Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County are investigating a burglary that occurred south of the unincorporated town of Monteith in rural Guthrie County. A car and truck are believed to be involved in incident, where a shed was broken into, near 270th and Quail Ave. The shed owner is said to have had a security camera which may provide clues as to who the culprit was.

The sheriff’s office says it is also investigating a “situation” where a cow was butchered in its pasture near 320th and Ranch Trail north of Menlo. The incidents, authorities say, are possibly related. The crimes transpired on Christmas Eve or early Christmas morning.

The owner of the cow, Keith Partlow, of rural Menlo, posted pictures of the slaughtered animal on his Facebook page. He said someone shot his cow as she slept and cut off her head. The animal was gutted and cut in half before the rear half was dragged to a nearby road and dressed out, according to Partlow.

If you have any information about either incident, message the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office on their Facebook page, or call the sheriff’s office at 641-747-2214.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — State officials are moving ahead with two giant highway construction projects in northwest Iowa. The Sioux City Journal reports the Iowa Department of Transportation has received bids of nearly $127 million for widening projects on U.S. Highway 20 and Interstate 29. The bids are part of two long-sought projects.

One will pay for grading and paving of the Highway 20 expansion from Correctionville to Holstein, which is part of an expansion to four lanes from just east of Moville to Early.

The Interstate 29 project will replace seven bridges and complete other paving and grading work as part of a $400 million plan to widen the freeway to six lanes from near Sergeant Bluff to the South Dakota border.

It’s the season of giving, but some only want to take. A financial advisor says Iowans can — and should — do more to protect themselves from identity theft, but often don’t bother. Mike Cetera, with the banking industry website Bankrate.com, says a new report shows 77-percent of Americans are afraid of identity theft, but many aren’t taking the actions needed to reduce the risks. Cetera says inexpensive “fixes” can help to prevent the crime.

“When you get a document in the mail, a bank statement, a credit card statement, anything with your Social Security number on it, when you’re done using that document, don’t just throw it in the trash, you need to shred it,” Cetera says. “This prevents anyone from picking it out of the trash. The good news is, our survey found that 72% of Americans are already doing this.”

A recent data breach involved the head of the C-I-A, whose personal email account was hacked, revealing a list of email addresses and Social Security numbers. As that case demonstrates, Cetera says it’s impossible to cover all of your bases. “There’s no way you can 100% protect yourself,” he says. “When you’re talking about things that are totally outside of your control like data breeches at corporations or governments, there’s literally nothing you can do to stop that.”

If you’re planning to use your smart phone, laptop or tablet at a coffee shop or some other public place, he says to never use an unsecured wi-fi network. Cetera says it’s a good idea to check your credit report at least twice a year.  “That’s going to show if someone has accessed your credit and is trying to open a credit line,” he says. “It used to be pretty difficult for the average consumer to get a hold of their credit score or their credit report, but it’s so easy now to get these things for free.”

Iowans can also help to protect themselves from I-D thieves by using different passwords for all of online accounts — and changing them frequently.

(Radio Iowa)