Officials with the Council Bluffs-based Iowa West Foundation, say $4 million in grants will be dispersed for the fourth quarter of 2012. The grants, which were announced Wednesday, will be used to assist 35 non-profit organizations and governmental entities with funding for area projects. Among the grant recipients were the City’s of Griswold and Lewis, which received $7,500 and $6,500 respectively, for community building improvements.The City of Kimballton received a $38,000 grant for park and trail improvements, as part of the designation of an “Iowa Great Place” with its neighboring Danish village of Elk Horn.

Other, Iowa West Foundation 2012 fourth quarter grants include, but were not limited to:

• The Adams County Conservation Board, $20,000 for Timber Ridge campground improvements at Lake Icaria.

• The City of Elliott, $26,000 for a wetlands bridge and trail in watershed area.

• The City of Hancock, $14,000 for  a community  electronic message board.

• The City of Shelby, new concession facility for city park, $8,000.

• Mills County Prevent Child Abuse Council, “Circles4Support” program, $15,000

• Page County Conservation Board, equestrian campground at Pierce Creek Park, $21,000

• Turnbull Child Development Center, technology upgrades for child care center in Shenandoah, $3,000.

A trial date has been set for a Marne man facing a Reckless Use of a Firearm charge, in connection with the shooting of a dog which strayed onto his property. According to online court records, 56-year old Charles Collins Cutler has entered a plea of Not Guilty to the  Serious Misdemeanor offense. His trial on the matter is set to begin in Cass County District Court on April 9th, beginning at 9:30-a.m.  A separate hearing on a Aggravated Serious Misdemeanor charge of Animal Abuse is set to take place this (Thursday) afternoon.

The charges were filed following an incident which occurred December 24th, in Marne, when a Colorado woman’s dog was shot in Marne. A Cass County Sheriff’s deputy responding to the Atlantic Animal Health Center, spoke with 23-year old Stacy Ernat from Denver, CO, who reported her chocolate Labrador “Wrigley,” was playing with a relative’s dog in the church lot adjacent to the residence of Charles Collins Cutler. When the dog apparently strayed onto Cutler’s property, it was wounded by a shotgun blast fired from a distance of 30-to 40-feet.

Ernat brought her dog to the Atlantic Animal Health Center where it died. Ernat and another friend told the deputy they witnessed Cutler shoot the dog.