The U.S. Coast Guard says all traffic on the Missouri River from about 50 miles south of Omaha, Nebraska, downstream to St. Joseph, Missouri, has been shut down due to the river’s high water levels. The order came Friday. The Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also requested all river vessel operators create as little wake as possible between St. Joseph downstream to Kansas City to minimize levee damage.

Officials say the restrictions will be lifted as soon as flooding conditions improve. The restrictions come as the river reached moderate flood stage at nearly 32 feet on Friday at Omaha, where it’s expected to crest at nearly 34 feet on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. The river is expected to crest at St. Joseph on Tuesday at just over 30 feet. Major flood stage at St. Joseph is 27 feet.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports a Grinnell man, Jason Leroy Arends, was arrested Thursday in Poweshiek County, on an active warrant out of Taylor County. Charges were filed on Arends back in September after law enforcement attempted to make a traffic stop on Arends. Arends was charged with Eluding, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Weapons violations after he led law enforcement on a pursuit. Arends was being held at the Taylor County Jail on no bond until being seen by the Magistrate where a bond will be set.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The father of an Iowa man accused of fatally shooting his mother in 2015 for financial gain testified that his life was forever changed the moment his daughter called to say his wife of five decades had been found dead on the kitchen floor. Bill Carter, 73, said Thursday that he immediately rushed home and kissed the forehead of his wife, Shirley Carter, who had been shot twice with a rifle, The Des Moines Register reported. The two met at high school and had married when he was 17 and she was 16. “They say your life can change in an instance — and it did,” Carter tearfully told the Pottawattamie County Courthouse. “It changed, and it’ll never be the same.”

The couple’s 46-year-old son, Jason Carter of Knoxville, is charged with first-degree murder in the June 19, 2015, shooting at their Marion County farm. Marion County Attorney Ed Bull said in his opening statement at the court in Council Bluffs that Jason Carter was struggling financially and killed his mother so he could work more closely with his father on the farm. His attorney, Christine Branstad, said the defendant was in a better financial position than initially thought. She said investigators failed to follow up on significant pieces of evidence that pointed to another suspect. Bill Carter’s testimony helped establish a timeline in the killing.

He said he learned of his wife’s death through the phone call from his daughter, who told him Jason Carter had discovered the body in the kitchen but hadn’t yet called 911. When he arrived home, Bill Carter said, his wife’s blood was still pooled and wet, and the hogs were still eating, indicating she had recently fed them. Carter said his son initially suggested his mother died during a violent robbery. But investigators found many valuables untouched, which prosecutors said indicated it wasn’t a burglary.

In 2016, Bill Carter filed a wrongful death lawsuit against his son. The following year, a jury held Jason Carter responsible for the shooting death and ordered him to pay $10 million in damages to her estate.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is going all-in on Iowa as she tries to become the Democratic 2020 presidential nominee. Klobuchar returns to the leadoff caucus state this weekend for a flurry of stops. It’s her third visit since launching her campaign just over a month ago. Klobuchar is pitching herself as the next-door neighbor who understands issues facing middle America, scoffs at a snowstorm and “can see Iowa from my front porch.”

It’s a strategy that could make Klobuchar competitive in a state that prizes Midwestern familiarity and values. But she’ll have mounting competition for Iowa voters as she works to stand out among better-known Democrats with a lot more money. Former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke, who joined the race this week, is holding his first Iowa campaign events.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is increasing releases from a dam along the Missouri River in southeastern South Dakota as flooding escalates across the region due to a massive late-winter storm. The Corps says there is little storage capacity behind the Gavins Point Dam for runoff. That prompted the releases, which could worsen flooding downstream. But the agency says it’s helping with levee monitoring and other flood response measures.

Releases from the Fort Randall Dam upstream have been stopped to create more capacity behind Gavins Point. No releases from Fort Randall are expected for several days. The Corps also is working with the National Weather Service to monitor conditions. The weather service has issued flood warnings along the Missouri River and its tributaries from southeastern South Dakota to St. Louis in Missouri.

Harlan Police Report two individuals – a man and a woman – have allegedly been in the area committing credit card fraud. The individuals go by the names of Joshua Householder and Victoria Zunita. Authorities say they have been known to make multiple trips into establishments, with the woman changing clothes and wearing a wig. They allegedly present credit cards that are known to be stolen. The couple was last seen driving a PT Cruiser. If you have any contact with those individuals, contact the Harlan Police Department at 712-755-5151.

Deputies with the Page County Sheriff’s Office today (Friday), arrested 48-year old John David Stone, of Shambaugh, on a warrant for Parole Violation.

John David Stone

Stone was arrested at a residence in Shambaugh, where he was staying. He was transported to the Page County Jail where he was being held without no bond due to the Parole Violation charge.

According to 511ia.org, the following roads remain closed or are partially open, in the listening area, due to flooding:

• Highway 34, between County Road L63 and County Road M16 (near Hastings), both lanes closed (detour established)
• Highway 34 westbound, between I-29 and the Nebraska State Line. (Detoured)
• IA Highway 48 between U-S 59 and County Road J-32 (At Shenandoah) is closed in both directions (detour)
• U-S Hwy 59 between IA 48 and J-14 (near Shenandoah) is closed in both directions. (Detour)
• Highway 59 N. of I-80 is down to one-lane
• Highway 2 between Shenandoah and Farragut is closed in both directions. (Detour)
• Highway 333 at Hamburg, is closed between I-29 and Hwy 275 (detour)
• Highway 30 from Missouri Valley to I-29 is closed in both directions, a detour was established
• Highway 30 between Dunlap and Logan is closed in both directions.
• Interstate 29 from Council Bluffs to Missouri Valley is closed in both directions.
• I-680 from I-29 west into Omaha (The Mormon Bridge) is closed in both directions.
• Highway 44 westbound between Panora and Dallas Center: lookout for potential flooding
• U-S Highway 169 between Highway 6 and Hwy 44 near Adel is closed in both directions.