DES MOINES, Iowa – (Jan. 12, 2015) – MidAmerican Energy Company has completed work on four of the five wind farms that make up its 1,050-megawatt Wind VIII project – the largest economic development project in Iowa history. The three wind farms completed in 2014 – Lundgren in Webster County, Macksburg in Madison County and Wellsburg in Grundy County – account for a total of 511.4 megawatts of wind generation capacity, to go along with the 44.6 megawatts of generation capacity at the Vienna II wind farm in Marshall County, which was completed in 2013.

The final piece of the Wind VIII project – the 495-megawatt Highland wind farm in O’Brien County – will be finished by the end of 2015. “With more than half the turbines in our Wind VIII project up and running, we’ve reached a major milestone in the development of another sustainable energy solution for our customers,” said Adam Wright, vice president, wind generation and development for MidAmerican Energy.

“By 2016, we’ll be able to produce enough energy from wind to meet the equivalent of approximately half of the electricity needs of our retail customers.” The Wind VIII project, announced in May 2013 during a joint press conference with Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, represents an investment by MidAmerican Energy of up to $1.9 billion.

With the addition of Wind VIII’s 448 turbines at the five wind farm sites, the company’s wind generation fleet will expand to 1,715 turbines, which can produce enough energy to power the equivalent of more than one million average Iowa homes. “We are extremely proud of our progress over the last decade in the development of wind energy,” Wright said. “We constructed our first wind farm in 2004, and today MidAmerican Energy is a national leader in wind generation.”

(Press Release)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad says a teacher licensing program aimed at helping veterans and their families is working. Branstad said at a Monday news conference that the military exchange license program has helped veterans and their spouses secure technical and provisional licenses that will keep them working in the state. The program allows participants to teach in the state for several years without having to immediately take additional college coursework.

Branstad says the program ties in with his separate Home Base Iowa initiative, which went into effect last year. That law is aimed at giving veterans incentives to work in Iowa once their military service is over. The licensing program is offered through the Board of Educational Examiners. A board report says more than 20 licenses were issued in 2014.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports today (Monday), that on December 16t, 2014, 30-year old Anthony J. Simmons, of Shenandoah, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to serve 57 months (nearly 5-years) in prison for possession of child pornography, and to serve 10 years of supervised release following imprisonment.

United States Attorney Nicholas Klinefeldt says during the Spring of 2013, investigators located sexually explicit pictures of a fifteen year-old female on Simmons’ computer. On June 5, 2014, Simmons entered a guilty plea to possession of child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations, Cyber Crimes Unit, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

A traffic stop Saturday in Cass County resulted in the arrest of two men. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says as a result of the stop by an Iowa Department of Natural Resources officer, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested 56-year old Richard Joseph Foley, and 55-year old Kenneth Paul Foley, Jr., both of Carroll.

Kenneth Foley, Jr., was charged with OWI 2nd Offense. He was also charged by the Department of Natural Resources for Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Richard Foley was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Contraband within a Jail Facility. Both men posted $5,000 bond each, the following day.

And, on Sunday, deputies in Cass County arrested 28-year old Christopher Anthony Jason Castillo, of Atlantic,  on a charge of Driving While Barred. Castillo was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on $2,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An administrator at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, will become the next president at Drake University in Des Moines. Drake announced Monday that Earl F. Martin, Gonzaga’s executive vice president, would become the 13th president at Drake in July. Martin will succeed David Maxwell, who will retire after 16 years at the university.

At Gonzaga, Martin has provided administrative and operational oversight since 2010. He also served as academic vice president and dean of Gonzaga’s School of Law during his tenure at the university. Martin joins Drake as the school works to advance STEM initiatives and complete a $200 million fundraising campaign.

Drake University Board of Trustees chairman Larry Zimpleman says Martin is ‘well-equipped’ to lead Drake as the university wraps up past projects and confronts new challenges.

Two teens from Exira face drug charges following a traffic stop Friday night, in Exira. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office says 17-year old Rachel Ellen Walker and 16-year old Margo Marie Christensen were charged with Possession of Marijuana after the vehicle they were in was pulled over at around 11:45-p.m., Friday.

The teens were transported to the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office and later released to the custody of their parents. Their charges were referred to Juvenile Court.