Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Des Moines IA 405 AM CDT Sat Oct 17 2020

Sac-Crawford-Carroll-Audubon-Guthrie-Dallas-Cass-Adair-Madison-Adams-Union-Taylor-Ringgold Counties

…Gusty Winds and Elevated Fire Danger Today…

Winds will increase rapidly by mid morning across central and southeast Iowa with gusts of 40 mph or more expected before diminishing later this afternoon. Farther north and east wind
gusts of 20 to 30 mph will be common. These gusty winds will combine with warm temperatures, fairly low humidities, and drying grasses and crops to produce an elevated fire danger through this afternoon. Any fires that ignite could spread quickly under these conditions, especially across cropland. Burning is not recommended under these conditions. Burn bans are
in effect for multiple central Iowa counties.

Burn Bans continue until further notice, for: Adair-Audubon-Cass-Dallas-Guthrie-Harrison-Mills-Montgomery and Pottawattamie Counties.

Officials with the Guthrie County Public Health Department Friday (Today), confirmed our previous reports with regard to a 14th COVID-19 related death. According to Guthrie County Hospital Public Information Officer Emily McColloch, the person who died was over the age of 80. Guthrie County Public Health Director Jotham Arber says “We want to extend our deepest condolences to the individual’s families.”

Heath officials remind you to take the proper and necessary precautions to keep yourself and your family safe from the Corononavirus.

The Glenwood Police Department reports 24-year-old Brittney Barrett, of Glenwood, was arrested Friday (Today), for Possession of Marijuana. She posted a $1,000 cash or surety bond, and was released from the Mills County Jail.

Area Counties: Sac-Crawford-Carroll-Audubon-Guthrie-Dallas-Cass-Adair-Madison-Adams-Union-Taylor and Ringgold…

...Elevated Fire Danger Again Today…

Gusty west to northwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with wind gusts in excess of 40 mph will develop later this morning and persist through this evening. Relative humidity values will fall into the
25 to 35 percent range by this afternoon. These weather conditions combined with curing grasses and the crop harvest across the state will lead to an elevated fire danger today. Any fires that ignite could spread quickly under these conditions especially in cropland. Burning is not recommended under these conditions.

If you have ever attended or viewed a funeral for someone who has served in the military, you might expect to see a Color Guard. It’s easy to take that service for granted, but there is much to know about the tradition. Veteran Steve Livengood will give a presentation about the Atlantic Veterans Color Guard this Sunday, October 18th, at the American Legion Memorial Building (The Armory). The program begins at 2-p.m.  Health precautions will be in place, and attendees are expected to wear masks when they are closer than six-feet from another person. Masks will be available. Seats will be placed at appropriate distances and attendance is limited to 30 persons. No refreshments will be served.

During the program, Steve Livengood will explain the duties and options for a Color Guard. He’ll talk also: about the number of people required to perform, their training and equipment; How to make arrangements, and where the Color Guard may be used. Each veterans’ organization has an official manual on how to do a military funeral. However each funeral can be unique. Livengood was in the Service for 25 years.

He’s been involved with the Color Guard since 1987 and has been the point of contact for six years. He’ll have interesting stories about the many military funeral experiences over the years, providing those who attend this Sunday’s program, with a better appreciation for the volunteer job getting done. The program is sponsored by Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise (ARISE). It’s free and open to the public.

Doors will open at 1 pm and exhibits in the Military Museum, Military Library and Atlantic History Center will be available for viewing.  The American Legion Memorial Building is handicapped accessible.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission approved four agreements for online sports gambling for properties in Council Bluffs. Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says it will be a new option in the area. “Up until this point, there has not been an online wagering option in the Council Bluffs market,” Ohorilko says. That area does get a lot of traffic from across the border — but Ohorilko says online gambling has to be done in Iowa. “If you are a resident out of state — you could establish an account anywhere — but those wagers cannot take place until the customer is in the borders of the state,” Ohorilko explains.

Harrahs Casino in Council Bluffs.

“Every one of these online sports wagering companies have sophisticated geolocation technology that blocks wagers outside of the state,” he says, “So a customer that may live in Omaha for example, they could establish an account, but they couldn’t use that account until they drove into the state of Iowa. And then at that point, those customers can wager and those accounts would be activated,” he says. Ohorilko says it something different for those who have had to place sports bets in the on-site betting parlors at the casinos.  “Possibly could make it more convenient for a lot of these customers who could have these accounts established,” Ohorilko says.

The state saw a record 72 million dollars wagered on sports in September.

Authorities in Montana have arrested a man in a connection with a more than two decades old homicide “Cold Case,” in Council Bluffs. On Thursday (Oct. 15th), Council Bluffs police detectives requested and were granted an arrest warrant for 52-year-old Matt W. Kennedy. The warrant accuses Kennedy of Murder 1st Degree in connection with the January1st, 1999 death of his step-sister.

Kimberly Ratliff (Photo via Iowacoldcases.org)

The body of 22-year-old Kimberly Ratliff was discovered at the time inside her vehicle, which had been abandoned in the 1400 block of West Broadway, in Council Bluffs.  She had been viciously mutilated and nearly decapitated. Ratliff was last seen alive when she got off work at around 11:30 p.m. on Friday, January 8, 1999.

Matt Kennedy is a resident of Fairfield, Montana, who was living in Council Bluffs at the time of the murder. He was taken into custody and is being held in the Teton County, Montana Jail, pending extradition to Iowa. The homicide case remains an active investigation.

Authorities say no further information will be released regarding Kennedy’s arrest, until he is back in Iowa and the arrest warrant can be formally served.

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

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines man is accused of impersonating a police officer and displaying a stun gun after pulling over a car. WHO-TV reports that 54-year-old Dewey Moraine is charged with two counts of assault while displaying a dangerous weapon and one count of impersonating a public official. A criminal complaint says Moraine flashed his lights to get the victim to stop Wednesday night. The complaint says Moraine “sparked” a stun gun while yelling at the victim to exit the vehicle. A witness told police Moraine made statements about being a police officer. Police say they found two stun guns and an air soft pistol in Moraine’s vehicle.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police are investigating after a car slammed into a restaurant. The accident happened Thursday night when the vehicle struck Aberlardo’s Mexican Restaurant. KCCI-TV reports that police have not disclosed if anyone was hurt. Pieces of the car were on the ground outside the restaurant, which is now boarded up. It’s unclear when it will reopen. The cause of the accident remains under investigation.