Police in Council Bluffs are on the lookout for two men who robbed the American National Bank at 2650 W. Broadway, this (Tuesday) morning. Officers were notified at around 11:37-a.m. According to witnesses inside the bank, the two men entered thru the front doors, wearing white masks, black hoodies, black pants, sunglasses and gloves. One of the men had a white short sleeved shirt over the black hoodie he was wearing.

One of the men who was dressed all in black, was armed with a black colored semi-automatic handgun and remained in the lobby area, while the man in the white short sleeved shirt jumped the counter and removed an undetermined amount of money from the cashier’s drawer. The witnesses could not determine the race of the suspects.

Once outside, the suspects left the area in a silver colored Chevrolet Cavalier, traveling northbound on North 26th Street. Within minutes, the suspect vehicle was found abandoned in the 2500 Block of Avenue A.

A check of the vehicle’s license plate indicated that the car had been stolen from the 7000 Block of No. 34th Street in Omaha, at 1:02 a.m. today (Tuesday). The Council Bluffs Police Department is working jointly with the Federal Bureau of Investigations to solve this crime. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at (712) 328-STOP. Your tip could be eligible for a cash reward and you can remain anonymous.

The  Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three people have been arrested on drug charges. 29-year old Chanda Lay Koehler, of Omaha, was arrested Monday night on Highway 34 for Theft in the 1st degree and Possession of a Prescription drug. Her bond was set at $11,000. Taken into custody early Tuesday morning, was 29-year old Jeremy Wayne Aumiller, of Harvard, NE., and 26-year old Cory Lee Allsman, of Hastings, NE. Both men were arrested following a traffic stop on Highway 34. Aumiller faces a Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charge. His bond was set at $300. Allsman was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bond was set at $1,000.

And, 45-year old Mark Lee Burk, of Albia, was arrested near Allis Road and Bunge Avenue, on a warrant out of Pottawattamie County, for Driving While Barred. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

Two women were critically injured during a head-on collision this (Tuesday) morning, in Council Bluffs. According to Council Bluffs Police, 59-year old Diane Nelson and 27-year old Heather Wilkinson, both of Council Bluffs, were transported to the Nebraska Medical Center following the crash that happened at around 9:25-a.m. on the Avenue G viaduct.

Authorities say a 2004 Acura being driven by Wilkinson crossed the center line and struck a 2008 Kia Van driven by Nelson. Wilkinson was trapped in her vehicle and had to be extricated by the Council Bluffs Fire Dept. No other injuries were reported.

The case was being investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department Traffic Unit.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests took place over the past week. On Sunday, 26-year old Levi Alroy Kluver, of Gray, was arrested on a felony Domestic Abuse Assault, charge. His arrest followed an investigation into an incident that allegedly occurred at his residence earlier in the day, Sunday. Kluver was later released from the Audubon County Jail after appearing before a magistrate. His preliminary hearing was set for April 14th.

And, Friday night, 30-year old Kathryn Sue Benson, of Denison, was arrested for OWI/1st Offense, following a traffic stop on Highway 71 near Hamlin. Benson was also charged with Driving on the wrong side of the road, and failure to provide proof of vehicle registration. She was later released after posting a cash bond. Her preliminary appearance in court is set for April 14th.

The Iowa legislature has voted to require the state’s 99 county engineers to file annual reports explaining how state gas tax money is being used to repair or replace rural bridges. The move comes a year after the gas tax was raised a dime a gallon. Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, says it’s a good way to ensure accountability for the extra tax money.

“That is supposed to be used for fixing deficient bridges and other infrastructure repairs, so this will just, perhaps, give us all an opportunity to make sure that’s what’s happening,” Wolfe says. Representative Josh Byrnes, a Republican from Osage, was among the chief advocates for raising the gas tax to address problems with the state’s crumbling roads and bridges.

“We promised the people of Iowa that we’d be transparent,” Byrnes says. “…That’s exactly what this bill does.” County engineers will submit their reports to the Iowa Department of Transportation. Democratic Senator Matt McCoy of Des Moines says the D-O-T will compile the information and present it to legislators. “We’ll have a better understand of just what the state of our bridges are,” McCoy says.

The Road Information Program currently rates 22 percent of Iowa’s rural bridges as structurally deficient. Only two other states have a higher percentage of deficient bridges. The reports from county engineers about progress on addressing problem bridges would be required in each of the next three years if the governor signs the bill into law.

(Radio Iowa)