Two people were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday, in Atlantic. The Police Department reports 51-year old Micky Miller, of Atlantic, was arrested for Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree. And, 53-year old Randall Conry, of Atlantic, was arrested for Interference with Official Acts, and on a Cass County Sheriff’s warrant for Violation of Probation. Both men were booked into the Cass County Jail.

Two Mills County men were arrested Tuesday on separate warrants. The Glenwood Police Department says 21-year old Marcus Parker, of Glenwood, was taken into custody on a Mills County warrant for Lottery Forgery. His cash or surety bond was set at $5,000. And, 20-year old Robert Benson, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Council Bluffs Police Department warrant for Sexual Abuse 3rd degree. His cash or surety bond was set at $10,000.

Glenwood Police report also, the arrest of 19-year-old Andrew Jarko, from Bellevue, Nebraska, for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $1,000 cash or surety.

FEDORA, S.D. (AP) — Officials are investigating the deaths of more than 40 cattle on a farm south of Fedora. The Daily Republic reports that the Miner County Sheriff’s Office says 42 heifers and 1 bull died between Nov. 1 and Nov. 7 on the farm. Authorities say the deaths are suspicious, but a cause isn’t clear. Tissue samples from dead cows have been sent to Iowa, and water samples from the farm have been dispatched to North Dakota.

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) — The first of six former Glenwood State Resource Center workers charged with mistreating facility residents has been convicted of abusing a severely autistic man. The Des Moines Register reports that 24-year-old Kayla Stevenson was convicted Tuesday in Mills County District Court of wanton neglect of a resident. She faces up to two years in prison when she’s sentenced. A video shown at her trial showed Stevenson hitting the 19-year-old resident in the head twice with the heavy end of a butter knife as he’s held down by another worker. Her attorney argued the incident amounted only to “taps” on the head that caused no injury.

Earlier this year, 13 workers at the center quit or were fired over abuse allegations. An Iowa Department of Human Services investigation that found several clients were physically abused or subjected to verbal abuse or neglect. The center provides services for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report a man from Henderson was arrested Monday evening following a traffic stop near Carson. 35-year old Jacob Lee Roberson was initially pulled over for having an expired registration, but showed signs of impairment. He was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, and on a warrant for Contempt of Court. .

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Creston Police report one arrest took place Tuesday. 27-year old Spencer Leitzel, of Creston, was arrested at around 3:30-p.m., for Driving While Suspended. He was subsequently released from custody on a $300 bond.

MAYSVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Officials in eastern Iowa say a driver is dead in a late-night crash that sent a Ferrari plowing into a Maysville home and sparking an explosion and fire that destroyed the home. The Quad-City Times reports that the crash happened around 11 p.m. Tuesday. Scott County Sheriff’s officials say the driver died in the crash. One person was in the home at the time of the crash, but was able to escape unharmed.

Investigators say skid marks leading from Maysville Road through a ditch and into the home mark the path of the runaway car. Parts of the vehicle littered the front and back yards, including tires and the rear hood. When firefighters arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say an 18-year-old Des Moines man has been arrested and charged after officials determined he had beaten his 5-month-old son for weeks, causing severe injuries to the baby. The Des Moines Register reports that Dominick Joseph Clausi was charged Tuesday with multiple counts of child endangerment after his infant son was sent to a hospital with life-threatening injuries that include skull fractures, a brain bleed and bruising.

Des Moines Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says investigators believe Clausi beat and shook the baby, forced his face into a pillow and, at one point, bit the infant. Police were notified of the allegations Dec. 7. Clausi remained in the Polk County Jail on Wednesday.

The new survey by the Iowa State University Extension department shows a slight increase in the average farmland value after three straight years of declines. Iowa State University economist Wendong Zhang says a limited supply of available farmland is the main reason for the two percent increase in land values as the farm economy remains sluggish. “I would not rush into the conclusion that the market has fundamentally improved. Likely we are still in a trajectory of the stabilization in the next one or two years,” he says.

The average statewide value of an acre of farmland is estimated at seven-thousand-326 dollars ($7,326), or 143 dollars more for an acre compared to last year. Commodity prices remain low and Zhang says a full recovery of the ag economy will take some time. “The farm income likely will still stabilize, the interest rate likely will rise again. So I would interpret as the stabilization or temporary break for us to assess where we are,” Zhang says.

Scott and Decatur counties reported the highest and lowest farmland values for the fifth straight year. Decatur County reported land valued 34-hundred-80 dollars ($3,480) — while Scott County reported a value of 10-thousand-497 dollars ($10,497). Just four of Iowa’s 99 counties –Fremont, Mills, Montgomery, and Page –reported a drop in land values this year. Each of those counties reported a decline in value of three-tenths of a percent.

(Radio Iowa)