Three months into his 10-year prison sentence on a theft charge, former Denison Fire Chief Todd McKinnon was released last week, and is currently free on probation. The Omaha World-Herald reports the 43-year old McKinnon’s sentence and fine was suspended, and he was instead placed on three years probation. McKinnon is still required to pay the City of Denison restitution amounting to just over $10,265. He also owes the Crawford County EMS Association slightly more than $8,265.

McKinnon was charged with theft in December 2011, following an investigation that uncovered nearly $96,000 in questionable Fire Department spending from 2005-2010. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in March 2013. He lost an appeal of his sentence in January.

McKinnon served as Denison’s first paid fire chief from January 18th, 1999, to January 3rd, 2010.

Authorities says no injuries were reported following two recent accidents in the listening area. One of the incidents happened Thursday afternoon, in Red Oak. Officials say a 1997 Ford F-150 pickup driven by 75-year old Joseph Hale, of Red Oak, was backing out of a parking stall in front of the U-S Bank on E. Reed Street, when, due to the angle and height of his truck, he was unable to see a 1996 Ford Contour driven by 20-year old Brooke Carpenter of Red Oak, as she was coming around the square. The pickup backed into the car, causing a little more than $1,500 in damage altogether. The accident happened at around 2:10-p.m. No citations were issued.

The other accident happened just before midnight, Wednesday, in Page County. Sheriff’s officials say a 1999 Ford Escort driven by 31-year old Karly Jean Glidden, of Braddyville, was traveling south in the 2800 block of  T Avenue at around 11:55-p.m., when the woman swerved to miss a deer. Her car went into the west ditch, causing damage to the front end, and resulted in both the driver’s and passenger’s side airbags deploying. The car sustained $4,500 damage. Glidden was cited for Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Businessman Mark Jacobs focused today on proposals for jobs, energy and education instead of jabs at front-runner state Senator Joni Ernst in the final debate of the 2014 GOP U.S. Senate primary. Jacobs didn’t repeat the criticisms he’s stuffed into mailboxes and aired in ads. Instead, he touted “concrete plans to create jobs”.

JEFFERSON, Iowa (AP) — A plan to build a $40 million casino in the Green County city of Jefferson drew hundreds of people to a public hearing before the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. The Carroll Daily Times Herald reports about 500 people attended the five-hour hearing today, and most of the 70 speakers favored the proposal. They pointed to the estimated 325 jobs the casino would bring to the western Iowa community.

WEVER, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in southeast Iowa have arrested 12 workers at the construction site of a fertilizer plant on suspicion of identity fraud. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tells the Fort Madison Daily Democrat officers arrested the employees this afternoon as they were bused to a safety meeting for the Iowa Fertilizer Company.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a woman was receiving a driving lesson before she accidentally drove her vehicle into a Des Moines pond. Crews from the local Fire Department responded today to a pond at Water Works Park and found a white minivan partially submerged in the water. The driver and a passenger were able to escape without injury.

Iowa parents are being warned to watch for a new fad among teenagers which can have a harmful impact. It’s called “beezin” (BEE-zin) and it involves using the brand-name Burt’s Bees mint lip balm in a place where the product wasn’t designed to go. Tammy Noble is a registered nurse and spokeswoman for the Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center. “Kids are applying a lip balm that contains peppermint oil and they’re applying it to their eyelids,” Noble says. “What they are thinking it’s doing is causing a drunken feeling, while other kids are claiming it helps them to stay awake.” Noble says beezin is a risky thing to do.

“The concern is that if it gets in the eye, it can be a strong irritant to the eye, so it’s going to really burn and sting like heck,” Noble says, “but also some of the problems that can be associated with the absorption of the peppermint oil.” There may also be a risk of causing a bacterial infection if the balm was also used on the lips. Knowledge is power and Noble says she wants parents to know about this sort of oddball fad.

“What I would recommend is, always be aware of what’s out there and what teens may be susceptible to trying,” Noble says, “and make sure you are talking with your kids to make sure they know the risks and the dangers of doing these types of things.” Another dangerous teen fad in recent years involves trying to eat a teaspoon full of cinnamon, which can result in a trip to the emergency room if the spice is inhaled into the lungs. The hotline for the Sioux City-based Iowa Statewide Poison Control Center is 800-222-1222.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission toured the site of the proposed new casino near Jefferson Thursday morning, then held a public hearing on the Green County project. Commission chair, Jeff Lamberti of Ankeny, says hearing from the community helps in their decision. “It’s an important part of the process that we go through, is to have these public hearings and to let people on both sides of the issue give their input,” Lamberti says Wild Rose Entertainment is proposing a 40-million-dollar casino resort with restaurants, a conference center and hotel.. He says the commission has a goal when listening to the comments.

“We really focus on the criteria that we use in hearing from those people,” Lamberti says. The commission will make a final decision on awarding a gambling license for the project at its meeting on June 12th in Burlington. The commission denied a license for a casino proposal for Cedar Rapids at its April meeting. Lamberti said after that meeting that the vote against the Cedar Rapids casino would not impact the decision on the Greene County casino as they are in two different types of markets.

(Radio Iowa)

The two perceived front-runners in the race for the Iowa Republican Party’s U.S. Senate nomination refused to fire on one another last night during the final televised forum before next Tuesday’s primary. Candidates Joni Ernst and Mark Jacobs didn’t even mention one another by name. Instead, they repeatedly mentioned Bruce Braley, the only Democrat seeking Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat. One of the forum’s moderators directly asked Jacobs to describe his differences with Ernst, who leads in recent polls.

“With me you have a battle-tested business leader who has solved big financial problems,” Jacobs said. “Congressman Braley has supported higher levels of spending and increased government budgets. I’ve fixed a big fiscal mess.” Ernst said she is the only candidate in the race with a voting record, from her four years as a state senator. “There’s a clear contrast between Bruce Braley and myself and the first is that he has supported one of the largest tax increases in United States history,” Ernst said. “Here in Iowa, I have supported the largest tax decrease or tax cut.”

The other three candidates in the race mostly shied away from direct conflict, too. Sam Clovis described himself as the only candidate with national security experience and he touted his current role as an economics professor at Morningside College. “I think the people of Iowa deserve choices,” Clovis said. “…I don’t think there’s anyone in this race that will contrast more definitely from Bruce Braley than me.” Matt Whitaker, a former federal prosecutor, touted his call for repealing the Renewable Fuels Standard which requires a certain amount of ethanol to be produced each year.

“I took a lot of heat for that from special interests, but you know what? It’s the right thing to do,” Whitaker said. “It’s the conservative philosophy that…we believe in was Republicans.” Scott Schaben, a car sales manager from Ames, did chide some of his opponents for just giving “lip service” to certain issues, but he did not name names. “I provide pragmatic and feasible solutions,” Schaben said. Three of the candidates openly criticized one of former Republican President George W. Bush’s signature foreign policy decisions. Whitaker said the U.S. should not have gone into Iraq.

“Probably among these five, I would probably be the least likely to use our military and probably spend the least amount on the military,” Whitaker said. “It’s probably marginally less, but it is probably, among these five, I would do the least in that.” Jacobs agreed. “I don’t support the idea of going in and trying to force a regime change. I think that was a mistake, in hindsight,” Jacobs said. Moderator Kevin Cooney pressed Jacobs to comment on the other war begun during Bush’s presidency. “Afghanistan?” Cooney asked. Jacobs replied: “Afghanistan: same thing.” Schaben said he hated to be an “arm chair quarterback,” but Schaben said Bush got “bad intel” about Iraq.

“It’s something that our troops have to live with for the rest of their lives,” Schaben said. “And not only do our troops have to live with it, we as citizens of the United States have to live with that on the world stage.” Ernst, a unit commander in the Iowa National Guard, said “actionable intelligence” is important and she said the U.S. was “justified” in the decision to go into Afghanistan. “I served in Iraq and I’m not going to speculate on that,” Ernst said. “I think that would do a disservice to the men and women that I served with.”

Clovis also said he didn’t want to “discredit” the service of U.S. troops by commenting on the Iraq war. “I do think Afghanistan was justified and we should have gone in, got rid of the Taliban and the al Qaida and then come home,” Clovis said.

Last night’s forum was broadcast live on the Des Moines-based C-B-S affiliate K-C-C-I television during prime time.

(Radio Iowa)

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman says the Auditor’s Officer will be closed Monday, June 2nd, from 10:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. for the funeral service of Dennis Oathoudt. Those persons planning to vote absentee at the Cass County Auditor’s office on Monday, June 2nd may vote between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 10:30 A.M. or between the hours of 1:00 P.M. and 4:30 P.M.

A reminder also, that the Cass County Auditor’s Office will be open Saturday (May 31st) from 9-am to 5-pm for absentee voting and other election business.

Police in Council Bluffs late Thursday evening released additional details concerning a stand-off that occurred earlier in the day. Sgt. Chad Meyers said at 11:10-a.m., members of the Southern Iowa Fugitive Task Force were attempting to serve a felony arrest warrant on 39-year old Daniel E. Hannon, at 2126 6th Avenue. As members of the Task Force made initial contact with Hannon the residence, a single shot was fired by one of the Task Force members. Hannon then retreated back into the house at that address.

Due to the shot being fired, and Hannon’s arrest history, the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Emergency Services Team was activated, along with a team of Crisis/Hostage Negotiators . As the Negotiators were speaking with Hannon inside the home, he indicated that a female was inside with him and she would be coming out. The female then exited the home, uninjured.

At 12:15-p.m, Hannon exited out the front door and was taken into custody without further incident and transported to a local hospital, where he was treated for a wound to his upper right arm. The member of the Southern Iowa Fugative Task Force that fired the shot is a member of the U. S. Marshals Service assigned to the Southern District of Iowa. The Council Bluffs Police Department will be conducting the investigation into the shooting.