FLOYD, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa prosecutor says the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by officers was justified. Twenty-nine-year-old Jihad Merrick was killed the night of Jan. 17 alongside U.S. Highway 218 in Bremer County. Merrick’s car was stopped for speeding after he’d been reported pointing a gun at his own head at a Floyd truck stop. Deputies say that after the stop he got in and out of his vehicle with a handgun to his head.

Officers approached his car after he fired a shot inside it and then struggled to remove him. He was able to put the car in gear and accelerate. An officer fearful of being run over yelled for other officers to shoot, and two of them did. County Attorney Kasey Wedding said in a news release Tuesday the shooting was justified because of the threat Merrick posed.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday) released a report on an accident that happened March 6th, 2018, at 10:45 a.m.  The single-vehicle accident happened on White Pole Road, as a 2005 Toyota Rav4 owned and driven by 24-year old Kendal Leslie Arnold, of Elliott, was traveling southbound. The SUV hit a slick patch on the road, entered the west ditch, crashed through a fence,  and came to rest in a field. No injuries were reported. Damage to the vehicle is estimated at $1,000; damage to the fence is estimated at $250.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday), released a report on recent arrests. On Monday, (3/12), 21-year old Skyler James Svoboda, of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant out of Story County. Svoboda was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $2,000 bond. Two people were arrested Sunday, in Cass County: 26-year old Jennifer Renee Avey, of Griswold, was arrested for Public Intoxication. Avey was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day after appearing before the magistrate; and 28-year old Cam Christopher Jahnke, of Lewis, was arrested Sunday, on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault 1st Offense. Janhnke was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day after appearing before the magistrate.

On Saturday, 35-year old Steven Micheal Scott Beck, of Carroll, was arrested on a Cass County District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Beck remains held at the Cass County Jail on $2,000 bond. And, last Friday, 53-year old Donald Duane Worth, of Early, was arrested by Cass County Deputies for Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations, Public Intoxication, and Disorderly Conduct. Worth was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley will hold a hearing tomorrow (Wednesday) on several bills focused on preventing gun violence that are moving forward in the U-S Senate. Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, says he also wants to review factors that led to incidents like last month’s deadly shooting rampage at a high school in Parkland, Florida. “On two recent occasions, in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and in Parkland, we know that our government agencies and law enforcement missed real big red flags that could have prevented these fatalities,” Grassley says. “So at the hearing, we’re going to take a close look at those fatal mistakes.”

Grassley, a Republican, says he wants an in-depth review of pending legislation that could help to prevent future tragedies. “Number one, the Stop School Violence Act would provide the Justice Department grants to schools to improve safety programs,” Grassley says, “and we have the School Safety and Mental Health Services Improvement Act that would fund early intervention and mental health programs in schools.”  One complaint that’s often heard after school shootings is that people who shouldn’t have access to guns are those who carry out such acts of violence. “We have a bill that’s called Fix NICS,” Grassley says. “That’s the acronym for the database that the FBI maintains to see that people that have felonies and other things wrong with them can’t legally buy guns.”

President Trump initially voiced support for raising the minimum age to buy a firearm from 18 to 21 but he’s now moved away from the proposal. Grassley says he’d back such legislation but wants to focus instead on measures that could pass more quickly. Tomorrow’s hearing (at 8:30 AM/Central) is called, “See Something, Say Something: Oversight of the Parkland Shooting and Legislative Proposals to Improve School Safety.”

(Radio Iowa)

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2018 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today (Tuesday), that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $276 million in rural electric infrastructure to improve system efficiency and reliability. The announcement comes the day before Secretary Perdue is set to testify along with others, at a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing focused on rebuilding American infrastructure. USDA’s $276 million investment will build nearly 1,000 miles of line and improve 733 miles of line to meet current and future needs of rural businesses and residents. It will also support $65 million in smart grid technologies to help rural electric utilities reduce outages and integrate new systems. Locally, the Southwest Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative is set to receive a $6.1-million dollar loan to build 69 miles of line, improve 96 miles. and make other system improvements.

The loan amount includes $775,000 for Smart Grid projects. Smart grid includes technological enhancements such as metering, substation automation, computer applications, two-way communications and geospatial information systems. The Southwest Iowa REC serves 5,574 residents and nearly 300 commercial consumers. Of the 11 counties served in southwest Iowa, six are designated as outmigration counties.

Secretary Perdue said “Investing in our nation’s electric infrastructure is fundamental for rural economic growth. USDA’s longstanding partnerships with rural electric cooperatives help ensure that rural areas have affordable, reliable electric service. These investments also increase efficiency and productivity for businesses and residents, and support the quality of life in rural America.”

Investments are being made in Iowa and 11 other states. The loan guarantees are being provided through USDA Rural Development’s Electric Program, which is the successor to the Rural Electrification Administration.

A Public Hearing will be held 8:30-a.m. Wednesday, in Atlantic, with regard to the proposed Fiscal Year 2019 Cass County Budget. The meeting takes place as part of a regular meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors in their Boardroom, at the Courthouse. The Board will also review the County Compensation Board’s recommendations for elected officers’ salaries, and act on those recommendations. Afterward, the Supervisors will act on Adopting the FY2019 Secondary Roads Budget, along with the FY2019 Cass County Budget.