Officers with the Stuart Police Department conducted a search warrant Monday, in the 400 block of NW 10th Street, as part of an ongoing investigation into several recent burglaries and thefts in the Stuart area. Authorities searched about 16 acres of land, and have recovered several items believed to be stolen property.  Stephen Dennis Kunkle, of Stuart, was arrested as part of the investigation.

Kunkle faces multiple charges, including a felony charge of Burglary in the 3rd degree. He was also charged with: 2 counts of Possession of Stolen Property; Possession of a Controlled Substance – 2nd offense; Possession of Burglary Tools; and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Stuart P-D Facebook photo

The burglaries and thefts occurred between July 20th and August 4th in Stuart. The stolen items included money, tools and several kayaks. Some of the stolen property was identified and will be returned to the rightful owners. If you have been the victim of a recent theft, please contact Stuart Police as soon as possible, as they have also located several suspected stolen items. If you have any further information the Stuart Police dispatch center at 641-747-2214, or private message them through Facebook.

Two women from Union County were arrested Monday night on Adams County warrants. The Adams County Sheriff’s Department reports Amber Miller, of Creston, was arrested at around 9:40-p.m. on a warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine – 1st offense. And, Pamela Claiser, of Creston, was arrested on a warrant for Possession of Meth/3rd offense .The warrants stem from a traffic stop on March 31st.

Miller’s cash only bond was set at $2,000. Claiser was being held without bond until she could be seen by the magistrate.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A federally funded nonprofit says an Iowa school for juvenile boys held under court order is violating their constitutional rights by not providing essential mental health care and instead relying on restraints and seclusion rooms. In a report released Monday, Disability Rights Iowa threatened legal action unless the state makes significant changes at the Boys State Training School in Eldora. State officials say other assessments have lauded the school.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a worker has died after being caught in a grain bin in Waterloo. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports crews were called to an East Central Iowa Co-Op elevator about 11:30 a.m. Monday on a report of a worker who was trapped in soybeans. Firefighters cut holes in the bin and co-op employees used a vacuum to drain the bin as emergency crews entered the elevator to reach the man. Despite the efforts, the man was declared dead.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The head of the agency that oversees Iowa’s flagship history museum is leaving the job. Mary Cownie announced Monday her last day as director of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs will be Aug. 17. Cownie, who was appointed in January 2011 by former Gov. Terry Branstad, attempted over several years to seek money from the Legislature to pay for extensive renovations to the State Historical Museum in Des Moines. The effort stalled amid state budget constraints.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) – The Burlington city manager says he’s not meeting the city council members’ expectations, so he’ll be stepping down. Jim Ferneau told The Hawk Eye that he notified council members by email Friday that he intends to leave in October from the post he’s held for more than five years.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federally funded nonprofit organization claims in a report that an Iowa school for juvenile boys held under court order is violating their constitutional rights by not providing essential mental health care and instead relying on restraints and seclusion rooms.

In the report released Monday, Disability Rights Iowa threatened legal action unless the state makes significant changes at the Boys State Training School in Eldora. The organization claims the institution doesn’t have enough mental health professionals, locks up children in seclusion room and restrains them with full-body wraps.

State officials say they share the organization’s goal of improving treatment, but they said other audits and assessments have lauded the school. The institution has space for 130 boys aged 12 to 18 and currently has about 100 students.

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman reports City Elections will take place on November 7th, 2017. NOMINATION PETITIONS FOR A CITY OFFICE MUST NOW BE FILED WITH THE COUNTY AUDITOR and not with the city clerks office.
The first day to file papers is August 28th. The last day to file papers is September 21.

The process for filing nomination petitions is as follows:
• Obtain an original nomination petition and candidate’s guide from the county
auditor, city clerk or online from the Iowa Secretary of State ( www.sos.iowa.gov ).
• Obtain the nomination signatures of the required number of eligible electors of
the city or ward, as the case may be (The candidate’s guide lists the number of
signatures required. In Cass County, the number of signatures required is 10 for all
positions except the Atlantic At Large council position for which a minimum of 15
signatures are required.).

A person may sign nomination petitions for more than one candidate for the same
office.

• Attach a notarized affidavit acknowledging the candidate’s eligibility.
• File the petition with the County Auditor prior to 5 p.m. on September 21, 2017.
Each candidate who successfully files a completed nomination petition is assured a place on the ballot.

In Cass County, Iowa the following offices will appear on the ballots for the respective cities on November 7, 2017:
Anita

• Three At Large Council seats (4 year terms)
  Incumbents: Mark Harris, Wade Jessen and Dennis Zimmerman

Atlantic

• Mayor (4 year term)
  Incumbent: David Jones
• Council Ward 2 (4 year term)
  Incumbent: Kathy Somers
• Council Ward 5 (4 year term)
  Incumbent: Richard Casady
• Council At Large (4 year term)
  Incumbent: Gerald Brink
• Two Atlantic Parks & Recreation Board (6 year term – term begins November 16)
  Incumbent: Jolene Smith and Mary Strong

Cumberland

• Mayor (2 year term)
  Incumbent: Virginia Coughlin
• Three At Large Council (4 year term)
  Incumbents: Terri Clinton-Reinke, Gary Cooper and Mike Martin

  Griswold

• Mayor (4 year term)
  Incumbent: Jeb Peck
• Two At Large Council (4 year term)
  Incumbents: Barry Moore and Jared Wyman

  Lewis

• Two At Large Council (4 year term)
  Incumbents: Ryan Archibald (appointee) and Marilyn Mundorf
• One At Large Council (Vacancy in 4 year term ending January 2020)
  Appointee: Ryan Lockwood

  Marne

• Mayor (2 year term)
  Incumbent: Randall Baxter
• Five At Large Council (2 year term)Incumbents: Alan Cranston; Kyle Frederiksen; Lori Holste; Michael Jensen and Angela Redler

  Massena

• Mayor (2 year term)
  Incumbent: Linda Reineke
• Two At Large Council (4 year term)
  Incumbents: Jackson Bissell and Doug Venteicher

  Wiota

• Mayor (2 year term)
  Incumbent: Ford Lillard
• Three At Large Council (4 year term)
  Incumbents: Kathryn Havens, Jeff Lillard and Deanna Spry

Six people have been arrested on drug charges in Cass County. According to the Sheriff’s Office: On August 2nd, deputies arrested 23-year old Samantha Kim Jensen,  of Adair, and 18-year old Kane Melvin Cooley, of Anita, each on a charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Simple). Both were taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on their own recognizances.

On August 3rd, Cass County deputies arrested 25-year old Majda Korkutovic, of Sioux Falls, SD, on charges of OWI 1st Offense (Serious) and Possession of Marijuana 1st Offense (Serious); and 64-year old Ronald James Winckler, of Wagner, SD, on a charge of Possession of Marijuana 1st Offense (Serious). Both parties were taken to the Cass County Jail where Winckler remains held on $1,000 bond and Korkutovic remains held on $2,000 bond.

On August 5th, 30-year old Samuel Lavern Huffman, of Anita, was arrested on three Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrants for Possession with Intent to Deliver Methamphetamine (C Felony); Malicious Prosecution (Serious); and Theft 5th (Simple). Huffman was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $51,300 bond.

And on August 7th, 28-year old Donovan Scott Rasmussen, of Cedar Rapids, was arrested on charges of OWI 3rd/Subsequent (D Felony); Driving While Barred (Aggravated); and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (Simple). Rasmussen was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $5,200 bond.

The Sheriff’s Office reports also, that on August 3rd, 25-year old Keven Allen Fee, of Chariton, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Violation of Probation. Fee was brought to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $2,000 bond.

And, on August 4th, 36-year old Dylan Ron Drake, of Omaha, turned himself in at the Cass County Jail on a DCI warrant for Failure to Comply with the Sex Offender Registry. Drake remains held at the Cass County Jail on $2,000 bond.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office say three people were transported to Jenny Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, following a single-vehicle accident Sunday afternoon on Interstate 29. Authorities say a 1997 Jeep driven by 26-year old Samantha Bradley, of Omaha, was northbound on I-29 at around 4:20-p.m., when Bradley fell asleep at the wheel near the Bellevue, NE., exit.

The Jeep went out of control and crashed. A male passenger in the SUV suffered minor injuries to his hand and knee, and a small child in the back seat had possible/unknown injuries. Bradley, and her passengers were transported to the hospital by Glenwood Rescue, to be checked out.

Authorities say Bradley would be issued a citation for Failure to Maintain Control.

Three people were arrested on separate charges Saturday, in Mills County. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 26-year old Casey Michael Rounds, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 3:30-a.m. near 284th and Highway 34. Rounds faces charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. His bond was set at $2,300.

Bradley Scott Wonder, of Malvern, was arrested at around 8:35-a.m. Saturday, for Domestic Abuse Assault and False Imprisonment. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

And, 26-year old Derek Edward Rodwell, of Glenwood, was arrested at around 10-a.m. Saturday, on a warrant out of Pottawattamie County. His bond was set at $4,000.

Police in Glenwood arrested two people over the past week. On Friday, 20-year-old Justice Weilage, of Omaha, NE., was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Possession of Marijuana. Weilage was being held in the Mills County Jail on a $2,000 cash or surety bond.

And, 34-year old Clarence McKnelly, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Probation Violation. He was held being held in the Mills County Jail on a $10,000 cash or surety bond.

Officials with the Audubon Chamber of Commerce, today (Monday), released the winners of the Operation T-Bone Days Parade and Raffle. The Parade winners are as follows:

• Antique Auto (1959 & older): Bryan Olson.
• Milestone Auto (1960 & newer): Dan Stetzel.
• Antique Machinery: Dale Sloth.
• Saddle: Audubon County Saddle Club.
• Hitch: Audubon State Bank.
• Jr. Division: The Children’s Nest.
• Sr. Division – 1st Prize: Audubon ACE Hardware.
• Sr. Division – 2nd Prize: A.H.S Class of 1982.
• Good Neighbors: Exira Fire Dept.
• Grand Champion: Cliff’s Lounge.

And, the Operation T-Bone Raffle Winners were:

Rod Miller – Grand Prize of $500 in Beef certificates.

Peggy Smalley – 2nd Prize of $300 in  ”  ”

Mike Hass – 3rd Prize of $200 in ” “.