Police in Red Oak say a local man was arrested Friday night on burglary and drug-related charges. Officials report 30-year old George Allen Alfred Wesbrook , of Red Oak, was taken into custody after he ran from police when officers arrived to investigate a report of an attempted residential burglary. Following his arrest, Wesbrook was found to be in possession of a few small electronic items that did not belong to him, and drug paraphernalia.

He was charged with Burglary in the 2nd Degree, Attempted Burglary and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Wesbrook was being in the Montgomery County Jail on $10,000 cash bond. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the apprehension of Wesbrook.

w/Marissa Hovde

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The Adam’s County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Corning man on Friday. Fifty-nine year old Joseph Johnson was charged with harassment for continuous phone calls and threatening his landlord over a dispute about monthly rent payments. Johnson’s bond has been set at $1,000.

Firefighters from Atlantic and Marne responded Friday afternoon to a mobile home fire in Marne. The call came in at 4:36-p.m.  The trailer, which was located a little west  of the Roadhouse Bar & Grill, was unoccupied prior to the firefighters’ arrival. Heavy smoke was showing from the structure when the first units arrived on scene. The residence, which sustained extensive damage,  was being used by two adult females and their dog. The Red Cross notified, to try and find suitable housing.

Fire officials say the blaze apparently started in the kitchen area, but the cause remains under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Officials with the Cass County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary said Friday they will award two $1,000 scholarships to students entering into or continuing education in the healthcare field. Application forms have been sent to area high school guidance counselors. Forms are also available from the Human Resources office at Cass County Memorial Hospital.

The application must be returned to Cass County Memorial Hospital by March 31st. Applications can be dropped off or mailed to: Cass County Memorial Hospital, Attn: Human Resources, 1501 East 10th Street, Atlantic, Iowa 50022.

NELIGH, Neb. (AP) – A northeast Nebraska man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and her new husband has pleaded not guilty.  The pleas were entered on Wednesday for 33-year-old Matthew Hinrichsen, of Ewing,  in Antelope County District Court.  Hinrichsen has been charged with arson, two weapons counts and two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 25-year old Victoria Lee, a former City Councilperson from Missouri Valley,  and her husband, 30-year-old Alex Vargas.

Investigators found the couple’s bodies on Dec 8th, 2012, in a burned-out mobile home near Ewing. Hinrichsen was being held without bond at the State Prison in Lincoln, NE.  His trial is set to begin April 8th.

The Iowa Supreme Court has issued a ruling that has an impact on water and railroads.  In the spring of 2007 Union Pacific workers noticed a hole in the roadbed under their tracks in Hardin County and filled the hole with rock. The railroad did not know the hole was caused by the collapse of a nearly 100-year-old clay drainage tile, and the rock repair caused water drained by the tile to back up and flood farm ground. The local drainage district fixed the broken tile and sent a bill to the railroad.

The total bill — including crop losses — was over 100-thousand dollars. The railroad refused to pay, saying state law requires them to repair bridges and culverts, and a tile is not a culvert. The district court sided with the drainage district and said the railroad had to pay. But the Iowa Supreme Court ruling says the legislature was very specific in making the railroads responsible for bridges and culverts, and did not use the word drains to cover repairs to any pipes that drain water. For that reason the court said a tile is not a culvert and the railroad is not required to pay for tile repairs.

The court information says there could be hundreds of such tiles under the railroad bed that will be impacted by the ruling.

(Radio Iowa)

Two former government employees in southwest Iowa are accused of selling nearly $20,000 worth of county-owned scrap metal to a local salvage yard and pocketing the money for themselves. An investigation by the State Auditor’s office was launched after the Adair County Auditor received an anonymous letter outlining concerns with the sale of old iron and used bridge planks. Deputy State Auditor Tami Kusian says Duane Jameson and Cindy Butcher, who worked in the Adair County Engineer’s Office, sold the materials over a 10 year period. “The checks were being written to the two employees and we identified those being deposited in their accounts,” Kusian says.

Kusian says Adair County authorities learned of the alleged activity in January. Jameson was the Road Superintendent, while Butcher was the Engineer’s Office Shop Clerk. Both were fired last week. Kusian says the checks issued to Jameson and Butcher ranged from roughly $200 to $7,000. The state investigation covered the period between December 2001 and December 2011. Kusian says they identified $19,734 of undeposited collections.

The State Auditor’s report has been turned over to the Adair County Attorney and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

(Radio Iowa)

Many Iowans will are wearing red today (Friday) for a good cause. Cassie Wessing, with the Des Moines Chapter of the American Heart Association, says National Wear Red Day is designed to raise awareness about the number one killer of women – heart disease. Wessing is hoping Iowans will take it a step further and “go red” the entire month. “Wear red, decorate your house, business or office red. Anything you can think of. We want the whole world to be red through the month of February,” Wessing says. National Wear Red Day, held annually on February 1, was created 10 years ago.

“At that time, women didn’t really think of heart disease as a disease for them, it was an ‘old man’s’ disease,” Wessing says. “Even health care professionals didn’t really think of treating women and heart disease in personal ways and according to their body types.” The American Heart Association reports, since the first Wear Red Day 10 years ago, 21% fewer women are dying from heart disease. “We started this campaign, really, to raise awareness that heart disease is the number one killer of women. It’s not just happening to men,” Wessing said.

Other events are scheduled this month in Iowa to raise both awareness and money toward the fight against heart disease. That includes The Heart Ball on February 16 at the Embassy Suites in downtown Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)