A traffic stop early this (Sunday) morning north of Villisca resulted in a woman from Creston being arrested on drug charges. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 37-year old Brandie Sue Whitney, of Creston, was arrested at around 1:10-a.m. after she was pulled over near the intersection of Highway 34/Highway 71. Whitney was charged with Possession of Methamphetamine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. She was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

The Montgomery County K9 “Rush” assisted in conducting the traffic stop and subsequent arrest.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A group that opposes a proposed oil pipeline across Iowa says it’s asking a federal agency’s regional office to be more stringent in permitting a private company access to waterways in the path of the project. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement says it wants the Army Corps of Engineers’ district office in Rock Island, Illinois, to change how it is reviewing permit applications from Dakota Access LLC for parts of a pipeline that will also run through North Dakota, South Dakota and Illinois.

The Army Corps of Engineers helps oversee the country’s waterways. A district office spokeswoman says it is following the policies in place for reviewing the applications. The two sides plan to meet soon. The Iowa Utilities Board is reviewing a separate permit application for the pipeline.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The emergence of the home sharing industry, thanks to businesses like Airbnb, has led West Des Moines officials to adopt a new policy limiting homeowners’ ability to rent space in their homes for short periods. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that the new policy requires homeowners who rent space in their homes for fewer than 31 days to be at home during the rental period. Violators face a fine of $750.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — For years, Des Moines County in eastern Iowa had a policy allowing employees to donate their accrued sick leave to fellow employees suffering a catastrophic event. But The Hawk Eye reports that the county board ended the practice Tuesday, citing liability concerns.

OSAGE, Iowa (AP) — The public can now view the new $8.7 million Mitchell County Courthouse — including plenty of artifacts from the original 1858 courthouse. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that the new courthouse held an open house Saturday, which included a short presentation on the county and courthouse’s history.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines-based senior care provider is building a $16 million facility in Cedar Falls. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Care Initiatives is building Pinnacle Specialty Care to replace Windsor Specialty Care. Marlow says the new facility will employ between 75 and 100 workers, compared with 65 to 80 employees at Windsor.

At least three area school district Boards of Education will hold their regular, separate, monthly meetings, Monday evening. In Anita, the CAM School Board will gather at 6:30-p.m. in the High School Media Center. During their session, the Board will discuss and/or take action on: IASB Standards for School Boards; Open enrollment applications; Any resignations or contracts to come before them; a Resolution to submit a PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment Levy) to the voters; A Resolution authorizing a Lease-Purchase agreement for two buses; Snow removal bids, and other, administrative matters.

The Audubon School Board meets at 7-p.m. in their Boardroom at the High School. During the session, they’re expected to take action on: An SBRC (School Budget Review Committee) request/Goal to foster financial sustainability; Approve Mid-year graduates; District Needs Assessment, which includes goals for High Quality Programs and an updated facilities plan; and personnel matters.

And in Elk Horn, the Exira-EHK School Board will meet in the Conference Room at the High School, beginning at 7-p.m. New business includes approving the Certified Annual Report (CAR), as well as other reports, and approval of: the Shelby County Hazard Plan; A contract with the Clarinda School District; an Early Retirement package for Certified Staff, and an Administrative Contract.

Prior to adjournment, the Exira-EHK School Board will move to enter into a Closed Session, for the purpose of “Evaluating the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance, or discharge, is being considered,” in order to “Prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation, and that individual requests a closed session.”

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge has ordered a 100-year prison sentence cut in half for a woman who killed a 3-year-old girl in her care, to the surprise of the girl’s family. The Sioux City Journal reports that District Judge Edward Jacobson on Thursday ordered Rochelle Sapp’s two 50-year prison sentenced to be served at the same time. That effectively halves the sentence he handed down in October 2014, when he ordered the 50-year sentences be served one after the other.

Sapp pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment resulting in death in exchange for prosecutors dropping a first-degree murder charge. As part of the deal, she agreed to the back-to-back sentences. But the judge said he reconsidered because Sapp had no prior record and has been a model prisoner.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former nursing aide at Sunrise Retirement Community in Sioux City has been accused of stealing a credit card from a resident and spending more than $5,000 with it. The Sioux City Journal reports that 35-year-old Olibia Navarrette, who was a certified nursing assistant at the community, is charged with dependent adult abuse, theft, forgery and unauthorized use of a credit card over $1,000.

A rollover accident within the City limits of Atlantic Friday night resulted in one person being sent to the hospital. Atlantic Police said a juvenile was driving the vehicle and had been backing up near the Schildberg Rec Area bike trail construction site, when the teen turned too sharply, causing the vehicle to roll onto its top.

Photo courtesy Cass County Emergency Mgmt Coordinator Mike Kennon.

Four people were in the SUV when the accident happened at around 10:40-p.m., north of 4th and State Streets. One of the individuals suffered from head and leg pain and reportedly had difficulty breathing. They were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by Medivac Ambulance.

The names of the individuals who were in the vehicle, have not yet been released.

Data from Realtor-dot-com (www.Realtor.com) finds Iowa’s capital city has a higher percentage of so-called “millennials” buying a home than any other city in the country. In the first six months of this year, 59 percent of the borrowers who took out a loan to buy a home in the Des Moines metro were between the ages of 25 and 34. Iowa State University finance professor Tracy Turner says home ownership rates are rising faster in mid-sized cities like Des Moines where there’s plenty of housing available.

“Is it supply or demand?” Turner asks. “Demand in the sense of: Is there something unique about millennials at this point in time in their life that gives them the incentive and the ability to buy? Maybe. Or is it that the housing stock is still recovering and the millennials happen to be here at the right moment to buy when prices are relatively low?” According to the National Association of Realtors, the median age of a first-time home buyer, nationally, was 31 last year and 65 percent of first-time home buyers were married. Turner says people tend to marry earlier in Midwestern cities.

“Married households are far more likely to purchase,” Turner says. “Among first-time home buyers, they will be disproportionately married and what often happens is that young people in less urbanized places, we tend to see them marrying at younger ages. They’re more likely to marry.” The total number of homes sold throughout the state of Iowa is higher so far this year compared to last. And homes that are up for sale are on the market for a shorter period of time.

(Radio Iowa)

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

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You won’t have much trouble traveling most of Iowa’s waterways this fall. Tim Hall with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources keeps an eye on water levels. He says the U-S Geological Survey looks at around 100 gauges across the state to get a composite stream flow. “We’ve been running just slightly on the wet side or normal for the year — so stream flow is a little big higher than it would be normally this time of year — which is a pretty good place to be,” Hall says. He says the water in the streams and creeks is important.

“Stream flow contributes to a lot of things, it provides for habitat for fish and aquatic species, for migratory birds, its’ an ecosystem indicator. So, we kind of like to see stream flow at normal,” according to Hall. Stream flows often drop down in the winter time. “Being a little big higher than normal is great going into the winter….it’s going to replenish farm ponds, it’s gonna keep low-lying areas with some water in them, so that there’s plenty of moisture out there when spring rolls around,” Hall says.

The statewide average precipitation was a little more than four inches in September, and ranked it as the 50th wettest September in 143 years of records.

(Radio Iowa)