The Creston Police Department reports six recent arrests. Arrested Sunday, Feb. 18th, was: 20-year old Tyler Ray, of Creston, for Driving While Suspended, and on a Union County warrant for Probation Violation. His bond was set at $2,000; 21-year old Jeffrey Campbell, of Des Moines, was arrested for Possession of Paraphernalia, and on a Polk County warrant for Theft in the 3rd Degree. He was being held in the Union County Jail pending transfer to Polk County; And, 58-year old Jonathan Selim, of Creston, was arrested Sunday for OWI/2nd offense. Selim was later released on $2,000 bond.

Saturday, Creston Police arrested 32-year old Cassondra Arni, of Creston, on a Clinton County, MO., warrant for Failure to obey a Judge’s Order on an original charge of two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Arni was transferred to the custody of Clinton County authorities. Last Friday, Creston Police arrested 43-year old Lois Taylor, of Creston, for Theft in the 5th Degree. She was released on a promise to appear later, in court. And, 35-year old Mathew Scherer, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. He was later released on a $1,000 bond.

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

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JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — A former city accounting clerk has been charged with stealing from the Des Moines suburb of Johnston. A city news release says Teresa Osburne surrendered to police Monday morning and was charged with three counts of theft and related crimes.

A state audit of the city books determined that nearly $14,000 collected from library fines and fees and other revenue sources had not been deposited in city accounts between July 1, 2015 and July 31, 2017. The city says Osburne falsified those records and was fired.

Up to half the campsites in state parks cannot be reserved in advance today and the Iowa Senate has voted to change that.Senator Tom Shipley, a Republican from Nodaway, says  “Fewer and fewer campers are willing to pack up the kids and the tents and the sleeping bags and the fishing poles and drive to the campground if there’s a chance there won’t be a site available when they get there.”

The bill would get rid of rules that now require at least a quarter of the campsites in each individual state park be held open, to be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Shipley says as a result, many campsites sit empty when they could have been reserved. “I think we all realize the camping business as an industry is a lively one in Iowa and a lot of Iowans participate in this and I think this is a good move on the part of the DNR to do this,” Shipley says. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources oversees more than 47-hundred campsites in the state’s parks, reserves and forests. The fee for one of those camping spots ranges from nine to 16 dollars per night from May 1st through September 30th.

(Radio Iowa)

The state’s legal community is warning proposed budget cuts in the state’s court system “will still cause significant disruption.” House Republicans propose cutting far less than Republicans in the Senate. Steve Eckley, president of the Iowa State Bar Association, thanked House members for that move Monday during a public hearing at the statehouse — but Eckley says Iowans will still notice a one-point-six million dollar cuts to the courts for THIS budgeting year.”These include people involved in domestic abuse cases who need immediate attention to their very charged situations, mothers and fathers involved in domestic relations matters ending marriages and affecting children,” he said, ” the prosecution of criminal cases that may ultimately be dismissed because of the speedy trial requirements.”

More than half a MILLION cases will move through the state’s courts this year. Eckley told lawmakers the court delays caused by state budget cuts will hit every county. “Whether it be your constituents waiting to close a probate matter so that the proceeds of an estate can be distributed, criminal cases that need to be prosecuted or civil cases that have been set for trial for months or even years, they will all be negatively impacted,” Eckley said.  Danny Homan, president of AFSCME Council 61, says “several thousand” state employees who are members of his union will be adversely affected by the cuts. “Overall, state government has been cut to the bone and I know these departments cannot effectively and responsibly provide essential services under this bill,” Homan says. Homan told lawmakers there will “real life consequences” in the state’s prison system. “As president of this union that represents these workers, this keeps me up at night: when will an officer be killed? Please, don’t vote this budget through,” Homan said.

State tax collections are lower than expected so cuts must be made in the CURRENT year’s state budget. Today’s (Monday’s) hour-long public hearing on the House G-O-P’s budget-cutting package attracted University of Northern Iowa students who thanked the House for shielding the Cedar Falls campus from this latest round of cuts. Students from the other two state-supported universities expressed concern about the cuts they’ll see on the campuses in Ames and Iowa City.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa House has overwhelmingly passed a plan to provide extra state money to about 40 percent of Iowa school districts to help cover transportation costs. Some rural districts spend nearly a thousand dollars a year to bus students to school. Representative Tedd Gassman, a Republican from Scarville, says four school districts have merged into one in his area. “There used to be about 1600 students in all of those districts. Today it’s down to about 450 students,” Gassman says. “The cost of transportation has increased exponentially around the state after all of these reorganizations.”

The money spent on busing in districts like his takes away from what could be spent educating the students once they get to school, according to Gassman. “There’s left work to be done with both the transportation and state aid equity,” Gassman says.  Republicans in the SENATE last year voted for a permanent fix, but the House plan that emerged last (Monday) night is a one-time allotment to address the transportation issue, plus extra money for address inequities in the formula that distributes general state aid on a per pupil basis. Representative Cindy Winkler is a Democrat from Davenport who argued for at least a three-year funding commitment. “Give some predictable and sustainable funding…for our school districts,” Winckler says. “…Bring true equity to every student in the state.”

Davenport’s superintendent is using cash reserves to make up for a state funding inequity. He’s been notified by state officials he could lose his professional license for using more of his district’s reserves than is allowed by law.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Red Oak, Monday night, arrested a man on an assault charge. 58-year old Thomas Oscar Anderson, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 10:25-p.m. in the 2000 block of Sunnyslope Drive, in Red Oak. Anderson was arrested for Simple Assault. He was also cited for Trespass. Anderson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City man accused of attacking two people during the commission of several crimes was sentenced to 40 years in prison. The Sioux City Journal reports 36-year-old Eric Bishop was sentenced Monday for first-degree burglary and willful injury. As part of a plea deal last month, prosecutors dropped 10 other felony charges against Bishop.

Bishop must serve a minimum of three years in prison before he’s eligible for parole. Bishop pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman after a break-in at a home Aug. 2 and to stabbing a man with a sword during an Aug. 5 altercation at a different Sioux City home. Bishop also was charged with burglarizing South Sioux City’s Animal Control site in August, stealing a truck and leading police on a chase before crashing the vehicle.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:15 a.m. CST

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City man accused of attacking two people during the commission of several crimes was sentenced to 40 years in prison. The Sioux City Journal reports 36-year-old Eric Bishop was sentenced Monday for first-degree burglary and willful injury. As part of a plea deal last month, prosecutors dropped 10 other felony charges against Bishop.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — When asked whether she supports further restrictions to Iowa’s gun laws, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the federal government needs to take responsibility in discussing gun legislation. Reynolds told reporters Monday “the federal government has to play a role” in deciding possible firearm restrictions. That includes examining background check requirements. She declined to comment more specifically on Iowa’s gun laws, calling them reasonable and responsible.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Some Iowa City elementary students are urging the school district to recognize Muslim holidays, and board members say they’re willing to consider the request. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports several students proposed the idea at a school board meeting last week. They suggested the district schedule days off for the holidays of Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Board member Ruthina Malone says the board can consider accommodating major holidays celebrated by Jewish and Muslim students.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Dozens of high school students have left their Iowa City classrooms to send a message: School shootings must stop. Students from at least three schools walked Monday to a gathering spot in downtown Iowa City. Speaking through a megaphone, a student speaker read the names of the 17 victims of last week’s Parkland, Florida, shooting. The other students repeated the names in unison.