Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert reports, the Shelby County Emergency Management Office in cooperation with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and the Harlan Police Department will be working on updating our emergency contact information for all the businesses in the county. This information will be used to assist responding emergency departments with calls to local businesses such as an open door after hours or a fire.

Any new businesses that do not receive a call from the Emergency Management Department by 3/1/18 are urged to call (712) 755-2124 so that we can add their information to the list. Information obtained is not shared,  sold, or used for any other purpose.

AMES, Iowa – Feb. 5, 2018 (12:45 p.m) – The Iowa Department of Transportation is reporting that southbound Interstate 35 between exit 113: 13th Street and exit 111: US 30 (Ames) is blocked due to numerous crashes. See the latest traffic information on https://hb.511ia.org.

At least two accidents were reported on Interstate 80 in Cass County, late this morning. According to dispatch reports, an SUV rolled into the ditch just west of mile marker 60, and a semi vs. car collision occurred just east of the 60 in that same area. So far, injuries appear to be minor, but authorities are just arriving on the scene. Atlantic Fire and Rescue, along with Medivac and Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies were en route to the scene.

Other accidents were reported to have occurred in Greene County on Highway 4, between Jefferson and Bagley, and on Highway 30 between Jefferson and Grand Junction. Road conditions have been rapidly deteriorating across central and western Iowa. Visibilities are limited as well by the snow and blowing snow.

The City of Harlan is asking for the cooperation of the citizens of Harlan with snow removal operations. 2-4 inches of snow are forecast. Please keep vehicles off the city streets starting tomorrow (Tuesday 2/6/18) This will allow city crews to get your street plowed quickly and efficiently. It will also eliminate the need to write parking tickets.

Thank you for your assistance and feel free to call City Hall with any questions at 755-5137.

Iowa’s public schools are lobbying for an extension of the statewide one percent sales tax that helps pay for new buildings and other school-related infrastructure. The tax is scheduled to end in 2029. Republicans in the legislature say they’re willing to continue the tax for 20 years beyond that — but may require a portion to be used for direct property tax relief. Representative Ashley Hinson is a Republican from Marion. “Giving them the resources that they need to build safe classrooms for our students, modern classrooms for out students,” Hinson says, “and so we are looking at the extension of that one-cent sales tax that has had support across the state of Iowa for years.”

School officials say they’ve used nearly all the tax that will be collected now through the end of 2029 as leverage to pay off bonds borrowed to finance infrastructure projects. Hinson says she and her Republican colleagues haven’t settled on “specific language” yet — but may prevent sales tax money from being spent on certain projects. “The priority is on schools and, you know, if a school needs a boiler and they build an athletic facility, people might think those priorities are a little bit backwards so I think what we’re trying to do is make sure that the dollars go to what they should go to first, as a priority, and so we’ve talked about the whole gamut of options,” Hinson says. “We’re looking at some triggers in place to give some more local control to people, so they might be able to hold their school boards more accountable.”

An analysis from the Legislative Services Agency indicates the 20-year extension of the statewide one-cent sales tax could generate as much as 16 BILLION dollars for school infrastructure over those two decades.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County say a search warrant executed Friday at 211 Court Street, in Harlan during a Theft investigation, resulted in the arrest of 35-year old William Joseph Bullock, of Harlan. Bullock was taken into custody at around 11-a.m. on a Pott. County warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order. He was brought to the Pott. County Jail and booked-in.

At around 2:25-a.m. Saturday, Sheriff’s Deputies in Pottawattamie County arrested 35-year old Nicholas Jon Edison, of Crescent, for Aggravated assault. The arrest was the result of a call to a residence in the 800 block of Valley Drive in Crescent, following a reported disturbance. Edison allegedly assaulted his 39-year old girlfriend, causing apparent, minor injury. Alcohol was believed to be a contributing factor toward the incident.

And, at around 9:40-p.m. Saturday, 57-year old Joel Leon Peters, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact and/or Protective Order. Peters was taken into custody after Pott. County Deputies were called to a residence in the 600 block of Oakland Avenue, in Oakland, for a report of a possible wanted subject who was in the residence, “hanging out” with another male in the living room. Deputies arrived on the scene and spoke with Peters, who knew he was wanted on a warrant for his arrest. Authorities noted Peters was somewhat confrontational during their initial contact with him, but was transported to the Pott. County Jail and booked-in without incident.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City may work with a bike-sharing service that could bring up to 250 bicycles to the city’s downtown this spring. The Sioux City Journal reports that the City Council will vote Monday on a service agreement with LimeBike, an app that commuters use to locate “smart bikes” and rent them with a credit card or PayPal. The service could bring 250 free-standing and self-locking bicycles by March.

City Parks and Recreation Manager Angel Wallace says LimeBike is intriguing because it doesn’t require the installation of docks, which could be expensive. Wallace says it could provide affordable transportation and recreation opportunities. Gabriel Scheer is LimeBike’s strategic development director. Scheer says the city has the demographics and multiple colleges to make it a successful location to launch.

The East Pottawattamie County Extension and Outreach and 4-H program offered “STEM Kids” after school program on Tuesdays in January from 3:30- to 5-p.m., at the United Church of Avoca. The program was for all 4th grade youth.  Extension officials report “Excited youth spent Tuesday afternoons leaning about science, technology, engineering and math through hands on activities, teamwork and experiments. Throughout the month of January, youth learned about the engineering design process by making their own “machines” to move and sort candy; force and energy through making their own rollercoasters with loops and hills out of pool noodles; did experiments with popcorn, and learned why bubbles are round along with different bubble experiments.”

Kaden Jorgensen, Tyler Bramblett, Collin Harder, Austin Bramblett, Anna Showers-Pape

Kaden Jorgensen & Collin Harder working together to create a rollercoaster.

The STEM Kids program is being offered to 4th graders attending the Riverside Schools on Wednesday early releases during the month of February.

The Harlan Police Department has provided an update to a report we posted online Sunday night and our broadcast reports this (Monday) morning. Authorities say at around 5-p.m. Sunday, officers with the Harlan PD and Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies were made aware of a vehicle in Shelby County that may have been involved in pursuits with at least two other law enforcement agencies. At 5:23-p.m., a Harlan officer saw a vehicle that matched the description as it was eastbound on Highway 44, leaving Harlan. A Harlan Officer attempted to stop the vehicle pursuant to a traffic violation. The vehicle sped up and a pursuit ensued with speeds reaching 120 mph.

The vehicle made numerous traffic violations and at one point was in a field in an attempt to elude law enforcement. Eventually the vehicle was stopped in a ditch approximately ½ mile west of Highway 173 on Highway 83, in Cass County. The pursuit lasted approximately 43 minutes. The suspect, who was identified as 39-year old Myron Lee Brandon, of Council Bluffs, was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital and subsequently flown by helicopter to Nebraska Medical Center in an unknown condition.

Brandon faces charges that include Felony Eluding, possession of methamphetamine, Prohibited Acts, and no fewer than 8 traffic violations. He remains at the Nebraska Medical Center. Warrants will be issued and served upon his release. The case remains under investigation and more charges are possible. The H-PD was assisted by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Atlantic Police, Audubon County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Atlantic Medivac, and Marne Fire and Rescue.

The Atlantic Business and Professional Women of Iowa are once again offering scholarships this year to persons pursing a college career. There are several different applications for you to choose from:

1. A $500 Collen Scholarship which is available to any female resident of Cass, Shelby, or Audubon County Iowa, who is pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Computer Systems Management, Chemistry, or Engineering. The student may attend school full or part time and may be of any age. Applications must be submitted by April 1.

2. Two $1,000 scholarships to a non-traditional (not a recent high school graduate) male or female student who is a United States citizen, has been out of the work force and wants or needs to go back to work but needs additional education, has completed high school five or more years ago and wanting to start or resume their college education and demonstrates financial need, scholastic ability, leadership skills and career goals for one or more of the following: (1) To gain additional education to enhance their career or re-enter the work force; (2) To continue education that was interrupted for family or other reasons.

3. A $1,000 Bev Mendenhall Nursing Scholarship honoring the memory of a long-time active member. Applicant must be a resident of Cass County, Iowa and a non-traditional student who (1) Is a United States citizen; (2) Has been out of the workforce and wants/needs to go back to work but needs additional education; (3) Completed high school five or more years ago and now wants to start or resume their college education; (4) Demonstrates financial need, scholastic ability, leadership skills and career goals.

4. A $1,000 Margaret Sonntag educational Scholarship honoring the memory of an active member. Applicant much be a resident of Cass County, Iowa and a non-traditional student who (1) Is a US citizen; (2) Has been out of the workforce and wants/needs to go back to work but needs additional education (3) Completed high school five or more years ago and now wants to start or resume their college education; (4) Demonstrates financial need, scholastic ability, leadership skills and career goals.

Please contact Jolene Roecker at 712-249-7700 for a scholarship application, or email jolene.roecker@greatwesternbank.com . Applications must be postmarked by April 1.