Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections report an inmate at the Fort Des Moines Work Release Facility was listed as escaped, Tuesday. Dept. spokesman Fred Scaletta says 30-year old Michael Joseph Frazier was placed on escape status after he failed to return to the Ft. Des Moines facility from his place of employment.

Frazier was transferred to Work Release June 22nd. He was serving a 15-year old sentence out of Warren County for 3rd degree kidnapping and possession of a firearm as a felon. Frazier is a white male, 6-feet tall, weighing about 196-pounds.

DOC file photo of Michael Frazier.

He had black hair, hazel eyes and numerous tattoos, including those on his back, the right side of his chest, right forearm, and neck. Both ears are pierced, and he has a scar on his right forearm.

If you see Frazier, contact your local law enforcement agency or 9-1-1.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two men were arrested Tuesday. 44-year old Todd Edward Kimpson, of Corning, was arrested on a charge of Violation of Protective Order. Kimpson was taken to the Cass County Jail and was released later that day on $300 bond. And, 59-year old Carl Eugene Perkins, of Omaha, was arrested in Cass County on a Polk County warrant. Perkins was taken to the Cass County Jail and released to Polk County authorities later that day.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has proposed new daily catch limits and a harvest season for commercial turtle trapping. Earlier this year, the state Legislature passed a bill requiring the DNR to set a harvest season and daily catch limits for turtles to more closely regulate the practice.

The Des Moines Register reports that the proposal limits the daily catch to 14 snapping turtles, one softshell turtle and three painted turtles. Trappers have been allowed to catch an unlimited amount of certain turtles year-round. The DNR also proposed a commercial trapping season that begins July 1 and runs through Dec. 31 to protect turtles during their nesting season.

The latest data from the DNR shows that more than 17,500 turtles were caught statewide in 2014 worth a wholesale value of nearly $273,000.

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

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Authorities in Cass and surrounding counties are on the lookout for a motorcycle reported stolen Tuesday night, from Atlantic. The cycle is a black, Yamaha XJ-700 with Iowa license plate CV 6705. It has black saddle bags and a nickel button-tufted seat.  If you see this motorcycle, call your local law enforcement agency.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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The Creston Police Department reports a woman from Kent was arrested in Creston, Tuesday afternoon. 39-year old Crystal Dawn Huddleson was taken into custody on a Union County Probation Violation Warrant. Huddleson was being held at the Ringgold County Jail without bond until she is seen by a judge. And, Tuesday evening, 31-year old Wendy Marie Kinyon, of Creston, was arrested by Creston Police for driving while Revoked. Kinyon was later released from the Union County jail on a $1000 bond.

The namesake of the state of Iowa has come in second in a contest to choose the nation’s best museum ship. Twenty museum ships were nominated by the Historic Naval Ships Association in a contest conducted by the Reader’s Choice. The U-S-S Iowa, which is in Long Beach, California, came in second in the voting to the U-S-S Midway in San Diego. The four weeks of voting wrapped up on July 18th.

The state of Iowa help provide funds to save the historic battleship and have it towed to Long Beach where it now serves as the museum. Anyone with an Iowa driver’s license can visit the Battleship Iowa Museum for free.

(Radio Iowa)

Thousands of potential students and their parents are checking out many of the state’s smaller colleges this week. It’s part of an annual event in Iowa, during the first week of August, known as Private College Week. Derek Hartl, director of admissions at Luther College in Decorah, says all 25 of Iowa’s private colleges are taking part in the program. “Our purpose through all of this is to try to let students know what a private education can include and the benefits and advantages of a private education,” Hartl said.

Some parents and students may feel attending a private college is out of their price range, but Hartl suggests there are ways for families to make it affordable. “There’s a great deal of financial aid out there,” Hartl said. “We have a lot of students who are paying less to come to Luther than they would have to go to a state institution.”

Hartl notes that students who graduate from a private college, such as Luther, are in high demand. “When we look at the graduating class of 2015, 99.4 percent of our students were either employed, attending graduate or professional school, or selectively volunteering. So, we’re talking about a very high placement rate,” Hartl said.

More information about Private College Week in Iowa is available at: thinkindependently.com.

(Radio Iowa)

WALNUT, Iowa (AP) – A highway bridge in Pottawattamie County has been dedicated as a memorial to a slain Omaha police officer. The Interstate 80 bridge that carries traffic into Walnut has been named the Kerri Orozco Bridge. A scholarship fund also was announced at the bridge dedication ceremony Tuesday.

Orozco was fatally wounded on May 20, 2015, when Marcus Wheeler opened fire on officers who were trying to arrest him. Wheeler was killed when another officer returned fire. Orozco was one day away from going on maternity leave to care for the daughter she had delivered prematurely three months earlier.

Orozco and her family lived in Council Bluffs, and she was a native of Walnut.