DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Veterans would receive various tax and job benefits under a bill overwhelmingly approved by the Iowa House. In a 94-2 vote Wednesday, the House passed a measure that combines several of Gov. Terry Branstad’s initiatives intended to attract veterans to Iowa and to support those already in the state. The legislation now goes to the Senate.

The bill exempts military pensions from state income tax, permits companies to offer preferential treatment to veterans in hiring decisions, and gives veterans credit for military experience when obtaining an occupational license. All provisions had been considered separately at the committee level.

Republican Rep. Matt Windschitl, of Missouri Valley, says moving forward with these efforts is a small step to better support those who have served the country.

(Updated 7-p.m.)

An Atlantic teen suffered minor injuries during an accident Wednesday afternoon just south of the intersection of 10th and Chestnut Streets.

Ric Hanson photos

Atlantic Police said 16-year old Caleb Kelly lost control of the 2 door Saturn his was driving at around 2:18-p.m. The accident happened as he was traveling south on Chestnut. A medical condition is thought to have been the cause of the crash.

The vehicle hit a telephone pole guy wire before flipping onto its top, coming to rest facing west on Chestnut. Kelly, who managed to crawl out of the car on his own, was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by Medivac Ambulance, to be checked out.

Firefighters from Atlantic, Anita and Wiota were on the scene Wednesday afternoon of a large grass fire east of Atlantic. Marne Fire was also asked to respond. The fire was reported to have occurred near 63930 Hamburg Road at around 2:30-p.m.. The flames spread quickly during the extremely dry and windy conditions and at one point reportedly jumped Highway 71. Authorities reported smoke so thick across Highway 6/71 for a time, they stopped traffic to try and avoid any accidents. Traffic was allowed to resume on Highway 6/71 at around 3:50-p.m., once the fire was brought under control.

A train that was heading west out of Anita was stopped on the tracks about 5-to 6-miles away from the burning area, because the flames were threatening to jump the tracks heading into Atlantic.

No other details are currently available. Earlier in the afternoon, the National Weather Service had warned of an Enhanced Fire Danger due to the dry and windy conditions.

ORANGE PARK, Fla. (AP) – A man in Florida has been arrested in connection to the death of an Iowa man whose remains were discovered in 2012.  The Sac City Police Department says 54-year-old John Green was arrested Tuesday in northern Florida in connection to the death of Mark Koster, of Sac City. He is awaiting extradition back to Iowa.  Green is charged with felony first-degree murder. A judge on Wednesday ordered he be held without bond.

Police say their investigation led to Green, who briefly lived with Koster in 2009. Koster was reported missing in 2010, though his family says they last saw him in 2009. He was declared dead in 2011, and his skeletal remains were found buried in the basement of his home in 2012.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports a Missouri woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Montgomery County on an outstanding Audubon County warrant for Burglary in the 3rd degree and Ongoing Criminal Conduct. 33-year old Tabatha Roseann Holste, of Clearmont, MO, was arrested at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Her arrest stems from an investigation into a burglary that occurred in rural, southern Audubon County in February or March of 2013. Several thousand dollars worth of items were allegedly stolen while the residents were on vacation. The investigation has been ongoing and involves multiple jurisdictions in Iowa.

Holste was being held in the Audubon County Jail on $25,000 bond. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 3rd. The incident remains under investigation, and additional charges are pending.

Authorities in Montgomery County report two people suffered minor injuries during a collision this (Wednesday) morning, in Red Oak. Officials say the accident happened at around 8-a.m.,  at the intersection of North 8th Street and Highway 34, when a 2006 Chevy Cobalt driven by 23-year old Levi Triplett, of Red Oak, stopped, but then proceeded into the intersection. His car was hit broadside by a 2011 Chevy Traverse, driven by 33-year old Corrine Jenkins, of Red Oak.

Officials say Jenkins had tried, but was unable to avoid the crash. Following the collision, Jenkins’ vehicle veered off to the left and impacted hard in a ditch before continuing into an open, grassy area and coming to rest. A 2008 Chevy Silverado pickup pulling  a cattle trailer was traveling east on Highway 34, and was hit by the Cobalt after it was struck by the Traverse.  The driver of the pickup, 28-year old Andrew Herzberg, of Villisca, was not hurt.

Triplett had to be extricated from his car by Red Oak Fire and Rescue. He and Jenkins were transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. The car and the SUV were totaled in the crash, while the pickup sustained $500 damage. Authorities say Triplett was cited for Failure to remain stopped at a stop sign.

Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and crews with the Red Oak Fire Department assisted Red Oak Police at the scene.

Three Iowans are jailed in a bank robbery last week in Burlington Junction, Missouri, and the stolen money was recovered from inside a tree in southern Iowa. Nodaway County, Missouri Sheriff Darren White says perseverance paid off for investigators who finally recovered the stolen cash on Monday morning.

“Originally, when the three guys were arrested, one of them did talk when he was interviewed, but really didn’t give up any information,” Sheriff White says. “We’ve re-interviewed him several times and one of my deputies has been working with him and he’s finally just this morning led them to the location where they had actually hidden the money.” White says the money was actually in a tree at a location he described as the “middle of nowhere.”

The exact amount of the cash has not been disclosed, but authorities have indicated that between 10- and 12-thousand dollars was taken in the heist. The three suspects, all from Iowa were captured in a wooded area in northwest Missouri just a few yards south of Taylor County, Iowa. In custody are 26-year-old Joseph O’Neill, 26-year-old Donald Kestner both of Mt. Pleasant and 27-year-old Travis Davis of Fort Dodge. They are being held in the Nodaway County jail on $100,000 cash only bond.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation say their community campaign to raise funds for new equipment will begin next month. Funds raised will be used to purchase equipment for the Obstetrics (OB) and Emergency Departments at Cass County Memorial Hospital. The campaign is one portion of the Foundation’s annual drive.

Volunteers will be calling on businesses throughout Cass County from April 7th through April 21st to ask for their support. Individuals and families were given the opportunity to participate during a December direct mail campaign. The Foundation is raising funds to be used toward the purchase two new fetal monitors for the OB Department and a cardiac monitor for the Emergency Department.

The Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation was established in 1968 with a mission to provide support for Cass County Memorial Hospital. Because of the generosity of donors and the desire to continue providing the best care for you and your families, the Foundation has been able to donate over $1-million for equipment, education and services for the hospital.

The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors with representatives from throughout Cass County. Current board members are: Kent Gade, President; Jane Kay, Vice President; Sid Knop, Secretary; Dave Chase, Treasurer, , Don Reinertson, Jim Mailander, Jo Ann Poeppe, Becky Hunt, Fred Hunt, John Molgaard, and Earlene Krauth. For more information about the CCMH Foundation, contact any board member or Dawn Marnin, Development Director, at 712-243-7409 or mardd@casshealth.org.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa House panel has moved forward on a bill to end greyhound racing in Iowa and pay breeders and employees in the industry up to $70 million. The bill moved Wednesday to the House Ways and Means Committee for consideration. Casinos in Council Bluffs and Dubuque, which spent $10 million to subsidize dog racing last year, say the industry is dying and the money could be better spent.

They would put up the money over six years to provide a retirement fund for dog owners, breeders, and other dog racing workers. The greyhound industry says it employs 1,200 people in Iowa and has proposed continuing racing in the state.

Lawmakers have told casinos and the dog industry to come up with their own plan or accept the Legislature’s solution.

Governor Terry E. Branstad has proclaimed the week of April as 9-1-1 Education Month in Iowa.  911 Education Month is sponsored by the Iowa 9-1-1 Communications Council and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD). 9-1-1 Education Month is an opportunity to help all Iowans recognize the importance of 9-1-1 and the role they play in ensuring effective emergency response.

Robert Kempf, coordinator for Adair & Guthrie Counties emergency management programs, says “Iowa’s 9-1-1 Education Month is an opportunity to remind citizens of the importance of this powerful safety tool.” Both the U.S. Congress and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) have recognized April as National 9-1-1 Education Month.

Information and resources about 9-1-1 are available on the Ready Iowa website and also on the NENA website at www.nena.org under the “Education” tab. Kempf says “When calling 9-1-1, remember, stay calm, and be aware of your location so you can help 9-1-1 dispatchers locate you during an emergency.”

HSEMD will post information on 9-1-1 throughout the month of April to its websites, www. homelandsecurity.iowa.gov and www.beready.iowa.gov.