The Harlan Police Department reports 20-year old Justin Andrew Dickinson, of Harlan, was arrested Monday on drug and other charges, following a traffic stop. Dickinson was charged with Operating a vehicle without owner’s consent, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while suspended, violation of financial liability coverage, and operating a non-registered vehicle.

On Jan. 13th, 43-year old Charles Xavier Wuebker, of Addison, TX, was arrested following a traffic stop. Wuebker was charged with OWI, violation of financial liability, driving on the wrong side of a two-lane highway, open container, and failure to obey a stop sign. That same day, 39-year old Jerod Steven Mathiasen, of Harlan, was arrested for OWI and speeding.  On Jan. 12th, 48-year old Eric Leonard Williams, of LaVista, NE., was arrested in Harlan for OWI and speeding.

And, on Jan. 9th, Harlan Police arrested 46-year old Christopher Michael Will, of Harlan, following a reported domestic situation in progress.  Will was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault and booked into the Shelby County Jail.

(12-p.m.News)

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a traffic stop on Interstate 80 at around 10-a.m. last Wednesday on a speeding SUV, resulted in the arrest of a woman from California, on drug charges. 26-year old Saundra Ashley Hawkins, of Marysville, CA, was taken into custody for a Controlled Substance Violation, after 15-pounds of marijuana was found in the vehicle.

At around 11:20-p.m. Sunday, a man was arrested on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Violation of Probation, after a deputy saw him walking in the middle of Railroad Highway, near Yellow Road. When the deputy activated his patrol vehicle’s lights to check on the man, he walked to the patrol vehicle and identified himself as 46-year old Bryan Douglas Charles, of Omaha. Charles said he was lost and trying to find the homeless shelter after having left a friends’ house on Franklin Avenue, in Council Bluffs. Pott. County Dispatch confirmed Charles was wanted on a warrant. He was transported to the Pott. County Jail and booked-in.

And, 29-year old Rachel Linn Nielsen, of Omaha, was arrested Monday afternoon in Underwood, on warrants for Violation of Probation, Operating a motor vehicle without owners consent, and Failure to Appear in court on a 2nd Degree Theft charge.  Nielsen was booked-in the Pott. County Jail.

GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa (AP) — A judge has set a new trial starting date for a man charged with murder and arson in Guthrie County. Court records say the new date of Sept. 17 was filed Friday. The old date was May 8. The judge already has granted a motion from the attorneys for 27-year-old Patrick Thompson to move the trial to another county. The judge hasn’t yet announced which county that will be.

Thompson has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of arson. The May 15 fire in Guthrie Center killed 16-year-old Shakiah Cockerham and 12-year-old Melanie “Paige” Exline and injured their uncle, William Long III, and grandmother, Shirley Exline.

The Griswold School Board received word during their meeting Monday evening, that bids for their facilities’ improvements came in much higher than expected. The District had budgeted $10-million dollars for those projects. Superintendent Dave Henrichs said they went out for bids December 21^st. He said after the process was completed, they realized they were about $330-thousand dollars OVER budget. The plan then was to pull out some the 14 separate bid packages, and re-bid those that were over budget.The next day, one of the low bidders pulled their bid because they made a mistake. Henrichs wasn’t made aware of that until last Friday afternoon. With that bid having been pulled, the next low bidder was looked at. They were also over budget. At that point, the Distrct was looing at being $660-thousand dollars over budget.)

Plans are still moving forward, with KPE Architects and Estes Construction hold conversations with contractors. Some bid packages were too big, meaning more than the contractors were capable of handling, or, some were too small, with the result being contractors didn’t want to deal with a less substantial project. Therefore he said in some cases, they’re going to split them up, while others will be bundled together. They’ll also look at some specifications, to determine if there are some areas where things can be removed to help bring the cost of the project under bid.)

That being the case, the Griswold School Board rejected seven different bids. The contractors with other bids,specifically those that came in under budget, have agreed to extend bids for 45 days. Bids for the other aspects will be called for, with those bids due in on February 8^th, during which it’s hoped the Board can approve all the bids. Henrichs said also, every year the Griswold District tries to look to the future where the General Fund is concerned. Business Manager Dan Rold, he says, spent a lot of time working on the projections, which include enrollment, staffing, State Aid and other factors, which are always a “Moving target.” The biggest thing the District looks at is their Spending Authority, or the amount of money the District can legally spend, which is not the same as cash. Prior to his coming to Griswold, the projections showed by 2020, the District would have a negative spending authority, which is illegal, and can cause the District to be shut-down.

With the changes made over the past couple of years, Henrichs said they have actually increased their spending authority. Last year, that amounted to an additional $250-thousand dollars, to make the total $1.1-million. “In our projections then moving forward,” according to Henrichs, “ we look like we will be able to continue that trend of increasing the spending authority, up until 2021,” when it will be $1.7-million, and then there will be a little tail-off. Long term, through the 2023 school year, he said “We have no issues what-so-ever. Our projections through the end of 2023 have a spending authority of $1.2-million,” which takes them back to where they were in 2014. He said “So, we’re heading in the right direction.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds wants to spend about $18 million on worker training programs in the next couple years to ensure Iowa employers can fill jobs at a time of low unemployment. The Des Moines Register reports that Reynolds announced new policies to address Iowa’s shortage of qualified workers in her Condition of the State address on Jan. 8th. The governor proposed expanding the state’s apprenticeship program and creating a scholarship for residents who pursue up to a two-year degree in a high-demand field. Reynolds also recommended an Employer Innovation Fund to match private sector spending on training programs.

Iowa had a 2.9 percent unemployment rate in November, below the national rate of 4.1 percent. Employers consistently express concern over being unable to find qualified workers for job openings. Legislation is still being drafted.

(updated) –Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater had a brief report for the media, today. In it, he mentioned 26-year old Dalton James Cormeny, of Creston, was being held without bond in the Adair County Jail, on an Adair County warrant for Failure to Complete a jail sentence.  Two men were cited separately for Driving Under Suspension, and then released.  25-year old Cody Michael Montgomery, of Mapleton and  35-year old William Anthony Harrison, of St. Charles, were the recipients of those citations. Montgomery was released at the scene. Harrison was brought to the Adair County Jail and released on his own recognizance the following day.

Sheriff’s officials in Shelby County today (Tuesday), released their latest arrest report. On Monday, Deputies arrested 31-year-old Leonardo Garcia Cardenas, of Harlan, on a charge of Burglary in the 2nd Degree. Cardenas was taken to the Shelby County Jail, where he was being held on a $10,000 cash/surety bond. Last Saturday, two people were arrested in Shelby County. 48-year-old Kendra Lee Thielen, of Portsmouth, and 41-year-old James Lyle Behrens of Harlan, were arrested on charges of OWI/1st offense. Both were released Sunday morning, each on their own recognizance.

And, on January 9th, 32-year old Luis Jonathan Guajardo, of Lake View, was arrested in Shelby County on charges of OWI 1st, Carrying Weapons, Open Container, No Valid Driver’s License, and Improper use of registration. Guajardo was taken to the Shelby County Jail and later posted a $2,000 Cash Bond.