A judge in the case of a Marne man who allegedly shot a Colorado woman’s dog, has delayed the trial until April. Judge Jeffrey Larson on Monday, continued the trial for 56-year old Charles Collins Cutler, until April 16^th. The pretrial conference was also pushed back, and will be held April 8^th in Cass County District Court. His case was originally set to be heard on March 26^th. The judge denied Cutler’s request for a change of venue.

Cutler faces an Aggravated Serious Misdemeanor charge of Animal Abuse, and a Serious Misdemeanor charge of a Reckless Use of a Firearm, in connection with the shooting of a dog which strayed onto his property on December 24^th, 2012. Cutler pleaded not guilty to both charges.

According to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began when a dog owned by 23-year old Stacy Ernat from Denver, CO, was shot when it strayed onto Cutler’s property. Ernat told authorities her chocolate Labrador “Wrigley,” was playing with a relative’s dog in the church lot adjacent to Cutler’s residence, when the dog ran onto his property and was wounded by a shotgun blast fired from a distance of 30-to 40-feet.

The dog was treated, but succumbed to injuries, at the Atlantic Animal Health Center.

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Authorities say several people were arrested and numerous items of drug paraphernalia were seized, following the execution of a search warrants at residences in Coburg and Red Oak, Friday. Among the items taken as evidence was more than 4-grams of marijuana, drug packaging materials, digital scales, and manufacturing equipment.

Officials say 20-year old Justin Lewis Marsden, of Coburg, was arrested on three counts of delivery of marijuana and violation of a no contact order. 20 year old Cassandra Dawn Redd, of Coburg, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Officers also took a small child into protective custody and placed her with a family member at the direction of DHS. Marsden and Redd were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on full bond.

Police in Red Oak  report 19-year old Trevor Jon Stapleton, of Red Oak, was arrested in Red Oak, on charges that include: Delivery of marijuana, Possession of marijuana, and Possession of drug paraphernalia. And, 18-year old Bryce Dalton Uhlenberg, of Red Oak, was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both men were held at the Montgomery County Jail.

Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office K9 unit assisted in conducting the raids.

Police in Red Oak report a Red Oak man was arrested Friday night on drug charges. Officials say 19-year old Trevor Jon Stapleton, of Red Oak, was taken into custody in the 1200 block of East Summit Street at around 8:40-p.m., for Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Stapleton was being held at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center on $5,000 bond.

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The American Red Cross Loess Hills Chapter is undertaking an unusual outreach program today (Saturday). Red Cross spokesperson, Liz Dorland, says volunteers are teaming with the Council Buffs Fire Department and community partners to knock on doors in several “high-risk” neighborhoods to talk about fire prevention. “We will begin by knocking on your door just to hand you some fire safety information. In that bag will be some preparedness tips,” Dorland says. She says they will also ask if people have a working smoke detector and if the batteries need to be changes. If the batteries need to be changed, the fire department will send someone to check the smoke detector.

Red Cross volunteers will talk with residents about the importance of having a preparedness plan in case a fire does happen. Dorland says the event is part of what’s called “Project Alex.””It was started after seven-year-old Alex Pezeta died after a fire in 2010. The fire department is really partnering and working well with the American Red Cross to prevent such tragedies from happening again,” Dorland explained.

The Nebraska/ southwest Iowa Region Red Cross volunteers responded to more than 600 families in 2012 who were in need after a devastating fire. The fire canvassing event is from eight a-m until one p-m. The American Red Cross responds to a fire every eight minutes nationwide.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) board today (Friday), awarded direct financial assistance and tax benefits to 14 companies for job creation, expansion and small business development projects. The awards will assist in the creation of 271 jobs, retention of 13 jobs and will result in over $85 million in new capital investment for the state. The board approved assistance for planned or proposed projects located in 12 communities, including Council Bluffs, where scrap processor Alter Trading was awarded tax benefits for a $20 million capital investment that is set to create 15 jobs. The project entails the building of a new non-ferrous plant that will help Alter grow in the central region of the United States as well as make their current operations more efficient.

Founded in 1898, Alter Trading – a privately owned, fourth generation company – is one of the largest scrap processors in the country with trading offices and processing plants across the central United States.

HAMBURG, Iowa (AP) – The southwest  Iowa town of Hamburg has lost its bid to keep an earthen levee erected in 2011 to save the town from the river’s floodwaters. The city had needed to raise nearly $5 million to keep the top eight feet of the levee, which was raised to 19 feet from its original 11 feet. The money would have been used to bring the raised part of the levee within federal regulations.

Mayor Cathy Crain even created an Internet site that included a video of townspeople dancing to a revamped version of Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary” in the hopes of gathering donations.  But Crain says the effort raised only $52,000.

The Hamburg City Council voted today (Friday), to take down the extended levee.

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Branstad is ordering all flags in the state to be flown at half-staff from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, to honor 27-year old Army Staff Sgt. Steve Blass, of Estherville, who died in a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crash in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Monday, March 11.

Blass’ funeral will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at the Estherville High School Gym. Brig. Gen. Derek Hill, Deputy Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, will be in attendance to represent the administration.

The governor’s directive applies to all U.S. and state flags under the control of the state. H.R. 692, signed in 2007, requires federal government agencies in the state to comply with the governor’s executive order that the U.S. flag be flown at half-staff in the event of the death of a member of the Armed Forces.

Flags will be at half-staff on the state Capitol building and on flag displays in the Capitol complex, and upon all public buildings, grounds, and facilities throughout the state. Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the same length of time as a sign of respect.

The calendar says it’s spring but winter is most certainly sticking around. Much of Iowa’s southern third is under a Winter Storm Watch for Saturday night into Sunday.

Winter Storm Watch Saturday & Sunday. Counties highlighted in blue.

Meteorologist Frank Boksa, at the National Weather Service, says the storm system is heading across the Great Plains and will hit Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri before it starts dumping snow on the Hawkeye State. “The latest computer models are actually bringing the storm a little bit further to the north which would put heavier snow into southern Iowa,” Boksa says. “The exact track of the storm is still uncertain but it does look like southern Iowa could see several inches of snow.”

Forecasts show parts of south-central Iowa may get the deepest snow, with four-to-eight inches possible. Here in the Atlantic area, we may receive anywhere from 1-to 3-inches. Further north, around an inch or less. After the storm passes, Boksa says below-normal temperatures will continue to chill much of the state to start next week, only creeping into the 20s and 30s.

“The normal highs for this time of year are in the low 50s and maybe by this time next week, we’ll be in the mid-40s,” Boksa says. “So we’re not looking, at least in the next week or so, we’re not looking at any big warm-ups.” A year ago, Iowa was enjoying an early spring, with record highs in the 80s.

(Radio Iowa)