The Adams County Sherrif’s Office reports the arrest early Saturday morning of a Creston man on drug charges. At 1:03am a traffic stop was conducted near the Adams/Taylor County line on a vehicle operated by Paul Lee Albrechsten of Creston.  After investigation Deputies found Albrechsten to be in possession of a white crystalline substance that tested positive for methamphetamine. An additional baggie of the substance was found in his wallet along with a small straw in a cup holder that had residue.  Albrechsten was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Offense (Methamphetamine) and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  He was taken to the Adams County Jail and held on $1,300 cash only bond until seen by the Magistrate.

Taylor County Sheriff’s Officials assisted with the arrest.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports three separate arrests Friday and early Saturday.

On Friday at 7:03pm Deputies arrested 26-year-old Michael Ryan Weeden of Red Oak in the 200 block of East Corning Street in Red Oak. He was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance and had a valid Adams County Arrest warrant for Willful Injury-Causing Serious Injury. Weeden was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on no bond.

At 10:47pm Friday Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 23-year-old Diego Miguel Juaquin of Red Oak in the 200 block of West Oak Street in Red Oak. He was charged with Driving While Revoked. Juaquin was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and is being held on $300 bond.

Early Saturday morning at 2:44am Deputies arrested 40-year-old Jason Alan Bills of Atlantic in the 1200 block of Highway 71 for OWI 1st Offense. Bills was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

Iowa’s treasurer says Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to tap an emergency fund to address a budget shortfall is not compliant with state law.

Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald sent a letter to Reynolds on Friday that says revenue tied to the state budget that ended in June did not drop below a certain legal threshold. Since revenue didn’t meet that threshold, Fitzgerald says funds can’t legally be transferred from the state’s economic emergency fund.

Reynolds announced recently that a shortfall to last year’s $7.2 billion budget wouldn’t trigger a special legislative session. She said she would instead transfer $13 million from the fund.

Multiple messages left with the Republican governor were not immediately returned Friday.

Fitzgerald says he wants Reynolds to carefully review the budget numbers before she formally taps the fund.

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Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ staff is dismissing a letter from the state treasurer that questions the legality of a budgetary move aimed at addressing a shortfall.

Reynolds’ press secretary Brenna Smith criticized Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald Friday by saying he and other Democrats should “quit manufacturing problems.”

Fitzgerald sent a letter Friday to the Republican governor about the $7.2 billion state budget that ended in June. He says revenue tied to the budget did not drop below a certain legal threshold that’s needed for tapping an emergency fund.

Smith says Fitzgerald is reviewing the wrong numbers. Fitzgerald disagrees with that assessment, but he says he won’t formally challenge Reynolds. He warned Reynolds could open herself up to inquiries from others if she ignores the letter.

(re-posting due to earlier coding error) A western Iowa native who now lives in Puerto Rico says riding out Hurricane Irma followed by another hit from Hurricane Maria has been a horrible experience that’s left most of the island devastated. Sadie Gray, who’s originally from Denison, says she is getting by but there’s little left of the island and what’s there is battered from the one-two punch from the hurricanes.

“We were still hurting from Irma and Irma wasn’t even that bad for us,” Gray says. “Before Maria came, we had friends (nearby) who still didn’t have power and this was two weeks after Irma came to town. People haven’t had power for going on almost a month now. We got our power back after Irma, three days after she was done. We’re still on generator power.” Gray says the whole island is suffering.

“It’s a mess,” she says. “I’m standing in my back yard right now because it’s where I get a good cell signal and I’m looking at what used to be a forest. It’s just naked, broken, sad trees.” Gray says her water was turned on two days after the storm and they have a filtration system, so it’s okay to drink and they stocked up on bottled water prior to the storm. She says gasoline for generators and vehicles is one of the hottest commodities on the island right now.

“Personally, we’re okay, we’ll be fine through this whole thing,” Gray says. “It’s just a matter of riding it out, but there are so many people here who don’t have fresh water to drink. They haven’t had power for weeks and they are definitely not okay.” Another thing that’s in short supply on Puerto Rico is patience, as there is a lot of standing around, waiting in line.

“There are people at the grocery store every single day because they don’t have any way to refrigerate their food because they don’t have any power or generators,” she says. “The grocery lines are almost as ridiculous as the lines at the gas stations.” There are also lines at automatic teller machines that could be two-to-four hours long on the hopes of withdrawing $20, if there’s any money left at all. Without power, credit and debit cards are useless. Some people are getting up in the middle of the night to get in line to get gas to run their generators.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Karla James in Omaha)

A spokesperson for the Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund said Friday (today), that she was “Happy to present Gaylord Schelling a check to cover the improvements to the pitching mound, batters box and catchers box.” The Funds’ Melanie Petty said in a Press Release that “All areas were reconstructed with the pitching mound being raised up around 3-4″. With fall just starting it’s exciting to see what will be new at the Atlantic High School Baseball field in the spring. We look forward to watching the Trojans play ball and can’t wait to help with their next project.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials have announced the year’s first confirmed death from West Nile virus in Iowa. The Iowa Public Health Department said in a news release Friday that an adult woman from southwest Iowa died earlier this month.

The state medical director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, says the West Nile virus threat remains until the state’s first hard frost. The virus is transmitted to humans through mosquitoes, which acquire the virus by feeding on infected birds.

Experts say most people who are infected have no symptoms or experience only mild, flu-like symptoms. The most vulnerable people are those who are at least 50 or have weakened immune systems.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s treasurer says Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to tap an emergency fund to address a budget shortfall is not compliant with state law. Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald sent a letter to Reynolds on Friday that says revenue tied to the state budget that ended in June did not drop below a certain legal threshold. Since revenue didn’t meet that threshold, Fitzgerald says funds can’t legally be transferred from the state’s economic emergency fund.

Reynolds announced recently that a shortfall to last year’s $7.2 billion budget wouldn’t trigger a special legislative session. She said she would instead transfer $13 million from the fund. Multiple messages left with the Republican governor were not immediately returned Friday.

Fitzgerald says he wants Reynolds to carefully review the budget numbers before she formally taps the fund.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, handed a one-point-two ($1.2) million dollar budget cut earlier this year, is putting out a call for volunteers to help spruce up Iowa’s state parks as the summer camping season winds down. Todd Coffelt, chief of the DNR’s State Parks Bureau, is organizing Iowa’s first State Park Volunteer Day tomorrow (Saturday).

The volunteer activities will take place in nearly three dozen of Iowa’s state parks.

Volunteers could also be removing invasive plants, making building repairs, and painting picnic tables. Iowans who want to help may need to bring tools and supplies.

Iowa’s State Park Volunteer Day is held in conjunction with National Public Lands Day – the nation’s largest one-day volunteer effort for public lands. For more information and to view a list of parks looking for volunteers, go to: www.iowadnr.gov/volunteerday.

Radio Iowa

The Adair County Auditor’s Office has announced that starting October 2nd they will offer Passport Photos.  Photos will be taken in the office and can be ready within a few minutes.  The cost is $10.  The photos can be used for new passport applications or renewal applications.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest Thursday night of 36-year-old Gary O. Smith of Red Oak for Disorderly Conduct. He was arrested at 10:37pm in the 400 Block of North 7th Street in Red Oak. Smith was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 cash bond.