The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said today (Friday), a Shelby County man was sentenced to prison on a Child Pornography charge. A District Court Judge Thursday, sentenced 55-year old Michael Charles Garreans, of Harlan, to 60 months in prison for possession of child pornography. Garreans’ term of imprisonment is to be followed by seven years of supervised release.

On June 9, 2016, Garreans entered a guilty plea to a federal indictment, charging Garreans with possessing child pornography on or about July 18, 2014. The charge was the result of an investigation into the posting of a video, which contained images of two unclothed minor girls, on a web site being monitored by law enforcement. Law enforcement followed up with a search warrant of Garreans’ residence and located a computer that contained hundreds of images of child pornography.

The investigation was conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Harlan, Iowa Police Department and the United States Marshal’s Service. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(12-p.m. News)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in September at 4.2 percent. Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that the rate didn’t change even as the number of people with jobs increased, due to an expanded workforce.

The rate was up from 3.6 percent a year ago but remained beneath the national rate of 5 percent in September. The state estimates there were 1.65 million people working during the month.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office says a Creston woman was arrested Thursday night on an OWI charge. 46-year old Catherine Ann Scadden was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. She was later released on $1000 bond.

Two people in a semi tractor trailer were transported by Medivac Ambulance to the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic, after their rig caught fire this (Friday) on the Olive Street Exit from Interstate 80 eastbound (Exit 57/Cass County Road N-16). Atlantic Firefighter Gene Schmeling told KJAN News the driver of the semi had pulled-off the road to check on the trailer “Reefer” (the refrigeration unit), when he discovered flames. Atlantic Fire was notified of the incident at around 1:24-a.m. and was back in town by around 4:30.

The truck and its load of beef were a total loss. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, and no other details are currently available.

(Updated 11-a.m.)

TEMPLETON, Iowa (AP) – Templeton Rye plans to distill whiskey at its bottling facility in west-central Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that the company is adding distilling equipment and warehouses at its plant in Templeton, in Carroll County, a town of about 360 residents.

In 2015 the company settled lawsuits over labeling the whiskey as “small-batch rye” made in Iowa when it actually was a stock whiskey made by MGP Ingredients in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. It’s unclear whether the expansion project means all of the Templeton Rye will be distilled in Templeton.

On Friday (today), the Iowa Economic Development Authority approved the company’s request for around $1.6 million in tax credits and refunds to help the expansion project. The expansion is expected to create 27 jobs.