The Harlan Police Department reports two, separate arrests. On Sunday, 31-year old Joseph Schuemann, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant. Schuemann was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was also charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and interference with official acts.

And, on May 10th, 33-year old Aaron Robert McCutcheon, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant following a traffic stop. McCutcheon was transported to the Shelby County Jail, where he was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

A new state law gives county assessors authority to shift some of their official activity into the digital age. The legislation will allow property assessments and notices from a county assessor’s office to be sent via e-mail or text message. “Provided that the recipient authorizes that the notices be sent from the assessor’s office via electronic communications.” That’s Representative Greg Heartsill, a Republican from Columbia. County assessors have been sending paper notices via the mail of property tax assessments for homes, apartments and farms as well as commercial and industrial property. Assessors may continue to do use the U.S. Postal Service, but now have the option of shifting to deliver those documents electronically — IF the property owner prefers that method. Representative Amy Nielsen (NEEL-sun), a Democrat, is the former mayor of North Liberty.

“This is a really good, thought-out bill,” Nielsen said during House debate. “It will save our counties some money,” Nielsen said. County assessors determine the value of property every two years. County assessors do NOT collect property taxes, however. County treasurers do. According to the American Bankers Association, 40 percent of Americans manage their bank accounts electronically.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, a leading supporter of corn-based ethanol, says he’ll call for Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt’s resignation if Pruitt doesn’t work to fulfill federal ethanol mandates. Grassley is showing frustration with Pruitt’s lack of action to uphold the Renewable Fuel Standards law. On a conference call with agriculture reporters Tuesday Grassley said Pruitt had better follow through with ethanol mandates or “I’m going to be calling for Pruitt to resign because I’m done playing around with this.”

Grassley says President Donald Trump has committed to upholding 15 billion gallons of ethanol to be mixed into the nation’s fuel supply but Pruitt has been allowing refineries to evade some of that commitment by issuing waivers. Grassley says that has reduced ethanol content to 13.8 billion gallons.

A new phase in the search for missing autistic teenager Jake Wilson is starting today (Tuesday) in La Porte City. An excavation company is bringing in heavy equipment to remove large debris in Wolf Creek near where it flows into the Cedar River. A $10,000 donation from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association is covering the cost the operation. Association president and former Waterloo Mayor Tim Hurley presented the check to La Porte City Fire Rescue on Monday afternoon. “We don’t need any thanks, the gratitude goes the other way,” Hurley says. “There are such fine people in this community of La Porte and surrounding (area) that just keep at it and are persistent and they’re not going to give up. I don’t think we wanted to do anything but help them along that path.” The Black Hawk County Gaming Association distributes grants from gaming revenue. Hurley says the association’s board decided to make the emergency grant after La Porte City firefighters last week made a public request for donations to help defray the costs of the search.

“We care for one another and care about one another,” Hurley says. “That’s the true Iowans that we are and that’s the emotion that hit everybody last Wednesday night when we saw on the local news the story. It was instantaneous that this is what we’re going to do.” Hurley, his wife, and several members of the Gaming Association board were among the hundreds of the volunteers who combed the fields and woods around La Porte City during the initial days of the search. The 16-year-old Wilson went for a walk near Wolf Creek on the night of April 7th and didn’t return home. “This is a grant from the heart. There’s just no doubt about it,” Hurley says. “I was not surprised, but elated, at how quickly those board members came together as said: ‘Do it and do it as fast as we can.'” La Porte City Police Chief Chris Brecher says the donation is a tremendous help — and more dollars are coming in.

“You’re very thankful for the community that you live in, that there are some people willing to step in from the smallest donations to something as sizeable as this, with the 10,000,” Brecher says. Authorities are concentrating on a section of Wolf Creek near the Cedar River because dogs reacted like something might be in the water. “We have had some indications that the possibility is there,” Brecher says. “We’re not just searching this area for nothing. We definitely have reasons that we’ve been brought here.”

(Radio Iowa)

Some Iowa farmers are making good planting progress — while others continue to be hampered by wet conditions. The latest U-S-D-A crop report shows corn planting has advanced from 40 to 65 percent complete in the last week. The soybean planting doubled from 11 percent to 22 percent. The report says northwest and north-central Iowa continue to be plagued by wet conditions — with just 26 percent of the corn in the ground in north-central Iowa and only three percent of the soybeans. While in the southeast part of the state the corn planting is close to being wrapped up, with 91 percent in the ground and the beans at 65 percent.

(Radio Iowa)

A traffic stop at around 7:20-p.m. Monday, in Mills County, led to the arrest of a man on drug and other charges. The Mills County K9 Unit stopped a vehicle on Mile Hill Lake Park. Upon investigation and searching the vehicle, drug paraphernalia and a .22-caliber handgun were found. The driver, 39-year old Jon Dawson Roberts, of Shenandoah, was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Carrying weapons and Driving Under Suspension. He was transported to the Mills County Jail without further incident.

Cass County Attorney Michael Hooper has provided an update on a trio of court cases that reached their conclusion in court, Monday. 19-year old Colin Peterson, who was arrested by Atlantic Police on Feb. 6th,  plead guilty to a Class D Felony charge of Theft in the 2nd Degree. He was placed on two-years probation and ordered to pay restitution to the victims of his crimes. Peterson was also assessed a civil penalty of $750. 34-year old Christopher Leon Bomer, of Atlantic, was arrested Feb. 1st for felony Possession of Marijuana/3rd or subsequent offense, and OWI/1st offense. He plead guilty Monday, to the Class D felony Possession charge, and was sentenced to five-years in prison, with time suspended. Bomer was placed on two-years of supervised probation, and as a condition of his probation, is required to have a substance abuse evaluation, and follow any recommended treatment.

And, 25-year old Adnan Abdic, of Waterloo, who was arrested this past February in Cass County on a Black Hawk County warrant for Theft in the 4th degree, plead guilty Monday to a Class D felony charge of Theft in the 2nd Degree, and was sentenced to 5-years in prison. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims of his crime.

A man from Adams County is running in the June Primary for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Ray Gaesser, a Republican from Corning, announced his intentions to run back in January. Since then, he’s gathered more than the required number of signatures to be placed on the ballot, along with current Iowa Republican Ag Secretary Mike Naig, three other Republicans, and one Democrat. Gaesser stopped by the KJAN studios this (Tuesday) morning, to explain what separates him from his fellow Republicans. He says he’s a life-long farmer. The sole income for himself and his wife comes from agriculture. They’ve been farming near Corning for about 40-years. He says he’s done a lot of work over the years developing policy for agriculture and Iowa agriculture, along with developing, opening and creating markets around the world and much more, all as a volunteer, not a professional politician.

Ray Gaesser

Before he farmed in Iowa, he worked on his parents’ farm in Indiana, along with his mom and younger siblings. He says he learned a lot about farming and personal responsibility after his father passed, when Gaesser was 15.  He says the Sec. Of Agriculture needs to be personally responsible and lead by example, something he’s done his whole life. Gaesser was asked about activists calls for a ban on factory farms. He says “animal agriculture is an important way for Iowa to increase value in everything that we grow. It’s also a great opportunity for young people to get into agriculture. He says it’s a serious investment.

He says it bothers him when people talk about CAFO’s – factory farms – because in most Iowa cases, a factory farm is really a family farm that hasn’t told their story, because it is the family members [who] are caring for [the animals]. That’s how their family makes a living, and maybe allowing the next generation to come into the farm, which is all important to the future of Iowa. He believes it’s an investment in Iowa’s future. He acknowledges that we can do better and are using more technology to reduce the smell and apply animal nutrients at the right place, time and position.

Gaesser says agriculture is the circle of life, with just about everything created being recycled and used in many ways. He said there are ways using technology, of helping to prevent nutrient run-off into the waterways, which is a big concern for cities tapping rivers for their drinking water.

Ray Gaesser asks for your vote June 5^th, because of his experience in trade, farm policy and actual hands-on farming.

(Learn more at www.gaesserforiowa.com)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The ex-wife of a western Iowa sheriff’s deputy killed in the line of duty has filed a lawsuit against his widow and the county, claiming donations made for his children were never given to them.

Pottawattamie County Deputy Mark Burbridge died in May 2017 after inmate Wesley Correa-Carmenaty shot him while attempting to escape. Sheriff Sgt. Jason LeMaster and the county started the Mark Burbridge Memorial Fund after his death, collecting more than $160,000 in donations.

Sara Reinsch, the deputy’s ex-wife, filed a petition on March 29, alleging that the public was told the funds would go toward Burbridge’s children, The Daily Nonpareil reported . Reinsch and Burbridge, who divorced in 2012, had two children together and cared for another minor while they were married, according to the lawsuit.

Reinsch was denied access to the fund’s bank statements, and only Burbridge’s widow, Jessica Burbridge, was allowed access to the account, the petition said. “Jessica has now depleted the fund and taken all the money meant to assist Mark’s children following his death, leaving them nothing after openly exploiting them for personal gain,” the lawsuit alleged.

Jessica Burbridge said the donated money wasn’t specifically declared for the children, according to court records. She denies exploiting the children and alleges she’s helped them collect various benefits, including a $400,000 life insurance policy. She said the children will also receive $171,000 from the Department of Justice and $8,000 from the Homicide Survivor’s Group.

Reinsch’s attorney, Edward Keane, said Jessica Burbridge’s response had inaccuracies and that the children aren’t beneficiaries of the life insurance policy.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A judge says a Davenport woman accused of killing her husband isn’t competent to stand trial, so he ordered that the case be dismissed. Judge Stuart Werling said in a ruling filed last week that there’s “no reasonable likelihood” 53-year-old Shiela Jasper can be restored to competency. He says his decision is based on evaluation reports from two doctors.

Werling ordered that she be released to the custody of Vera French Community Medical Center staffers or her guardian. An arrest affidavit says Jasper told police she shot 64-year-old Mark Jasper in the head Jan. 7, 2017, while he was asleep on a living room chair. She covered his face with a towel and waited several hours before contacting a mortuary.