The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a Cass County man was arrested Tuesday morning, following a traffic stop. A Deputy on routine patrol at around 9-a.m., ran the license plate number for a 2014 Chrysler Town and Country van. The registered owner, 34-year old Justin J. Schroder, of Griswold, showed a revoked driver’s license through the state of Iowa for a previous OWI conviction. During the traffic stop, Schroeder admitted he shouldn’t be driving, but he added that he was driving home from work, and has to get back and forth to work somehow.

A traffic stop Tuesday afternoon in Pott. County resulted in the arrest of a man for Driving While Barred. A Deputy was on patrol at around 1:55-p.m., when he saw a 1996 Cadillac Deville pass him. The vehicle did not have any license plates. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 27-year old Joshua Cannon, of Council Bluffs.

And, a traffic stop at around 6:45-a.m. today (Wednesday), resulted in the arrest of 39-year old Dusty William Edward Rhodes, of Missouri Valley. Rhodes was shown to have a warrant for Violating a No Contact Order, out of Council Bluffs.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s infrastructure ranks ninth worst in the country, according to report by the financial website 24-7 Wall Street. The study analyzed the age and upkeep of the state’s roads, bridges, dams and highway spending. The site’s Aaron Granquist says county-maintained rural bridges connecting farmland to metro areas are the most vulnerable. “They just don’t have quite as much funding as the Iowa DOT or cities to address these bridges,” Granquist says, “so those county rural bridges are really what brings the overall score down.”

Granquist says Iowa ranks higher in other more comprehensive reports, but he says a recent raise in the state’s gas tax isn’t enough to offset years of what he calls deferred maintenance of public infrastructure. “You’ll see a sign leading to one of these rural bridges that says you can’t go over this with more than 10,000 pounds or whatever,” Granquist says. “That’s some of the ways of trying to reduce the risk associated with those bridges, but you know you really need to make sure that the funding gets to the county level.”

Granquist says the 2015 boost in the state’s gas tax will help fund improvements, but he says it’s not enough to keep up with what he calls decades of deferred maintenance. He made his comments on the Iowa Public Radio program, River to River.

(Thanks to Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty to robbing an eastern Iowa bank on his birthday. Records say 46-year-old Joseph Kripner, of Monticello, entered the plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. His sentencing date hasn’t been set. Authorities say he robbed the Security State Bank in Springville on his birthday, June 1, getting away with nearly $4,000 after showing his handgun to a teller. Kripner’s distinctive tattoos helped authorities zero in on him as the robber after a tipster helped identify the robber’s getaway car. Kripner was arrested in Colorado.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Officials with the Creston Police Department report three arrests have taken place and two thefts occurred. At around 2:12-a.m. today (Wednesday), 20-year old Isaiah Foster, of Creston, was arrested for Possession of drug paraphernalia. Foster was being held in the Union County Jail on a $300 bond. And, late Tuesday morning, 23-year old Jacey Glynn, of Lenox, and Asastasia Imsland, of Gravity, were both arrested in Creston for Violation of a Protection Order. Glynn was also charged with Driving While Suspended. Both were released from the Union County Jail on a Promise to Appear in court.

Tuesday morning, the Creston Park Apartments reported that sometime between Aug. 18th and 21st, two Dell computers were stolen from the apartments’ Community Room. The loss was estimated at $700. And, a woman residing in the 300 block of E. Fremont St., in Creston, reported to Police that sometime overnight Monday into early Tuesday morning, someone broke into her vehicle that was parked near her home, and took an old phone, a debit card and a Chemistry Book. The loss was estimated at $200.

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

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DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque racing group has approved a plan to spend $3.4 million on a veterans memorial for an island in the Mississippi River. The Telegraph Herald reports that the Dubuque Racing Association board of directors on Tuesday voted for the Veterans Memorial Plaza project, which will include walkways, a waterfall and a sculpture. It will be built on Chaplain Schmitt Island, which is home to Q Casino and Hotel.

The memorial sculpture titled “Skyward” will honor Aloysius Schmitt, a chaplain who died aboard the USS Oklahoma on Dec. 7, 1941, when the ship was attacked at Pearl Harbor and eventually capsized. The project also will need approval from the Dubuque City Council and the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission before it can move forward.

(Radio Iowa) — The political debate about America’s immigration system has been re-ignited by the tragic death of the 20-year-old woman from Brooklyn who authorities say was murdered by a man living in the country illegally. President Trump mentioned the case last (Tuesday) night during a rally in West Virginia. “You heard about today with the illegal alien coming in, very sadly, from Mexico and you saw what happened to that incredible, beautiful young woman,” Trump said. “Should have never happened.”

The 24-year-old accused of murdering Mollie Tibbetts had been living illegally in Poweshiek County for up to seven years, according to authorities. Governor Kim Reynolds issued a written statement late Tuesday afternoon, saying Iowans are “angry that a broken immigration system allowed a predator like this to live in our community.” The two Republicans who represent Iowa in the U.S. Senate released a joint statement. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst said: “too many Iowans have been lost at the hands of criminals who broke our immigration laws” and “we cannot allow these tragedies to continue.”

The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa addressed what he termed “anti-immigrant sentiment” following the arrest of Cristhian Bahena Rivera, the 24-year-old accused of Mollie Tibbets’ death. Mark Stringer said it was “unfortunate that during a tragedy like this some people choose to polarize our communities and our state by politicizing the situation and emphasizing the immigration status of the person accused.” Stringer said “people of all races and levels of citizenship commit crimes.”

Two of Iowa’s congressmen made statements about the case on Twitter. Congressman Steve King, a harsh critic of any effort to grant citizenship to those living in the country illegally, said “justice must now be served,” but King did not mention Rivera’s immigration status. Congressman David Young tweeted that “Iowans and many more mourn together over the loss of Mollie Tibbetts.” Fred Hubbell, the Democratic candidate for governor, issued a written statement, commending law enforcement for working “around the clock to investigate this crime.” Hubbell concluded by saying: “In this sate, if you break the law, you will face the consequences.”

Mollie Tibbetts’ aunt posted a note on Facebook that said: “Please remember, Evil comes in EVERY color” and she expressed thanks for the “love, friendship and support throughout this entire ordeal by friends from all different nations and races.”

Officials with the Harlan Municipal Utilities water plant said Tuesday the plant is on track to set a record for gallons produced in a month, and they’re asking customers to implement voluntary water conservation over the next couple of days. Doug Hammer from HMU said”We’ve seen a large demand for water this month. The water plant has been running at full capacity for most of August. We’ve been able to keep up with demand but we’re asking our customers to please implement some voluntary conservation and refrain from watering yards or gardens over the next couple of days to give us a chance to catch up and replenish the clear wells and water towers. There has been no compromise to quality, we just need a little breathing room this week so if customers could cut back just a little, it would help us out.”

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Police have been seeking the mother of a 5-year-old Davenport boy who died after he was assaulted by her boyfriend. Murder warrants have been issued for 24-year-old Jacqueline Rambert and 26-year-old Tre Henderson. Police say Ja’Shawn Bussell died May 1, 10 days after he received head and other injuries in Henderson’s attack.