COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Two men who had earlier pleaded guilty, were sentenced on child pornography charges today (Wednesday), in Pottawattamie County U-S District Court. 39-year old Brian Lee Rhodes and 46-year old Jeremy Eugene Jameson, were sentenced to 30-years in prison, on each of three counts of Coercion and Enticement of a Minor, and 20 years in prison for one count of Distribution of Child Pornography. The sentences will run concurrently.

Rhodes’ imprisonment will be followed by a term of supervised release of 15 years for each count, also to run concurrently. Jameson was sentenced to 35 months in prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release of five years for Access with Intent to View Child Pornography. In March of 2018, a concerned parent made a report to the Creston Police Department regarding an inappropriate conversation she found on her 11 year-old daughter’s Facebook account with Rhodes. During a search of Facebook accounts created by Rhodes, officers located conversations with other minors in which Rhodes asked the minors to send him inappropriate images and videos.

The Douglas County Nebraska Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation also received a tip from Facebook that Rhodes, through a fraudulent Facebook account, sent Jameson an image of child pornography. The case was investigated by the Creston Police Department, Atlantic Police Department, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation – Internet Crimes Against Children Unit and the Douglas County Nebraska Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

According to a report by KCCI-TV in Des Moines, a Pennsylvania law firm today (Wednesday), has filed a class-action lawsuit against Hy-Vee in the wake of a recent data breach. Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP said the lawsuit represents customers whose personal information was compromised in a security breach of Hy-Vee’s gas pumps, drive-through coffee shops and Market Grilles, Market Grille Expresses and Wahlburgers locations between Dec. 14, 2018, and July 29, 2019.

The lawsuit accuses Hy-Vee of providing little information to customers following the breach and failing to “implement adequate data security measures.” It alleges that the breach was a result of Hy-Vee’s inadequate data security measures and cavalier approach to data security. The suit contends that despite the well-publicized and ever-growing threat of security breaches, Hy-Vee failed to ensure that it maintained adequate data security measures causing card information to be stolen.

Hy-Vee has not confirmed the number of cards that were compromised, but a data security expert listed in the lawsuit alleges that the credit and debit card information of more than 5 million customers are for sale on the dark web. The company has not commented on the pending litigation.

Youth in 3rd-6th grade are invited to join Cass County Extension for a fun Day Camp to learn more about the science of food through hands-on experiments. Learn all about grilling methods, meat cuts and composition, cooking temperatures, how to incorporate rubs, marinades, seasonings and other techniques and Food Safety. Fun with the Science of Food Day Camp will be October 21 in Anita, October 24 in Atlantic and November 1 in Griswold from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. There is $10 cost to attend and cover materials. Lunch will be provided, along with snacks from the grill. Youth must register by October 18.

Registration forms are available at the Cass County Extension Office or online at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/. “The Cass County Extension staff has worked very hard to put this hands-on, fun-filled, interactive, science of food based camp together for the youth of the community, and we hope you will be able to join us!” says Shelby Van Horn, County Youth Coordinator.

Fun with the Science of Food Day Camp promises exciting, hands-on learning while meeting new friends. Join us for a day filled with fun, snacks, and hands-on learning! Don’t miss the fun-register today! Questions? Please call Cass County Extension at (712)243-1132.

Authorities say both lanes of Highway six just east of I-80 near Council Bluffs, have re-opened to traffic. The road was blocked in both directions due to an accident involving a SWITA bus and a concrete mixer truck that took place at around 7:30 a.m., near Sunnydale Road. First responders reported multiple injuries at the scene. Video from the scene showed the bus was upright in a ditch, while the cement mixed was on its passenger side, partially on the road.  No other details have been released.

Sheriff’s officials in Union County say a man reported last week that several of his father’s items were stolen from a farm on Pheasant Avenue. They include: A Sundowner Turn Bow horse trailer with eight 2×4’s, plywood, sheet rock, pipe wrenches, a jig saw, and a circular saw. The loss was estimate at $2,500. And a man from Thayer reported to authorities someone damaged a well on his property off 160th Street. The damage amounted to $500. The incident happened sometime Oct. 12th.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A security contractor says in the wake of a violent attack on a couple out on a date that providing safety for downtown Des Moines’ skywalk system has gotten tougher in recent years. Tom Conley is president of Conley Group, which has been providing security services for the skywalk since 2002. He told The Des Moines Register that thousands more people live downtown than did decades ago, and the system of bridges connecting downtown buildings is no longer almost exclusively for daytime commercial traffic.

Police say a 21-year-old man and his girlfriend were attacked by 20 to 30 teens or young men just before 9 p.m. Saturday in the skywalk near the downtown Wellmark YMCA. A witness told police the man was pinned to skywalk glass and kicked and punched. The woman fell to the floor after also being punched. Conley says the nonprofit organization that manages the skywalk has slashed the budget for security officers.

AMES, Iowa – Oct. 16, 2019 – The Iowa Department of Transportation is now distributing the 2019-2020 Iowa Transportation Map for Bicyclists. Copies of the 2019-2020 map are now available at Iowa DOT’s driver’s license service centers, county treasurer’s offices, all six Iowa DOT district offices, Iowa’s welcome centers, the state’s rest areas, and can be viewed and downloaded from www.iowadot.gov/iowabikes/bikemap.aspx .

The popular publication has been updated to show new four-foot, paved shoulders and recreational trails completed since the 2017-2019 version was published. As in past versions, the map highlights bike-friendly routes when traveling on two wheels through Iowa by identifying bike trails and traffic levels on all paved roads. The map also includes insets of Iowa’s 16 largest cities.

A person riding on a public road has all the rights and is required to know and obey all traffic laws and rules of the road, applicable to the driver of a motor vehicle. To assist bicycles in understanding their rights and responsibilities, a section of the map is dedicated to highlighting rules of the road for bicyclists. Bicyclists are urged to always wear helmets, use lights at night and watch out for road hazards including parallel-slat sewer grates, gravel, sand, and debris.

The Mills County Attorney’s Office reports that on Tuesday, October 15th, during the regularly scheduled public meeting, the Mills County Board of Supervisors agreed to proceed with FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program property buyouts for a large number of properties located in the flood-affected areas of unincorporated Mills County (Iowa). On a formal motion by Mills County Supervisor Richard Crouch, the Board unanimously voted to pursue residential property buyouts for those eligible landowners whose properties are located in the area West of 180th Street between the Pottawattamie-Mills County line to the North and Lambert Avenue to the South as well as the area West of Interstate 29 between Lambert Avenue to the North and the Mills-Fremont County line to the South.

The discussion and decision regarding this first phase of buyout decisions were focused largely on history of repetitive flooding and property loss and mitigation of future flood risk to life and property. For the second phase of buyout decisions, the Board of Supervisors agreed that all other flood-affected residential properties in unincorporated Mills County will be considered for buyout on a case-by-case basis using criteria determined by the Board. The list of eligible landowners and the criteria for these case-by-case considerations will be formalized during the next Board of Supervisors meeting on October 22, 2019.

To be eligible for consideration, flood-affected landowners were previously asked to sign-up to participate in the buyout program, by October 11, 2019 at 4:30 p.m., at the Mills County Auditor’s Office and complete a Statement of Voluntary Transaction.

(Radio Iowa) — Authorities are still trying to determine exactly what caused a fatal crash in central Iowa. The state patrol says a Jeep Wrangler was parked along the westbound shoulder of Interstate 80 on Tuesday night at mile marker 133 in Polk County, where construction work is being done on the highway. For reasons unknown, the vehicle rolled into the ditch. Troopers say the driver was partly ejected and killed. He’s identified as 64-year-old Paul Penegar, of Urbandale.

Officials with the Iowa DOT report Highway 6, just east of I-80 in northeast Council Bluffs, was blocked in both directions this morning, due to an accident involving a SWITA bus and a concrete mixer truck. The crash was reported around 7:30 a.m. near Sunnydale Road. First responders reported multiple injuries at the scene. Video from the scene showed the bus was upright in a ditch, while the cement mixed was on its passenger side, partially on the road. Motorists are asked to avoid the area and find another route.