A H&H Dump body trailer that was reported stolen Dec. 18th from a rural building site south of Clarinda, was recovered March 11th by Deputies with the Nodaway County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department. The trailer has since been returned to its rightful owner. An investigation into the person or persons responsible for stealing the trailer, is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident, is asked to contact the Page County Sheriff’s Office at 712-542-5193.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports today (Wednesday), three arrests took place late last week into the weekend. Last Friday afternoon, 19-year old Seth Michael Lewis, of Shenandoah, was arrested at the Page County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for Probation Violation. The warrant stemmed from an original charge of O.W.I. 1st Offense. Lewis posted bond and was released pending future court proceedings.

And, last Saturday, at around 4:50-a.m., Page County Deputies stopped a 2011 Chevy Malibu for a traffic violation on Highway 71, south of Clarinda. During the traffic stop, 20-year old Erika Jean Mullen, of Clarinda, was arrested for O.W.I. 1st Offense. Mullen was transported to the Page County Sheriff’s Office for further testing. She was held in the Page County Jail until she posted $1,000 bond, and was released pending further court proceedings.

At around 4:05-p.m., Saturday, a Page County Deputy conducted a traffic stop in the 2300 block of Highway 2, about three miles west of Clarinda. During the traffic stop it was found that the driver, 38-year old Michael Wayne England II, of Emerson, had a suspended driver’s license. England was arrested for driving under suspension and transported to the Page County Jail. He was booked into the Page County Jail for inability to post bond.

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer, Wednesday (today), said two people were arrested over the past couple of weeks, for Domestic Abuse. On Feb. 27th, 21-year old Zeth Lee Petersen, of Audubon, was arrested  for Aggravated Domestic Abuse. And, on March 9th, 34-year old Ryan Mark Biensen, of Audubon, was arrested for Domestic Abuse. Both were transported to the Audubon County Jail and held pending an appearance before a magistrate.

Yesterday (Tuesday), 45-year old Verlyn Duane Richardson, of Audubon, was arrested by Audubon Police, on an active warrant.  Richardson was transported to the Audubon County Jail, where he posted cash bond and was released.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should act immediately to make flood control the top priority on the Missouri River, an attorney for hundreds of farmers, landowners and business operators said today (Wednesday), after a federal judge ruled the agency was responsible for recurring flooding. Judge Nancy B. Firestone’s ruling Tuesday in Washington cited river management changes initiated by the Corps of Engineers starting in 2004, including efforts to aid endangered fish and birds, that led to damages estimated to exceed $300 million in four states: Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. The Corps manages the Missouri River’s system of dams and locks and decides when and how much water is released from reservoirs into the river.

In her 259-page ruling, Firestone wrote that flooding “was caused by and was the foreseeable result” of the Corps’ management of the river. Another trial will start in October to determine how much money the lawsuit’s 372 plaintiffs will receive. It wasn’t clear whether the U.S. government planned to appeal the ruling. The lawsuit, filed in 2014, contended the Corps unconstitutionally deprived people of their land, essentially taking it without compensation. Firestone found in favor of the plaintiffs in five of the six years in which flooding was blamed on Corps management, disallowing flood claims in 2011.

R. Dan Boulware, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said he will ask the judge to reconsider her decision disallowing the 2011 flood claims. Still, Boulware said the ruling makes it clear that the Missouri River is changed and is more prone to flooding. The lawsuit contended the Corps made a management shift in 2004 that downplayed flood control while emphasizing restoring ecosystem and habitat creation for threatened and endangered species. The court ruled that practices such as notching of dikes and reopening of chutes worsened the flood risk. The lawsuit also cited the Corps’ practice of releasing threatened and endangered species from reservoirs, even when river levels below the dams were high. And, it cited increasing reservoir storage as a factor in the recent floods.

The 63-day trial began in Kansas City, Missouri, before moving to Washington. It concluded in December.

Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson reports nine arrests took place over the last week. Four people were arrested Monday on drug charges, in Atlantic. 48-year old Ronald Bacon, of Altoona, 43-year old Virginia Keasey, of Stuart, 27-year old Callyn Pollock, of Anita, and 20-year old Nathaniel Riesberg, of Atlantic, were taken into custody. Bacon was arrested for Possession with the Intent to Deliver, Keasey and Riesberg were arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense, each. Pollack was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance. All four were also charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. They were booked into the Cass County Jail.

Last Saturday, Atlantic Police arrested 46-year old Gregory Jennings, of Atlantic, for Assault, and Public Intoxication. And, 27-year old Brittany Wood, of Iowa City, was arrested for Assault on Persons in certain occupations, Disorderly conduct, and Interference with Official Acts. Both were booked into the Cass County Jail.

On March 9th, 27-year old Alicia Dellaca, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Violation of Probation. And, on March 6th, 53-year old Mitchell Thompson, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Violation of Probation. That same day, 31-year old Ruben Eram, of Atlantic, was arrested for Domestic Abuse/2nd offense. All three subjects were booked into the Cass County Jail.

The National Weather Service has issued a “Red Flag Warning,” for the southwest corner of Iowa. The warning currently affects Fremont and Page Counties, where potentially dangerous fire weather conditions will exist this afternoon. The warning is in effect from 1-p.m. today until 7-p.m.

Gusty southwest winds (at 15-to 25-mph) combined with low relative humidity values and dry fuels, will result in dangerous fire weather conditions across parts of southeastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa this afternoon. As temperatures climb well into the 60s today, humidity levels will drop below 20 percent. These low relative humidity values, along with southwest winds gusting to 25 mph, will make any fires that develop difficult to control.

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

A new leadership team is now in place in the Iowa Senate, changes prompted by a G-O-P senator’s dramatic exit Monday. Senator Bill Dix had been the top Republican leader in the senate, but he resigned after images posted online showed him kissing a lobbyist. The 28 Republicans who remain in the senate met this (Wednesday) morning and elected Jack Whitver, of Ankeny, to be the Senate Majority Leader. “I believe it is a new day in the state of Iowa and in the Iowa Senate,” Whitver told reporters shortly after the private meeting, “and we look forward to moving forward.”

Whitver had been the number two Republican in the senate, serving as Senate President. Senator Charles Schneider, an attorney from West Des Moines, was chosen by his fellow Republicans to replace Whitver as president. Senator Amy Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton, is the newly-elected G-O-P whip in the senate.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — An economic development nonprofit wants to enhance lighting in portions of Sioux City’s downtown to make it safer for pedestrians. The Sioux City Journal reports that Downtown Partners outlined plans at a Tuesday meeting with City Council for a multi-phase project to brighten two major streets and the Missouri riverfront area. The organization’s board members say they’ve worked with city staff and several electric utility companies to identify dim or dark areas along downtown sidewalks as well as lighting solutions.

The first phase would include installing festooned lighting on one of the streets as early as this summer. Downtown Partners Executive Director Ragen Cote says the board estimates initial costs may be around $20,000. Cote says she hopes to have some lighting up as early as June.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday), adopted the Fiscal Year 2019 County Budget, Secondary Roads Budget, and acted upon a recommendation from the County Compensation Board, for elected officers’ salaries. The adopted budget calls for a decrease in the levy of around 15.5-cents per thousand dollars assessed property valuation. Auditor Dale Sunderman said a majority of the decrease was attributable to the County MH/DS (Mental Health) Fund, which went from$305, 371 in the current FY, to $276,297 in FY 2018-19. The reason, he said, is to reduce the cash balance for the reserve that’s fairly large, trying to bring that down to a lower level.

The Capital Projects budget is fairly large, Sunderman said, because of the ethanol plant. The budget for that line item is over $3.4-million. The FY 2018-19 budget calls for $3.95-million.

As far as the County Compensation Board’s recommendations for elected officers, the Board of Supervisors cut 25-percent from the recommendation across the Board, to increase the salaries one-percent over last year. The annual salaries include:

• County Attorney $100,000 (New, full-time position)
• County Auditor, Recorder and Treasurer $59,339 each (last year $57,354)
• County Sheriff $77,831 (Last year $74,324)
• Supervisors $29,808 (Last year $29,232)
• Supervisor Chair $30,808. (Last year $30,232)

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports one arrest took place, Tuesday. 26-year old Shialea Kay Cozad, of Pacific Junction, was arrested at around 12:35-p.m., for Interference with Official Acts. Her bond was set at $300.