Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety report a Montgomery County man was sentenced to Thursday to prison, on Federal charges. 40-year old Kevin Duane Staley, of Red Oak, was sentenced to six and one-half years (78 months) in federal prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

His arrest followed an investigation that began in October 2017, when the Red Oak Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation became aware of firearms violations involving Staley, who was 39-years old at the time. On May 30, 2018, Agents from the Division of Criminal Investigation obtained a federal arrest warrant for Staley, who was charged with one count of possessing of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and a second count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. On September 5, 2018, Staley entered a guilty plea to count two of the federal indictment.

In addition to his term of imprisonment, Staley is required to pay a $100 Special Assessment Fee, and will be on supervised release for three years following his release from federal prison.  After his sentencing, Staley was remanded to the custody of the US Marshal’s Office.                        

The committee working on the Atlantic facilities improvement plan presented their latest project proposal to business and community leaders on Thursday at the Atlantic High School auditorium. After looking further into the project some adjustments were made to improve safety and get the most out of the project budget of 9.5 million dollars.

The two major adjustments were eliminating the proposed street that would have connected Linn Street to 14th Street to the west of the middle school and moving the synthetic turf from the Trojan Bowl to the high school field.

After consulting with law enforcement it was determined that there was a safer alternative to the street going through. The parking spaces in front of Washington school would be eliminated to create an off street drop off zone. Bus drop off and pick up would all occur in the parking lot behind the middle school to alleviate bus congestion from 14th street. This was already the drop off zone in the morning so it made sense to officials to make it the pick up area as well. A new faculty parking lot just to the west of Washington would be constructed by removing at least a portion of the tennis courts that sit there now.

The field turf was moved to the high school facility to better accommodate activities and practices at the high school. The field would be used by the soccer teams for practice and games, the football team for practice, and for marching band practice. This adjustment would also eliminate the previous proposal for construction of a team building at the Trojan Bowl.

Updates at the Trojan bowl would still include a new 4-lane track that would accommodate the newly widened natural grass playing surface and improved sloping around the perimeter. A new press box and addition of a visitor press box along with new ADA compliant bleachers. A new concrete apron would be put in place around the facility as well along with a new concession/restroom/storage building.

The proposal also has tennis courts being built north of the track at the high school and new shotput and discus areas to the south to eliminate competition for space between track and soccer in the spring.

The baseball and softball complex improvements include; new dugouts, batting cages, concessions, and press boxes. Terracing of the hill behind the fields is also proposed to help water run-off issues.

The committee said two public forums are being planned to inform the community of the plan.

The proposal is scheduled to go in front of school district voters on April 2. Early voting on the project starts March 4. Polls on April 2 Bond election are scheduled to be open from noon to 8:00 p.m., with early voting at 8:00 a.m. on election day at the Cass County Auditor’s Office.

(Radio Iowa) — Despite a weak ag economy, 2018 was a good year for farm equipment sales, a big deal in Iowa where John Deere is the state’s largest manufacturing employer. A report shows tractor sales in the U-S rose seven-percent from the previous year, while combine sales jumped 18-percent. Curt Blades, with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, mainly credits farmers replacing old equipment.

“You may’ve had a farmer that was typically on a three- or four-year replacement cycle who made the decision to stretch that out to four years or five years,” Blades says. “At some point, they just simply need to replace some equipment. That’s what we have found has been driving the market really for the last 18 months.”

Blades says 2018 started strong thanks to federal tax reform and a strong U-S economy helped all year, but then came the trade war with China and other drags on the farm economy.  “If we’re talking about a farmer making a half-million dollar investment,” he says, “they’ve gotta’ feel good about the economy and they’ve got to feel like it’s something they want to do.”

Despite tariffs and the trade war, Blades expects farm income will go up a little this year. He also likes the new Farm Bill, but worries the partial federal government shutdown will delay its implementation.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s law enforcement community is asking senators to establish a new penalty for making GENERAL threats directed at public places where people gather. Individuals currently may be charged with arson for making a bomb threat — and it is a crime in Iowa to threaten to terrorize or harass an intended victim — but Kelly Meyers, a lobbyist for the Iowa County Attorneys Association, says prosecutors are seeking a direct way to charge those who make general threats.

“Putting something out there maybe on social media, if you will. ‘You’d better not go to school tomorrow or bad stuff’s going to happen,'” she says, “or putting a threat out there that there could be a school shooting.” Three senators reviewed the proposal this (Thursday) afternoon and all three endorsed the concept. Cyndi Pederson, a lobbyist for the Iowa Fraternal Order of Police, is urging lawmakers to act.  “Any time you can add potential penalties for persons threatening public active shooter events I think is a good thing,” she said.

The bill as currently drafted calls for a felony charge against those accused of threatening serious injury or death to people in “a public place, school building or any occupied structure.” The Iowa Association for Justice — the group representing trial lawyers — is registered in opposition to the bill. “If many of these school threats are a bullied kid who’s reaching out for help, do we really want to make them a felon?”  That’s Lisa Davis-Cook, a lobbyist for the group.

Bill backers say they’re open to a lesser charge. Susan Cameron Daemen is a lobbyist for the Iowa State Sheriffs’ and Deputies’ Association. “We do believe there needs to be something so these children or juveniles, if they are juveniles, have an opportunity to get treatment or help, if that’s what they need,” she says.

The bill will next be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of rural bankers in parts of 10 Plains and Western states suggests banks are growing increasingly concerned about farm loan defaults in 2019. More than 4 of every 10 bankers questioned for the Rural Mainstreet survey for January said they expect farm loan defaults to be the year’s biggest challenge.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says their outlook is being negatively influenced by tariffs, trade tensions, weak commodity prices and the partial federal government shutdown.

The survey’s overall index dropped to 51.5 from December’s 54.2. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy in the months ahead, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

(UPDATED) — The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports the Mayor of Jamaica and her husband have been arrested on drug charges. Mayor LaDonna, and Randy Kennedy, were taken into custody after a marijuana growing operation was located inside their home during the execution of a search warrant.

Randy Kennedy

Ladonna Kennedy

The couple face charges that include: manufacture with intent to deliver no more than 50 kilograms of marijuana, class D felony; two counts of failure to affix a drug stamp, class D felonies; one count of knowingly keeping a dwelling for possessing or selling a controlled substance, an aggravated misdemeanor; and possession of a controlled substance – first offense, a serious misdemeanor.

Kennedy and her husband were initially held on $18,300 bond, but they have since been released by a Dallas County Magistrate (filling in for the Guthrie County Magistrate) on their own recognizance.

Their arrests happened Wednesday, after Guthrie County Deputies went to 500 1st Ave. in Jamaica on a tip that Randy Halterman was located at the residence. Halterman was wanted out of Story County on an arrest warrant for Attempted Murder. After attempting to make contact with the occupants of the residence, probable cause was established for a search warrant.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) today (Thursday) announced she will kick off her 99 County Tour for 2019 with a town hall meeting in her hometown of Red Oak in Montgomery County.  Senator Ernst looks forward to hearing from constituents in the area about the issues most important to them. This town hall meeting is open to the public. Her schedule is as follows:

Monday, January 21, 2019

Montgomery County Town Hall Meeting: 5:00 PM, Red Oak National Guard Armory (2001 G Avenue), Red Oak.

Due to the partial government shutdown, if a vote in the Senate is scheduled, Senator Ernst will return to the Senate.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa has been given $5 million for research into treatments of eye diseases that affect and blind people worldwide. The university in a news release Thursday that the gift comes from Alice and John Butler, of Dubuque. It will establish the Alice L. and John E. Butler Vision Research Fund, which will support gene- and stem cell-based treatments for degenerative retinal diseases.
The university’s stem cell transplantation program seeks to use stem cells from a patient’s own tissue, correct gene mutations, and transplant them into the patient’s retina to restore vision.

The American Legion Memorial Building was dedicated on November 11, 1929. It is located at 201 Poplar Street, Atlantic. What has happened in the following 90 years? That is the topic for a program to be presented Sunday, January 20 beginning at 2 p.m.  Steve Livengood will trace the purpose and changes for the Building. It became the National Guard Armory early in the history. When the Guard sold it to the city of Atlantic for $1.00 there were many questions about the future.

Livengood called the Armory his Military home for 14 years 1987 to 2001. He arrived as a Supply Sergeant then added training director and finally administrator. He has been the caretaker and leader for renovation since Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise (ARISE) purchased the Building from the City. He knows all the ins and outs of the Building.

Planners of the American Legion Memorial Building intended that the community could put it to a variety of uses. Atlantic High School used it as a gym, youth groups held activities, businesses sponsored large meetings and community dances were held. Attendees at the program are invited to tell their non-military experiences.

Programs are planned for February 17, March 17 and April 28. Topics include prisoner of war camps in Iowa, military dogs and women in war. There is no fee but donations are welcome. More information is available on a web site, www.ariseAtlantic.org.

(Radio Iowa) — The phone at the Consumer Protection Division of the Iowa Attorney General’s Office rang a lot more last year. A-G spokesman, Lynn Hicks, says the number of formal complaints went up 18 percent to nearly 35-hundred. He says that’s a pretty substantial increase — when you consider that complaints only went up five percent the previous year. “This is probably the biggest amount we’ve seen in awhile.” The leader among complaints continues to be those involving cars and trucks. “And that’s everything from auto repairs to financing, warranty plans, used car practices, all kinds of things,” according to Hicks.

Imposter phone calls or emails are something that Hicks says has been generating more complaints. “Which are the ones where people will call or through social media or email pretend to be somebody and they’re trying fish for either information or try to get you to give up money,” Hicks says. “So, those have seen big increases over the last couple of years. And then the other big categories are home improvement. We still get a lot of complaints about home improvement, home remodeling contractors, that sort of thing.” The three-thousand-495 complaints are just the ones that move forward into a formal process. “Sometimes we can work it out over the phone or tell them what’s possible,” Hicks explains. “But these are ones where we encourage them to actually fill out forms. They’ve made complaints, an investigator has looked into it and we go from there — whether it’s informally resolving something between say a consumer — or going all the way to legal action.”

Hicks says the law involving contractors has some gray areas when it comes to paying in advance for work. He says the Attorney General’s Office is proposing a change that would strengthen it. “The contractor would have to file with the state a surety bond of 75-thousand dollars. And so, if a consumer believes that they have been damaged under that contract — whether it is a fraud or breech of contract — the can recover costs from that bond,” Hicks says.

If you have a complaint you can contact the Consumer Protection Division through the Attorney General’s website, by email or by phone. The website is:
www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.gov. You can email at: consumer@ag.iowa.gov, or call 515-281-5926. Outside the Des Moines area, call toll-free: 888-777-4590.