Authorities in Montana have arrested a man in a connection with a more than two decades old homicide “Cold Case,” in Council Bluffs. On Thursday (Oct. 15th), Council Bluffs police detectives requested and were granted an arrest warrant for 52-year-old Matt W. Kennedy. The warrant accuses Kennedy of Murder 1st Degree in connection with the January1st, 1999 death of his step-sister.

Kimberly Ratliff (Photo via Iowacoldcases.org)

The body of 22-year-old Kimberly Ratliff was discovered at the time inside her vehicle, which had been abandoned in the 1400 block of West Broadway, in Council Bluffs.  She had been viciously mutilated and nearly decapitated. Ratliff was last seen alive when she got off work at around 11:30 p.m. on Friday, January 8, 1999.

Matt Kennedy is a resident of Fairfield, Montana, who was living in Council Bluffs at the time of the murder. He was taken into custody and is being held in the Teton County, Montana Jail, pending extradition to Iowa. The homicide case remains an active investigation.

Authorities say no further information will be released regarding Kennedy’s arrest, until he is back in Iowa and the arrest warrant can be formally served.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines man is accused of impersonating a police officer and displaying a stun gun after pulling over a car. WHO-TV reports that 54-year-old Dewey Moraine is charged with two counts of assault while displaying a dangerous weapon and one count of impersonating a public official. A criminal complaint says Moraine flashed his lights to get the victim to stop Wednesday night. The complaint says Moraine “sparked” a stun gun while yelling at the victim to exit the vehicle. A witness told police Moraine made statements about being a police officer. Police say they found two stun guns and an air soft pistol in Moraine’s vehicle.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police are investigating after a car slammed into a restaurant. The accident happened Thursday night when the vehicle struck Aberlardo’s Mexican Restaurant. KCCI-TV reports that police have not disclosed if anyone was hurt. Pieces of the car were on the ground outside the restaurant, which is now boarded up. It’s unclear when it will reopen. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest at around 1:45-a.m. Friday (Today), of 30-year old Katie Ann Howarth, of Creston. She was taken into custody outside of her home in the 800 block of N. Spruce Street, for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense. Howarth was brought to the Union County Jail and released on bond.

A Creston woman this (Friday) morning reported to Police, that her garage in the 100 block of N. Stone Street had been entered. The incident happened sometime between 8-p.m. Thursday and 5:30-a.m. today. A red softball bag, grey softball glove, a Ghost bat, and Demarini bat, and batting gloves were stolen. The loss was estimate at $1,700.

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

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(Radio Iowa) – Republican Senator Joni Ernst and Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield debated a range of security issues Thursday night, during a live T-V forum. Health care security was a flash point. Ernst said the Affordable Care Act has failed to provide affordable insurance to all. “The public option that my opponent supports is really just a truck stop on the way to, on the road to a single payer system or government take-over of health care,” Ernst said. Greenfield says the public option would create competition with private insurance and let Iowans buy into Medicare rather than rely on their employer for insurance. “I have talked to folks who are entrepreneurs and they want to get started, but the cost of health care has kept them from doing that, forcing them to stay in a job instead of growing our economy with their creativity,” Greenfield said.

Asked to identify the greatest long-term security threat to the country, Ernst cited North Korea, Iran, China and Russia as “bad actors.” “If you look at our security, of course our national debt is a crisis that we really do need to face,” Ernst said. Greenfield responded: “I find it odd that Senator Ernst would recognize debt as a threat when she voted for a tax bill that increased the debt by $2 trillion,” Greenfield said.

As for other domestic threats, Ernst denounced white supremacists as “horrible organizations” and Greenfield said such groups should be monitored by federal law enforcement. Both were asked if systemic racism exists in America. Ernst was first to speak. “I believe that there are many challenges that we have in various systems, but I would not just say broadly that we have systemic racism across the board.” Then Greenfield answered: “Discussing systemic racism does not mean that any one individual is a racist, but rather that we have to look at the discrimination across our systems.”

Ernst spoke from a studio in Washington, D.C. Greenfield was in Altoona at a training facility for union apprentices. Technical difficulties during the live broadcast prevented the candidates from hearing some of the moderators’ questions. In some instances, the candidates’ answers couldn’t be heard. The event was co-sponsored by The Des Moines Register, K-C-C-I in Des Moines, K-T-I-V in Sioux City and K-W-W-L in Waterloo.

(Radio Iowa) – After three consecutive days of escalation, the number of Covid patients in Iowa hospitals has fallen slightly from Wednesday’s record level. On Thursday evening, the state website indicated 468 patients were being treated for Covid. That’s nearly twice as many as were hospitalized two months ago. Governor Kim Reynolds suspended all elective surgeries for several weeks at the beginning of the pandemic, but Reynolds says that’s not necessary now. “Our hospitals have indicated that they’re still doing ok,” she says. “They’re managing it.” However, Reynolds says the state is seeing “significant spread” of the virus.

IA Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks during a Press Conference (File Photo)

“Before we were able to really tie that to maybe a nursing home outbreak or a manufacturing plant and now what we’re seeing is more community spread throughout the state,” Reynolds says, “and we’re seeing more of our hospitals, in general, seeing an uptick in numbers.” The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services was in Des Moines Thursday, warning the rising number of Covid cases in Iowa is concerning. Secretary Alex Azar advised against “casual household gatherings” among relatives, neighbors and friends. “Just because you’re related to each other doesn’t mean you can’t transmit the disease to each other,” he said. “Just because you’re neighbors and friends doesn’t mean you can’t transmit the disease to each other.”

Dr. Theresa Brennan is chief medical officer for University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, the first facility in the state to treat Covid patients last March. Brennan says they’re currently averaging between 20 and 30 Covid patients each day. “It’s been a long haul,” she says. “It’s been a long journey.” Dr. Brennan and her team monitor their supply of face masks and other personal protective equipment on a daily basis.  “Making sure we have enough for our people — and right now we do,” Brennan says. “But, as we saw in the beginning of the pandemic, those supplies may not be guaranteed and so we continue to watch them very closely.”

The governor’s current public health proclamation advises Iowans to ensure there’s enough room for social distancing for gatherings of 10 or more people. Thousands gathered outside Wednesday night for President’s Trump’s campaign rally at the Des Moines Airport. Reynolds says believes proper precautions were taken — and those who attended had a First Amendment right to do so. “We continue to say social distance. It you can’t, wear a face mask,” Reynolds says. “I had mine on. I was role modeling that’s what you’re supposed to do. Many of the individuals that were there had the face masks on, but much as they’ve done throughout the summer with other peaceful gatherings, at our churches, it is the rights of Americans to do that.”

In March, at the beginning of the pandemic, Reynolds issued a moratorium on large gatherings for religious services, but lifted it at the end of April.

Police in Red Oak report Officers early today (Friday), located a stolen vehicle in the 2400 block of N. Broadway Street. Upon further investigation, Police arrested 33-year old Stacy Irene Kelly, on charges that include Theft in the 2nd Degree – a Class D Felony, Possession of Drug paraphernalia, providing false information, and for being a Fugitive from Justice.

Stacey Irene Kelly

Kelly was taken into custody at around 12:15-a.m. and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where she was being held on a $5,000 bond. Red Oak Police were assisted in their investigation and the arrest, by Deputies with the Montgomery and Mills County Sheriff’s Departments.