.
At the time of EPA’s inspection of Moran Beef, the facility was confining approximately 1,485 cattle in its open lot and confinement barn operations. A Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) with both open lots and confinement barns is subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act as a “Large CAFO” if the entire operation contains more than 1,000 beef cattle.
EPA issued an administrative compliance order to Moran Beef in January 2010, directing it to comply with requirements of the Clean Water Act and end all unauthorized discharges of wastewater from its facility. Following that order, Moran Beef applied for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and has built controls at its facility to prevent unauthorized discharges.
Unpermitted discharges of wastewater from CAFOs can cause exceedances in water quality standards and pose risks to human health, threaten aquatic life and its habitat, and impair public use and enjoyment of waterways.

The Iowa DOT’s Creston construction office reports road construction work will reduce U.S. 34 to one lane between Iowa 148 (near Corning) and Iowa 25 (near Creston) beginning Thursday, June 2nd, weather permitting.
Flaggers and a pilot car will be used to control traffic during the closure, which is scheduled to last until June 23.

A 16-foot width lane restriction will also be in effect.

The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Council Bluffs construction office says bridge painting work will cause lane restrictions on U-S Highway 6 between Iowa Highway 192 and Interstate 80 near Council Bluffs, beginning Wednesday, June 1^st, weather permitting.

Officials say the first phase of the bridge painting will cause traffic on westbound Highway 6 to be restricted to one lane for about 3 weeks. Once complete, the contractor will begin work on the second phase of the project, which will cause traffic on the eastbound Highway 6 bridge to be restricted to one lane.

The entire project is expected to be finished in mid-July, weather permitting.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports a Cass County woman wanted on an outstanding drug-related warrant has turned her self-in. 20-year old Rhiana Marie Christensen, of Cumberland, was charged with Keeping a Place for Possessing Controlled Substances, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Officials say the charges stem from a search warrant executed at Christensen’s apartment in Audubon, on April 30^th.

Christensen has been seen by the magistrate, was ordered to pay a fine, and was released from custody.

An Atlantic teen received a warning for striking an unattended vehicle in the Fareway parking lot Wednesday evening, in Atlantic. Alex Tarr was warned after her vehicle struck a car in a parking stall, as Tarr was attempted to park.

Atlantic Police say Tarr pulled into a parking stall next to a vehicle registered to Julie St. John, of Atlantic.  She hit St. John’s vehicle as the teenager was backing-up while trying to get into her parking stall, at a better angle.

Damage from the mishap, which happened at around 5:20-p.m., amounted to $1,500.