Two people were arrested Sunday on drug charges in Shenandoah. According to the Police Department 27-year-old’s James Johnson and Courtney Schlegel, both of Shenandoah were taken into custody. Both were arrested for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. They were each cited and released.

In areas once considered beyond saving, new development is emerging and spawning renewal in places such as Des Moines, Iowa City, Greenfield and Ottumwa. Some of those community reinvestment projects are now being honored by 1000 Friends of Iowa. Doug Adamson is a landscape architect in Des Moines who sits on the board for 1000 Friends. He says the awards recognize projects that use what are called smart-growth principles.

“Which is basically a sustainable approach to design. It reduces sprawl. It preserves farmland from sprawl and development and really concentrates on increasing the quality of life.” Adamson says a project that stood above the rest was the restoration of the Hotel Greenfield, originally completed in 1920 and now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“They could have easily went out to the highway and promoted a developer to develop a standard chain hotel out there on the highway, but instead they connect with the Downtown Development Corp and just did an amazing job and made it successful.”

A building once considered for demolition in Ottumwa a revitalization effort that began with a restaurant and brew pub in 2009. The last phase was completed last year with the addition of four loft apartments. The Appanoose Rapids Brewing Company says the project helped inspire development from other businesses, and is among the winners of the 2013 Best Development Awards from 1000 Friends of Iowa.

The other winners of the 1000 Friends of Iowa development awards were the Historic Packaging and Provision Building in Iowa City and Central Iowa Shelter and Services in Des Moines.

(Iowa News Service)

Police in Red Oak report the arrest early this (Monday) morning, of a man wanted on a theft warrant. 29-year old Kenton Jarvis Schooling, of Council Bluffs, was taken into custody at around 3-a.m. in the 200 block of North 2nd Street, in Red Oak. Schooling was arrested on a warrant for Theft in the 5th degree, and for Driving Under Suspension. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond.

Fire near 4th and Locust Streets Monday morning. Ric Hanson/photo

(Update 8:57-a.m)

Firefighters in Atlantic responded to two separate house fires overnight Sunday into early this (Monday) morning.

Ric Hanson, photos

The latest, a fire at 107 W. 4th Street, was reported today (Monday), at 2:23-a.m.  Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees told KJAN News there was heavy black smoke visible upon arrival and flames coming out the back of the single-story home. Search and Rescue entered the house and discovered no-one was home.

McNees said later the home was vacant because the tenant had moved out this past week.

Atlantic Fire Dept. photo (from their FaceBook page) – rear view of the house.

McNees said the cause of the fire remained undetermined early this morning. He said the scene of the fire was in the back porch area, near the kitchen. An electrical box was found in that general vicinity, but it was unclear if that’s where the fire started.

The second fire at 501 Peach Street in the Sycamore Village area, occurred at around 8:35-p.m. Sunday, and remains under investigation.