The Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Wednesday, said a Council Bluffs woman was arrested Tuesday morning for Violation of Probation. 40-year old Veronica Lynn George was arrested at the Pottawattamie/Mills County line and brought to the Mills County Jail, where her bond was set at $2,000.

(Update from Council Bluffs P-D clarifies the Council Bluffs Fire Investigator, during the course of his investigation found the mentioned explosive to be a Commercial Grade Firework, not a Homemade Explosive.)

Police and Firefighters in Council Bluffs, Wednesday afternoon, responded to a report of a small explosion in the lunchroom of the Lewis Central High School (3504 Harry Langdon Blvd.) The incident happened at around 12:45-p.m. Authorities say an investigation revealed a Commercial Grade Firework was detonated under a table in the lunch room, where several students were seated during lunch. (In an earlier statement, authorities has said the device was a homemade explosive)

As a result of a joint investigation conducted by the Police Department, Fire Department and School Security, two students were taken into custody for their involvement in the incident. One juvenile is charged with Arson 1st Degree and the other is charged with Possession of an Explosive or Incendiary Devise. The suspects’ names were not released.

The school quickly returned to normal activities and no students appeared to have been injured as a result of the explosion.

Officials with the Cass County Health System report Rebecca Jenkins, Doctor of Osteopathic medicine, will be providing care at Atlantic Medical Center through the end February. Beth Spieker, Chief Clinic Administrator., says Dr. Jenkins will be available Monday – Thursday, 8 am – 5 pm, to provide general family medical care for patients of all ages.

Spieker said “With the recent retirement of Dr. Wilcox, we find ourselves a little short-staffed right now. We want to be sure we are able to meet our patients’ healthcare needs so we are very pleased to be able to bring Dr. Jenkins in to help out for a while.”

Dr. Jenkins is a board-certified family medicine physician.  She graduated from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences (now Des Moines University) in 1990.  She completed a family medicine residency with an additional one year gynecological/obstetrical fellowship at St. Elizabeth Hospital Medical Center in Youngstown, Ohio in 1994.

Dr. Jenkins has provided general family medical care for over 20 years, and has practiced in Mason City, Iowa since 1998. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Jenkins, call Atlantic Medical Center at 712-243-2850.

Dr. Jenkins (Photo submitted by CCHS)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ” Six employees of a southwest Iowa state facility that treats clients with intellectual or developmental disabilities have been fired and six others resigned after state officials investigated complaints of physical and verbal abuse. Disciplinary action has been taken against five other staff members and one action is pending.

The Iowa Department of Human Services said Wednesday its investigation found seven clients at the Glenwood State Resource Center were physically abused and 13 were subjected to verbal abuse or neglect.

DHS spokeswoman Amy McCoy says no one required medical treatment. Some clients were hit while others were subjected to abusive talk or teasing. Other cases involved aggression among clients and neglect of personal care needs.

McCoy says the agency began investigating in September. The center provides services for 230 clients.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad says he doesn’t plan to recommend tax cuts this session, dealing a potential blow to a key priority for the new Republican-majority Legislature.

Branstad says he generally supports tax cuts, but he told reporters Wednesday at the annual Associated Press legislative seminar that immediate tax cuts or other reforms are not sustainable amid the state’s financial climate. The current $7.3 billion state budget has a shortfall of about $100 million. Projections for the next budget year don’t include a surplus.

Republicans have been vocal about changing Iowa’s tax rules when the Iowa Legislature convenes Monday. They haven’t released details but have expressed interest in reducing taxes. The Republican governor notes the current shortfall will require immediate cuts in state spending, and agencies may lay off employees.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A proposed class-action lawsuit argues that thousands of lottery players who were allegedly cheated by an insider’s long-running scheme to rig jackpots should be reimbursed for their losing tickets.

Lawyers filed the fraud case Wednesday against the Multi-State Lottery Association, the Iowa-based nonprofit that helps administer games that are offered by state lotteries. It alleges the association failed to prevent games from being rigged and failed to operate them in accordance with their own rules.

The association’s former security director, Eddie Tipton, is charged with installing software on lotteries’ random number generators that allowed him to predict winning numbers on three days of the year. The scheme allegedly lasted for years.

The lawsuit says that anyone who played in drawings on those days should get their money back, plus interest.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports four people were arrested recently, on drug-related offenses. On Tuesday, Deputies arrested 32-year old Daniel Eugene Long, Sr., of Atlantic, on one Atlantic P-D warrant for Theft 3rd Degree, Sheriff’s Office warrants for Felony Possession Meth/3rd or Subsequent Offense, and Interference with Official Acts (Simple). Long, Sr. was also arrested on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. He was booked at the Cass County Jail and remains held on $12,300 bond.

26-year old Shari Lavon Lowe, of Lorimor, was arrested Tuesday on Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrants for Felony Possession Meth/3rd or Subsequent, and Interference with Official Acts (Simple). Lowe was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $5,300 bond.

On Monday, Cass County Deputies arrested 27-year old Joshua Lee Jones,  of Creston, on a charge of Possession of Marijuana/2nd Offense, and 34-year old John Jacob Garcia, of Afton, on a charge of Possession of Marijuana/3rd or Subsequent Offense. Both men were taken to the Cass County Jail. Jones was released the following day on $1,000 bond; Garcia was released the following day on $2,000 bond.

Last Saturday, Cass County Deputies arrested 21-year old Bill Louis Stockwell, of Elk Horn, on a charge of OWI/2nd Offense. Stockwell was taken to the Cass County Jail and released on his own recognizance the following day. And, last Friday, 18-year old Drew Henry Miller, of Atlantic, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Miller was taken to the Cass County Jail and was later released following sentencing on the matter.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Democrat Rich Leopold, an ecologist and former director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says he plans to run for governor in 2018.  Leopold, who is 52, holds degrees in animal ecology, biology and natural resources technology. He made his announcement Wednesday in a live Facebook feed sitting next to his wife, Kathleen. They live in Des Moines.

Declaring himself a political outsider tired of divisive partisan politics, he says Iowans deserve a governor who has backbone and character and who will be candid, transparent and fair. Saying Iowa has “some of the filthiest water in the country,” Leopold criticized politicians for talking about the problem but doing little to fix it.

Leopold served as director of the Iowa DNR under Gov. Chet Culver from 2007 to 2010.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports their K9 “Axel” will receive a bullet and stab protective vest, thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. K9 Axel’s vest is sponsored by Laura and Joe Libby of Kent, WA and will be embroidered with the sentiment “This gift of protection provided by Vested Interest in K9s, Inc”. Delivery is expected within eight to ten weeks.

K-9 Axel is a 2 year old Belgian Malinois, who was purchased in November of 2015 from Code2K9 in Omaha.

K9 Axel (from the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page)

Axel and his handler, Deputy Nathan Tibbets, certified in narcotics in December of 2015 and later certified in tracking and evidence recovery in early 2016. Axel and Deputy Tibbets will also soon be certified in handler protection. Axel and Deputy Tibbets have spent hundreds of hours training and have had several narcotic finds.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Department thanks Laura and Joe Libby for their generous donation and Vested Interest in K9s for providing the vest. The vest will be a great way to protect Axel when he is out working with the public.

About Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.:

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c (3) charity located in East Taunton, MA whose mission is to provide bullet and stab protective vests and other assistance to dogs of law enforcement and related agencies throughout the United States. The non-profit was established in 2009 to assist law enforcement agencies with this potentially lifesaving body armor for their four-legged K9 officers. Since its inception, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. provided over 2,200 protective vests, in 50 states, through private and corporate donations, at a cost of over 1.9 million dollars. All vests are custom made in the USA by Armor Express in Central Lake, MI.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A February trial has been scheduled for a Council Bluffs woman accused of placing one of her infant son’s arms in a mug of coffee to prove to him it was hot. Court records say 36-year-old Rebecca Brahier entered a written plea of not guilty Tuesday to felony charges of willful injury and child endangerment. Her trial is set to begin Feb. 7.

Brahier told police the 10-month-old tried to touch the mug several times on Nov. 19 before she put his arm in the mug. Officers say she told them she was proving her point to the child: The coffee was hot. Doctors say the boy suffered second-degree burns. Police say the boy’s father didn’t know about the incident.