No injuries were reported following a rollover accident near Creston this (Monday) morning. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says 66-year old Richard Cook, of Creston, was driving a 2008 Toyota Tacoma pickup southbound on Green Valley Lake Road, when the vehicle went out of control on the icy roadway. The pickup entered the east ditch and rolled onto its top, causing about $5,000 damage. The accident happened just before 11-a.m.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 4:30-a.m. Sunday, of 28-year old Nathan Andrew Wilcoxsen, of Coin. Wilcoxsen was taken into custody on a felony warrant for Theft /Possession of Stolen property.  The Charge stems from an investigation conducted by the Page County Sheriff’s Office.  Wilcoxson was unable to post the $5000 bond, and was being held in the Page County Jail.

Nathan Wilcoxsen (Photo submitted by Page County S/O)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Department store operator Gordmans is filing for bankruptcy protection and plans to liquidate the inventory of its 106 discount stores. The Omaha, Nebraska-based company announced Monday it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Gordmans had posted losses in five of its last six quarters. It’s stock price fell to 6 cents a share Monday after the announcement. Gordmans did not give a time frame for the liquidation sale. It employs about 5,000 people at its stores in 22 states.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says a car stolen from Clarinda over the weekend, was recovered Sunday partially submerged in the Nodaway River a few hundred yards south of the low head dam. The vehicle, a 2003 Chevy Cavalier, was stolen sometime last Friday night or early Saturday morning from in front of a residence in the 200 block of N. 18th Street, in Clarinda. The keys had been left in the ignition.

When the car was found, it was on it’s top in the river. The incident remains under investigation by Clarinda Police, with help from the Iowa State Patrol.  Chief Brothers says there is no reason to believe at this time that anyone was injured during the stolen vehicle’s departure from the roadway into the Nodaway River.

The City Council in Atlantic will meet in a regular session this Wednesday evening at City Hall, beginning at 5:30. Among the items on their agenda, is action on an Order to close 6th Street, from Chestnut on west to the alley between Chestnut and Poplar, on Thursdays, from 4-until 7-p.m., for the purpose of holding “Produce in the Park.” The event, featuring locally grown produce, will take place every Thursday from June 1st through September 29th in the Atlantic City Park, weather permitting.

The Council will also act on approving the closing of an alley west of the Fireside Lounge on April 29th, from 10-a.m. until 8-p.m., for their annual “Shop-with-a-Cop fundraiser. The business needs the alley to hold their bags cornhole tournament to raise money for the program. Last year, the Fireside raised $6,500 for Shop with a Cop. The owners say the do not intend to prevent access to an adjacent property, and only wish to stop traffic flow in the alley for the hours mentioned.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on adopting a new Personnel Policy for City Employees. The Policy has been updated and received a thorough legal review. And, as part of the City’s efforts to remove and clean-up blighted properties, the Council is expected to act Wednesday, on a Resolution approving the purchase of properties at 202 and 204 W. 3rd Street (west of Fareway), as part of a long-term goal to redevelop the area. The City has negotiated a price for $5,000 for both properties, that are assessed at $5,480.

And, the Council will hold a Public Hearing on a revamped Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, prior to acting on the 1st reading of the Ordinance. A Public Hearing will also be held on amending provisions to the Flood Plain Regulations in the Code of Ordinances, in association with new flood plain maps. The Ordinance must be updated by May 16th in order for the City to remain in the National Flood Insurance Program. The hearing will be followed by the 1st reading of the Ordinance.

A critical meeting at the capitol tomorrow (Tuesday) will determine whether the current year’s state budget needs to be cut more AND whether legislators will have to dramatically scale back their tentative plans for the NEXT year. “That could definitely happen.” That’s State Representative Pat Grassley, chairman of the budget-writing committee in the Iowa House.

The reason for the uncertainty? State tax collections are running far behind expectations, barely two percent ahead of last year. Jeff Robinson is a fiscal analyst for the Legislative Services Agency. “Although the revenue news is fairly grim thus far for fiscal year 2017, the bulk of tax year 2016 income tax processing remains and there are reasons to believe the tax filing season, when completed, will be positive for revenue growth.”

Although charts show the state of Iowa has collected 88 million dollars MORE in taxes during the past eight months, Robinson says there are processing issues that make revenue growth over the previous year far, far lower — in the range of only eight MILLION dollars. With just three months left in the state’s CURRENT budgeting year, any NEW spending cuts will likely lead to layoffs in state agencies. Representative Chris Hall of Sioux City is the top-ranking Democrat on the house budgeting committee. “It is hard times and very hard morale for anybody who is working in public service,” Hall says.

Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds says the situation is compounded because most state agencies have NOT had a budget boost for the past six years and layoffs may be the only option left if more reductions are required. “There’s just not a lot of other areas that we can cut,” Reynolds says.” We’ll just have to wait to see what the REC says and go from there.”

The Revenue Estimating Conference — the R-E-C — is a three-person board that sets the official estimate of future state tax revenue. Their estimates govern how much state officials may spend. State agencies are already implementing the agreement legislators and the governor made LAST MONTH to cut 118-million dollars in spending, to avoid a deficit.

(Radio Iowa)

This is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. The manager of the Iowa Gambling Treatment Program, Eric Pruess, says the goals are simple. “To help promote the awareness of problem gambling…and to have the conversation among family members, professionals and others about problem gambling,” Preuss says.

Preuss told the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission last week that it’s important to continue pushing awareness of the issue. “We know that there are between eight and 12 million people in the United States who meet the criteria for a gambling disorder — and yet fewer than one percent actually receive the services that they might be in need of. So, that’s important as to why we continue to have not only a focus in the month of March but throughout the year, encouraging Iowans to have the conversation with each other,” according to Pruess.

He says those with a gambling addiction need to know lots of help is available. “Many suffer in silence because they don’t know,” Pruess explains. “they don’t know that there is a hope for a better tomorrow. They don’t know that what they are experiencing is not something that is just happening to them. This is a serious of events and behaviors that they are experiencing that are common with maybe up to ten to 12 percent of other Iowans.”

He says his organization’s job is to continue to reach out to spread the message. “That free confidential help is available 24-7 anytime of the year. That recovery is possible, treatment works and that we are the messengers of hope to those Iowans struggling from problem gambling,”Pruess says. Pruess says people need to understand the nature of problem gambling.

He says the research in the last decade indicates that gambling disorder is actually a brain disease. “When you look at the CAT scans and C-T scans of individuals who are engaged in gambling activities — it lights up the brain much like a cocaine addict or meth addict– or someone who over imbibes in alcohol. Gambling modifies how the brain works and it is similar to how other drugs also affect the brain,” Pruess says.

He says around one percent or some 20-thousand people in Iowa are problem gamblers but a small percentage of them are taking advantage of the help that is available. “We have fewer than 800 people who actually seek assistance in Iowa in any given year — so there’s a huge gap in those who actually need services and those who seek services,” Pruess says.

Free help with problem gambling is available by calling 1-800-BETS OFF or online at www.1800BETSOFF.org.

(Radio Iowa)

The group Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement is holding a series of meetings across the state over the next several weeks to gain input on what changes should be made to the so-called master matrix. I-C-C-I spokeswoman Erica Blair says they’ve already heard from many Iowans who universally want one type of change in the scoring system used to evaluate the siting of feeding operations.

“Larger separation distances between a factory farm and a stream or a factory farm and somebody’s house,” Blair says. “People would like to have more site specificity. The master matrix doesn’t really take into consideration the landscape that it’s in, whether it’s in coarse terrain or if it’s near a stream.”

By making some key changes in the matrix, Blair says they’re hoping to see better protections from agricultural runoff. Blair says, “The goal of strengthening the master matrix would be to reduce runoff, reduce manure pollution and make sure we have better water in Iowa.” Blair says legislative action may need to be taken in order to get stronger rules. “The legislature certainly could make these changes or call for the DNR to open the master matrix rules back up,” Blair says. “We’re seeing people across the state calling on their legislators to do something about it.”

Leaders in Pocahontas and Webster counties have sent letters to lawmakers and to the D-N-R, she says, asking for a moratorium on new construction until the issue is addressed. The I-C-C-I meetings are scheduled for: Wednesday (March 15th) in Greenfield, March 21st in Lohrville, March 30th in Ames, April 4th in Solon and April 8th in Le Mars.

(Radio Iowa)

GRAETTINGER, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say three tanker cars of ethanol remain in a rural creek, three days after a fiery train derailment in northwestern Iowa. Environmental specialist Amber Wolf with the Iowa Natural Resources Department said Monday the fire finally went out midday Sunday.

The blaze erupted after the derailment around 1 a.m. Friday on a trestle bridge spanning Jack Creek near Graettinger, about 160 miles northwest of Des Moines. Federal safety officials say 20 tanker cars filled with ethanol left the tracks, with five plunging into the creek.

Wolf says two of the five cars have been pulled out, but three were left in the creek Sunday after recovery work was suspended because of a snowstorm. The department says creek water checks downstream found no obvious signs of a spill.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa Sec. of Agriculture Bill Northey have announced 12 urban conservation water quality initiative demonstration projects have been selected to receive $820,840 in funding. The 12 projects will provide nearly $1.18 million in matching funds to support water quality improvement efforts as well as other in-kind contributions.

Among the area communities participating in newly announced projects is Denison. The City of Denison received a grant award amount to $73, 560 for the installation of four bioretention cells and one permeable paver system in the downtown area as part of this project. The total project cost is $147,120. The retrofit demonstration project will offer multiple water quality benefits, along with strong local support and community involvement, in a highly visible area with the goal of using the project as an example for future community infrastructure projects.

The various projects will focus on conservation measures that capture and allow stormwater to be absorbed into the ground and reduce a property’s contribution to water quality degradation, stream flows and flooding. They also include strong partnerships and outreach/education components to disseminate information to promote increased awareness and adoption of available practices and technologies for achieving reductions in nutrient loads to surface waters.

More information about the urban water quality practices can be found at www.cleanwateriowa.org/residential-practices.aspx. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship received 34 pre-applications for this funding after it was announced last fall and 14 projects were invited to submit full proposals. Twelve projects were selected to receive funding through the Water Quality Initiative. This is the third time that urban conservation projects have been funded through the Water Quality Initiative and there are currently 22 active or completed urban demonstration projects across the state . The state awarded these initial 22 projects over $1.63 million in funding and partners and landowners participating in the projects are providing over $5 million to support these urban conservation efforts.