A Pottawattamie County man was sentenced Monday (today) in Cass County District Court to a total of 25 years in prison. The sentence was with regard to a pursuit last year that resulted in a collision with a law enforcement vehicle. 38-year old Joseph Lee Ray Bartlett, of Council Bluffs, was found guilty last month, of two counts of Assault on Persons Engaged in Certain Occupations, two counts of Second Degree Criminal Mischief and one count of Eluding.

He was sentenced to five years in prison on each count, with the sentence to run concurrently. Bartlett was given credit for time served. He was also ordered to pay all related fees and any victim restitution.

His arrest followed a July 3^rd, 2016 high-speed pursuit that went from Pottawattamie County into and through Griswold on Highway 92. It ended near the Highway 71 and 92 intersection near Lyman, but not before the SUV Bartlett was driving rammed a Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy’s vehicle and nearly struck a Sheriff’s SUV. No injuries were reported.

The Red Oak Police Department responded to a two vehicle accident at 1:14pm Monday at the intersection of North 8th Street and Highway 34.  Officers found after investigation that a 2011 Chevy Cruze driven by 45-year-old Nichole LeeAnn King of Villisca was traveling eastbound on Highway 34 when she was struck by a northbound 1999 Mercury Marauder driven by 84-year-old James Edward Ehlers of Red Oak.  Ehlers had failed to stop at the stop sign of the intersection with Highway 34. Ehlers and his passenger Magdalene Ehlers were taken to Montgomery County Memorial Hospital by Red Oak Rescue for minor injuries.  Ehlers was issued a written warning for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign.

Damage to the Chevy was estimated at $9,000 and was a total loss.  Damage to the Mercury was estimated at $6,000 and was also a total loss. Red Oak Police were assisted at the scene by the Red Oak Fire Department, Red Oak Rescue, The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and several witnesses to the accident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An agency has chosen a vacant riverfront block in downtown Des Moines for a planned $137 million federal courthouse. The General Services Agency announced Monday that its preferred site was a block along the Des Moines River that for decades was home to the downtown YMCA. That building was imploded in 2015, when the Y moved to another location.

The Des Moines Register reports the selection of the 1.8 acre site was a setback for city officials who proposed building the courthouse in the Market District, which is transforming from an industrial area into a district of apartment buildings, restaurants and shops.

When completed, the courthouse will move from a structure built in 1929 that judges say is outdated. Construction is set to begin in 2019.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she wants Congress “to get something done” on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, but she declined to offer specifics.

The Republican governor told reporters Monday that lawmakers need to approve a “long-term solution” for replacing the health care law. She didn’t answer questions about alternatives she supports or whether she backs any GOP-led health care bills moving through Congress, noting that details are still being sorted out.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates at least 22 million more people would become uninsured under Republican legislation. Reynolds says the Affordable Care Act is unsustainable and points to increasing insurance premiums in Iowa. Several carriers have exited the Iowa market and elsewhere around the country amid uncertainty over the law’s future.

Sheriff’s officials in Audubon County report a woman wanted in connection with an Aug. 2014 rural Audubon County burglary, was arrested Friday after she turned herself-in to the Sheriff’s Office. 22-year old Hallie Rian Brown-Kresin, of Meriden, KS., was wanted on a warrant for Burglary in the 3rd Degree and Theft in the 3rd Degree, with regard to the incident that took place at a residence in the 1600 block of Littlefield Drive. Kresin posted bond over the weekend and was released, with an appearance before the magistrate set for July 27th.