Among the Memorial Day activities taking place around the Nishna Valley on Monday, is the dedication in Avoca, of the Veteran’s Monument, at 2-p.m.. The monument is a part of the Pottawattamie County Eagle Project, and includes a “Pledge of Honor.” Organizers say its designed to recognize those who have served and those who will serve.

Neola artist Russell Christensen was commissioned to design and create the bronze eagle sculpture series to serve as veterans’ memorials in Avoca and 11 other communities in Pottawattamie County. Each community raised $25,000 to help pay for the statue, which stands about 36-inches tall and is perched on a granite pedestal. The effort to bring the bronze eagle to Avoca began with the formation of a committee, in May of 2006.

The Veterans’ Plaza dedication ceremony will take place in downtown Avoca next to the courthouse. The ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. with the USAF Heartland of America Brass Quartet and a community chorus, followed by a 2 p.m. dedication. Among the guest speakers them is Darlene McMartin, Administrator for Pottawattamie County Veterans Affairs.

The ceremony will also include the presentation of the veterans’ plaza to the City of Avoca, and a 21 gun salute by American Legion Post 227, and the playing of “Taps,” by an Air Force bugler.

Officials say they expect a crowd of over 400 people to be in attendance. Following the Veteran’s Monument dedication, everyone is invited to attend a reception at the Avoca Legion Hall.

Sheriff’s officials in Page County are investigating the theft of eight large, coffin-sized American Flags from a cemetery in Coin. The theft was reported today (Saturday), at around 8-a.m.

Authorities say the flags — which were set in-place Friday afternoon for the Memorial Day weekend — were stolen sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Most of the flags are stenciled with the name of a soldier. They were each on a 16-foot section of pole, which are also missing.

The Sheriff’s office is asking anyone who has information about the case to contact them at 712-542-5193. Page County Crimestoppers is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thief or thieves.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports two Missouri residents were arrested after they allegedly drove-off without paying for gas at a convenience store in Sidney, Friday night. The driver of the car, 36-year old Ashley Franken faces charges for multiple traffic offenses, while her passenger, 27-year old Aaron Nichols was charged with 5^th degree theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both are from St. Joseph, Missouri.

The Sheriff’s department says they received a call just after 10-p.m. Friday about a gas drive-off at the Caseys General Store in Sidney. Employees at the store reported a gray Izuzu Rodeo drove off after paying for only part of the gas pumped into it. The occupants of the vehicle told employees they were trying to get to St. Joseph, and had asked for directions.

Deputies in Fremont County stopped the vehicle at Highway 275 and 250^th Street, and took the pair into custody. Franken was being held on $566 bond, while Nichols’ bond was set at $300.

The City Council in Audubon will hold a special meeting Tuesday evening (May 31^st). During their 7-p.m. session at City Hall, the council will discuss and/or act on: A Mid-American Energy Franchise Agreement; applications for hiring, and a resolution to hire, a custodian; and, applications for hiring, and a resolution to hire, part-time Summer help.

The top Democrat in the Iowa Senate says he doesn’t want to “take away a woman’s control of her own destiny” when it comes to terminating a problem pregnancy. Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal is from Council Bluffs, the city where a doctor who performs late-term abortions intends to open a clinic. The Iowa House has passed a bill that would ban abortions after the 20th week of a pregnancy. Gronstal and the other 25 members of the Iowa Senate took a different route, passing a bill that sets up a state permitting process for such facilities, with rules written in such a way that it would be hard for Dr. Leroy Carhart to open his clinic in Council Bluffs.

“I believe the surest way to keep Carhart out of Iowa is for the House to pass the bill the Senate passed,” Gronstal says. The Senate proposal would require a “free-standing” late-term abortion clinic like Dr. Carhart hopes to open to be near a hospital that has a special unit for premature babies, and Council Bluffs doesn’t have one.

“I believe that’s the surest way to keep (Carhart) out of Iowa, without taking away a woman’s control over her own destiny,” Gronstal says. Gronstal is critical of the House proposal which would ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. It would allow abortions in cases when the woman’s life is at risk, but Gronstal says that exception may not have applied to the six women who got late-term abortions in Iowa in 2009.

“It said that a woman had to be in imminent danger of death,” Gronstal says. “Basically, it says that unless the woman is hemorraging and about to die, you can’t do the abortion even if there’s no way the baby can’t survive outside the womb.” If the Republican-led House and Democratically-led Senate don’t agree and pass a bill dealing with this issue, Gronstal isn’t willing to say that’s an open door to Carhart.

“I don’t know that it means that. I don’t know that Carhart is going to come to Council Bluffs,” Gronstal says. “We’ve got a bill that I believe is the surest, quickest way — after much discussion with a lot of people in the senate and in the attorney general’s office and a host of folks — after much discussion, we’ve got a bill that we believe much more effectively than the House bill will keep Carhart out of Iowa. The House ought to pass it.”

Gronstal made his comments Friday during taping of the Iowa Public Television program “Iowa Press.”

(Radio Iowa)

A Kellerton girl died Thursday evening in Ringgold County, when she was thrown from an all-terrain vehicle. The Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office reports eight-year old Charlcey Ann Bowen died at the scene.

According to Sheriff Mark Davison, Deputies, the Ringgold County Ambulance and Kellerton First Responders were called to the scene of the accident at 2054 County Highway P-68 in rural Kellerton, at around 6:20-p.m., Thursday.

Davison says their investigation determined Charlcey had been driving a John Deere Gator ATV when it hit a large pile of gravel, overturned and ejected her.