DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) — An Iowa woman has been given 15 to 30 years in prison for killing a pedestrian in northeast Nebraska. Court records say Maria Gonzalez-Diego, of Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced Tuesday in Dakota City. She’d pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide. In return, prosecutors dropped a charge of failure to stop at the scene of a fatal accident.

South Sioux City police have said Gonzalez-Diego’s vehicle hit 62-year-old Antonia Lopez De Ramirez the night of June 24 as she walked across a street. Police say Gonzalez-Diego vehicle continued north, leaving the scene.

(9-a.m. News) — The Mills County Emergency Management Agency reports during the week of February 4th, 2020, the Mills County Board of Supervisors submitted an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for funding under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to assist with funding for property buyouts located in the unincorporated area of Mills County. Notice of the approval of this application is expected within the next thirty (30) days.

Once approval has been received, qualified property owners will be notified via U.S. Mail with a formal offer to purchase along with the appraisals. The offer to purchase will have a response deadline. This process is expected to take at least an additional thirty (30) days. If the offer to purchase is accepted, the property will go through the normal closing process like any other real estate transaction. Local authorities expect the buyout process to be completed within the next one hundred eighty (180) days. The buyout option is completely voluntary and either party can walk away from the process up until the time of closing.

The Interim Mortgage Assistance Program is still active and available to those qualified individuals in need of assistance. We would encourage those qualified individuals in need of assistance to fill out the application on the Mills County Flood Page or in person at the Mills County Auditor’s Office to begin the process. As a reminder, property owners must provide a mortgage statement from the lender, a forbearance letter (if applicable), and tax and/or insurance statements if not paid through an escrow account, along with any other correspondence with the mortgage holder that shows a need for assistance.

Qualified property owners should contact Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) by email at SWIPCO@swipco.org or by telephone at 1-866-279-4720 if they have any questions.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports 67-year old Jody Bruck was arrested Tuesday afternoon for Assault causing bodily injury or mental illness (without intent), following an investigation into an incident at a residence in the 600 block of York Road (near Avoca). The alleged victim in the case was a 30-year old female.  Monday night, a disturbance in Avoca resulted in the arrest of 21-year old Kenneth Clyde Miller. He was charged with Child Endangerment/substantial risk, and (Simple) Domestic Abuse Assault. Authorities say the victims in the incident were a one-year old female and 21-year old female.

36-year old Sean Patrick Gifford, of Council Bluffs, was arrested Tuesday at the Pott. County Courthouse, on a State of Iowa warrant for Violation of Parole. Gifford was booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail. And, 28-year old Neil Jeremy Brandon Bryant, of Council Bluffs, was arrested late Monday morning at the Pott. County Courthouse. Bryant was taken into custody on valid warrants through the State of Iowa, for Absence from Custody, Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender (two-counts), Leaving the scene of a property damage accident, and Operating a Motor Vehicle without the Owner’s Consent. His bond was set at $5,195.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Marchers and other participants won’t be navigating Cedar Rapids’ streets Tuesday: The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade has been canceled because of concerns about the new coronavirus. The Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Society decided Tuesday night to call off this year’s event and make refunds to parade entrants. The nonprofit group has organized the parade since 1976.

The group said on social media that it had received some cancellations this week as well as messages and concerns from the community and volunteers. In another cancellation related to COVID-19, Special Olympics Iowa says it’s canceled the 2020 Mid-Winter Tournament in Iowa City.