The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a Minden man was arrested Thursday afternoon on a valid Pottawattamie County arrest warrant for Harassment 1st Degree Sexting. 39-year old Michael David Hillis was being held without bond in the Pott. County Jail. Hillis also faces a charge of Interference with Official Acts, the bond for which is $300.

The Pott. County Sheriff’s Office reports also, two men being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail were served with additional warrants Thursday. 26-year old Damian Daniel Blain, of Council Bluffs, who was being held in the jail on a 2nd Degree Theft charge, was presented with a warrant for Felony Theft in the 2nd degree, the bond for which is $5,000. He was returned to the custody of Corrections Staff. 43-year old Marcos Rafael Jarquin, of Council Bluffs, was served with a warrant for Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $10,000.

And, 23-year old Chance Hunter Adolf, of Papillion, NE., was arrested Thursday, for Probation Violation.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Aug. 3, 2018 – A pavement repair project on eastbound Interstate 80/southbound I-29 in Council Bluffs, will require closing the roadway to traffic overnight beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4th, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s District 4 Office. The interstate and ramps are expected to open by 7 a.m. Sunday morning, Aug. 5th. Southbound I-29 traffic will be diverted to 24th Street. Eastbound I-80 traffic will be reduced to one lane and the eastbound I-80 on-ramp at 24th Street and the eastbound off-ramp at South Expressway will be closed at 7 p.m. as well. At 10 p.m., eastbound I-80 traffic will be diverted to 24th Street. Please follow the posted detours during the closure.

Iowa DOT is in the process of reconstructing I-80, I-29 and I-480 in the Council Bluffs metropolitan area as part of the Council Bluffs Interstate Improvement Program. This comprehensive interstate redesign, which will be delivered over the next eight-to-10 years, will modernize the highway system and improve mobility and safety of approximately 18 miles of interstate. The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

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

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City has negotiated a settlement worth $7.5 million to the victim of a November 2016 crash involving a city bus. The Sioux City Journal reports that the City Council will vote Monday on the agreement with Chad and Rosanne Plante, of rural Hinton. The city’s legal department has recommended approval following mediation talks with the couple.

Chad Plante suffered two broken legs and a brain injury in the Nov. 15 crash. Authorities say a turning Sioux City Transit bus failed to yield at the intersection and struck Plante’s sport utility vehicle. The bus driver was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device. Plante spent several weeks in a coma and then had months of rehabilitation. He and his wife haven’t filed any litigation yet.

Documents say Sioux City will be responsible for paying nearly $211,000 and the city’s insurance will cover the rest.

Officials with the Creston Police Department report 32-year old Ryan Michael Weis, of Creston, was arrested Thursday on a charge of OWI/2nd offense. Weis was being held in the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond. And, a Creston man residing in the 2800 block of New York Avenue, reported Thursday, that sometime between 1:30-a.m. and 12-p.m., someone broke the back window out of his rental vehicle, and took a small speaker out of the back seat area. The loss was estimated at $130.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Department of Public Health says the number of H-I-V cases was down in 2017 — but was still the second most behind the record in 2016. The D-P-H’s Nicole Kolm-Valdivia says cases dropped by 12 to 125 in 2017. The numbers had increased by 10 percent in 2016 and she says it’s hard to tell exactly why the numbers have been up. “We have a lot of outreach and media efforts — and so we think those are working — and we think people may also have increase access to healthcare and are getting tested that way,” Kolm-Valdivia. “So, even though it can sometimes seem alarming that we are having more people who are being diagnosed, it can actually mean that there’s just more people who are aware of their status who can get into healthcare and access those services.”

Kolm-Valdivia says they want to continue letting people know about the importance of knowing your status. “The ultimate goal is for people who have H-I-V to get diagnosed soon after they acquire the virus,” Kolm-Valdivia. “Because we see that once people become virally suppressed — meaning the level of H-I-V in their blood is really low — they cannot sexually transmit the virus and their health outcomes are improved.”  She says the I-D-P-H is targeting the African-American and Latino populations because they have a disproportionate number of cases for their population size. “We do see that African-Americans make up about three percent of Iowa’s population, but about 30 percent of people who were diagnosed with H-I-V last year. Latinos are about six percent of the population in Iowa — but about 13 percent of people who are diagnosed,” according to Kolm-Valdivia. “And so we see a lot of different factors that are associated with those rates like higher rates of poverty, immigration, historical trauma, segregation, compounded by things like racism and homophobia, stigma.”

Men who have sex with other men continue to be the largest number of Iowans diagnosed with H-I-V at 56 percent. Kolm-Valdivia says the state has some tests sites they fund to do testing in this group. “They do specific outreach with populations such as men having sex with men to ensure that they are getting testing that they need as well as access to condoms and then pre-exposure prophylaxis– which is medication that can prevent H-I-V,” she says.

Kolm-Valdivia says all Iowans ages 15 to 64 should get tested for H-I-V at least once in their lives. People who do not use condoms during sex or inject drugs should be tested more frequently.  “We know there are over 400 Iowans which H-I-V who have not been diagnosed,” Kolm-Valdivia, “And so we recommend that everyone get tested and learn their status. And if they have H-I-V, get into medical care.”  Kolm-Valdivia says the treatment of H-I-V has advanced dramatically since the disease was first discovered. “H-I-V is treated much more like a chronic disease now. So, people go into their provider once or twice a year and are on medications and the side affects are minimal and the health outcomes are much improved — similar to someone who doesn’t have H-I-V,” Kolm-Valdivia explains.

Kolm-Valdivia says they recommend that health care providers ask patients about their sexual health or drug use to help assess their risk for H-I-V.

The Montgomery County Extension Office reports the Region 17 Showcase was held Tuesday, July 31 at 4:30pm the Council Bluffs Public Library in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Region 17 Showcase night is an event bringing the best of the best from each county in Region 17 together to compete for the top table setting in each category and age division along with the top Junk in a Bucket. Counties in Region 17 include Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, East Pottawattamie and West Pottawattamie.

During each county fair, each county holds a Table Setting Contest where youth choose a theme for either a formal or casual table setting. They plan a menu of what would be served, arrange a full single table setting with flatware, stemware, and dinnerware as needed to serve the planned meal at their dinner or party. They create a centerpiece to fit the theme. Finally, they set up the table setting, menu and centerpiece on a card table, or for informal table settings such as a picnic, arrange everything on a blanket on the floor. They youth wear clothing that goes along with the theme to strengthen the presentation. A judge then talks to the participant and judges them on their planning skills, ability to set a proper table, manners, ability to develop a theme, the menu, centerpiece and clothing choices, hospitality skills and communication throughout the judging process.

Junior Casual

Junior Formal

Will Pollock

Youth are divided into age groups of juniors (grades 4-6), intermediates (grades 7-8) and seniors (grades 9-12) and then are divided again into the categories of formal or casual. At the end of each county fair, their top junior, intermediate and senior in both casual and formal are selected to participate in the Region 17 Showcase night. Youth came together, set up their tables and were judged. The top junior, intermediate and senior in both casual and formal were selected and received an award at the end of the showcase evening. In addition to the Table Setting Contest, Junk in a Bucket Contest also takes place at the Region 17 Showcase. Each county again holds their own Junk in a Bucket contest at their county fair and select their top creation to send on to the Showcase.

Prior to county fair, participants receive a bucket full of metal scraps. Using their creativity, they create something fun, weld it together and bring it to fair. Creations are judged by people’s choice voting and the top creation is selected to participate at Region 17 Showcase. County winners bring their Junk in a Bucket creation to be on display during the evening and other participants along with the public vote for their favorite creation. At the end of the evening, the top youth were awarded.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowans can save some money if they’re doing back-to-school shopping this weekend — or for themselves if they don’t have kids — with the annual Sales Tax Holiday. John Fuller, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Revenue, says this is the 20th year for the holiday, which runs today (Friday) and Saturday. “A couple of things to keep in mind are, it basically covers clothing and footwear that are less than $100,” Fuller says. “So, if you buy an article of clothing or a pair of shoes that costs less than $100, that’s tax-free during those two days.”

There is often some confusion about what is — and isn’t — covered during the holiday. “There’s a lot of items that people wonder sometimes is that considered clothing,” Fuller says. “For instance, a work uniform would be considered clothing, but a shoulder pad for your son’s football team would -not- be considered clothing.”  There’s an online resource that should clear up all questions. Fuller says, “If your listeners go to tax.iowa.gov and look for the bright shopping bags, that webpage has a lot of information as well as a big list that says what is exempt and what is taxable.”

Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Kristina Wiltgen says this holiday is particularly important for communities on Iowa’s northern border. Wiltgen says, “Anytime you can give retail store customers an incentive to stay local to do their shopping that’s obviously a huge benefit, especially with our proximity to Minnesota, which is always tax-free on their clothing.”

Iowa’s Sales Tax Holiday began at 12:01-a.m. today (Friday) and ends at 11:59-p.m. Saturday.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — Marshalltown’s largest employer has announced $1 million in aid to its employees and the community as they recover from the July 19 tornado that tore through the city.
JBS USA employs 2,300 people at its Marshalltown pork facility. The tornado that hit Marshalltown was among a flurry of twisters that swept through central Iowa, injuring at least 17 people and flattening buildings in three cities

Martin Dooley is president and chief operating officer of JBS USA Pork, and he says he’s lived and worked in Marshalltown for several years, “so this devastating event resonates with me personally.” The Des Moines Register reports that the company donated $200,000 to Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc., a nonprofit that serves children and families in vulnerable situations, and $200,000 to the Rebuild Marshalltown Fund.