A pit bull that was attacking another dog last week was shot to death by the victim dogs’ owner. According to the Guthrie Center Times, the incident occurred at around 8:30-a.m. Thursday, May 3^rd, at a trailer court on Ashton Street, in Guthrie Center. Guthrie Center Police Chief Mike Herbert told the paper a pit bull owned by Melissa Brooks, was loose and got into the yard of her neighbor Steven Leivas, where the animal attacked his dog. Herbert said it was not the first time the pit bull attacked Levias’ dog.

Despite attempts by several individuals to stop the dogs’ attack, the pit bull refused to release its bite on Levias’ dog. Herbert says that’s when Leivas enetered his home, came back out with a shotgun, and killed the pit bull. Herbert said Leivas cooperated with authorities following the incident. He was subsequently charged with discharging a firearm inside city limits. Brooks was not cited in connection with the incident.

An Atlantic man was arrested early this (Friday) morning on an OWI charge, in Audubon County. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports 52-year old William Gregory Welter was taken into custody at around 2:30-a.m., following a traffic stop on Highway 71, near 345^th Street. Welter was brought to the Audubon County Jail and later released, after appearing before the magistrate.

The Atlantic Police Department reports the arrest Thursday of four individuals. 23-year old Damion Selders, of Carson, turned himself-in to authorities.  Selders had been wanted on a Cass County warrant for Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree. He was booked into the Cass County Jail, posted bond, and was released.

And, taken into custody Thursday on charges of Public Intoxication, were: 18-year old’s Tyler Doll and Joseph Riesberg, along with 20-year old Michael McConnell. All three are from Atlantic. Each was booked into the Cass County Jail and held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

A chase that began in Omaha with a stolen vehicle report ended near Neola Thursday evening, but not before the vehicle being pursued reached speeds of up to 130-miles per hour. Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker told KJAN News that at around 5:45-p.m., deputies were alerted by Omaha Police to the pursuit of a black Acura stolen from an Omaha Acura dealership, occupied by two men and a woman, all of whom were from Omaha. Danker says deputies in Pott. County picked up the chase after it crossed the Missouri River into Iowa, off of Interstate 480.The vehicle entered Interstate 80 and entered Council Bluffs, at speeds of up to 100-miles per hour. As it left town, the car was traveling up to 130-miles per hour, passing cars on both shoulders and driving recklessly.

Omaha Police helicopter “Able 1” followed the pursuit from the above. Danker says a Pott. County Sheriff’s Deputy was about to deploy stop-sticks at the Neola Exit, but the car was traveling too fast. The driver of the car saw the deputy redeploy the stop-sticks east of the Neola Exit, and took evasive action. The car jumped the median and began heading westbound on I-80 and got off at the Neola exit. The car went out of control and ended-up in a ditch.Danker says the two men bailed out of the car and took off. The rear seat female passenger also got out of the car, but stayed with the vehicle and surrendered to authorities.

The driver of the car was identified as 22-year old Robert Frederick. The front seat passenger was identified as 20-year old Jake Scripter. The female was identified as Samantha Garbez. Danker says investigators in Omaha believe Scripter was the one who stole the car. Both men face 1st degree theft and Interference with Official Acts charges. Frederick faces additional charges of Reckless Driving and Operating without a Valid license. Garbez was not charged. She was transported by Neola Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, after complaining of chest pains. Frederick and Scripter refused medical treatment. Both men were scheduled to appear in court this morning. Their bonds was set at $10,000 each.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad has signed an executive order legalizing the use of lead shot in the hunting of doves, rescinding an action by the state Natural Resources Commission.  Branstad’s action today (Friday) allows dove hunters to use lead shot when the season begins in September.  The Iowa Natural Resources Commission last year approved a rule banning lead shot for dove hunting. The Legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee then agreed to postpone the rule to give the Legislature time to pass a law that would allow lead shot for dove hunting.  This year, the House passed a resolution, but the measure died in the Senate.  Opponents of dove hunting say the pellets contaminate the environment for other animals. Hunting groups say steel shot costs more and doesn’t work as well.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Triple-A predicted we’d see gasoline selling in Iowa at four dollars a gallon or higher by Memorial Day, but a new government report is forecasting much cheaper prices. The U-S Energy Information Administration now estimates the national average price this summer will be three-79, even lower in the Hawkeye State. Rose White, at Triple-A-Iowa, says pump prices have been steadily falling for weeks. “As this industry is, it’s very unpredictable, but certainly this latest news is welcome news for all motorists,” White says. “Oil prices are down about 9% in the last six days. In fact, for the last 23 days, retail pump prices have declined.” 

Iowa has one of the lowest gas prices in the country, averaging three-57 a gallon, about 18 cents below the national average. She says prices will still likely rise as the summer approaches, but not as high as they’d first thought. “Based on what we’re seeing now, which is an improvement in supply levels and economic concerns that are driving down crude oil prices, the combination of factors certainly is reversing earlier projections,” White says. “Right now, we’re expecting prices to stay right at that $3.70 level for many of the summer months.”

Between January and April, gas prices nationwide rose a whopping 20-percent. Some politicians blame President Obama for the increase, but White says that’s not a legitimate claim. “It’s hard to put the blame on any one organization, industry or country, certainly not on one person,” White says. “It’s a global issue, based on supply and demand.” Oil prices have dropped about eight-dollars a barrel since early April. Iowa’s current average gas price of three-57 a gallon is down from three-92 a year ago.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

The Missouri River fell nearly eight-feet on Wednesday as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shut off the flow from Gavins Point Dam near Yankton to inspect the concrete slabs below the spillway gates.

Gavins Point Dam

Three teams used sophisticated radar to survey for damage. Dave Becker, the Corps’ operations manager for the dam, says they’ve seen warning signs develop since last year’s historic flooding across Iowa and Nebraska. “We have a foot and a half of concrete on top and that is on top of a four-foot gravel layer,” Becker says. “Ever since January, we’ve had concerns about that gravel layer. We had a couple of gates open, gates 2 and 3 at this south end, and we saw water coming out of the drain at the north end and we said, ‘That’s not right.'” Becker says the record flows that brought the prolonged, record flooding last summer caused damage under the concrete.

He says, “What we found was that some of the drain grates had been washed off during the flood and some of that water was going straight down the drain holes and into the gravel layer and eroding some of that gravel.” He says the concrete is all fine but there’s at least one large “void” in the gravel. Becker says crews used the low water level on Wednesday to get a closer peek at the problem areas. “The ground-penetrating radar takes a look at the concrete and the gravel area underneath to see what condition it’s in and to see if there are any voids,” he says. “They also drilled holes in the concrete so they can visually just take a look down there and see what they got, they can stick a piece of rebar down there, feel around, see what they got.” Becker says there are no structural issues with the spillway and they are not worried about any leaking. He says they hope to get the spillway repaired before next spring

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press