COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A Pottawattamie County jury has found a man not guilty of the 2015 killing his 68-year-old mother in her rural south-central Iowa home. Des Moines station KCCI reports that 46-year-old Jason Carter was found not guilty on Thursday. He had been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Shirley Carter, whose body was found in the kitchen of her Marion County home. The trial was moved out of Marion County due to pretrial publicity.

The charges were filed two days after a jury found Carter civilly liable for his mother’s death and ordered him to pay $10 million to his mother’s estate. Bill Carter had sued his son for wrongful death. The elder man said his son was financially strapped and killed Shirley Carter to gain access to his parents’ $10 million in assets. Jason Carter has denied that.

Gov. Kim Reynolds has issued another disaster proclamation today (Thursday), in response to flooding and flash flooding beginning March 13th and continuing. The latest proclamation covers nine additional counties, including Cass, Madison and Union.

The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program.

With the addition of these nine counties, the governor has issued proclamations for 52 counties impacted by the recent flooding. The other (local) counties include:  Adair, Audubon, Crawford, Dallas, Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby.

The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level or a maximum annual income of $41,560 for a family of three. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food and temporary housing expenses. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Human Services website. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim.

Disaster Case Management is a program to address serious needs to overcome a disaster-related hardship, injury or adverse condition. Disaster case managers work with clients to create a disaster recovery plan and provide guidance, advice and referral to obtain a service or resource. There are no income eligibility requirements for this program; it closes 180 days from the date of the governor’s proclamation. For information on the Disaster Case Management Program, contact your local community action association or visit www.iowacommunityaction.org.

Police in Creston report an elderly female passenger in a car was injured when the vehicle was struck broadside Wednesday afternoon, in Creston. Authorities say vehicles driven by Todd Allen Dolphin, of Ames, and Shirley Jane Molt, of Blockton, collided at the intersection of W. Taylor and Laurel Streets at around 2-p.m.

The accident happened when Dolphin failed to yield. The unidentified injured passenger was transported to the Greater Regional Medical Center, in Creston. Police cited Todd Dolphin for Failure to Yield. Damage from the collision amounted to $6,500.

Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Alex Londo, and his staff have been working with Local officials to determine the Damage to Public Infrastructure.  The preliminary information has been provided to the State of Iowa, indicating $1,151,831.32 in documented damage and response expenses.

Under the Public Assistance program, FEMA awards grants to assist state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations with the response to and recovery from disasters. The program provides funding for debris removal, implementation of emergency protective measures and permanent restoration of infrastructure. The program also encourages protection from future damage by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process. The state works with FEMA to manage the program and administer the funding.

For individual households the Iowa Individual Disaster Assistance Grant Program Application is available for those individuals that were affected by the flood.  $5,000 in assistance is available if you meet identified criteria and income limits.  You can go to https://dhs.iowa.gov/disaster-assistance-programs and print off the application and follow the instructions to turn it in.

Shelby County Emergency Management, 1106 9^th Street in Harlan, will offer a printed copy of the application.  The location to turn in the application is just a block away from the Emergency Management Office at West Central Community Action 1017 7^th St Harlan, IA 51537.

Officials with the McDonald’s Corporation report franchise owner-operators from across Nebraska and western Iowa are coming together to rally behind #NebraskaStrong and #IowaStrong flood relief efforts in honor of #NebraskaStrongDay on Friday, March 22nd.  McDonald’s restaurants in Nebraska and western Iowa participating in this fundraiser on Friday will be donating 10 percent of the day’s sales to local American Red Cross chapters and other organizations in need – including schools and local charities – to further support communities devastated by the flood.

Nate Leonard, who, along with his father Steve and brother-in-law Blake Zogleman, owns McDonald’s restaurants in Omaha, Fremont, Norfolk, Missouri Valley, Shelby and Atlantic, says “Everyone is doing their part to lift our communities because it’s the right thing to do. Volunteers are working around the clock, schools are short on water and sanitizer, some of our employees are without homes. We want to do all we can do to support those in need.”

Nearly two dozen McDonald’s owner-operators of the Great Plains Co-op live and work within the regions affected by the flood. They’ve seen the heartbreak and are working alongside their neighbors to rebuild their communities, choosing to give back in a big way. Sales collected from open to close at participating restaurants in Nebraska and western Iowa will go back to the community through donations to local disaster relief organizations. Anticipated proceeds from the fundraiser are expected to exceed $100,000.

The Great Plains Co-op is made up of 238 restaurants and 55 owner-operators spanning the state of Nebraska, western Iowa, St. Joseph, Missouri, and the greater Kansas City metro area.
The owner-operators in Kansas City and St. Joseph will hold a similar fundraiser on Wednesday for communities in that region, as well as to help Nebraska and Iowa communities. That fundraiser is also expected to raise more than $100,000 for the cause.

Shelby County Engineer Brandon Burmeister announced this morning that the embargo on Shelby County Roads has been lifted. If the weather becomes inclement, you’re asked to use common sense when traveling on the rural roads. The City of Harlan has announced also, crews have temporarily closed Maple Road, from Highway 44 to 900th Street, just east of Harlan. The road will re-open tonight, but will be closed again during the day Friday, for flood-related repairs.