(Updated) Officials with the Creston Police Department say four Creston residents reported vehicle break-in’s and/or incidents of vandalism. On Saturday, a woman in the 300 block of N. Walnut Street in Creston told authorities her vehicle had been rammed by another vehicle multiple times. Damage was estimated at $800. A man reported Saturday, that his vehicle was stolen from near a bar-and-grill establishment. The damaged vehicle was later recovered. And, another resident reported Saturday, his vehicle was damaged while it was parked in the 300 block of N. Walnut Street. The damage was estimated at $1,000.

On the 24th, a man residing in the 300 block of N. Walnut Street reported that sometime around midnight, someone broke into his wife’s vehicle. He advised also, a Leatherman tool valued at $50 was missing.

Creston Police said also, 42-year-old Julio Cesar Villalpando Castro, of Creston, was arrested late Saturday night on two counts of Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree, Stalking-Violation of a Court Order, Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order, and Theft in the 2nd Degree -Motor Vehicle. Villalpando Castro was being held in the Union County Jail on $14,300 cash only Bond.

The latest area & state news from News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) -State regulators have approved a financing plan that will eventually lead to a replacement boat for the Casino Queen in Marquette. Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorilko says a 46 million dollar financing plan was approved for the parent company to buy two boats in Louisiana.  “The long-term plan would be for Casino Queen to purchase those riverboats, operate those casinos in Louisiana, but move one to Marquette and replace that boat. So it would be a larger boat, maybe a little newer,” Ohorilko explains. He says the new boat is a good thing for Marquette. “Just having the ability to have something larger, fresher, is definitely good for that market,” he says.

All facilities were on riverboats when the state approved casino gambling — and the Casino Queen is one of three that remain. The Ameristar is in Council Bluffs, and it has a hotel and restaurants at that location. The Lakeside Casino in Osceola has the same type of setup, and it is a barge.

The Casino Queen (Iowagamingassociation.org photo)

The Racing and Gaming Commission approved the financing plan at their November meeting.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans have answered their phones to hear a distant caller claiming to be with Microsoft and offering to “fix” our computers. A new survey finds the extent to which those tech support scams are reaching us — and ripping some of us off. Mary Jo Schrade, with the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, says three in five of us have received those calls, and one in six lost money on them. Schrade says, “Tech scammers are targeting everyone, even the most active technology users like Millennials and Gen Z.”The con artists are using sophisticated schemes that have evolved from cold calls to more of them using fake pop-up ads and fraudulent websites. “Scammers are fast-moving and innovative,” Schrade says, “so when someone encounters a pop-up that asks them to call a phone number or click on a link to resolve an issue, it’s important to be wary and use caution.”

Microsoft gets 65-hundred complaints every month from people reporting they were victims of a tech support scam in which scammers use the company’s name to lure victims into paying for unnecessary or harmful “services.” Many thousands more are going unreported. “Report the scam on the Microsoft website,” she says. “The more reports we receive, the better we get at fighting these scammers. Remember, we will never proactively contact you asking for your financial or personal information.”

While you might think young people would be more tech savvy, the survey found one out of ten Millennials and one out of ten Gen Zers who encountered a scam fell for it — and lost money.

On the web: www.microsoft.com/reportascam

(Clearfield, Iowa) – A fire at a large egg production plant in Taylor County over the weekend caused heavy damage to the facility, but there were no reports of injuries. The blaze at the 136,600-square foot Hen Haven egg plant in Clearfield, was reported at around 7:30-a.m. Saturday.

Law enforcement and at firefighters from at least six area departments and surrounding counties responded to the blaze at 1641 Yellowstone Avenue. Smoke that billowed from the facility was visible for miles.

To date, there’s been no word on what caused the fire, or a dollar amount of the loss. Additional information is expected to be released later this week.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Voters in the City of Atlantic will head to the polls for the second time this month, Tuesday (Tomorrow) to determine who will take the helm as Mayor in January. During the November 2nd City/School Elections, two candidates – Tim Teig and Grace Garrett – got the most votes, but didn’t reach that 50-percent-plus-one threshold. Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones did not run for re-election. Today (Monday) is the last day to vote absentee in the Cass County Auditor’s Office.

Teig received the most votes in the first election. He served as Mayor of Atlantic years ago. He also served on the city council in the 1980s. Grace Garrett was the second place finisher and will face Teig in the November 30 run-off. Garrett is currently an at-large member of Atlantic’s city council.

Tim Teig

Grace Garrett

Voting sites for this election will both be at the Cass County Community Center at 805 W 10th St. Atlantic 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Wards will use the main entrance; and Atlantic 4th and 5th Wards will use the south entrance. Polls will open at 7:00 A.M. and close at 8:00 P.M.

The results of the election will be posted on the kjan.com News page, as soon as they are final.

Grinnell, Iowa (KCCI) — A 13-year-old boy is facing an attempted murder charge following a stabbing on Saturday morning in Grinnell. Police officers received a call just before 8 a.m., leading them to respond to a home on Melrose Lane. A 43-year-old man was found inside the home injured by a stab wound to the abdomen. The man was taken to Unity Point Grinnell Regional Medical Center, where he’s expected to recover.

Grinnell police arrested the 13-year-old, who is at a juvenile detention center awaiting his initial court appearance. Police are still investigating the incident. If anyone knows anything, police are asking them to call (641) 236-2670. Authorities says it appears the attack was unprovoked.

JAMAICA, Iowa — In an update to our previous report, an Iowa family’s home was a total loss following a Thanksgiving night fire in Guthrie County. Pictures from Katelyn Renze’s Twitter account show massive flames in Jamaica, visible when crews arrived at the home on Second Avenue around 6:30 p.m.

The Jamaica Fire Department said it started in the garage and spread to the home. There were two people in the home at the time, but they managed to get out. There are no reported injuries.

Ten fire departments responded to the fire, most helped transport water since Jamaica doesn’t have a large water tower.

(Radio Iowa) – The state’s “Taxpayer Relief Fund” has grown from 74 million dollars two years ago to more than one BILLION dollars this fall — and the latest newsletter from Iowa House Republicans says there’s no valid reason that money should not be returned to taxpayers. There’s more than 800 million in two OTHER state funds designed to respond to emergencies and last spring, Democrats in the legislature called for spending some of THAT money on pandemic relief. Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley says the G-O-P approved a state budget that provided the highest amount of funding ever for broadband, with more money to K-through-12 schools and public safety — all while accumulating what amounts to a billion dollars extra.

“We continue to fund the priorities that we hear from Iowans, but also we hear from Iowans that if there is an overpayment — which I look at this as an overpayment — we need to figure out how we get that back in the hands of Iowans, so they can get that back in the economy,” Grassley says. The Taxpayer Relief Fund was created in 2019, so ALL state tax revenue that’s over and above the official projections set by a three-member state panel is deposited in the fund. Grassley says its exponential growth shows Iowa’s economy is resurgent.

“Our economy has really been strong here in this state,” Grassley says. “You go anywhere, people are hiring. People are buying.” Governor Reynolds and the Republican leader in the Iowa Senate have said their long-term goal is to eliminate the state income tax. Grassley, the top Republican in the House, agrees.  “I don’t think that there’s any elected Republican in our caucus that would say: ‘Oh, no we don’t want to work to get the state’s income tax as low as we can,'” Grassley says. “Obviously, the ultimate goal would be zero.”

Democratic leaders in the legislature say tax cuts should benefit working Iowans. In 2011, the legislature created a Taxpayer Trust Fund for up to 60 million dollars in unexpected state tax revenue every year. The fund originally provided state income tax credits, but was changed three years ago so ALL state tax collections that exceeded expectations have been deposited in the renamed Taxpayer Relief Fund.

(Atlantic, Iowa) The Cass County Board of Supervisors have a regular meeting set for Tuesday morning in their Boardroom at the Courthouse. On the agenda for their 9-a.m. session, is a regular report from Engineer Trent Wolken, with regard to Secondary Roads. The Board will then move to act on approving the employment of an IT/GIS Director, and a Resolution authorizing an internal loan to temporarily cover the costs prior to receipt, of General Obligation Bond proceeds.

Discussion and possible action, will follow with regard to the possible use of funding from the American Rescue Plan (for COVID relief), and consideration of a request regarding radios and repeaters for Firefighters/EMS providers. Afterward, the Board may appoint a member to the Cass County Conservation Board for the remainder of a term.

A report is expected to be received also, from the Cass County Mental Health and General Relief Coordinator, for the month of October.