Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports a 19-year old was arrested Thursday night on an assault charge. Brothers says Joseph Ray Azevedo, of Clarinda, was charged with Misdemeanor Domestic Abuse Assault, after officers responded to a 9-1-1 call, where a woman had been screaming for help from an apartment. When they arrived shortly after 8:30-p.m. at 114 West Washington Street officers discovered that an eighteen year old female living in one of the apartments had allegedly been physically assaulted by Azevedo, who she was living with.

The woman was not injured during the alleged assault, and did not seek or require medical attention. Azevedo was taken to the Page County Jail and held without bond pending an initial appearance before a Page County Magistrate. The incident was subsequently referred to the Page County Attorney’s Office for review.

Officials with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office say three people were arrested over the past week. On Tuesday, 21-year old Shane Michael Suhr,  of Anita,  turned himself in on Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrants for Assault Causing Injury, Public Intox, and Disorderly Conduct. Suhr was booked into the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $1,650 bond. That same day, 33-year old Dustin Ray Fusselman, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrant for Driving While Barred. Fusselman was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later in the day on $2000 bond. And, on Wednesday, 20-year old Rebecca Ann Stevens, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of Assault Causing Injury. She was brought to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $1000 bond.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports no one was injured, but a Creston man received multiple citations following a crash Thursday afternoon, about 6-miles south of Atlantic. At around 2:25 p.m., Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a two-vehicle accident on 630^th Street near Oxford Road. Officials say a 2007 Ford F-250 pickup owned and driven by 76-year old Richard Leo Knapp, of Denison, TX, was southbound on Highway 71 when it was hit in the front driver’s side corner by a northbound 1987 Ford F-250 pickup owned and driven by 50-year old Kevin Floyd Edwards, of Creston. The accident happened when Edwards fell asleep at the wheel.

The collision forced Knapp’s pickup onto the east side of Highway 71, and caused Edwards’ pickup and the vehicle it was towing to roll onto their roofs in the west ditch, where they struck a DOT road sign and post. Damages from the crash amounted to $18,000.  The Sheriff’s Department says Edwards was cited for No Valid Driver’s License, Failure to Yield Half of Roadway, No Proof of Insurance, Operating Non-Registered Vehicle, Open Container, and Failure to Acquire Title of Purchased Vehicle.

A southwest Iowa couple is traveling across the state this summer to raise money for historic preservation projects and to highlight the music of legendary songwriter and folk singer Woody Guthrie.

Bob & Sheila Everhart

Bob Everhart, of Anita, and his wife Sheila, are making appearances starting this weekend to honor the late Guthrie, who wrote more than a thousand songs during his long career. “July the 14th would actually have been his 100th birthday but we’re spending the whole summer doing some fundraisers for museums and opera houses in Iowa,” Everhart says. “It looks like we’re still on the A-list to do the final program at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in October.” He says the show pays tribute to a true American icon.

Everhart says, “For those people who are fans of Woody Guthrie or people who like older styles of music, this is especially fun for people who would like to remember some songs that they have not heard in a very, very long time.” Guthrie sang about the Great Depression and the problems faced by many thousands of farmers during the Dust Bowl era. Guthrie’s list of famous songs includes, “This Land Is Your Land”, “Mail Myself To You”, “This Train”, “Bound For Glory”, and “Hobo’s Lullaby”. Guthrie died in 1967, but Everhard says Guthrie made several stops in Iowa during his career.

Everhart’s first shows are Saturday at the Blairsburg Opera House and Sunday at Fort Dodge High School to benefit the Webster County Museum. Both are at 7 PM. For a complete schedule of the Iowa concerts, visit: www.ntcma.net.

(Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Mitt Romney says President Barack Obama’s statement that the “private sector is doing fine” will “go down in history” as an extraordinary miscalculation by an out-of-touch president.  Speaking in Council Bluffs today (Friday), Romney pounced on the comments Obama made during this (Friday) morning’s White House news conference. Romney says Obama’s remarks led him to ask: “Is he really that out of touch?” Romney says Obama is “defining what it means to be detached and out of touch with the American people.” Romney’s aides say his campaign will continue to give Obama grief on the matter. The comment revived memories of a statement Republican nominee John McCain made in 2008, during the economic turmoil, that the economy’s fundamentals were sound.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court is giving the green light to a major wind energy expansion by the state’s largest public utility. The court today (Friday) upheld a 2009 decision by the Iowa Utilities Board that guaranteed MidAmerican Energy could raise customers’ rates in the future to pay for a huge wind energy project set to be completed this year. The court rejected a challenge by NextEra Energy Resources, a rival who argued MidAmerican didn’t demonstrate a need for extra capacity and didn’t properly consider other alternatives. In a 5-0 ruling, the court says the board’s decision was based on “substantial evidence” the expansion would reduce emissions, diversify the fuel supply, promote economic development and maintain reasonable prices for customers. MidAmerican spokeswoman Ann Thelen says the company is pleased with the ruling.
 
MidAmerican says it owns the most wind-powered capacity among the nation’s rate-regulated utilities. Among its area projects, are: The Adair Project in Cass and Adair Counties, producing 174.8-megawatts (MW) of power; The Eclipse Project in Audubon and Guthrie Counties, producing 200.1 -mw; The Morning Light Project in Adair County, which produces more than 101.2-mw of power; The Rolling Hills Wind Energy Project in Adair, Adams & Cass Counties, which generates 443.9-mw of power; and the Carroll Project, which can produce up to 150-mw of power.

All together, there are 56 wind turbines which have been built or are in the process of being erected, in those counties. The total amount of energy generated by those turbines amounts to slightly more than 1,070-megawatts. Mid-American says by the end of 2012, all of their wind energy projects, when completed, will have the capacity to generate more then 2,284-megawatts of power. According to the American Wind Energy Association, 1 Megawatt of wind-generated power can provide electricity for anywhere from 240-to 300-households, per year.

For more information: http://www.midamericanenergy.com/wind/include/pdf/facts_iowa_wind.pdf

w/ Ric Hanson

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June is one of Iowa’s most popular months for weddings and if you’ve gotten an invitation to attend someone’s nuptials in a few weeks, you can expect the unexpected. Wedding planner Adelaide Polk-Bauman says many Iowa couples are mixing things up. “When you look at the trends for 2012 there is certainly a theme,” Polk-Bauman. “There are modern twists on the very traditional, classic wedding ideas.” The location is one big change. Many Iowans aren’t getting hitched in churches but instead, they’re tying the knots in mansions and country clubs — or in backyard gardens of their own homes.  “Brides are pushing the envelope,” she says. “They’re getting married in modern art museums and refurbished barns that kind of capture that vintage, old world feel but maybe with more of a contemporary look.”

Polk-Bauman says one tradition has returned — in the wedding dress itself.  “The royal wedding really influenced a lot of brides’ decisions for their dress,” she says. “Everybody saw Kate Middleton choosing a very classic, traditional white wedding dress, long lace sleeves, with the train and the veil, the works, but she made a point of going with a very contemporary designer. Alexander McQueen is known for really mixing things up in the fashion space.” Polk-Bauman says the traditional hand-tied wedding bouquet is also making a comeback.  “Brides we’re seeing are choosing white flowers, the traditional but smaller bouquets,” she says. “If you have a particular flower in mind, you may want to try to plan you wedding in season of the flower so your budget doesn’t go through the roof.”

Polk-Bauman says many brides are jazzing the flowers up by adding sparkling ribbons or gemstones. When it comes to the reception, some Iowa brides are skipping the three-tier wedding cakes for cupcakes. Also, instead of a sit-down dinner, some are opting for a specialty buffet like a taco bar.

(Radio Iowa)

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Authorities in Guthrie County say five people were arrested over the past couple of weeks, on drug charges. On Sunday (June 3^rd), 52-year old Kevin Dale Ross, of Manning, was arrested for possession of marijuana first offense and possession of drug paraphernalia following a routine traffic stop on Highway 141 approximately three miles east of Coon Rapids. 

On Friday (June 1^st), 19-year old Jacob Ryan Scherer, of Grimes, was arrested on a charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, after a search warrant was issued for a residence in Panora. The warrant was issued as a follow-up to a traffic stop which occurred the previous day. Online court records indicate Scherer pled not guilty. His Pre-Trial hearing will take place on July 5^th, with trial set for July 26^th. 

On Thursday, May 31^st, 31-year old Ryan Carl Koester, of Ankeny, was detained by Guthrie County authorities on two Polk County warrants for failure to pay child support, following a routine traffic stop east of Guthrie Center, on Highway 44. Koester was also arrested for possession of marijuana first offense and possession of drug paraphernalia. Also arrested during the traffic stop was 28-year old Cory Michael Dawkins, of Clive. He was taken into custody on two counts of Possession of Controlled Substances/Marijuana.

And, on May 25th, 20-year old Holly Joelle Jensen, of Menlo, was arrested for possession of Xanax, first offense, following a traffic stop west of Stuart, on White Pole Road. Jensen was released on $1,000 bond. Court records show her arraignment will take place July 2^nd.