DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police spent hours trying to round up a cow out for a late-night ramble through downtown and nearby neighborhoods but finally lost the animal. Police say officers responded Monday night to reports of a cow on the loose in the East Village area of downtown. After trying to catch the animal for nearly three hours, it disappeared into a forested area along the Des Moines River, north of downtown near Birdland Marina.

In a Facebook post, police noted, “We’re cops, not cowboys.” Police say they don’t know how the cow ended up downtown. The police department’s animal control unit has a plan if the animal is spotted again. Officials recommended people try not to capture the animal themselves.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Pottawattamie County man was sentenced Monday in Council Bluffs, on drug charge. United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum said today (Tuesday), 45-year old William Walter Batten, was ordered to serve 10-years in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Batten was also sentenced a term of supervised release of five years, once he’s served his court-ordered prison sentence.

In October 2018 Council Bluffs Police stopped a motorcycle driven by Batten and it was discovered he did not have a motorcycle endorsement or insurance. Batten was arrested and admitted he had methamphetamine in his motorcycle. A search warrant was obtained and officers located over 50 grams of methamphetamine. Batten pleaded guilty to this charge in March 2019.

The case was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Nebraska man was sentenced Monday in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to 10-years in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. 44-year old Mathew William Finken, of Omaha, will also serve five years of supervised release once he has served his term in prison.

Finken was arrested by law enforcement with the Council Bluffs Police Department on January 25, 2019. At the time of his arrest, Finken was in possession of over 100 grams of methamphetamine, packaging materials and over $800. When Finken pleaded guilty on April 15, 2019, he admitted he intended to sell the methamphetamine he had in his possession.

The case was investigated by Council Bluffs Police Department and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force. The matter was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced on Monday (September 30), a Pottawattamie County man, 27-year old Jay R. Jahn, was sentenced in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, to five-years in prison for Receipt of Child Pornography. Jahn is also required to serve a five year term of supervised release following his imprisonment.

In July 2017, Carter Lake Police received a referral from the La Plata County Sheriff in Colorado regarding a 15 year old child who had received sexually explicit messages online from Jahn. A search warrant was obtained for Jahn’s residence, where officers located a computer and cell phone. A search of the electronic devices located images and videos of child pornography. Jahn pleaded guilty to this charge in May 2019.

The case was investigated by the La Plata County, Colorado Sheriff’s Office, Carter Lake Police Department, and Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa

A head-on collision early this (Tuesday) afternoon in Shelby County has resulted in multiple injuries, some of them critical. According to reports, the accident occurred at around 1-p.m. at F-58 and Maple Road, or southeast of the Harlan Municipal Airport. Harlan Fire and Rescue, Medivac, Walnut and Avoca Rescue were all called to the scene.

LifeNet and Midwest Medical air ambulances were requested, but declined due to the weather. Additional details are currently not available.

(Radio Iowa/KJAN) — September wrapped up in Iowa feeling more like June. State climatologist Justin Glisan says the statewide average temperature for the month ended up around 68-degrees, which is five-degrees warmer than normal. Glisan says besides being warmer, the weather was also wetter. “We were at about 6.5 inches across the state and that’s almost 3.38 inches above average,” Glisan says. “Yes, trending wet. If you look at the borders between Iowa and Illinois, anywhere from 200 to 300% above normal precipitation.”

Here in Atlantic, September was also wetter and warmer. Rainfall for the month, which is normally 3.81 inches, amounted to 8.82 inches, or nearly 5 inches above average. The average High last month was 81, which was about 5 degrees warmer than normal, and the average Low was 58, or about a little more than 7 degrees above normal.

Glisan says forecasts indicate the shift toward wetter, warmer weather may well continue into this month. “We should see seasonal if not slightly above-average temperatures for the first part of October,” Glisan says. “As for rainfall, we are having higher probabilities of wetter-than-normal conditions.” We saw a very similar set-up heading into autumn a year ago. “We did see the third-wettest September in 2018 followed by the seventh-wettest October, combining those for the third-wettest fall on record,” Glisan says. “Hopefully, we don’t get into that type of situation this year.”

In October, Atlantic typically receives 2.76 inches of rain. The average High is 64.1, and the average Low is 39. The flash flood watches being issued by the National Weather Service have multiplied in number since Monday and now cover 78 of the state’s 99 counties.  “We’re stuck in this jetstream pattern where we’re getting wave after wave of rainfall over the state,” he says. “These flash flood watches span several states.” Forecasters say dry weather is expected later this week, on Thursday and Friday, but more rain is likely Friday night and into Saturday.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The island nation of Micronesia is raising concerns about how some of its citizens working at an Iowa pork processing plant are being treated. Micronesia recently sent a formal letter to the State Department asking U.S. officials to investigate possible misconduct at the Seaboard Triumph Foods plant, including verbal abuse, using false Social Security numbers and withholding workers’ passports. The company denies any wrongdoing.

Micronesia said in its letter that dozens of its citizens have complained about the way they have been treated while working at the plant. Seaboard recruited workers from Micronesia. The State Department didn’t immediately respond Tuesday to questions about its response to the complaint.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa judge has struck down large portions of a 2017 voting reform law, declaring much of it unconstitutional. The law requires voters to show certain forms of identification when voting, requires voters to provide an identification number on absentee ballot applications and allows county auditors to reject ballots if they believe signatures don’t match a voter signature on record.

Judge Joseph Seidlin says in a ruling Monday the state may require a voter ID but election officials must issue a voter ID card to any voter who requests one. The law prohibited election officials from issuing cards to voters with a driver’s license or state identification card. He also struck the signature match provisions, saying they violate the Iowa Constitution. The judge also makes permanent his earlier order that says Iowa Secretary of Paul Pate cannot require a voter ID number on absentee ballot applications.

The ruling follows a lawsuit filed last year by the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa. Pate’s office didn’t immediately respond to a message.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s senior U-S senator is taking a few days off. Senator Chuck Grassley’s office says he underwent a scheduled, outpatient surgery for a hernia on Monday. The operation was said to be successful and the news release says Grassley is resting at home with his family. The 86-year-old plans to return to work in Washington later this week.

(Radio Iowa) — With forecasts calling for up to five inches of rain over three days this week, several counties in southwest Iowa are preparing for more Missouri River flooding. Michael Bertacini is an emergency management specialist with Pottawattamie County. He says around 40 homes are in the area of concern in the northwestern part of the county. “Most of those residents were actually out of their homes before this happened,” Bertacini says. “It’s just prolonging the effects of the flooding. These people have been flooded since March so it’s a bad deal for them because some people haven’t even been in their homes from March.”

Bertacini says it’s possible the impacts could mirror what the county saw this spring, though the river could crest about a foot lower. “All the county roads in the northwest part of the county on the west side of I-29 were basically underwater. I-680 and I-29 also went under,” he says. “It forces the water table to rise in Council Bluffs.”

Bertacini says people who live in Council Bluffs could see basement flooding if the storm sewers are not able to keep up with the heavy rainfall. In a joint news release, Pottawattamie, Harrison and Mills counties say it’s unclear where the heaviest rains will fall, so people should stay alert.