Red Oak Police were called to a residence in the 2400 block of N. 6th Street at around 1:40-a.m. today (Tuesday), following a report about a woman banging on another tenants’ door. Soon after officers arrived, they arrested 49-year old Kristen Marie Hughes, of Red Oak, for Disorderly Conduct. Hughes was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond. Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies assisted at the scene.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

SHENANDOAH, Iowa –  Authorities in southwest Iowa have made an arrest in connection with the fatal shooting early Monday morning of a man in Shenandoah. 33-year old Tody McCunn, of Red Oak was charged with 1st Degree Murder in the death of 33-year old Joshua L. Jordan at a residence in Shenandoah. No reason for the shooting was immediately released. The incident remains under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Animal rights groups have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Iowa law that makes it a trespass crime to conduct undercover investigations at livestock farms, a measure the Legislature approved just weeks after a federal judge struck down a similar law. The latest bill was approved by the Senate and House on March 12 and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds two days later. It creates a trespass charge for those who use deception to gain access to a farm.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has passed a bill that legalizes betting on sporting events and fantasy sports in Iowa for the first time. It passed 67-31. The Senate gave its approval last week and the bill now goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds who has said she’ll await the final version of bill to decide whether she’ll sign it. The bill authorizes the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to establish rules for betting on professional, collegiate and international sporting events.

WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa woman has entered a plea in the 2018 death of her infant daughter and will spend the rest of her life in prison. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 29-year-old Alicia Marie Rios, of Elgin, entered an Alford plea to first-degree murder during a hearing Monday morning in Fayette County District court in West Union. Rios didn’t admit guilt but acknowledged the plea was in her best interest. Rios was arrested in the death of her 5-month-old daughter, Lydia.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Iowa want to limit the powers of the state’s attorney general, citing frustration that the Democrat joined lawsuits opposing the actions of President Donald Trump. Attorney General Tom Miller joined six lawsuits in 2018 that aimed to obstruct Trump’s policies. The Des Moines Register reports that the measure would require Miller’s office to get permission from the governor, the General Assembly or the Executive Council before joining any out-of-state lawsuits.

Authorities said late Monday evening that an arrest had been made in connection with a fatal shooting incident early Monday morning, in Shenandoah. 34-year old Toby McCunn, of Red Oak, was taken into custody and held without bond in the Page County Jail on a Class-A felony charge of Murder in the 1st Degree, for the death of 33-year old Joshua Lyle Jordan. McCunn Tuesday (today) had his preliminary hearing date set for May 3rd.

Toby McCunn

An investigation and search for the suspect began after Shenandoah Police received a 9-1-1 call at around 4:45-a.m. Monday, with regard to a shooting that had just taken place at 901 Manti Street in Shenandoah. Responding officers located a deceased white male inside the residence who was later identified as Joshua Jordan.

Witnesses who called 911 and reported the shooting identified Toby McCunn as the shooter.  At around 2:07-p.m., McCunn was located at a residence in Shenandoah and taken into custody without further incident.  He was initially transported to the Shenandoah Medical Center to be treated for a leg injury, and later transported to the Page County Jail.

Authorities say an autopsy by the State Medical Examiner’s Office will be performed on Jordan at a later date. The investigation is ongoing, no other information will be released until the forensic autopsy has been completed.

Several Agencies are working the investigation, including: the Shenandoah Police Department, the Page County Sheriff’s Office, the Page County Attorney’s Office, Red Oak Police Department, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating.

WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa woman has entered a plea in the 2018 death of her infant daughter and will spend the rest of her life in prison. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 29-year-old Alicia Marie Rios, of Elgin, entered an Alford plea to first-degree murder during a hearing Monday morning in Fayette County District court in West Union.

Rios didn’t admit guilt but acknowledged the plea was in her best interest. A charge of child endangerment causing death was dismissed. Rios was arrested in the death of her 5-month-old daughter, Lydia, who was injured Aug. 21 and died later at a hospital. An autopsy found a skull fracture and Rios acknowledge striking the infant with a coffee table.

The murder charge carries a mandatory prison sentence of life without parole.
Wiping away tears, Rios told the court, “I love my daughter, and I never meant for anything to happen.”

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Legislature could wrap its business for the session this week, and their final budget will impact how much the students at the three state-supported universities pay in tuition. The Board of Regents held off on setting tuition at their meeting last week as president Mike Richards reiterated the process set in the board’s new five-year- tuition model.

“We are not interested in setting tuition rates and then having to adjust them later,” Richards said, “we set tuition rates only one time per year.” Richards says they want to know how much of the money they requested will be approved by state leaders.

“In September, we made a state appropriation request of 18 million dollars increase over our current general appropriation budget for next year for our public universities. The tuition rates that we will set are based on cooperation with the state,” Richards said. Under the model designed to give students and parents predictability, the Regents will use a formula to set the tuition at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

If the state provides the full 18 million dollars, the 2019-2020 base tuition rate will increase by three percent. If the state provides no additional money, the increase will be three percent plus the projected Higher Education Price Index (HEPI). The HEPI is estimated at two percent. The formula for tuition at the University of Northern Iowa is different.

“If the state fully funds the appropriations request — resident undergrad tuition would not increase for 2019-2020,”Richards said. It is not clear how the tuition rate would be impacted at the University of Northern Iowa if the Board of Regents does not receive the amount of state money they requested. The board is expected hold the first reading on the tuition rates at its June meeting.

Three Atlantic High School students have qualified for, and will be making a trip to, Dallas, TX, for the National Speech & Debate Tournament this summer. It’s the first time AHS has qualified three students in three different events since 1992! School officials say:

• Sarah Schorle (senior) qualified in February in the category of Program Oral Interpretation (POI). She placed 1st in her category which earns an automatic berth to Nationals. This is Sarah’s 3rd straight trip to Nationals after qualifying in Duo Interpretation in 2017 and POI in 2018.
• Troy Roach (sophomore) qualified on April 6th in the category of Student Congress. He placed 2nd in his House which earned him a berth to Nationals. Troy has attended Nationals last year as well in the category of World Schools.
• Genevieve Martinez (sophomore) is the newest addition to National Qualifiers! She was chosen to represent Western Iowa on the World Schools Team. This is Genevieve’s first time qualifying for Nationals.

In other news, the Atlantic Speech & Debate team will have a showcase of Individual and Large Group performances this Saturday April 27 at 7:00 pm in the AHS Auditorium. The following students will be performing:

• Sarah Schorle – Original Oratory
• Lane Muell – Humorous Interpretation
• Gracemarie McCurdy – Musical Theatre
• Molly McFadden – Public Address
• Gen Martinez – Prose
• Hold for Three – Ensemble Acting
• Nolan Perez – Poetry
• Abi Evans – Poetry
• Brycen & Lane – Group Improv

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds has announced the names of members selected for the Flood Recovery Advisory Board. The Board was created by Executive Order to help coordinate a comprehensive flood recovery and rebuilding effort.

From southwest Iowa, the Board includes: Larry Winum, President and CEO of Glenwood State Bank; Leo Ettleman, Farmer; and Rick Allely, Director of Mills County Economic Development Foundation. Ex-Officio Members include: Lt. Governor Adam Gregg; Senator Chuck Grassley; Senator Joni Ernst; Congresswoman Cindy Axne.

The Governor said in her statement, Monday, that “Many brave and resilient Iowans and communities are just beginning the recovery process as a result of the historic flooding.  They are trusting us to deliver efficient and effective partnerships across federal, state, and local governments. The seasoned individuals appointed to the Advisory Board understand the crucial nature of their responsibilities and my expectations for success. I’m confident Iowa will rebound even stronger as a result of our combined efforts.”

The Flood Recovery Advisory Board also includes the following:

• Governor Kim Reynolds
• Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig
• Representative Dave Sieck
• Joyce Flinn, Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management
• Beth Townsend, Director of Iowa Workforce Development
• Lt. Colonel Chuck Connors, Iowa National Guard
• Gerd Clabaugh, Director of Iowa Department of Public Health
• Dr. John Lawrence, VP of ISU Extension and Outreach
• Dr. Larry Weber, Co-founder, University of Iowa Flood Center
• Mark Ford, People, Parts and Service Director, AgriVision Equipment Group
• Scott Swenson, Regional Director of Iowa Small Business Development Center
• Mary Day, retired FEMA Director

The first meeting of the Flood Recovery Advisory Board will be on Wednesday, April 24, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. in the Ray Conference Room at the Iowa State Capitol.

In addition to the Flood Recovery Advisory Board, the Executive Order created six working groups covering Finance, Economic Development, Agriculture, Workforce and Housing, Flood Management and Infrastructure, and Public Health. Members of these working groups will be named in the coming weeks.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation report Interstate construction in Council Bluffs could impact travel for motorists this week. All closures are weather permitting and may be rescheduled if weather impacts construction.

Tuesday, April 23

Southbound I-29 between Ninth and Nebraska avenues will be closed overnight from 10:30 p.m. Tuesday April 23 at  to 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 24. 5:30 a.m. The southbound I-29 on-ramp at Ninth Avenue will also be closed.

Wednesday, April 24

The right lane of the westbound I-80 Express, just east of the South Expressway, will be closed for repairs beginning at 9 a.m. The closure will be taken down for the afternoon rush hour by 3 p.m.

Northbound I-29 between Nebraska and Ninth avenues will be closed overnight from 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 to 5:30 a.m. Thursday April 25. The northbound I-29 on-ramp at Nebraska Avenue will also be closed.

Thursday, April 25

The right lane of the westbound I-80 Express, just east of the South Expressway, will be closed for repairs beginning at 9 a.m. The closure will be taken down for the afternoon rush hour by 3 p.m.

Iowa DOT anticipates significant delays could occur during the westbound I-80 Express lane closure. Motorists are encouraged to use northbound I-29/westbound I-80 local lanes as an alternate route. Please allow for extra travel time while this interstate repair takes place.

For more information or to sign up for alerts, visit the program website at www.CouncilBluffsInterstate.IowaDOT.gov. You can also contact the program office at 712-216-3339 or info@CouncilBluffsInterstate.com.

Officials with Glenwood Municipal Utilities today (Monday) issued a BOIL ORDER for the City of Pacific Junction and the 190th corridor. The Order is in effect until further notice. Authorities say water is being restored for clean-up purposes. There is currently no sanitary sewer available. To prevent back-up into your house, you should refrain from using your drains and toilets.

GMU is working in conjunction with the City of Pacific Junction to restore the sanitary sewer as soon as possible. If you have been without water, crews are working to restore service, which is expected to occur daily, in sections. For further details call GMU or see the Mills County Emergency Management page on Facebook.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The state of Iowa has been sued again in federal court by animal rights groups for passing a law last month designed to prosecute people who get hired at farms in order to work undercover to report on animal living conditions. The measure was approved by lawmakers on March 12 and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds two days later. It creates a trespass charge for anyone using deception to gain access to a farm to cause physical or economic harm.

The lawsuit filed Monday in Des Moines by the Animal Legal Defense Fund and four other groups claims the new law violates constitutional free speech and due process rights. Lawmakers passed it two months after a federal judge struck down a similar law they passed in 2012, saying it violated free-speech rights. That ruling is on appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.