Five Iowa schools are among 286 nationwide named 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The designation is based on a district’s overall academic excellence or their progress in improving student academic achievement. The schools named to the list includes: The Harlan Community High School, Meeker Elementary School in Ames, Hoover Elementary in Bettendorf, Taft Elementary in Humboldt and Okoboji Elementary.

Harlan Community superintendent Justin Wagner says the award is quite the honor. “A great honor for the staff, you know those are the folks in the trenches making the difference. I am really happy for them,” Wagner says. He says the process for being a blue ribbon school is complicated. “You have the Federal and State Government involved. Each state is allowed to nominate a certain amount of schools. They have a rigorous process that they have to go through; they call indicators of excellence they see in certain school districts before you get nominated,” Wagner says.

The superintendent says a lot of the process deals with the school’s academic achievement in regards to the Iowa assessment scores, and in Iowa, you have to be in the top 15 percent. All the National Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored at a recognition ceremony on November 18th and 19th in Washington, D-C. A few members of the Harlan staff will be going to the ceremony including a high school teacher, high school principal, a board member and the superintendent. Wagner said this is a proud moment for the district.

“It truly is an elite award. Again, we are just extremely excited and proud of the high school staff and the high school principal,” Wagner says. “But I will tell you this is a reflection of kids and staff as a whole.” Read more about the 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools at :www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report three, recent arrests. On Monday, 34-year old Brooke Eileen Pilcher, of Omaha, was arrested in Douglas County, NE, on a warrant for Failure to Appear on an OWI charge. Her bond was set at $5,000. That same day, 49-year old Timothy Albert Kruse, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension, No Insurance and for fraudulent use of registration. His bond was set at $900.

And, on Saturday, 21-year old Matthew James Maly, a homeless man, was arrested in Mills County for Driving While Barred, following a traffic stop near the intersection of Highwayts 59 and 34. His bond was set at $2,000.

ROCKWELL CITY, Iowa (AP) – A December trial has been scheduled for a 32-year-old Iowa man accused of killing a Rockwell City police officer. Corey Trott pleaded not guilty on Monday to a charge of first-degree murder. He’s suspected of shooting 37-year-old Jamie Buenting on Sept. 13, during an hours-long standoff with police at Trott’s house.

Trott’s trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 3. He’s being held in Webster County Jail.  Buenting was married and had two children.

The Creston Hy-Vee store and two vehicles were damaged by blasts from a shotgun early Sunday morning. According to the Creston News Advertiser, someone drove to the front of the grocery store at around 2:30-a.m. and fired at least one round from a 12-gauge shotgun. The slug damaged pumpkins and broke the glass on window near the store’s entrance.

The suspect drove-off and unloaded three more shotgun slugs near the 400 block of New York Avenue, where two unoccupied vehicles were damaged. No injuries were reported.

Anyone with information with regard to the incidents should contact Creston Police at 641-782-8402.