COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports 48-year old Valeria Ventura Ramirez, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced Tuesday in Council Bluffs District Court, to 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to launder money.

In 2016, Ventura Ramirez was the owner and operator of Novedades Ventura, Inc., a money service business located on Leavenworth Street in Omaha. Between July and November of 2016, Ventura Ramirez utilized multiple money transfer companies, including but not limited to, MoneyGram, Western Union, Sigue, InterCambio Express, CES and Intermex, to knowingly wire drug money from the United States to Mexico on behalf of drug traffickers operating in Council Bluffs and Omaha.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Omaha Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Wednesday (today), said three people suffered minor injuries during a collision Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Highways N-28 and 92. Authorities say a 2007 Buick Rendezvous driven by 15-year old Joann Elizabeth Brahms, of Cumberland, was westbound on Highway 92 when a southbound 2018 Chevy Silverado owned and driven by 70-year old Stephen Swanson, of Essex, pulled away from a stop sign and entered the intersection, striking the Buick in the driver’s side. The Buick then entered the south ditch. The injured persons were transported to Cass County Memorial Hospital by Cumberland Rescue and Medivac. Swanson was cited for Failure to Yield at a Stop Sign. Damage to the vehicles amounted to $15,000.

On March 26th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 40-year old Justin David Altstadt, of Atlantic, on three Atlantic Police Department warrants for Violation of No Contact Order, and two District Court warrants for Failure to Appear. Altstadt was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $11,100 bond.

On March 29th, 20-year old Jacob Hoyt Way, of Audubon, was arrested on two District Court warrants for Probation Violation. Way was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $40,000 bond. That same day, 38-year old David Dewayne Thomas, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrant for Harassment 2^nd Degree. Thomas was taken to the Cass County Jail and was released the following day on his own recognizance.

On March 30th, Cass County deputies arrested 28-year old Shari Lavon Lowe, of Creston, on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Lowe was taken to the Cass County Jail and was held pending transport to the Iowa Correctional Facility for Women.

And, on April 1st, 39-year old Misty Lynn Scybert, of Atlantic, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Violation of Probation. Scybert was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $5,000 bond.

A former City Clerk in Fremont County was sentenced Tuesday in Council Bluffs District Court to 5-years of probation for Bank Fraud. 57-year old Carol S. Jennings, of Riverton, was also ordered to pay $77,247.47 in restitution. As part of her sentence, Jennings will serve six months of home confinement.

In November 2018, Jennings pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. According to plea documents, Jennings admitted that while employed as the clerk for the City of Riverton, she opened an account with a local bank by providing a falsified document. Jennings also admitted to depositing city funds into the account and then converting almost the entire balance for her own personal use.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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AMES, Iowa – April 3, 2019 – While there was some good news last night with the opening of a segment of I-680 helping with the flow of traffic between Omaha and Council Bluffs, the public should expect that many Southwest Iowa roads will remain closed for weeks and in some cases, months due to severe flood damage.

The Iowa Department of Transportation is working diligently to assess damage, repair roads, and get them reopened as quickly as possible. Working with the Federal Highway Administration, local transportation partners, and the Nebraska and Missouri departments of transportation, our goal is to keep people moving as safely as possible through the area.

For those roads that remain closed, barriers continue to block access. Those barriers will remain in place until the road has been deemed safe for traffic.

A link to a detailed map of the initial damage assessments is available at: https://floods2019.iowa.gov/IADOT_2019FloodMap.pdf.

Click on the graphic to enlarge

And seen here:

Rescue crews from Atlantic and Marne were called to the 51 mile marker of Interstate 80 westbound at around 2:07-p.m. today (Wednesday), for a single-vehicle accident involving an SUV or pickup-type vehicle. One person, a passenger was reportedly injured.

Shortly afterward, a collision between a semi and two-cars occurred at the 49 mile marker westbound. All three vehicles ended-up in the median. No injuries were reported.

The Iowa State Patrol was handling the accident investigations. No other details are currently available.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A sentencing has been scheduled next month for a Mason City man accused of stabbing five people at a downtown bar. Cerro Gordo County District Court records say 39-year-old Raul Millares Arias entered an Alford plea of guilty Tuesday to five counts of willful injury and one of going armed with intent. In an Alford plea, a person doesn’t admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a likely conviction. His sentencing is set for May 14.

Police say Millares Arias had been asked to leave the bar July 4 last year before stabbing four men and one woman and attempting to stab a sixth person. Police say Millares Arias was chased out of the bar by a customer and then held for police by witnesses. Court records say he’d planned to use defenses of intoxication and diminished responsibility.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors today awarded a total of more than $8.6 million in federal housing tax credits to support the construction of 552 rental homes for families and seniors. The twelve projects are located in Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Grimes, Harlan, Marshalltown, Marion, Norwalk, Pella, Red Oak, Spencer, Urbandale and Waterloo.

In Harlan, Christiansen Meadows is receiving tax credits amounting to $710,833 for 36 affordable new construction units. In Red Oak, Prairie Fire Lofts is receiving $397,495 for 22 affordable family units through adaptive re-use. IFA Executive Director Debi Durham said “The housing tax credit awards announced today (Wednesday) will soon have a very real impact on hundreds of Iowa families and seniors who will call them home. “Not only is affordable housing the cornerstone for thriving families but it’s also integral for thriving communities. The twelve communities awarded projects today will benefit from the positive economic ripple effects for generations to come.”

The Internal Revenue Service makes an annual per capita allocation of federal tax credits to each state for the Federal Housing Tax Credit program. The Iowa Finance Authority is charged with allocating those credits to affordable housing developers. The developers who receive tax credits sell them to investors to generate equity for the housing developments. The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) received 31 applications requesting more than $22.2 million in housing tax credits in the 2019 tax credit round and IFA had approximately $8.8 million available to allocate.

The actual awards exceed $86.6 million because the credits are committed annually for a 10-year period. These projects have leveraged an additional $3.5 million in other funds, as determined by the scoring criteria within the 2019 program plan.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A railroad’s decision to permanently raise tracks along Davenport’s riverfront following recent flooding is ruffling feathers in City Hall. Davenport officials say Canadian Pacific Railway didn’t need permits or city approval for the work that began March 28 because the company has right of way. The Quad-City Times reports that aldermen and city administrators raised concerns Tuesday about accessibility and the possible disruption of road traffic at seven railroad crossings in the city. Some aldermen say they want the state to intervene.

Canadian Pacific spokesman Andy Cummings said in a statement Tuesday that the company has been in “close contact” with the city about the permanent “upgrade.” Public Works Director Nicole Gleason says the company notified the city of its intentions but didn’t provide a start date.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 34-year old Jacob Michael Carnes was arrested at around 9:50-a.m. today (Wednesday), on a valid Montgomery County Magistrate Court warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Suspended charge. Carnes was being held on a $1,000 cash bond.

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to thefts while working at a Coralville mall store has been accused of trying to sell some of the jewelry that police say he’d managed to hide away from investigators. Johnson County District Court records say 25-year-old Troy Woods pleaded not guilty to a new theft charge after his arrest Monday. He’s been on probation since March 2018, after he pleaded guilty to a theft charge. Court records say his 2017 thefts while working at a Kay store in Coral Ridge Mall amounted to nearly $51,000.

Coralville Police Chief Shane Kron told the Iowa City Press-Citizen that the jewelry Woods is accused of trying to sell to a New York company since his 2018 sentencing is “additional jewelry he hid.” Kron says Woods reported needing money to pay the restitution from the original case.