The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports an Anita man was arrested late Friday night following a domestic incident during which a shot was fired. At around 11:15-p.m., deputies responded to the incident in Anita. Following an investigation, 39-year old Michael Wayne Luke, of Anita, was taken into custody on a Class C felony charge of Intimidation with a Weapon, and Aggravated Misdemeanor charges of Reckless Use of a Firearm and Domestic Assault 2^nd Offense.

Luke was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was being held without bond pending pretrial release evaluation. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the DCI, the Iowa State Patrol, and Atlantic Police Department.

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Spontaneous combustion appears to be the cause of a minor hay bale fire this (Monday) morning between Atlantic and Lewis. Atlantic Firefighter Gene Schmeling told KJAN News the bales were stacked up outside of a building. Some of the bales began to smolder outside of a structure at Milk Unlimited at 59100 Memphis Road. Crews were dispatched at 8:21-a.m. to the facility located about three-miles northeast of Lewis.

Lewis firefighters assisted at the scene. Schmeling said Milk Unlimited employees used an end-loader to move the affected bales away from nearly 200 other bales located nearby to prevent any spread of the fire. Crews remained on the scene for about 30-minutes. No injuries were reported.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say one of their deputies suffered minor injuries while in a foot pursuit of a suspected prowler Saturday morning. The incident occurred when Deputy Brian Moore responded to a call for assistance from Red Oak Police. A resident had advised officers she heard noises in the rear of her home early Saturday morning in the 400 block of Jennifer Circle.

During their investigation, authorities observed a man running south from the area, and began to pursue him. During the pursuit, Deputy Moore became entangled in a single strand of barbed wire and was knocked off his feet. Moore reportedly received lacerations on both legs and two puncture wounds to the right leg. The deputy was treated and released at Montgomery County Memorial Hospital in Red Oak. There was no word on the status of the suspect.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A virus has been spreading among children in central Iowa.   Authorities say it’s called hand, foot and mouth disease, which causes sores on a person’s hands, feet and mouth. Mercy Central Pediatric Clinic in Des Moines reports that it’s treated dozens of small children with the disease.
 
Dr. Nader Aljuni says is more prevalent in toddlers who are exposed at day care centers or when interacting with other kids.  Experts say the best defense against the disease is frequent hand-washing and disinfecting shared toys.  Aljuni says the unusually warm spring has brought a new batch of viruses that aren’t expected until summer months.

AMES, Iowa – May 21, 2012 – The Iowa Department of Transportation is now distributing the 2012 Iowa Transportation Map for Bicyclists, a popular publication updated to show new 4-foot, paved shoulders and trails completed since the 2009 version was published. The map is now available for free at locations throughout the state and on the Internet.

As in past versions, the map highlights bike-friendly routes by identifying bike trails and traffic levels for paved roads. Detailed maps for Iowa’s 16 largest cities are shown, depicting bike trails, highways, major streets and city boundaries. 

A person riding a bicycle on a public road has all the rights and responsibilities applicable to the driver of a motor vehicle, including knowing and obeying all traffic laws and rules of the road. To assist bicyclists understand their rights and responsibilities, a section of the map is dedicated to highlighting rules of the road for bicyclists. Bicyclists are urged to always wear helmets, use lights at night and watch out for road hazards, including gravel, sand and debris. 

The 2012 Iowa Transportation Map for Bicyclists is available online at the Iowa DOT’s website iowadot.gov/iowabikes, or by calling 515-725-3084 or 888-472-6035.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have released the names of four people who died after a boat collision on the Mississippi River in Iowa.  Des Moines County Sheriff Mike Johnstone on Monday listed them as 22-year-old Jacob Boyd, 21-year-old Matthew House, 21-year-old Blake Eakins and 20-year-old Caitlyn Atchley. All four victims are from Burlington. 

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the four bodies were found Sunday within 100 yards of the crash site. None was wearing a life vest.  Along with the four killed, eight people were injured when two johnboats – flat-bottomed boats often made of aluminum – crashed in the O’Connell Slough area of the river before 2 a.m. Saturday.   One of the boats was carrying 11 people; the other had a single passenger.

There’s a dire need for volunteers to help out at several Department of Veterans Affairs facilities in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Will Ackerman, spokesman for the V-A’s Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, says the vital corps of hundreds of volunteers absolutely help to keep the system running.  “We’re seeing a lot of our volunteers aging and certainly some of them are retiring or even passing away,” Ackerman says. “We’re really trying to encourage people of all ages, but especially some of our younger population, to get involved.” He says volunteers are needed for a number of services throughout the V-A health care system.

“We have about 800 volunteers throughout our Nebraska/Western Iowa Health Care System,” he says. “They do so many things that we just don’t have staff to do, such as doing coffee rounds in the lobby or around the floors, we have a transportation network and just greeters at our front door.” Ackerman says it isn’t just the V-A Hospital in Omaha that needs volunteers, but there are veterans’ clinics, community living centers and other facilities in many cities around the region, including Shenandoah.

“Volunteers do a lot of very important things and certainly there’s an opportunity for them to volunteer at a location that’s even closer to where they might live,” he says. Volunteer orientation classes are being held frequently in various facilities, often twice a month. An orientation class for teens, between 13 and 18, is planned at the Omaha V-A Medical Center for June 1st. Contact your nearest V-A facility for details on volunteering opportunities.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)