A Mills County investigation into the theft of a stolen vehicle resulted in its recovery Friday in Red Oak. Authorities say the Mills County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a stolen 1998 Ford F-150 pickup belonging to Michael Johnson. Through their investigation, officials were able to ascertain the vehicle would likely be in Red Oak.

Officers with the Red Oak Police Department were contacted, and the parked vehicle was located in the 200 block of east Valley Street, in Red Oak. The pickup was impounded and all information gathered turned over to the Mills County Sheriff’s Office. The incident remains under investigation.

Red Oak Police report the arrest Friday evening of 37-year old Joel Wayne Eitzen. Eitzen was taken into custody in the 200 block of east Market Street at around 6:45-p.m. The Red Oak man was brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and charged with Driving While Suspended. Eitzen was cited for the offense and released.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Gold Star Military Museum at Camp Dodge in Johnston will temporarily close due to the federal government shutdown. The Iowa National Guard announced on Friday the museum would be open today but would close beginning Sunday. Although museum workers are employed by the state, some of the positions receive federal funding.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have taken into custody three men who they believe may have information tied to a Marshalltown slaying on October 1st. The Marshalltown Police Department says the three men were taken into custody Thursday on material witness warrants. Two were later dismissed. One man remains in custody on the warrant.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa City officials say a 21-only ordinance passed in 2010 has reduced crime. The Iowa City Police Department says the data released Thursday shows at least 1,300 fewer calls for alcohol-related crimes between 2010 and 2013 compared to three years prior to the ban. City officials say the data is aimed at voters who will decide on November 5th whether to retain or repeal the ordinance, which prohibits people under 21 from entering most bars after 10 p.m.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities pulled a submerged sport utility vehicle out of the Iowa River in Johnson County and now are trying to figure out how the vehicle ended up in the river. KCRG-TV reports someone noticed the vehicle in the river Thursday afternoon and reported it.

Congressman Steve King says procedural steps taken in the U.S. House Friday afternoon are a hopeful sign for the Farm Bill. King expects the house speaker soon will appoint a handful of members of the House to a conference committee that will work with a small group of senators to hammer out a final version of the legislation. “I think the momentum of this thing is moving in the direction of getting closer to get a Farm Bill done,” King says. “Each step along the way we get closer, but it’s been a long and frustrating process.” Congress began soliciting input for a new Farm Bill over two years ago.

“It has been the longest process of any bill that I can think of,” King says. A temporary extension of the current Farm Bill expired September 30th and American agriculture has been operating without any Farm Bill provisions in place since October 1st. King believes a new Farm Bill can be passed in congress yet this year.

(Radio Iowa)

Two Iowans who served a combined 66 years in the U.S. House of Representatives say they’re glad to be sitting on the sidelines these days. Ninety-three-year-old Neal Smith, a Democrat from Des Moines, served 36 years in the House, starting when Dwight Eisenhower was president. “The people I served with, most of them wouldn’t be there today because they wouldn’t stay,” Smith says. “…It’s just so different. When I was there we put coalitions together on every bill. We just expected to.”

Former Congressman Jim Leach, a Republican from Iowa City, says he never saw a time as “intense” as this during his 30 year career in the House. “People didn’t think that dysfunctionality should be a goal or a strategy,” Leach says. Leach was asked if he’s happy not to be in congress right now. “Oh gosh yes. I’m happy to be sitting next to Neal and we’re both happy to be free men.” Leach and Smith are the guests on this weekend’s “Iowa Press” program which will be broadcast Sunday at noon on Iowa Public Television.

Both lawmakers were known for their low-budget campaigns. Leach refused to accept contributions from political action committees and Leach argues America has become “less democratic” because “power brokers” with deep pockets are calling the shots. “I always considered myself a moderate in politics, but on one subject I’m terrifically radical and that is I would take both PACs and corporations out of the money game and have partial public financing of elections where small contributions could be matched, up to a point,” Leach said on IPTV. Smith spend a little over 10-thousand dollars on his first race in 1958. By 1994, his last campaign, Smith had hired a fundraiser.

“I never did ask anybody for a contribution,” Smith said. “I just wouldn’t do it…Today, you couldn’t run for congress that way. Today, you have to spend one or two days a week asking people directly for money.”
According to Leach, that’s ridiculous. “Both parties tell all newly-elected members, ‘You have to spend two days a week on telephones raising money,'” Leach says. “Well how many voters think they’ve elected someone to do that? Money is the driving force behind everything in the word politics today. If there’s any reaction to what is happening in this shutdown, it ought to be a demand for reform of that system.”

Leach, who is 70 years old, is currently a visiting professor at the University of Iowa. The 93-year-old Smith credits his longevity to healthy living, as he never drank liquor or coffee and only smoked for three months when he was in his late teens.

(Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they have found skeletal human remains in a drainage ditch in Council Bluffs. Omaha TV station KETV reports officers found the remains Friday morning just south of the riverfront exit near Interstate 480 in Council Bluffs. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says the remains were of an adult. Police and criminal investigation crews remained on the scene long after the remains were gone, excavating the area in search of evidence. No human tissue had been found as of Friday afternoon. Investigators sent the remains to the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny, for identification. The results are expected to take several weeks.

Police Sgt. Dave Dawson says officers were following up on a 2-year-old missing person report from Omaha police when they found the remains. The missing person, Chance Fletcher, was last seen in a chase with officers under the freeway bridge. Fletcher would have been 22-years old this year. On Dec. 15th, 2011, Fletcher led several Iowa law enforcement agencies on a high-speed vehicle chase that ended when he wrecked off of I-480 and fled on foot. Authorities searched the area for two hours with police canines that day but were unable to find the suspect. Fletcher’s family confirmed that he hasn’t been seen since that day. In March of 2012, he was entered into National Missing and Unidentified Persons Database.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say a law that allows a parent to give up custody of a newborn has been used 17 times since it was enacted in 2002. The state Department of Human Services says the latest safe haven case involves a girl born at a home on Oct. 5. The newborn’s mother sought medical attention and requested the child be declared a safe haven baby.

Iowa’s safe haven law allows a parent to give up custody of a baby that’s 14 days old or less with no questions asked. The law is in response to a 2001 case involving a mother accused of killing her newborn. All safe haven babies in previous cases have been adopted. Officials say the latest newborn girl has been placed with a foster family.

A conversation on the impact and benefits of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) held Thursday evening in Red Oak, drew an audience of about two dozen people. Officials say attendees hear from panelists who shared their personal stories of how the ACA (commonly referred to as “Obamacare”) will provide access to individuals and their families, under a variety of circumstance.

Audience questions included those pertaining to prescription medications and current dollar amount caps, whether ACA coverage is better than current coverage, and where to find help. The event was held at the Red Oak Fire Station.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Friday (Today), of an Atlantic man on on OWI charge.  35-year old Nicholas Alan Pelzer, was taken into custody a charge of OWI 2^nd Offense. Pelzer was brought to the Cass County Jail where he was released later in the day on his own recognizance.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) urges all Iowans over 6 months of age to receive their yearly seasonal influenza vaccine. Surveillance by IDPH influenza sentinel sites and confirmatory testing by the State Hygienic Laboratory shows the flu is circulating in Iowa. Three cases of seasonal influenza have been identified in eastern and central Iowa in the last two months; all were type A – the strain that can cause more serious illness. All the individuals are recovering and were not hospitalized.

IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk says “It’s important to note that influenza is not a ‘reportable disease’ in Iowa. This means health care providers are not required to notify IDPH each time a patient tests positive for influenza; thus there are probably a lot more people with the flu out in our communities.”

Influenza surveillance also gives an indication of the types of influenza viruses circulating, how sick people are getting with the flu, where outbreaks are occurring, and how widespread influenza illness is. Vaccination is the best defense against influenza, but personal actions also help prevent the spread of illness. Remember the 3C’s:

Cover your coughs and sneezes; Clean your hands frequently; Contain germs by staying home when ill.

The flu is a respiratory illness caused by viruses. The flu comes on suddenly and symptoms may include fever, headache, tiredness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and body aches. Illness typically lasts two to seven days. Influenza may cause severe illness or even death in people such as the very young or very old, or those who have underlying health conditions.