Small Iowa towns that would benefit from tearing down or sprucing up vacant buildings can get help from the state. Communities with a population of five-thousand or fewer residents can apply for a derelict building grant application through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Scott Flagg is coordinating the project. “The program works with communities that are either looking to deconstruct, remove the building selectively or renovate the building,” Flagg says. “Just recently, we had a project in Glidden that renovated an old building and turned it into a health and wellness center for the local citizens there.”

Flagg says there’s usually at least a dozen Iowa communities that apply to split the funding every year. “We had 13 last year and usually we get around 40 applications submitted each round,” Flagg says. “The committee is able to fund between 13 and 20 projects depending on how much money we have available.”

The deadline to apply is February 27. A committee will select the projects for funding from the Iowa D-N-R, Iowa Society of Solid Waste Operations, Iowa Recycling Association, Iowa Economic Development Authority and Keep Iowa Beautiful. Learn more by visiting www.iowadnr.gov and putting “derelict” in the search window.

(Radio Iowa)

A drug bust last Friday in Creston resulted in the arrest of three men with out-of-state ID’s and others temporarily detained. According to authorities in Union County, Creston Police and Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at around 11:30-p.m. Friday (Jan. 16th) at 1100 N. Spruce, in Creston. Upon entry into the home, officers secured and identified six male subjects and three females.

The search warrant resulted in numerous drug-related items being seized into evidence, including: several containers of marijuana; drug paraphernalia; grinders; scales; packing materials, and U-S currency. Three men were arrested: 19-year old Ian Thomas Morrison, of Creston – who possessed a Nebraska ID; 21-year old Manuel Leandro Rivera, of Creston – who had a Florida ID; and, 21-year old Jason Michael Roberts, of Creston – who had an Illinois ID.

All three men faces a Possession with the Intent to Deliver, charge. Rivera also faces a Drug Paraphernalia Possession charge, while Roberts was also charged with Possession of Marijuana. Additional charges are pending.

Two people were arrested Tuesday night on separate charges, in Montgomery County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 41-year old Jeffrey Dean Eller, of Red Oak, was arrested by deputies assisted by Red Oak Police, at around 6:30-p.m.  Eller faces charges that include OWI-drugged/3rd offense, Possession of Methamphetamine, Providing False Information, and Failure to have a Valid Driver’s License. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 cash bond.

And, officers with the Red Oak Police Dept. arrested 31-year old Natasha Suzanne Loftesness, of Red Oak, at around 5:15-p.m., Tuesday. Loftesness was charged with Theft in the 5th Degree. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond.

A miscalculation by the Iowa Department of Revenue will result in more money for infrastructure projects for several southwest Iowa school districts. The Daily NonPareil reports the mistake was traced back to a faulty computer program that could not handle as much sales tax revenue as was collected last summer. Victoria Daniels, the public information officer for the department, said the miscalculations happened in November when a final reconciliation of payments for the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education program, which distributes one cent of state sales taxes on a per-pupil basis to Iowa public schools.