The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office is reporting two arrests took place today (Thursday). 25-year old Skylar Lair, of Randolph, was arrested at around 8:40-a.m., after deputies were called to the 1800 block of Highway 59, north of Shenandoah, for a report of a possibly intoxicated female who had entered a business at the location. Lair was charged with Public Intoxication and Possession of Methamphetamine.  She was being held at the Fremont County Jail on a $1,300 bond.

Lair

And, 22-year old Joseph William Michael Haughton, of Hamburg, was arrested on a warrant for violation of probation. He was previously arrested twice before by Fremont County Deputies. Haughton faces charges that include Possession of Drug Paraphernalia on March 12th, and Violation of a No Contact Order on March 18th. Haughton was released on his previous charges from jail on April 1st. He was being held without bond on the new charges, pending court proceedings.

Haughton

(Update 4:17-p.m.)  A Cass County resident has died as the result of a boating accident at Lake Anita State Park. According to dispatch reports from the scene, the body of a man was discovered floating in the water near the second silt pond, just before 3:30-p.m. Anita Fire Chief Josh Peach told KJAN’s Ric Hanson that the man was in a kayak when the accident occurred. A life jacket was not found near his body, but Peach said it may have gotten hung-up somewhere. The winds were creating turbulent conditions on the water today, and Peach said “It’s not a good day to be out on the lake on a small boat or canoe/kayak type of thing.”

The victim has been identified, but his name is currently not available.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Another health insurer has announced it will stop selling individual policies in Iowa, just days after Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield made a similar announcement. The Des Moines Register reports Aetna informed Iowa regulators Thursday that it would stop selling individual policies, which cover tens of thousands of Iowans who don’t have access to employer-provided coverage or government plans.

Like Wellmark, Aetna cited instability in the insurance market. Aetna had already had stopped selling such policies in most states for 2017, citing turmoil in the wake of the Affordable Care Act.

Aetna says it had not decided whether to pull out of the three remaining states where it sells individual policies: Nebraska, Delaware and Virginia.

The Guthrie and Dallas County Sheriff’s Departments will hold an informational meeting on April 18^th, with regard to the Reserve Deputies Program. The meeting takes place in the Community room on the south side of the Dallas County Central Campus at 25747 North Avenue, in Adel, from 7-until 9p.m., April 18^th.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office is looking for persons over the age of 21, both male and female, who are interesting in applying for a Reserve Deputy position. The meeting is designed to inform applicants of the new standards implemented by the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, including the testing procedure that’s required to be completed by a Reserve Deputy.

If you have any questions about the Reserve Deputy program, contact Guthrie County Sheriff Marty Arganbright or Chief Deputy Jeremy Bennett, at 641-747-2214.

Iowa-born astronaut Peggy Whitson will be getting more time in space, while adding another command title to her resume. Whitson was supposed to return from her latest mission aboard the International Space Station in June — but NASA has announced plans to let her stay in orbit an extra three months. The 57-year-old Beaconsfield native has already spent more time in space than any other woman and later this month, she’ll set a new duration record for all U-S astronauts.

It’s Whitson’s third mission to the station and on Sunday, she’ll be named station commander, the first woman to hold the command twice. In a NASA news release, Whitson is quoted saying: “This is great news. I love being up here. Living and working aboard the space station is where I feel like I make the greatest contribution, so I am constantly trying to squeeze every drop out of my time here. Having three more months to squeeze is just what I would wish for.”

Whitson’s two previous stays on the space station in 2002 and ’08 lasted six months each. This mission will now run nine months, with her return rescheduled for September. Just last month, Whitson set a new record for most spacewalks by a woman and her next EVA (extra-vehicular activity) should put her in third place for spacewalking among all astronauts.

(Radio Iowa)