The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will discuss the Prairie Rose Lake restoration plan during a public meeting at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 3, at the Harlan Community Library.

The Prairie Rose lake restoration project is contingent upon the DNR’s lake restoration program being funded at its current $8.6 million level. 

Prairie Rose Lake is one of 35 priority lakes in the state selected for lake restoration work to improve water quality.  Poor water quality has impacted the fish population and affected all water based recreation at the lake.

The lake’s water level will be lowered after the July 4 holiday and will be kept there for the remainder of the year to accommodate construction in the lake basin.  Draining the lake will effectively eliminate the existing fish population.

The presence of common carp in Prairie Rose Lake has contributed to the poor water quality and the dramatic reductions in both the numbers and the quality of sport fish populations and corresponding reduction in angling and boating use.

It is important to note that all other park facilities including the campground will remain open during the lake restoration work.  Users should expect limited lake access until normal water levels return in 2012.

The lake draining and fishery renovation is only part of a process aimed at improving the lake’s water quality. Stabilizing shoreline erosion problems, dredging to restore depth, and wetland construction will all be part of the restoration project.

Conservation practices aimed at reducing the amount of sediment and nutrients reaching the lake began over three years ago.  Soil and nutrient saving practices installed around the lake’s 4,600 acre watershed include more than 40 miles of terraces.

“Now that a significant portion of the land around lake has been treated it is time to move in-lake with restoration efforts,” said Bryan Hayes fisheries biologist with the Iowa DNR.

The public meeting will provide specific details of the nearly $4 million Lake Restoration project at Prairie Rose Lake.

Police in Omaha arrested a City Councilman from Missouri Valley Monday, for allegedly taking more than $271,000 from his employer. 34-year old Christopher Brooks was being held in the Douglas County, Nebraska Jail on suspicion of four-counts of felony theft by deception, causing a loss of more than $1,500, and four-counts of State Tax Evasion.

Brooks allegedly wrote checks to himself on an account registered to River City Barricade. The acts allegedly occurred over a period of four-years, beginning in 2007.

Brooks’ attorney, Michael Fitzpatrick, said it was his client, who, with a guilty conscience,  alerted his employer to what was going on.

Fitzpatrick also disputes the amount of money that was taken. He told reporters they are working to try and figure out exactly how they can prove what the exact amount is. He also mentioned Brooks had been working to pay his employer back for the purchase of nearly $20,000 worth of merchandise, which included a boat.

River City Barricade in Omaha, provides traffic control devices for city streets and construction zones. Company officials have declined to comment on the theft investigation. Brooks has reportedly been with the company for more than 14-years, overseeing its day-to-day operations, payroll, accounting and bidding processes.

He became a member of the Missouri Valley City Council in March 2010.

A Shenandoah Police officer and his canine partner won two awards earlier this month in Des Moines. Shenandoah Police Chief Kris Grebert says Officer Nephi Jones and his K-9 Eron picked up the awards during the National Police Canine Association Regional Trials.

The pair finished 5^th overall in vehicle searches and were named Top Rookie for Region 21, which includes Iowa, parts of Minnesota and Missouri. Sixty-three teams competed during the event. Fifteen were rookies.

Jones said he and Eron participated in the trials so the pair could become certified. He was appointed as K-9 handler at the end of January and completed training at the end of February. Jones has been a member of the Shenandoah Police force since March, 2008.

His partner Eron has already assisted in the detection of narcotics which resulted in arrests.

The Atlantic Board of Education will meet the new Atlantic Middle School Principal tonight, during scheduled work session at the high school. Cameron Smith was hired by the board April 12^th. Smith comes to Atlantic from the Garner-Hayfield School District, where he serves as the K-through 8^th Grade Principal and Athletic Director.

He will succeed AMS Principal Todd Roecker, who had earlier announced he would be retiring from the district at the end of June.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board tonight will receive an update on district building and infrastructure projects from Design Alliance Architect’s Jerry Purdy.

Their work session begins at 7-p.m. in the media center at the high school.

Authorities in Fremont County report the arrest Monday morning of a fourth person suspected in the April 18^th burglary of an unoccupied residence near Thurman. Sheriff Kevin Aistrope says Douglas Myers was arrested without incident in a Casey’s General Store parking lot in Tabor, after officials received a tip the man was in a U-Haul truck in that area.

Myers was charged with Burglary in the 3^rd, and Theft in the 3^rd, degrees. He was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of Methamphetamine.

Authorities allege Myers, along with 48-year old Tammy Larae Rose and 49-year old Kenneth Lee Milenkovich, both of Council Bluffs, took miscellaneous household items, a fuse box and wiring from a home in the Thurman area on April 18^th. 54-year old Lucy Merie Uriel, of Omaha, was charged with conspiracy in connection with the incident. Sheriff Aistrope says the other individuals were arrested at the scene of the crime, but Myers took off on foot. A warrant was later issued for his arrest.

Rose, Milenkovich and Uriel were being held on bonds ranging from $5,000 to $50,000, in the Fremont County Jail. Their preliminary hearings were set for 1:30-p.m. Thursday in Fremont County District Court.

Police in Atlantic report three people were arrested over the past weekend. On Saturday, 35-year old Thomas Fredrickson, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant, and, 19-year old Michael McConnell, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication and Interference with Official Acts. Both men were brought to the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

On Sunday, 32-year old Blue Rutherford was arrested for having a revoked license in connection with an OWI, and Failure to File SR-22 Insurance. He was also brought to the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

A Harlan woman what were described by authorities as “Significant injuries” during a rollover accident early this (Monday) morning southeast of Harlan. 24-year old Clara Mohr was taken to Myrtrue Hospital following the crash, which occurred at around 5-a.m.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says Mohr was traveling south in the 800 block of Maple Road when her 1999 Ford Explorer went out of control and rolled. Mohr was ejected from the vehicle as it rolled.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

A Missouri Valley woman suffering from a heart condition this morning on Interstate 29 in Pottawattamie County received help from several sources, include a Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputy. Sheriff Jeff Danker says the incident began at around 6:15-a.m., north of the Honey Creek exit.

Danker says woman was driving south on I-29 with her husband in the passenger seat, when the driver had a heart problem and collapsed at the wheel. Her husband was able to get the vehicle stopped, and removed her from the vehicle. After other motorists stopped to offer assistance, a sheriff’s deputy was sent to the scene.

When Sgt. Jim Harvey arrived at the scene, Danker says used his Automatic External Defibrillator to try and save the woman, who was identified as 54-year old Karen Lenz.

He says Lenz shocked the woman three times and stayed on location until paramedics arrived. Lenz was eventually flown by LifeNet helicopter to the University of Nebraska Medical Center at Omaha.

A report on Lenz’ condition is not currently available. Danker says she and her husband Thomas were on their way to work when the incident occurred.

The Sheriff says AED’s are carried in all of his department’s vehicles, in hopes lives can be saved. He says they’ve had them in those vehicles for at least three-years. He says it’s not something that’s used on an everyday basis, but often times his deputies are the first on the scene, and using the devices can make a difference in keeping someone alive until trained medical personnel can render aid.

Danker says he’s not sure how many times the AED’s have been used, but the incident today (Monday) wasn’t the first time, and it likely won‘t be the last.