Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports four arrests took place over the past week. Last Saturday morning, 19-year old Brennen Meyer Weiland, of Greenfield, was arrested by Greenfield Police for knowingly having in the pockets of his coveralls, a small plastic bag containing a substance believed to be meth, and a knife with a blade 5-inches or longer. Weiland was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $2,000 cash only bond. His preliminary hearing was set for Feb. 15th.

Last Friday, 31-year old James Robert Lyman, of Greenfield, was arrested by Deputies for Violation of Parole, by Driving While Barred. Lyman was being held without bond at the Adair County Jail while awaiting transport by the Dept. of Corrections, to the Newton Correctional Facility. That same day, 43-year old Sharon Yovonne Baldwin, of Cincinnati, OH., was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault with bodily injury, in connection with an incident that happened in the cab of a semi tractor-trailer at Exit 97 on Interstate 80, in Adair County. The victim was Michael Jones, a man she “co-habitated” with. Baldwin was later released on her Own Recognizance.

On January 29th, 42-year old Scott William Richard Funke, of Greenfield, was arrested in Polk County on an Adair County warrant for Violation of Probation. Funke was released from custody later that same day, on a $2,000 cash bond or surety. And, on Jan. 28th, 37-year old Jennifer Marie Woolums, of Adair, was arrested in Adair for Driving Under Suspension. Woolums was issued a citation and released at the scene.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a bus carrying the touring cast and crew of “Dancing with the Stars” was involved in a massive pileup during a snow storm in central Iowa, but no one on the bus was seriously hurt. Iowa State University released a statement saying the Monday crash resulted in the cancellation of a campus performance of “Dancing with the Stars: Live! Light Up The Night.” The university says some people on the bus suffered minor injuries.

The Iowa State Patrol says between 50 and 70 vehicles were involved in the fatal pileup along Interstate 35 near Ames. Investigators say the accidents killed one person and critically injured several others. The pileup occurred as a snow storm swept across the region and cut driver visibility.

The National Weather Service says another round of snow looks to develop late this afternoon over western Iowa and will transition east during the evening hours. Generally 1 to 2 inches of light snow is anticipated along and south of Interstate 80 to the Missouri border, with a few locations possibly receiving nearly 3 inches over the far south. This snow will impact the evening commute over much of central Iowa. Even though it’s only 1 to 2 inches, it’ll be enough to cover the roads and cause them to be very slick.

Motorists are asked to “Please, take it slow in the snow!!!” Additional light snow is forecast Thursday evening into Friday morning with even another round of snow possible on Saturday.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is renewing his criticism of the Department of Defense for “wasting” enormous amounts of money. Grassley, a Republican, says a new audit of Pentagon spending has found hundreds of millions of dollars are unaccounted for. “That’s a shocking amount of money unaccounted for the taxpayers dollars,” Grassley says. “It oughta’ be a sin but it’s not in this town, I’m sorry to say.” The accounting firm Ernst & Young found that the D-O-D’s Defense Logistics Agency failed to properly document more than 800-million dollars in construction projects. Grassley says, “This is only one example of a series of audits within the Defense Department where there is not a complete record of expenditures.”

Grassley notes, the accounting firm is of no relation to Iowa Senator Joni Ernst or Iowa Congressman David Young. Across the board, Grassley says the Pentagon’s financial management “is so weak that its leaders and oversight bodies have no reliable way to track the huge sums it’s responsible for.”  “The number-one priority of the federal government is national defense,” Grassley says. “It’s critical we maintain our country’s military readiness but combat readiness can’t be an excuse for wasteful spending.”

The report comes at a critical time, Grassley says, since President Trump is proposing a boost in the military budget. Grassley says an audit of Pentagon spending in Afghanistan in 2016 also found hundreds of millions of dollars were wasted. “The Defense Department is required by law to produce a clean audit and the Department of Defense hasn’t been able to do that,” Grassley says. “I understand it’s the only department in the federal government that hasn’t been able to have what we call a quote-unquote clean audit.”

In a statement released Monday, Grassley says: “I think the odds of a successful DoD audit down the road are zero… They are doomed to failure before they ever get started.” Grassley says this latest audit raises new questions about whether the D-O-D can responsibly manage its $700-billion annual budget, let alone the additional billions President Trump plans to propose this month.

(Radio Iowa)

WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) — A second person has pleaded guilty for a fire that destroyed a Madison County historic covered bridge featured on the cover of the novel “The Bridges of Madison County.” Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports that 18-year-old Joel Davis pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree arson.

Davis told authorities that he and two others set fire to the Cedar Bridge in April last year. Rebuilding the bridge will cost more than $500,000. Davis is scheduled to be sentenced April 16. Nineteen-year-old Alivia Bergmann also pleaded guilty to second-degree arson in December. She’s set to be sentenced in May.

The bridge, located near Winterset, was also featured in the 1995 movie adaptation of “The Bridges of Madison County.”

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on a probation violation warrant, of 28-year old Andrew Heath, of Hancock. Heath was arrested at the Sheriff’s Office Feb. 1st at around 10-a.m., and booked into the Pott. County Jail. A man already being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail was charged Monday afternoon with Violation of Parole. 27-year old Cody Lee McKenzie, of Council Bluffs, was read the warrant by a Deputy, and then returned to the custody of jail staff. And, warrant was served Monday on 29-year old Jeremy Bo Ariel Gil, of Council Bluffs, while he was serving time at the jail. The warrant was for Theft in the 2nd Degree. Gil was returned to the custody of jail staff after he was read the latest warrant against him.

The Board of Supervisors in Adair County will meet at their regular time, Wednesday morning, but at a different location. The meeting begins at 9-a.m., and takes place in the Adair County Engineer’s Conference Room at the Adair County Secondary Roads Building. During the session, the Board will review/discuss taxable meals, Township clerk wages, and the resignation/appointment of a Harrison Township Trustee.

The Board will also hear from Stacie Euken, with Midwest Partnership, and April Hughes, with Iowa Workforce Development, with regard to a Home Base Iowa Initiative Resolution. And, County Engineer Nick Kauffman will present his regular report, and contracts for the Adair County Supervisors to sign.

A third and final Public Hearing prior to a vote to Adopt an ATV/UTV Ordinance in Cass County, will take place 8:35-a.m. Wednesday, in Atlantic. The hearing is part of the regular weekly meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors, that begins at 8:30-a.m. in the Board Room at the Courthouse. During the previous two meetings, persons filled the chamber seating area, voicing their thoughts both for and against the Ordinance, which, if approved, would allow ATV’s and UTV’s to be used on designated Cass County roads, but also sets certain restrictions on the age of the machine operator and calls for the use of some extra safety equipment.

Last week set, the Supervisors were in agreement with the idea that 16-to 18-year old’s may operate the machines with certification, and they added rear-view mirrors as safety equipment. Gone from the latest version of the Ordinance, is a section restricting the speed to 35-miles per hour, and the use of tall orange safety flags. ATV’s and UTV’s may be used from one-hour before sunrise to one-hour after sunset, according to the proposed ordinance. Following the hearing, the Board will vote to Adopt the ATV ordinance.

In other business, the Supervisors will act on approving a Crow River Construction application for partial payment Number 3, on the gray water transmission line to the ethanol plant currently under construction. They’ll also receive, as available, Cass County Department Head reports.

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

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A woman from Creston reported to the Creston Police Department late Monday morning, that sometime overnight Sunday into Monday, someone took from her wallet, her ID, debit and credit cards. The wallet was inside her home located in the 400 block of N. Jarvis Street. The loss was estimated at $5.