A Nebraska woman was sentenced last week in Pottawattamie County, to slightly more than 9-years in prison, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The 110-month sentence was handed down on Dec. 11th in U-S District Court, against 31-year old Janel Marie Giovannoni, of Omaha. District Court Judge John A. Jarvey ordered the woman to be placed on 3-years of supervised release once her term is served. Giovannoni remained in the custody of the United States Marshal pending designation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at which she will serve her sentence.

According to the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, Giovannoni was sentenced upon her September 5, 2012, plea of guilty to the charge of felon in possession of a firearm. The charge arose from a January 4, 2012, incident in Council Bluffs in which officers of the Council Bluffs Police Department caught Giovannoni and two other persons burglarizing a motor vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment. Giovannoni was found to be in possession of a loaded 9mm pistol.

Under the terms of her federal plea agreement, Giovannoni has also entered pleas of guilty to a State of Iowa charge in Mills County for conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver methamphetamine, and in Pottawattamie County to an unrelated charge of credit card forgery. She is awaiting sentencing on the state charges.

The case against her was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department, the SouthWest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Explosives and Firearms. It  was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Senator Chuck Grassley has nominated 39 outstanding Iowa students for consideration for appointments to the United States service academies. Grassley said Friday “The young Iowans who want to serve our country and enter the academies are remarkable for their accomplishments and leadership.  These candidates are an impressive reflection on our state and signal continued excellence in the United States armed forces.”

In southwest Iowa, nominees for the 2013-2014 school year include the following:

U.S. Air Force Academy
Nathan Dunning, of Council Bluffs, a student at St. Albert High School, and Christopher Haijsman of McClelland, a student at the Treynor High School.

West Point Military Academy
Jose Olivo, of Griswold, a student at the Griswold High School, Wilson Pingrey, of Coon Rapids, who attends the Coon Rapids-Bayard Jr.-Sr. High School, and Brendan Stephany, of Council Bluffs, who attends Council Bluffs/St. Albert High School.

U.S. Naval Academy

Kelsey Hofmann of Adel, who attends the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn High School, and Seth Horsley of Carroll, a student at the Carroll High School

Grassley has the opportunity each year as a United States senator to nominate either current or future Iowa high school graduates for a select few service academy placements.  The Air Force, West Point Military, and Naval academies all select at least one qualified student from Grassley’s nominations.  The Merchant Marine Academy makes selections in proportion to states’ representation in Congress.

Grassley said he encourages Iowa students to consider applying to more than one service academy due to the highly competitive nature of admissions.  Students interested in academy appointments should begin the application process in the spring of the junior year of high school.

Senator Tom Harkin and Iowa Representatives in the United States House of Representatives also make nominations.  The academies subsequently select students based on the number of vacancies available for the next school year.  Traditionally, the high quality of Iowa nominees results in several Iowa students being selected to attend each of the service academies.

AMES, Iowa – Dec. 21, 2012; 12:45 p.m. update – The Iowa Department of Transportation is reporting that road crews are out actively clearing remaining road blockages, blading off packed snow and ice, and widening areas where travel was restricted to one lane or narrow lane areas. Drivers are urged to take appropriate actions as described below.

Heavy-duty snow blowers and other equipment are being moved into areas where there are large drifts blocking the road. The Iowa DOT is also working with state and local law enforcement agencies, and towing companies to remove vehicles that are stuck in drifts or blocking the roadways.

Recovery work is being hampered by the hard snow/ice pack caused by the rain/snow mix of precipitation, vehicle travel on covered roadways, and at times the ineffectiveness of salt 12due to the drop in temperatures. The sun today will help loosen some of the snow pack and aid blading operations.

Until the snow pack is removed, travelers may encounter areas where there are clear patches of road and then snowy or icy patches. Drivers should adjust their winter driving skills accordingly by reducing speeds for conditions and adding more space between their vehicle and the ones ahead and around them.

It is imperative that persons traveling on the interstate or higher speed four-lane roadways make appropriate adjustments as the severity of a crash at higher speeds is greater, and the risk of involving other vehicles in an incident is more likely. Do not use cruise control under these conditions.

All travelers should also be aware that it is difficult for semi-tractor-trailer units to climb roadway inclines in some areas due to the icy road conditions. This means everyone sharing the road must exercise patience and be prepared to slow down when there are trucks ahead.

The Iowa DOT expects road conditions to continue to improve throughout the day, but it will be a very gradual process. Please exercise additional caution so everyone can make it to their holiday destination safely.

(Press Release – IA DOT)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s unemployment rate has dropped below 5 percent in November for the first time in nearly four years. Iowa Workforce Development reported Friday that the unemployment rate dipped to 4.9 percent, down from 5.1 percent in October. The November rate was a decline from the 5.6 percent rate last year.  Iowa’s rate is significantly lower than the national November figure of 7.7 percent.

Workforce Development says there were 80,400 unemployed Iowans in November.

Pottawattamie County Emergency Management reports the CodeRED early weather alert system has been upgraded, to allow residents countywide to receive winter storm warnings. As Midwest residents know, significant winter storms can immobilize a region and paralyze a city, stranding commuters, stopping the flow of supplies and disrupting emergency and medical services.

Doug Reed, Emergency Management Director for Pottawattamie County, says “Residents need to be informed so they can better prepare for devastating storms. With new winter storm warnings available, our community can do just that.”

Winter storm warnings are sent to residents through text and email moments after an alert is issued by the NWS. Notifications are only available to those who have opted in to the CodeRED system. To receive an alert for a winter storm warning, residents should log on to the county website at www.pottcounty.com and enter both an email address and a cell phone number. Many city websites throughout the county also provide a direct link to the enrollment form. For citizens already registered, repeating the process will only update your current account and takes only a few minutes.

Phone calls are not made for winter storm warnings because many of them are extended during the early morning hours. We want the community to be informed but not annoyed with late night phone calls. Residents may also select to receive severe thunderstorm, flash flood and tornado warnings through telephone calls to their homes and businesses, email and text messages.
All residents are encouraged to subscribe to the countywide CodeRED system. Having the option to receive winter storm warnings is an added bonus for the residents that live here and will provide them extra time to prepare if a storm were to impact our area.

A Mills County man died in a weather-related crash early Friday morning, in Pottawattamie County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 56-year old Duane Allen, of Glenwood, died when the 2006 Chevy Colorado pickup he was driving went out of control, entered the median and struck an unoccupied  2009 Jeep Compass that was stuck in the median as a result of Thursday’s blizzard, and had not been towed. The Patrol says Allen was not wearing a seat belt. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident happened at around 5:20-a.m. on Interstate 80 eastbound, about 6-miles southwest of Underwood.

(12-p.m. News)