COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA – A Nebraska man was sentenced Tuesday by United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger to 37 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for knowingly possessing a firearm as a prohibited person.

According to court documents, on May 17, 2020, Matthew C. Banfield, age 36, of Omaha, was in possession of a Springfield 45 caliber handgun. Banfield fired the weapon at various stationary targets in a rural location located in Pottawattamie County. Prior to this date, Banfield had been convicted of a felony. During his possession of the firearm, Banfield knew he was a prohibited person based on his prior felony convictions. Banfield pleaded guilty to the gun charge on January 8, 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.
The Council Bluffs Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Southern Iowa Fugitive Task Force investigated the case.

(Radio Iowa) – A group called the “Spirit of Okoboji” is offering half a million dollars to buy the Milford airport and redevelop the land into a sports complex. Milford Mayor Steve Anderson says an airport is an important asset for the community. “Can we move the airport? If we can, can we get state funds? Can we get federal funds? Does it all have to be done individually by the city or can this be done with a private group? All those things are being evaluated,” he says.

The airport is owned by the City of Milford and managed by the city’s airport commission. The property is a mile northwest of Milford’s central business district. Anderson says city and county officials are reviewing options to determine how viable the proposal from the Spirit of Okoboji group would be. “Looking at all the plans, looking at all the concepts,” he says. “There’s a lot of information coming out right now about how soon you can shut down an airport and is there an option of maybe doing this in baby steps.”

In May, an attorney for the Spirit of Okoboji told Milford’s City Council that the group would like to develop baseball and soccer fields as well as volleyball and basketball courts on the airport property that could tournaments to Milford.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Lottery has broken several records already with one month remaining in the fiscal year. Lottery CEO, Matt Strawn, says the amount of money turned over to the state set one of the records. “Through May, the Iowa Lottery produced nearly 95 million dollars in proceeds. This represents a 30 percent increase in year-over-year proceeds performance,” Strawn says.

Strawn says the proceeds are well past the record $92.8 million for a full 12-month fiscal year. “These record proceeds are the result of Lottery sales that have surpassed 400 million dollars for the first time in the Lottery’s 36 years,” according to Strawn. “Through the first 11 months of the fiscal year, Iowa Lottery sales totaled 417-million-183-thousand-750 dollars. This represents a 24.5% increase in year-over-year lottery sales performance. This also eclipses the previous 12-month record for lottery sales — which was $390.8 million in F-Y 19.”

Strawn says prize payouts increased along with sales. “Through May, players won prizes totalling 265-million-864-thousand- 725 dollars. This pace has already surpassed the record $241.9 million in prizes that were paid to players in F-Y 19,” Strawn says.

Strawn says the pandemic is behind the massive increase in sales. “When Iowans found lottery tickets as a safe local entertainment option as they spent considerably more time at home. We of course anticipate that as consumer behaviour continues to normalize — Iowa Lottery sales in the coming years and in the immediate future — will return to more modest growth,” he says.

The increase in sales was driven by the sale of scratch tickets — which has surpassed 300 million dollars through May.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University study finds a person who is sleep deprived may not give as much information during an interview with law enforcement, whether that person is a suspect or a potential witness. I-S-U psychology professor Zlatan Krizan says about 140 volunteers were questioned for the study, half got a regular night’s sleep while the other half lost up to eight hours of sleep over two days.

“What we saw is that sleep deprived individuals reported fewer pieces of that critical information regardless of whatever crime they disclosed about,” Krizan says. “If you count up those individual pieces, it ended up being about 7% less which, when you think of the numerous interviews conducted in the field, even for a single case, it really adds up to a significant amount.” As part of the study, participants were asked to disclose past criminal activity based on a list of 20 crimes, things ranging from transporting fireworks and trespassing to shoplifting and driving under the influence.

They were then questioned about the most severe crimes — underage drinking, experimenting with illegal drugs and driving under the influence were the most common ones. Those who had less sleep were not as motivated to recall information or found doing so required more effort. Krizan says the F-B-I provided a grant for the research. “There’s a branch of the Department of Justice that’s really interested in how can we effectively and ethically get accurate information,” Krizan says.

“Keep in mind, in a lot of contexts, it’s not about getting a confession, it’s about getting information that you can check, that you can verify, that you can act on.” The study is one of the first to look at how sleep affects behavior during interrogations or interviews. Krizan’s study is published in the academic journal SLEEP.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA, June 29, 2021 — With the goal of better serving the residents of the region, The Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region (SWIA MHDS) created a new website that features a tool that can provide immediate resource information.

“The region has continued its work with stakeholders to create systems that work,” said Suzanne Watson, CEO of the Southwest Iowa MHDS Region. “The new website, in particular, the Resource Connection allows immediate information for housing/shelters, disaster services, mental health/substance abuse, home health services and much more.”

The SWIA MHDS serves a nine-county area in the southwest corner of Iowa. The geographic area includes the Counties of Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby in the State of Iowa.

“Our plan is to improve health, hope, and successful outcomes for the adults in the region who have mental health disabilities and intellectual/developmental disabilities, including those with multi-occurring substance use issues, health issues, physical disabilities, brain injuries, and other complex human service needs,” said Watson.

Also featured prominently on www.SWIAMHDS.com is the HOPE4IOWA Crisis Call Line. Ginny Gohr, Director, HOPE4IOWA Crisis Call Line wants everyone to know that the HOPE4IOWA Crisis Call Line is available and can connect individuals in crisis to trained counselors who can guide the caller to various resources. The helpline is available 24/7. Gohr continued, “Seeking professional help when self-help efforts to improve your mental health aren’t working is a sign of strength, not weakness.”

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Shenandoah was arrested Tuesday (June 29), following the initial report of a reckless driver in the area of Highway 275 and 250th Street. Deputies were then called to the area of 190th Street and 370th Ave, north of Farragut, for a report of the same vehicle in the ditch.

Randall Jackson

Deputies located the driver, 38-year-old Randall Jackson, who was arrested for Operating while Intoxicated 2nd Offense.

The Atlantic Rotary Club is excited to announce that they will again host their Annual 4th of July Flight Breakfast featuring the Pancake Man. Cancelled last year due to pandemic restrictions, the event is back for 2021, and Rotary members invite the public to join them for this fun local tradition! The Atlantic Rotary 4th of July Flight Breakfast is scheduled for Sunday, July 4th, 2021 at the Atlantic Airport, located at 59706 Airport Road just west of Atlantic. Breakfast with The Pancake Man will be served by Rotary members from 7-11 AM, featuring $7 all you can eat pancakes with sausage and drinks.

Photos from the 2019 Pancake Breakfast (Submitted)

Pilots from across Southwest Iowa and beyond are invited to fly into the airport for breakfast as well, and all fly-in pilots will eat for free. The public will be able to enjoy watching the planes take off and land at the airport while enjoying a meal. All proceeds from the flight breakfast support the City of Atlantic Fireworks Show, scheduled to be held at the AMU Well Fields, by the Atlantic Little League Fields (across from KJAN), at dusk on JULY 4th!