A Pottawattamie County man was injured Friday morning during a farming accident in Page County. The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports deputies responded at around 9:24-a.m. 250th and O Avenue, about 5-miles southwest of Clarinda, where a man was getting run over by an implement tire.

An investigation determined 60-year old Kenneth Jay Thornton, of Clarinda, was operating a 2019 Chevy pickup pulling twin anhydrous tanks on one running gear in a field just north of 250th & O. Thornton works for Agriland F/S INC and was driving in the capacity of his employment. He was pulling the tanks to hook up to an Anhydrous / dry fertilizer applicator also owned by Agriland F/S INC that was parked in the field.

25-year old Matthew Mark Marriott, of Council Bluffs, was attempting to load that dry fertilizer part of the applicator. Thornton pulled the pickup between the truck that Marriott was behind operating the hydraulics to move the auger on the truck over the dry fertilizer container. When the right rear tire of the running gear that held the anhydrous tanks went by Marriott, it caught a portion of his body, drug him under the running gear and ran over him.

Marriott was transported from the scene to University of Nebraska Medical Center by LifeNet helicopter for treatment of undisclosed injuries. The Page County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Clarinda Ambulance Service with Marriott and then investigated the incident. No charges will be filed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The state and the city of Boone have agreed to pay $80,000 to an Iowa drug suspect who was arrested after an illegal search. The State Appeal Board on Monday approved the payout under a legal settlement with Daniel Vinnece. The state and the city will split the cost.

The Associated Press has reported that parole officer Kari White was fired over the April 2018 search. An investigation by the Department of Correctional Services found that White conspired with a Boone detective to search Vinnece’s home without a warrant, days before he was to be released from parole.
Unlike police, parole officers can conduct home visits to check on parolees without a warrant. White, however, was not Vinnece’s parole officer and there was no need for such a check.

The search led to the discovery of drugs and Vinnece’s arrest. But the charges were dropped after a judge ruled the search was illegal.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports a motorcyclist died Saturday, following an accident about three-miles east of Kimballton. Authorities say 60-year old Tommy Young, of Exira, died, when the motorcycle he was riding on Highway 44 was involved in the crash that took place at around 7-p.m. Young died at the scene.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Department was assisted on scene by The Shelby County Sheriff’s Department and Elk Horn Rescue. Additional details were not released.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports six arrests took place, and one injury accident was reported, over the past few days. At around 7:35-a.m. Monday (Today), 53-year old John Anthony Welch, of Omaha, was arrested at the Mills County Jail, on a Controlled Substance Violation. Just after 1-a.m. Sunday, 20-year old Jacob Dean Hummel, of Emerson, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, and Possession of Alcohol underage.

Early Saturday morning, 33-year old Kyla Danette Gall, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. And, at around 10:20-a.m. Saturday, 58-year old Brian Paul Speck, of Silver City, was arrested for OWI/1st Offense. Thursday evening, 30-year old Dustin Ray Ahrens, of Red Oak, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear. And, Thursday night, 28-year old Shialea Kay Cozad, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Possession of Contraband and on four warrants for Failure to Appear. Her bond was set at $25,000.

And, one person was injured following an accident at around 3:30-p.m., Friday. Authorities say 31-year old Garret Wiley, of Mineola, was driving a 2014 Nissan northbound on 221st Street, just past Ashton Road, when he failed to negotiate the curve on the wet surface. His vehicle went off the road and struck a tree. Lifenet helicopter transported Wiley to the UNMC in Omaha.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports 25-year old Melissa Marie Shinn, of Creston, was arrested late Saturday morning. Shinn was taken into custody on a Union County warrant for failure to appear to serve jail sentence, on the original charge of driving while barred. She is being held for Union County, in the Adams County Jail.

MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) — A judge has rejected a plea deal for a man charged in the death of a woman hit in northeast Iowa by fragments from a homemade cannon. Delaware County District Court records say Max Fenton pleaded guilty to aggravated misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter, which replaced the felony charge. A pair of fireworks-related charges were to be dropped as well.

The improvised cannon was made from the sawed-off barrel of a .50-caliber black powder rifle and was supposed to serve as a noisemaker. Authorities say the rear of the barrel “blew out” in Greeley the night of July 2, 2016, and fragments struck 55-year-old Lori Heims. The Telegraph Herald reports that the judge rejected the deal last week, saying the plea was to a new charge that was not a lesser-included crime alleged among the original charges. Judge Michael Shubatt also said there didn’t appear to be a factual basis for the new charge.

Shubatt set a trial starting date of Feb. 5.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has named 14 officials to a committee she’s created that will make recommendations for removing racial bias from the Iowa criminal justice system and help reduce recidivism among former offenders. Reynolds says the group’s recommendations will form the foundation of a package of legislative proposals aimed at advancing her second chance initiative which will include her continued push for a constitutional amendment that grants felons the right to vote.

The committee is chaired by Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg and includes leaders from departments of corrections, public safety, the law enforcement academy, the parole board and state public defender’s office. She’s also included on the committee a county sheriff, a police chief, a county attorney and leaders of the NAACP, a Latino affairs group and a crime victim lawyer from the Iowa attorney general’s office. The first meeting will be Thursday.

(Radio Iowa) — The open enrollment period for Medicare is underway. The spokesperson for the organization that oversees the enrollment, Julie Brookhart, says it’s an important time. “Beneficiaries can take a look at the way they receive their Medicare and change their plan if they can find one that is better for their needs. We tell people to take advantage of this opportunity — because usually when they do compare — they usually do find something that will meet their needs better for next year,” according to Brookhart.

She says the 625-thousand Iowans who use Medicare have several options. She says there are 39 Medicare Advantage health plans if you do not want to be in the original Medicare. And she says there are 29 stand-alone Medicare drug programs across Iowa. Brookhart, who works for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says you should have received a mailing that would let you know about any changes in your current plan.

“Everyone should get what’s called an annual notice of change. And that’s from any plan that they are in currently — and it’s going to tell them what’s changing for the next year. It would ell them if their monthly premium is going up. It might tell them if a specific drug they take is no longer going to be on their formulary,” Brookhart says. “And so, these are the reasons why you would definitely review your options.”

She says you can use that information to help you decide what will work best in the coming year. “The Medicare Advantage plans might be an option for people. It covers everything original Medicare A& B covers — but the offer additional benefits — dental, vision, hearing and sometimes gym memberships. They key there is you have to go to the providers in their network,” Brookhart explains. There is a Medicare Finder Tool available to help you. “It’s just been updated for the first time in ten year…the biggest change is that it is going to connect you if you have a My Medicare-dot-gov account. You would just register for a My Medicare-dot-gov account. And it’s going to pull in the last 12 months of your Medicare Part D prescription claims data, so its already going to populate the prescriptions you already take,” Brookhart says.

Brookhart says you can also call and get help in making your decision. “One-800-633-4227. A customer service rep can walk you through this comparison over the phone. They’ll just need some of your basic information like your Medicare card number. If you don’t want to connect to the My Medicare-dot-gov portal — they are going to need your prescriptions so they can input those,” Brookhart says. The Medicare Open Enrollment period runs through December 7th.

There aren’t many contested races during Tuesday’s City/School Elections in Shelby County. In the Harlan Community School District, Incumbent Joni Larsen faces a challenge from Allyson Bendorf, for one seat on the School Board. Shelby County voters in the Tri-Center School District will vote on two of four candidates for the At Large Director’s seat, including: Cecilia Thomas; Sara Arnold; Tami Harman, and incumbent Katie Ausdemore.

In Irwin, four people are running for two seats on the City Council: Jonna Willadsen; Jim Kramer; Jessie Bates, and Richard Wiig.  There are three candidates for two seats in the Boyer Valley School District/ Director District 2 (which includes part of Shelby County): Jeffrey L. Miller, and incumbents Steve Puck and Paul L. Klein. Incumbent Kert A. Barnum faces a challenge from three other candidates for one of two seats on the Woodbine School Board At Large seat: Shawn Cogdill; Teresa Coenen, and Martin Murdock.

And, voters in Tennant and Shelby (residing within the AHSTW School District), will chose between Steven Kock and Michelle Mertz, for the At Large seat on the school Board. They also get to select Kim Wise or Robert Bryant for on District 2 Director’s seat on the Board. In Shelby, four candidates hope to fill one of three seats on the City Council: Robert Morton; Christopher J. Evans; Karen Schlueter, and Donavon Gail Dontje.

There are also Public Measures on the ballot Tuesday, in Shelby County. Patrons of the Harlan Community School District: The renewal of a 10-year Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) at a rate not to exceed 67-cents per $1,00 assessed property valuation, a renewal of an Instructional Support Tax not to exceed 10%, both commencing Dec. 31st in Calendar Year 2022, AND an Income Surtax (beginning in 2022).

Voters in the Exira-EHK School District have a Public Measure to decide on, as well: Whether or not a 7% Hotel Motel Tax is implemented in the City, beginning Jan. 1, 2020. The proposal states 67% of the total revenue raised from the tax would be put in the tourism promotion fund or for any lawful purpose. 33% would be spent for funding the library, pool and park, or any other such lawful purpose.