Authorities in Montgomery County arrested a Pottawattamie County man Tuesday evening, after he was caught speeding 120-miles per hour in a 55-mph zone. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, 25-year Skyler Lee Baker, of Council Bluffs, also faces OWI/1st offense, and open container charges, in addition to being cited for having no proof of insurance. Baker was taken into custody following a traffic stop at the intersection of E Avenue and Highway 34, west of Red Oak.

The Montgomery County K-9 unit and Red Oak Police assisted during the incident.

The Iowa Utilities Board begins hosting eight public meetings Thursday on the proposed electric rate increase requested by MidAmerican Energy. I-U-B spokesman, Rob Hillesland, says the first meeting is in Iowa City at the public library. “MidAmerican filed a petition to increase its permanent base rates to generate approximately 135-point-six million dollars additional revenue annually. And they are proposing that that be phased in over three years, and so the board has 10 months — or until March 17th of 2014 I believe — to make a decision that permanent rate proposal,” Hilllesland says. The process allows MidAmerican to start collection a temporary rate pending the approval of the board.

“Temporary rates are approved and then if the final rate decision is a lower amount, customers could be refunded temporary rates plus interest,” Hillesland says. He says the board has three months to make a decision on approving the temporary rate — which would be August 15th of this year. The request for the permanent rate increase is NOT connected to MidAmerican’s decision to refund money to customers that was not used in its study of the feasibility of building a new nuclear power plant. Hillesland says it is also not related to MidAmerican’s announcement that it will lower rates as the company builds new wind power turbines. The upcoming meetings are for comment on this proposed rate increase.

“And customers are also welcome to talk generally about the quality of service that they feel the utility provides to them, or to other customers, or to their business or whatever,” Hillesland says. If you can’t make one of the public meetings, you can provide written comments.You can e-mail comments to customer@iub.iowa.gov or you can leave comments on the I-U-B’s website comment form at:www.iub.iowa.gov. Or you can send regular mail with comments to : Iowa Utilities Board,, Docket No. R-P-U-2013-0004, 1375 E. Court Avenue, Room 69, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0069. All of the public meetings begin at 5:30.

Here are the schedules for some of the other meetings:
Council Bluffs: Monday, June 24, 2013, Council Bluffs Public Library, Room B, 400 Willow Avenue.
Sioux City: Tuesday, June 25, 2013, Briar Cliff University, Stark Student Center, Clare Room, 3303 Rebecca Street.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Woodbury County has given its deputies the green light to monitor seven towns. Deputies with the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office will respond to calls for help with dogs at large and other ordinance violations for a $35 per hour fee. The Sioux City Journal says the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors approved a measure yesterday that will add the towns of Cushing and Smithland to a list that already includes Bronson, Danbury, Hornick, Lawton and Pierson.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police say the death of a man found in a Cedar Rapids residence is being investigated as a homicide. The Cedar Rapids Police Department says the man was found dead following a medical call Monday afternoon. It was initially investigated as an unattended death. Authorities have not released the man’s name.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Iowa City say two men face intoxication charges in connection with a potential bomb threat over the weekend. Iowa City police say 58-year-old Tobias Hermann and 44-year-old Maurice Graham were charged with public intoxication for their alleged actions on Sunday as a bomb squad examined a suspicious package.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Rehabilitation specialists say they’re now caring for three young hawks found around downtown Waterloo. Specialists with the Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project say the birds were recently discovered on streets and sidewalks. One hawk was corralled into a coin-operated laundry facility. Another was caught in a cardboard box, and the other was found hanging near a dumpster.

(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry Branstad today (Tuesday) announced he will hold town hall meetings in Harrison and Monona counties on Tuesday, June 18th. Branstad plans to discuss 2013 legislative accomplishments including enacting significant property tax reform, transformational education reform and a modernizing of the Medicaid system that focuses on making patients healthier while protection Iowa taxpayers. Both events are open to the public.

The Governor will hold a Harrison County “Our Opportunity. Our Iowa. Our results”  town hall meeting at 2-p.m. June 18th at the Missouri Valley Public Library (420 East Huron St.).  A similar meeting takes place that same day at 3:45-p.m., at the Onawa Public Library (707 Iowa Ave.),  in Monona County.