The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two OWI-related arrests took place, Tuesday. 47-year old Daniel Duane Becker, of Atlantic, and 26-year old Jesse Lee Rex Jones, of Griswold, were both taken into custody for OWI/2nd offense. Both men were released on the own recognizance, on Wednesday.

And, on Wednesday, Cass County Sheriff’s Office Deputies arrested 42-year old Michael Abraham Harris, of Lewis, on a charge of Theft in the 3rd Degree. Harris was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on his own recognizance.

A wrong-way driver was cited by Police in Red Oak this (Thursday) morning, following an accident at N. 4th and E. Corning Streets. Authorities say Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator, 31-year old Brian Hamman, of Red Oak, was traveling west on E. Corning Street at around 10-a.m., when the 2016 Chevy Tahoe he was driving (registered to Montgomery County), was struck by a 2005 Chevy Impala, driven by 76-year old Gary Eugene Lebeck, of Atlantic.

Officials say Lebeck was traveling south on N. 4th Street in the wrong direction when his car struck the right front bumper of the Tahoe. No injuries were reported. Damage from the collision amounted to $2,500. Lebeck was cited for Violating a One-Way Traffic Designation.

Shelby County Sheriff Neil Gross reports the arrest on Wednesday, of 34-year old Zachary Isaac Goodside. Goodside, who is from Earling, was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault, Possession of Controlled Substance 2nd Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

He was transported to the Shelby County Jail and held without bond prior to appearing in front of the magistrate this (Thursday) morning. Goodside is currently being held under a $2,000 bond.

Today (Thursday) is the first day fireworks may legally be sold in Iowa, but many retailers are waiting until later in the month to start selling bottle rockets, Roman candles, and other “consumer-grade” fireworks. A fireworks business based in Nebraska plans to open 55 temporary locations in Iowa to sell fireworks three weeks from now. Vince Bellino, of Bellino Enterprises, says his company already operates 130 fireworks stands in South Dakota, Kansas and Missouri as well as Nebraska.

“We are based out of Omaha, so we will have a good mixture in the western part of Iowa, but we will have locations in the Des Moines area, Ames, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Dubuque, Keokuk, Mason City,” Bellino says, “so we’ll be all over the state.”

Bellino’s business has “partnered” with HyVee and Fareway and some of their temporary fireworks sales locations will be near grocery stores. “It’s easily a good fit for us to move into because they’re drawing plenty of traffic,” Bellino says, “and we, typically, draw plenty of traffic in for them as well.”

The new Iowa law allows fireworks sales from now through July 8th at PERMANENT structures. Sales from TEMPORARY structures, like tents, may begin June 13th. Bellino says his company’s stands may open as late as June 25th. In his home state of Nebraska, fireworks may be sold from tents over just a 10-day period compared to Iowa’s new 38-day period for summertime fireworks sales. There’s another sales period in Iowa later in the year from December 10th through January 3rd, but fireworks sales may only be made from permanent structures then.

(Radio Iowa)

Wednesday was the final day of classes in the 56-year history of the Charter-Oak Ute High School in Crawford County. Next year, most 9th through 12th graders will attend classes in the neighboring district of Maple Valley-Anthon Oto. Charter Oak-Ute Superintendent Rollie Wiebers says the move is due to the district receiving less state funding because of declining enrollment.

“Your numbers are just down so low that you just can’t offer a variety enough of programs to put them in situations that’s going to make them successful,” Wiebers says. “When that looks like that trend is going to continue and that’s going to be what the future is, you got to make the difficult decision to shut down your high school and then move kids into a district where those opportunities are available for them.”

Kindergarten through 8th grades will remain in the Charter Oak-Ute district.
Charter Oak-Ute formed in 1961 due to a consolidation between the districts in the neighboring cities of Ute and Charter Oak. Wiebers says this new decision was made due to dropping student numbers. “With declining enrollment comes a lack of financial resources to provide the proper education that you need to,” he says. “That really was the overriding decision.”

Wiebers says in the 1970s, the district’s enrollment was more than 800 pupils. The Iowa Department of Education certified Charter Oak-Ute’s enrollment at 271 this past school year. Over the decades, Iowa’s school numbers have seen drastic changes. Back in the late 1930s, Iowa boasted more than 900 school districts. Now, there are 332 districts statewide.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Sarah Boden, Iowa Public Radio)