A call to Clarinda Police Wednesday afternoon from a local bank, resulted in the arrest of a man on forgery, theft and drug charges. Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports Officers responded to the unidentified bank, where 21-year old Jason Lee Sarabia, Jr., of Braddyville, had allegedly had presented a forged check in an attempt to obtain cash. Officers arrested Sarabia Jr. on felony forgery and felony theft charges, along with a misdemeanor possession of marijuana charge.

Sarabia was taken into custody without incident and was being held in the Page County on $11,000 bail. Additional charges against are anticipated pending the completion of the investigation into the incident. Reports concerning the incident have been submitted to the office of Page County Attorney Carl M. Sonksen for review regarding the filing of formal charges.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowans need to take even greater caution when hunting for morel mushrooms this spring as so much of the state is — or has been — flooded. Lina Rodriguez Salamanca, a plant pathologist with the Iowa State University Extension, says even if you’re a seasoned morel hunter, be very careful before cooking up any of your rare treasures. “Inspect them thoroughly, inspect the morel specimen so they don’t have a slimy look, a water-soaked area, a fuzzy, powdery look,” Rodriguez Salamanca says. “All of that stuff would be good to avoid, things that don’t look pristine and normal. Any signs of decay would be good to avoid.”

Floodwaters often carry a range of chemicals, sewage and other pollutants, and even if the standing water is now gone, some of those harmful contaminants may be left behind. “Know the site. If it’s a site that is known to have a high risk of pollutants, I would recommend caution and avoid it,” Rodriguez Salamanca says. “Chances are, there may be a residue there.” While the cool, wet weather may promote the growth of this year’s morel crop, other organisms thrive in the moist environment that can be unhealthy. She notes, mushrooms can act much like sponges, soaking up both the good and bad elements around them.

“They have the ability to absorb and in some cases just accumulate what is around them,” Rodriguez Salamanca says. “They’re very good at extracting nutrients from nature including anything that we may have put in there.” She says to avoid picking morels in areas where fish and animals have died, or in areas where there are animal droppings. And as always with wild mushrooms, make absolutely sure what you’re picking is a morel and not something poisonous.

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

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

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A Union County woman was arrested today (Thursday) at around 2:45-a.m., on drug and other charges. Creston Police report 47-year old Anita Michael, of Creston, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense, OWI and Driving while suspended. She was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $3,300 bond. Wednesday night, 21-year old Klay Evans, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear in court, on an original OWI/1st offense charge. His bond was set at $1,000.

And, at around 2:30-a.m. Wednesday, 18-year old Amber Parmenter, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While Suspended. She was later released on a $300 bond.

(7-a.m. News)

(Radio Iowa) — The Board of Regents had the first reading of a proposal to raise base undergraduate tuition rates for instate students by three-point-nine percent at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University. The tuition at the University of Northern Iowa would stay the same. The board says the increase is needed after they requested 18 million more state dollars — but the budget approved by lawmakers provides 12 million dollars. I-S-U student body president, Austin Graber spoke to the board during the meeting. “No one is thrilled to be having this discussion once again on the tuition increase proposal,” Graber says. “These discussions in these meetings are happening too often.”

Graber says they need to work harder at telling the story of each school to lawmakers. “I understand that the Board of Regents is doing everything they can with the limited resources available, but we have to find solutions for our hardworking students and my fellow classmates. Clearly higher education is not a top priority for our state based on the current proposal. We have to put more emphasis on the importance of higher education and showcase an our alumni are doing at each university,” Graber says.

He say the Regents need to consider how a vote to raise tuition will impact students. “Although the tuition at Iowa Regent institutions is low when compared to peer intuitions — this does not minimize the impact these increases have on students and families that are struggling to pay the current tuition,” Graber says.  U-I student body president Noel Mills thank the board for waiting to consider tuition until they knew how much money the state would provide. “We value the ability to budget and make sound financial decisions. However, we implore the administration to seriously consider how big of a burden just a few hundred dollars can place on students,” Mills says.

She went on to illustrate her point. “A mere 300 dollars would require around 30 hours of work, eight appointments donating plasma, or skipping around 60 meals,” according to Mills. “These are very real consequences for my peers and for me. With scholarship opportunities dwindling, rent prices increasing, and a cap of 20 hours per week on university affiliated jobs — students are already struggling to make ends meet.”

Mills says students want to find other solutions. “We are committed to working with you to find other ways to lighten the load — but we ask that you continue pressuring our legislators to consider the value our university brings to Iowa, and fund it appropriately,” Mills says. The Board of Regents will vote on raising the tuition at its June meeting.

An investigation into a single-vehicle non-injury accident Wednesday in Montgomery County, resulted in an arrest. Sheriff’s officials say 56-year old Tanya Kay Baker, of Villisca, was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, when she put her vehicle into a ditch in the 2700 block of O Avenue. Baker was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. Her bond was set at $1,000.

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man has been imprisoned for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who’d run away from her Iowa home. Dodge County District Court records say 38-year-old Joe Lockett was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years and a day. Lockett had pleaded guilty in January after taking a plea deal.

The Fremont Tribune reports that Lockett was arrested in October 2018 after a traffic stop in Fremont. Lockett told officers that the girl with him was a friend of his daughter. But a court document says the girl actually was a runaway from Iowa.

The document says she told officers that Lockett was attempting to prostitute her out.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man who punched a casino slot machine in Sioux City has been told to pay a $625 fine and to cover the damage he caused. The Sioux City Journal reports that 52-year-old Tommy Goldberg pleaded guilty Wednesday to criminal mischief. A judge sentenced Goldberg to six days in jail but credited him with six days already served. The judge also ordered him to pay $1,050 to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Authorities say a security supervisor reviewing surveillance video saw Goldberg playing the machine on Jan. 7 and pressing a button on the touchscreen several times. The video showed Goldberg becoming frustrated and punching the screen.

(Radio Iowa) — There’s a growing chorus of people urging Congress to pass a disaster aid package to help flooded Midwestern farmers, as well as those impacted by hurricanes and the California wildfires. Iowa Corn Growers Association president Curt Mether, of Logan, says growers here and across much of the Northern Plains need federal assistance after widespread, prolonged flooding. “They’re really hurting. A lot of them aren’t even going to get their crops in,” Mether says. “It’s one thing not to be able to do it and it’s a whole other issue mentally. You can’t do what you want to do! They’re going to need all the help that they can get.”

Mether is calling on Congress to get past the Puerto Rico issue and anything else that keeps them from sending aid to those who desperately need it. “It’s pretty sad, to me, when they turn things like that into a political battle, which that’s what’s happening with Puerto Rico,” Mether says. “I don’t know. Surely, they can come together on some kind of agreement.”

An aid bill that failed in the Senate would have capped support for Puerto Rico’s food stamp program, as it’s run out of money, following two hurricanes in 2017. Back in Iowa, some farmers had many tons of grain that was in storage bins ruined by floodwaters. That grain isn’t covered by crop insurance, which only covers grain that’s still in the field, creating a predicament. “The stored grains, that’s almost a whole other issue,” he says. “There’s no way to help them with that, really, unless there’s a special declaration. It’s not insured. There’s nothing for them. That would be a top priority.”

Livestock producers have some disaster aid advantage over grain growers, he says, as they have the Livestock Indemnity program for help.