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DONALD L. “CAP” ARNOLD, 84, of Glendale, Arizona (Svcs. 6/6/15)

Obituaries

June 4th, 2015 by admin

DONALD L. “CAP” ARNOLD, 84, of Glendale, Arizona, died Feb. 11th, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. Memorial services for DONALD “CAP” ARNOLD will be held 10:30-a.m. Saturday, June, 6th, at the Pauley Jones Funeral Home, in Harlan.

There is no visitation.

Burial will take place at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Kirkman, IA

DONALD ARNOLD is survived by:

His Daughter- Lin Hepokoski, of Phoenix, Arizona

His Sons- Dave Arnold, of Fort Collins, CO., and Jay Nelsen of Omaha, NE.

His brothers- Glen Arnold, of Harlan; Kenny Arnold, of Scottsbluff, NE, and Raymond Arnold, of Minden.

His Sister- Martha Lynn Petersen, of Avoca, IA

4 Grandchildren & 1 Great-Grandchild.

New legal protections for county landfills accepting bird flu carcasses

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 4th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The legislature is passing new liability protections for county landfills that accept the dead carcasses from poultry operations that have been hit by bird flu. Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm, a Democrat from Cresco, says it’s a protection for county taxpayers who would have to pick up the tab if their local landfill is sued. “If they take on the responsibility of accepting these birds, that if they follow Homeland Security, DNR, federal regs, if somebody wants to sue them for whatever reason, they’re not going to be held responsible because they’re following all the rules,” Wilhelm says.

The issue is being addressed in a budget bill that outlines spending for the Iowa Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Legislators are also asking landfills to submit a report to the state next year, detailing the volume of bird carcasses buried and the fees charged by the landfill. Wilhelm says it’s a check against excessive landfill charges. “The feds are paying for the tipping fees,” Wilhelm says, “and so we don’t want to have them take advantage of, drastically increasing the tipping fees.”

More than 30 million chickens and turkeys have had to be killed in Iowa due to the bird flu outbreak. All of the turkeys and some chickens are being composted in their barns. Some dead chickens are being buried just outside on the farms. Some are being burned and others are being shipped to landfills. A large incinerator at a landfill near Cherokee is currently burning about seven loads of dead birds a day, with plans to increase capacity in the coming days.

A privately-owned landfill near Malvern and a county landfill near Sheldon are burying “bio-secure” bags of the dead chickens. Officials with Polk County’s landfill have indicated a willingness to make bird burials, too, but to date none have been taken there. The legislature’s new liability protection for landfills would not apply to the landfill near Malvern, but would apply to the other two county-owned landfills.

(Radio Iowa)

Council Bluffs officials say donation will aid bell project

News

June 4th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Fire department officials in Council Bluffs say a $2,000 donation will help them plan for the restoration of an old bell that once tolled for fire calls. The Daily Nonpareil reports the Pottawattamie County Community Foundation made the donation to aid planning for the bell, which will be placed at the city’s headquarters station.

The bell, which was forged in St. Louis in 1876, was rung when fire calls came in. It also tolled for firefighter funerals. The bell was moved to many stations over the years but has been in storage for a few years. Fire officials want to restore the bell and place it in a tower. Project estimates range from $80,000 to $120,000.

Flash Flood Watch issued for Mills-Montgomery-Fremont & Page Counties

Weather

June 4th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

114 PM CDT THU JUN 4 2015

…HEAVY RAINFALL COULD CAUSE FLASH FLOODING INTO FRIDAY…

THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON WILL EXPAND IN COVERAGE AS THEY DRIFT EAST INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA AND EVENTUALLY SOUTHWEST IOWA. CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF STORMS IS LIKELY OVERNIGHT IN THE WATCH AREA…WITH TRAINING OF STORMS

…FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OMAHA/VALLEY HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST IOWA AND NEBRASKA THROUGH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. LOCALLY, THIS INCLUDES MILLS, MONTGOMERY, FREMONT AND PAGE COUNTIES.

* THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD ACROSS EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA…AS WELL AS SOUTHWEST IOWA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OVER AN INCH ARE LIKELY IN MOST OF THE WATCH AREA…WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS TOPPING 3 INCHES. HEAVY RAINS FROM STORMS THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING HAVE SATURATED SOILS…ESPECIALLY IN SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA. ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINS COULD EASILY CAUSE FLOODING OR FLASH FLOODING.

WITH LOCAL CREEKS AND STREAMS ALREADY RUNNING HIGH…ADDITIONAL RAINFALL COULD PUSH THESE OUT OF THEIR BANKS. STREET FLOODING IS LIKELY IN CITIES AND TOWNS AS WELL…WITH PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS ALSO CAUSING TRAVEL PROBLEMS. THIS WILL BE ESPECIALLY TRUE OVERNIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODING.

 PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.

Omaha man arrested Thu. morning on Montgomery County warrant

News

June 4th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Sheriff’s Deputies in Montgomery County arrested an Omaha man this (Thursday) morning, on a warrant charging him with Contempt of Court – Resistance to a Judicial Order or Process. Christian T. Leming was transported from the Douglas County, Nebraska Corrections facility to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center. Leming appeared before the Magistrate and had his bond set at $800.

Hazardous Weather Outlook for far west/s.w. Iowa & eastern NE

Weather

June 4th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE COUNTIES
1136 AM CDT THU JUN 4 2015

THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT: ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. SOME STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY HAZARD. ISOLATED TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE THIS EVENING.

A NEARLY STATIONARY SURFACE BOUNDARY REMAINS ACROSS NORTHERN
KANSAS LATE THIS MORNING AND NEW STORM DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE LATE THIS AFTERNOON IN THE VICINITY OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS WHERE BETTER INSTABILITY AND SHEAR WILL BE IN PLACE. STORMS WILL THEN SPREAD EAST OR NORTHEAST DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT INTO EASTERN NEBRASKA AND SOUTHWEST IOWA.

MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY COUNTIES

THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE TONIGHT ACROSS
NORTHEAST NEBRASKA INTO WEST CENTRAL IOWA. ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY HAZARDS.

Governor not indicating support/opposition to MHI deal

News

June 4th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The Branstad Administration is not yet indicating whether the governor will accept or reject the legislature’s attempt to undo Branstad’s order to close the state-run Mental Health Institutes in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant. A bill that cleared both the House and Senate yesterday (Wednesday) with bipartisan support calls for keeping the Mount Pleasant facility open for another year. The Clarinda M-H-I would remain open until mid-December, with hopes of finding a private company that would run the unit there that cares for elderly patients who are too frail or aggressive for other facilities. Clarinda Economic Development Director John Greenwood says that would be victory for his community.

“Like in anything, you’re hoping to get more, but you have to work with the powers that be on both sides,” Greenwood says. “And, you know, if you’ll remember back when Branstad brought out his budget, Clarinda would have been essentially closed right now, so for us it definitely is a positive thing.” A spokesman for the governor said this morning that Branstad “will carefully review the bill while also continuing to consider how the state provides the highest quality of care to individuals in need.” Clarinda’s economic development director says the legislature’s proposal gives employees at the M-H-I more time to figure out their next step and it his community a chance to try to find a private company that will come in and keep the facility operating.

“Probably, most importantly, it gives us another six months to continue to provide services for the folks out there that need them,” Greenwood says. Senator Rich Taylor, a Democrat from Mount Pleasant, is also hoping the governor accepts the legislature’s plan. “What the governor was trying to do in shutting down the Mental Health Institution was just wrong,” Taylor says. The M-H-I in Mount Pleasant would continue to offer inpatient treatment for those with the “dual diagnosis” of substance abuse and mental illness if the governor accepts the legislature’s proposal. Senator Taylor worked at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison for 27 years and Taylor says he saw many inmates who wound up behind prison walls because they hadn’t gotten mental health treatment.

“And to shut down even more of our state institutions was just totally unacceptable to me. It just broken my heart,” Taylor says. “It just is not the right place for these people. It’s not what we should do to these most vulnerable citizens.” State officials have said about a third of the inmates in Iowa prisons are “severely mentally ill” — hearing voices, seeing things and often unable to comprehend prison staff orders. The legislature’s vote on the future of the two Mental Health Institutes in southern Iowa is among the many decisions lawmakers are rushing to make this week, in hopes of concluding the 2015 legislative session — perhaps as soon as today (Thursday).

(Radio Iowa)

3 arrests in Mills County so far this week

News

June 4th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says three people have been arrested so far this week. On Tuesday, 26-year old Andrew Dean West, of Malvern, was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail on a Warrant for Violation of Probation. His cash bond was set at $10,000.

On Wednesday, Matthew Demorest, of Malvern, was cited for Driving Under Suspension. That same night, 33-year old Pamela Jean Demorest, of Pacific Junction, was arrested for Interference with Official Acts. Her bond was set at $300.

Early this (Thursday) morning, 54-year old Ronald Evans McCombs, of Omaha, was arrested in Mills County, for Public Intoxication. His bond was also set at $300.

Tabor man injured during Mills County crash

News

June 4th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

A single-vehicle accident in Mills County, Wednesday morning, resulted in the driver of the vehicle being transported to a hospital in Omaha. Sheriff’s officials say Dennis James, of Tabor, was driving a 2014 Chevy southbound on Highway 275 at around 7:10-a.m., when the vehicle crossed the center line of the road near Quigg Avenue.

The car went off the road to the left and hit an embankment before it struck a culvert and flew through the air and rolled into the east road ditch. The vehicle eventually came to rest on its passenger side, facing north. James was transported by ambulance to the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Atlantic’s Mayor urges motorists/residents to exercise caution & courtesy

News

June 4th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones, Wednesday, asked local residents and motorists passing through the area during the Highway 6/7th Street construction project, to exercise caution and courtesy, when taking the detour routes through town and to area businesses located along the construction zone.

An area of special concern is the intersection of 10th and Olive, where some motorists are making “California”, or “rolling stops,” meaning they are not coming to a complete stop, as required by law. Jones reminds motorists that when you come to a 4-way stop that is not controlled with traffic lights, you must make a complete stop, and yield to the vehicle on your right, before proceeding cautiously into the intersection.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green says his officers issued 13 tickets for illegal stopping in one day alone. Green said motorists are also failing to stop along 8th Street, east of Olive, where there are stop signs located at every intersection. So far, at least three tickets were issued to motorists who failed to obey those signs.

Jones also asked motorists to respect those whose driveways are located along the detour route, by giving them a chance to exit their driveways, especially when traffic flow is heavy. Councilman Dana Halder echoed Jones’ comments about being courteous drivers.

Halder said “Courtesy goes a long ways, and, especially along 10th Street. If you’ve got a whole line of cars, and somebody is trying to turn left, it’d be nice if you’d stop for ‘em and let them turn left.” Jones said he understands the construction is an inconvenience, but it’s been a long time in coming, and when it’s finished, will be a great benefit to the community.