The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports multiple suspects were arrested Wednesday, in an ongoing narcotics distribution investigation. 22-year old Wesley Oliphant, of Lenox, was arrested  in the 400 block of North Brooks Street, in Lenox. He was wanted on an active Taylor County Warrant for Controlled Substance Violations – Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a Class D Felony. Oliphant is being held at the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office without bond pending an appearance before the Magistrate. 24-year old Brandon Brown, of Lenox, was arrested Wednesday in the 600 block of East Ohio Street in Lenox. He was wanted on an active Taylor County Warrant for two counts of Controlled Substance Violations – Delivery of a Controlled Substance, a Class D Felony. Brown is being held at the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office without bond pending an appearance before the Magistrate.

Additional information is expected to be released later on other suspects.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the name of a woman who died after a fire at her condominium complex in southwest Cedar Rapids. She was identified as 61-year-old Toni Cooley. Firefighters encountered her in a doorway as they responded to the blaze Tuesday. She was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries have been reported. The Cedar Rapids Fire Department says the fire erupted in Cooley’s living room and likely was started by discarded smoking materials.

Officials with the Creston Police Department say there were two arrests that took place, Wednesday. 61-year old Debra Jo Gilbert, of Corning, was arrested at around 3:10-p.m. at the Dollar General Store, in Creston. Gilbert was charged with Theft in the 5th Degree, and released on a Promise to Appear in Court. And, 43-year old Daniel James Perkins, Sr., of Creston, was arrested in the 800 block of N. Birch Street in Creston, on a Polk County Warrant for Parole Violation. Perkins, Sr. was being held in the Union County Jail awaiting extradition to Polk County.

A man driving an SUV and who reached for a can of tobacco, caused an accident to take place Wednesday afternoon in Page County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 46-year old Jason Lynn Sander, of Clarinda, was traveling east on Highway 2, west of Clarinda at around 4:33-p.m., when he reached for the can of tobacco.

When he did so, the 2004 Dodge Durango he was driving crossed the center line of the road and hit a westbound 2009 Freightliner truck driven by 60-year old Keith Melvin Woods, of Red Oak. A 2014 Kia Optima that was traveling west on Highway 2 behind the Freightliner took evasive action, and ended-up in the north ditch. The driver of Kia was identified as 27-year old Cassie Jo Luft, of Clarinda.

Following the collision, the pickup came to rest in the north ditch, and the truck pulled over onto the north shoulder of the road. Sander, who was wearing his seat belt, was injured in the collision, and transported by Clarinda EMS to the Clarinda Regional Medical Center.

(Radio Iowa) — A key Republican lawmaker in the Iowa House says his committee will not advance a bill about the crime of fetal homicide that defines personhood as starting at conception. It means the bill is tabled for the remainder of the 2019 legislative session and not eligible for debate. The bill, which passed the Iowa Senate last week, would have increased the criminal penalty for a person who “causes the death of an unborn person” without consent from the mother.

Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says with a Friday deadline looming for a committee vote on the bill, House members didn’t have enough time to get answers to all their questions. “Are the penalties appropriate? How do they match up with other states? And the implications and the discussion, obviously, that we will have on that term ‘unborn person.'”

Holt supports the bill and he says lawmakers may consider it next year. Opponents say the proposal could provide the path to a ban on abortion.

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

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The governors of three Midwest states ravaged by March flooding say they will pushing for more control over management of the Missouri River that borders their states. Management of the dams and levees along the river falls to officials of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, who met with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson for much of Wednesday afternoon in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa Republican senator is expressing irritation at what he calls “idiotic” comments by President Donald Trump about wind energy. Trump on Tuesday said noise from wind turbines causes cancer. Sen. Chuck Grassley told reporters Wednesday the comments “were first of all idiotic and it doesn’t show much respect for Chuck Grassley as the grandfather of the wind energy tax credit.” Grassley was instrumental in approving a federal tax credit 26 years ago that has spurred wind energy development.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court says former Justice Daryl Hecht has died as he battled skin cancer. The court’s spokesman Steve Davis says Hecht died early Wednesday at his home in Sloan. He was 66. Hecht, who was appointed by Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack in 2006, resigned from the court in December while receiving treatment for melanoma in Sioux City and at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. In a statement, the Iowa Judicial Branch described Hecht as a kind, thoughtful jurist with a passion for the law.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police have arrested a man in the 2017 shooting death in a Cedar Rapids alley. Cedar Rapids police said in a news release Wednesday that 19-year-old James Phillips has been charged with first-degree murder, theft, conspiracy and going armed with intent in the Nov. 21, 2017, death of 34-year-old Leland Harris. Police say Harris’ body was found the day after his death in an alley.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday night, rejected a bid of $20,445 from the Atlantic Elks Lodge, for the purchase of the Atlantic Senior Center. The Elks had hoped to purchase the building because they could no longer afford the upkeep on their former home. In their original proposal, Elks officials said they wanted a place to hold their bingo and other events. They offered to buy the Senior Center as is, make the necessary repairs to the roof, and share the facility with Senior Citizens during the day.

Their bid was the only one received by Monday’s deadline. The Council voted 6-1 in favor of rejecting the bid, because most thought it was too low. A realtor has said the fair market value of the building, as is, would be $59,000 to $63,000, but the appraised value was $46,000.

Councilman Dick Casady pointed out that with the purchase of the building, and the estimated $39,000 cost of the roof repair, the Elks would be near their budget limit as set by their Grand Lodge, so the price is not all that unreasonable.

Councilman Dick Casady, who voted against the decision NOT to sell the building to the Elks, said “It’s basically the end of the Elks in Atlantic, Iowa.” Elks spokesperson Mark McNees said “I wouldn’t go that far, Dick.” Councilman Dana Halder said he voted against the bid, and that “It’s unfortunate, but I think in my position, I was elected to do the best thing for the people of Atlantic. Yeah, it would be a good thing for that group, but I don’t know that it’s in everybody else’ best interest to take that price.” With the decision, the City will retain ownership of the building.

In other business, Councilman Halder reminded citizens there is an Ordinance prohibiting large boats and campers in your yard. He said he’s already seen a camper that’s been hooked-up for almost a week and extends across the sidewalk to the street. And, Mayor Dave Jones warned of the dangers of riding bicycles and motorcycles on city streets, with all the sand remaining from this past winter’s battle against the snow. Street sweepers are trying to clear the sand, but the Mayor said the best thing is a good rain, and for those who ride two wheels to be cautious on city streets.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Three Midwestern Republican governors of states ravaged by recent flooding on Wednesday demanded more authority over management of the Missouri River system.

Following a meeting with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson criticized the federal body that manages the river, saying it puts too much emphasis on fish and wildlife habitat and not enough on flood control.

“One thing is clear: Something needs to change,” said Parson, who pointed to increasing damage from flooding over the last decade with no solutions in sight.
The governors said they plan to work together for that change, even if it means petitioning Congress to give states more authority in river management.

Ricketts complained that even when funding for reinforcement of levees is approved, it’s often years before the work is actually done. In some cases, flooding repeats before the work even starts. “That permitting process has got to be faster,” he said. Reynolds said the governors would be presenting a united front to the federal government in demanding more authority.

“We can’t continue to do things like build a temporary levee that would protect a community, and after the Corps deems the flood incident over, require them to tear it down,” she said. Asked whether the Corps indicated it would or could cede some river management decisions to the states, Parson replied, “Well, they listened.”

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, also was scheduled to attend but had transportation problems and did not make it. The Corps has said it works to balance all its priorities and that much of the flooding was well out of its control. The agency said that much of the water that created the flooding came from record rains and melting snow that flowed over frozen ground and directly into the river downstream of its dams, all while massive amounts of water filled Missouri River reservoirs and had to be released.

On Wednesday, the Corps released numbers showing record March runoff in the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, of 11 million acre feet — nearly 4 million acre feet more than the previous record of 7.3 million set in 1952. The average March upper basin runoff is 2.9 million acre feet, the Corps said.

Officials have estimated that the flooding caused nearly $1.4 billion in damage in Nebraska and more than $1.6 billion in Iowa. That includes an estimated $1 billion of damage to farms in both states, where flooding destroyed stored crops, tore up land and equipment and killed livestock. Thousands of homes and businesses have been damaged or destroyed in Nebraska alone. The damage total is expected to grow as more assessments are made.

Kansas and Missouri officials are still waiting on damage estimates, although Kansas officials say that state saw flood damage limited to about 31,000 acres of mostly farmland and some stored grain. In Missouri, the surging river caused dozens of levee breaches that inundated about 168,000 acres in Missouri’s two hardest-hit counties of Holt and Atchison.

Officials have said the March floods could be just the beginning of a rough spring, as hefty snowpack in the northern Plains adds to already swollen rivers and streams. That includes the Mississippi River, which started falling Wednesday in St. Louis as the crest moves downstream.

St. Louis closed its floodgates in advance of Tuesday’s crest. Although the flooding there isn’t classified as major, it closed some roads, including stretches of Missouri 94 and 67. Downstream, the flood fight continues. The Corps said it handed out more than 100,000 sandbags to communities in its St. Louis district, including Clarksville, parts of Jefferson County and Ste. Genevieve.

The Atlantic City Council paid tribute Wednesday evening to a young man who was one of two people to represent Iowa in the Special Olympics World Games held last month in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

Brandon Baier is recognized during an Atlantic City Council meeting 4/3/19. (Ric Hanson/photo)

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones read from the proclamation that paid tribute to Brandon Baier. The proclamation as read can be found here: Proclamation

The 27 year old Baier participated in Track & Field at the Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle last July, earning a gold medal and qualifying for the World Games. Brandon won a bronze medal in the Shot Put and competed in the 100 meter dash and the 4 x 100 meter relay at the World Games in March.