DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa prosecutors have again charged a Nebraska 16-year-old with helping to rob and kill a man. The adult murder charge against Xavier Smith Catchings, of Omaha, was refiled after a jurisdiction hearing in Council Bluffs. He and two other people are accused of killing Council Bluffs resident Adam Angeroth.

Prosecutors initially charged the boy in district court and then sought dismissal and his referral to juvenile court because the crime alleged occurred when the boy was 15. The prosecutors said juveniles charged with forcible felonies must be at least 16 when the crimes occurred for the charges to be directly filed to district courts.

A judge ruled Thursday that Smith Catchings’ case should be returned to district court because it was unlikely he’d be rehabilitated in the juvenile system.

The Cass County Auditor’s Office reminds patrons of the Atlantic Community School District, that there are only a couple days left before Atlantic School Special Election Day. There’s still time to vote in the Auditor’s Office during their regular business hours. Absentee voting will be held up until 11-a.m. until Tuesday, April 2nd. The polls will be open April 2nd from Noon until 8:00 p.m. As of this (Friday) morning 400 voters had cast their ballots at the Auditor’s Office.

Coming before the voters Tuesday, is a $9.5-million bond referendum that would pay for school building and site improvements. The Resolution on the ballot asks: “Shall the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Community School District, in the Counties of Cass, Audubon and Pottawattamie, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness ans issue general obligation bonds in an amount not exceeding $9,500,000 for the purpose of furnishing, equipping, constructing, improving, repairing, and renovating school buildings and improving the sites thereof at the school district’s existing school buildings located in Atlantic, Iowa, including without limitation: (a) renovating, equipping and improving the football field/track/stadium, team building, concession and related buildings/site improvements, (b) renovating, equipping and improving  the softball/baseball fields and related buildings/site improvements, (c) constructing, relocating, equipping and improving tennis courts and related buildings/site improvements, and (d) improving and realigning a roadway for smoother access to the elementary school and connection to the middle school?”

If approved during the Special Election, the indebtedness of the district will be in excess of 1.25-percent of the assessed valuation of taxable property in the School District.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Senate has unanimously endorsed the idea of adding mental health professionals who a masters degree to a state program that helps nurses and physicians assistants repay their college loans.  Republican Senator Tim Kraayenbrink, of Fort Dodge, says “All the recipients are required to work in rural areas. The bill helps address some of our shortfalls and shortages in mental health in our rural areas.”

The loan repayment program is ONLY available to those who work full-time in a rural community and the state grants are NOT subject to income taxes. Senator Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, says there’s bipartisan support for this move. “Mental health professionals — and we don’t have enough overall — but the ones we have, too many of them are concentrated in urban areas,” Quirmbach said. “I think this bill will help us get more of that type of medical assistance out to our smaller communities.”‘

The current program offers state grants to nurses and P-As and the money is to be used to repay student loans. It’s only available to those who are working in a rural area with “diminishing” health care services.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s former secretary of agriculture is back in the state to survey flood damage and talk to displaced residents, especially farmers who have had many hundreds of acres underwater. Bill Northey, now an undersecretary at the U-S-D-A, says it was “mind-boggling” to tour the disaster areas of water-logged southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri on Thursday.  “It’s devastating. We’ve talked to producers. This is one of the worst they’ve had,” Northey says. “We need to be able to work with our partners in other parts of the federal government to say how do we need to address the overall issue going forward, also, how do we need to respond to help people right now?”

Northey and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley plan to conduct a town hall meeting at the Mills County Fairgrounds in Hamburg this (Friday) afternoon at 1:30 p-m. Northey says he worries a wrecked levee system along the Missouri River is leaving the area vulnerable to more flooding, perhaps very soon. He says he knows fields are unprotected, as farmers wait for the water to recede. “This is going to take a long time to get out of the way so folks can get back to picking up debris and trying to rebuild levees and certainly get back to a more normal situation,” Northey says. “But it could be worse before it gets better as well.”

Northey says he’s overwhelmed by the scope of the damage he’s witnessing in the region, noting, flooding is always devastating but he wasn’t prepared for this. “It’s just mind-boggling to see it in person,” Northey says. “How much water there is and how much water has to get off of here to eventually make this land such that they can get out there and get some planting done.”

Northey says he has two messages for his boss, U-S Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue. First, farmers need help to recover — now, and second, changes are needed in how the Missouri River is managed to prevent another repeat.

(Thanks to Brent Martin, KFEQ, St. Joseph, MO.)

(Radio Iowa) — Floodwaters are gradually falling but residents in four southwest Iowa communities who are still subject to mandatory evacuation orders haven’t seen their homes in about two weeks. Matt Schoville and his family had to flee their home near Percival and have been staying at a campground outside of Sidney. Schoville says the dislocation has been devastating. “I really don’t know what we’re gonna do, it’s crazy,” Schoville says. “There’s not much to rent or to buy around this area, to even relocate for now.”

In Fremont County, part of Hamburg remains evacuated, while Percival, McPaul and Bartlett are fully evacuated. Mike Crecelius, Fremont County’s emergency management coordinator, says FEMA is helping people with losses but there’s a long recovery process ahead. “Some of our county roads aren’t even there anymore,” Crecelius says. “There was that much force with the water flowing south that we have large portions of county roads that are missing or there’s holes in them.”

Crecelius says this second major Missouri River flood within a decade is disastrous for the region. “Bartlett, in 2011, only had three to four feet of water in it,” Crecelius says, “and this time, Bartlett had water to where you could only see rooftops.”  He says the river needs to drop below flood stage before communities can start to see relief. The National Weather Service says snowmelt from South Dakota is coming down the river, and that’s one thing delaying water levels from dropping.

(Thanks to Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Transportation officials say it will take months to repair major roads in western Iowa damaged by spring flooding. The Des Moines Register reports that state transportation official Scott Suhr says crews were on site Thursday to inspect some of the worst damages on parts of Interstate’s 29 and 680, Highway 34 and state highway 2. Suhr says around 25 miles of interstate in southwest Iowa and roughly 14 miles of roads north of Council Bluffs remain closed Thursday afternoon due to washed away shoulders, eroded pavement and scattered waste.

Suhr noted his chief concern is state Highway 2, since portions are still submerged. Suhr added getting construction equipment into the area will be challenging because the ground is drenched, saying that inescapable spring downpours could muddy things.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Friday), approved the appointment of Chris Heuton, from rural Wiota, as Franklin Township Trustee. The appointment was made to fill a vacancy created by the death earlier this month of Ray Zellmer, and it is effective through the remainder of the term, ending 12/31/2020.

The Board also approved, after some minor editing by the Cass County Attorney, a partnership agreement for the purpose of creating, funding and overseeing a Wellness Coordinator position to serve the residents of Cass County. Board Chair Steve Baier said the agreement was between the County/Board of Supervisors, Cass County Agricultural Extension, CCMH, and the Nishna Valley Family YMCA. The agreement is for a period of 15 months, ending July 1, 2020. The County’s share of the cost will be paid for through the Local Option Sales Tax/Community Betterment Development.

In other business, the Board approved the renewal of a lease between the County and Partnership 4 Progress, for the Willow Heights building. And, they approved an agreement with the Iowa Dept. of Transportation for a Highway Safety Improvement Program as part of a Secondary Federal Aid Swap Project, and a related amendment for FY 2019.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon report cities in Cass County will conduct their outdoor warning siren tests at noon today (March 29th). And, siren tests will occur each Friday at noon throughout the summer season, except if there is an actual threat of severe weather.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report 62-year old Charles Roger Berner, Jr., appeared at the sheriff’s office Thursday morning, to turn himself-in. Berner was wanted on a Pott. County warrant for Criminal Trespass/1st offense. He was transported to the jail and turned over to Corrections Staff. Thursday afternoon, 38-year old Robert Edward Benedict, of Council Bluffs, who was an inmate at the Pott. County Jail, was presented with a warrant out of Nebraska, for being a Fugitive from Justice. Benedict was then returned to his cell. And, 30-year old Jeffrey Earl Ratliff, of Council Bluffs, who was also being held in the jail, was presented with a warrant out of Council Bluffs, for Violation of Parole.

And, 39-year old Bobby Lewis Burr, Jr. of Shenandoah, was transported from the Page County Jail to the Pott. County Jail, Thursday. Burr was wanted on a Pott. County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault causing injury/1st offense. He was booked into the Pott. County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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