The Iowa Transportation Commission says it will conduct four public input meetings around the state during 2013. The meetings will give Iowans opportunities to present ideas and comments directly to the commissioners concerning transportation policies and programs, without traveling to Ames. One of the four public input meetings will take place June 11th, in the Council Bluffs area.

Commissioners encourage representatives of regional and metropolitan planning organizations, cities, counties, chambers of commerce, economic development groups, and modal transportation providers to attend. All other interested groups and individuals are also invited to participate. Items that may be discussed at the meetings include: the Iowa Transportation Improvement Program; transportation policies; and highway, aviation, rail, river, trail and transit issues.

To obtain a scheduled time on the agenda for one of the Commission’s public input meetings, contact the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Office of Program Management at 515-239-1148, by fax at 515-239-1975, or e-mail donald.tebben@dot.iowa.gov. Include the date you prefer and general topic you wish to discuss. The meetings are not intended to address issues regarding specific projects or projects under construction. Delegation comments and presentations should be 20 minutes or less.

An Atlantic man was arrested Monday on a burglary charge. The Atlantic Police Department reports 45-year old Darryl Benson was taken into custody for Burglary in the 3rd degree, in association with the break-in’s of some vehicles located along Poplar Street early Monday morning. Benson was being held in the Cass County Jail pending a court appearance.

CORRECTIONVILLE, Iowa (AP) – The pilot of a plane that crashed in northwest Iowa, killing two passengers, has died in a Nebraska hospital.  The Sioux City Journal reports 70-year-old Gaylen Knaack, of Correctionville, died Monday. The Nicklas D. Jensen Funeral Home in Correctionville says Knaack died at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln, Neb., where he’d been taken after the Dec. 1st, 2012 crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board says the Beech P35 took off from Correctionville that morning and flew to Grand Island, Neb., to pick up one of the passengers. The plane hit some trees before crashing that evening in foggy conditions short of a grass airstrip near Correctionville.

Two passengers died in the crash. They were 53-year-old Lee Schroeder, of Oto, and 55-year-old James Smith, of Correctionville.

A machine shed and a tractor stored inside were declared a total loss Monday, after a fire consumed the building. Firefighters from Harlan and Avoca responded to the blaze, which was reported at around 7:45-p.m. Monday, from a farm at 74- Maple Road, south of Harlan.

No injuries were reported. A dollar amount of the loss was not immediately available. Firefighters were on the scene for about 2 and half hours.  Harlan Fire Chief Roger Bissen said the cause of the fire is unknown and an investigation was ongoing.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

Police in Council Bluffs say two people were being detained this (Tuesday) morning in Harlan, in connection with the shooting of a Council Bluffs woman and her child. Officials say 22-year old Heather Wilson and her 19-month old son Tyson Underwood, were being treated at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha for gunshot wounds, and are expected to fully recover.

The incident which resulted in their hospitalization began at around 5:40-a.m., when authorities received a report about shots fired at 1544 McPherson Avenue, in east Council Bluffs. Officers arriving on the scene found Wilson lying on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds. Two of her children were also outside at the time of the shooting. Tyson Underwood suffered a gunshot wound to his lower right arm. The other child was not hurt.

Two, unidentified  subjects are being questioned about the incident by detectives from the Council Bluffs Police Department. Since they have not been charged, officials have withheld their names.

The first of two public hearings will be held Wednesday morning at the courthouse in Atlantic, with regard to a proposed amendment to the County’s zoning ordinance that would allow for the creation of businesses that allow gun sales and service, along with an indoor shooting range. A local man has proposed establishing a gun sales/repair and indoor shooting range business, near Massena.

Under the current zoning ordinance, such businesses are not allowed. The County’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved the proposed amendment during its meeting Jan. 24^th, and forwarded its recommendation on to the Cass County Board of Supervisors for approval. A hearing on the proposal is set to begin shortly after 9-a.m.  during the Supervisors’ regular meeting. Following the hearing, the Board will hold the first of two votes on the matter. The second hearing and vote will take place Feb. 20th.

In other business, the Supervisors, Wednesday, are scheduled to receive a report from OSDI Midwest, in Omaha, with regard to a possible renovation of the courthouse basement storage room. And, at 10-a.m. they’re scheduled to receive a review from Solutions Incorporated, from  Spencer, with regard to services associated with Information Technology and the G-I-S (Geographic Information System).

Authorities in Mills County say a homeless man wanted on a warrant for a probation violation was arrested Monday evening at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office. 41-year old Kenneth Benjamin McDonald was being held in the Mills County Jail on $50,000 bond.  The Sheriff’s Office reports also the arrest Saturday (Feb. 9th) in Malvern, of 38-year old Ryan Daniel McMullen, of Malvern. McMullen was taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. His bond was set at $1,300.

Deputies in Mills County are also investigating several incidents of theft and/or burglary. Three of the incidents were reported Monday, including: an Omaha man, who said a theft occurred at a location off of Peas Road in Glenwood; a California woman, who said a theft occurred at a location on Depot Street in Pacific Junction, and a Glenwood man, who reported a theft from a location along Gaston Road, in Glenwood.  Another Glenwood resident reported an incident of burglary, on Saturday. The incident happened at a location along Jabber Road. That same day, an Emerson resident reported a burglary had occurred at a location along King Street, in Emerson.