The Creston Police Departments reports two people were arrested on separate charges. Early this (Wednesday) morning, 46-year old Jon Eric Muselman, of Osceola, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Union County warrant for Simple Assault. Muselman was later released on $300 bond. And, Tuesday evening, 42-year old Nicole Annette Hoffman, of Winterset, was arrested in Des Moines on a Union County warrant for Probation Violation. Hoffman was being held in the Ringgold County Jail pending an appearance before the magistrate.

In addition, the Creston P-D says a resident in the 1300 block of N. Cherry Street reported Tuesday, someone had taken a trailer from his residence. The theft took place sometime between 8-am Sept. 23rd and 8-am Sept. 29th. The loss was estimated at $1,000.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – An animal welfare group is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate the death of four rabbits used for research at the University of Iowa. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports a USDA routine inspection report from August found four rabbits died in June during a study. The report says the animals died of unexpected study complications.

The USDA report says the researchers did provide care for the animals, but didn’t contact or consult with a veterinarian about their health. A University of Iowa spokesman says the school has addressed the USDA report internally. He says the university is committed to complying with regulations governing the care and use of animals in research.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A monthly economic survey index for nine Midwestern and Plains States dropped in September, suggesting slowing economic growth in the months ahead. A survey report issued Wednesday says the overall Mid-America Business Conditions Index dropped nearly three percentage points to 54.3, from 57.2 the previous month. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says a drop in grain prices over the past year has led to a pullback in economic activity for the heavily agrarian region.

In Iowa: The overall index for August fell to a tepid 51.5, from 58.3 in August. It was the third consecutive month the reading has declined. Components of the index were new orders at 48.3, production or sales at 45.1, delivery lead time at 62.4, employment at 52.2, and inventories at 49.5. “Iowa’s manufacturing sector, both durable and nondurable goods producers, are experiencing much slower growth than recorded earlier in the year,” Goss said. “Weaker grain prices are spilling over into the broader state economy.” Average weekly wages have expanded by 3.1 percent in the last year, Goss said.

The survey results from supply managers are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests economic growth, while a score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) – High school officials in northwestern Iowa have postponed homecoming as the community mourns the death of two students in a crash this week. The Sioux City Journal reports  that Sioux Central High School’s homecoming, which has been set to begin Friday, has been rescheduled for the week of Oct. 17th.

The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Department says 16-year-old Caleb Smith, of Sioux Rapids, and 16-year-old Lexi Rydstrom, of Marathon, Iowa, were killed in the Monday crash. Investigators say the crash occurred on a gravel road when the teens’ car and a pickup collided head-on.

The crash also injured two other teens in the car, as well as the 43-year-old driver and a 49-year-old passenger in the pickup.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the public is invited to a discussion pertaining to the latest rendition of the Lake Manawa campground renovation project and lake restoration project. The event takes place 6 p.m. October 14th, at the Western Historic Trails Center, in Council Bluffs.

The Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources says the Wilson Island State Recreation Area will be officially rededicated during a ceremony at 1 p.m., October 7th, at the large riverfront shelter. Speakers include DNR Director Chuck Gipp, State Parks chief Todd Coffelt, and the president of the Wilson Island friends group. The rededication is the culmination of a $2.5-$3 million cleanup and rebuild project that began after the area was damaged in the spring of 2011 by the flooding Missouri River.

Wilson Island’s initial reopening was delayed until Aug. 3 from its planned mid June reopening after a storm battered the area with four inches of rain, baseball sized hail and 80-90 mile per hour winds that knocked down trees and damaged park buildings.

The campground remodel includes eliminating the more flood prone sites and changing the first to flood electric sites to non electric. The number of electrical sites increased by 15 but the total number of campsites has been reduced by 10.

The new Wilson Island has 50 amp service electrical sites, a new shower house, two new dump stations, two new picnic shelters all at higher elevations, and a new park office.

Authorities in Montgomery County are warning area residents about a possible telephone scam. The Sheriff’s Department says a woman called to report someone claiming to be from Mid-American Energy phoned them to say the resident had not paid her electric bill. The caller said the woman’s power would be shut-off unless she paid her bill. The caller then asked for the woman’s bank information, which she refused to give out.

The woman said she called Mid-America direct immediately afterward. Company officials said the call was in-fact a scam. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office wants area residents to be aware of the scam, and use caution with your bank account information.

If someone calls threatening to cut-off your power or gas, hang-up and call the utility company directly to get information on your account status.

(updated 9:20-a.m.)

24-hour rainfall in Atlantic at the KJAN studios (the Official National Weather Service site for Atlantic) was 2.08″ as of 7-a.m., Wednesday (10/1) . At the Atlantic Airport, the Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) measured 2.26″.  Seven-miles n/ne of Atlantic, a spotter observed 2.06″ of rain in their gauge. KJAN’s Lavon Eblen reported 2.5″ of rain at her home north of Atlantic.

If you have a rainfall total to report, e-mail kjannews@metc.net. Please include your location or proximity to the nearest town, the amount of rain that has fallen, and the time your measurement was taken. Feel free to update the total as the day wears on. Thank You!

Other 24-hour rainfall reports we’ve received this morning:

3.90″ 3 miles west of Pacific Junction in Mills County; 3.40″ 3 miles east of Manning; 3.10 in Anita near the golf course (reported by Rosalie Kopp); 3.10″ in Shenandoah (updated total); 3.00″ in Audubon (also, 3.10″ n of the Audubon Airport as of 7:30-a.m.); 2.80″ in Oakland and in Marne; 2.62″ west of Bagley, in Guthrie County; 2.60″ 1.5 miles s. of Avoca; 2.32″ 1 mi. S. of Guthrie Center in Guthrie County; 2.28″ 4 miles e/se of Carroll; 2.20″ south of Bedford (2.4″ reported N of Bedford); 2.18″ in Massena (Ardelle McCunn); 2.04″ 3 miles NE of Yale in Guthrie County; 1.92″ in Harlan; 1.85″ in Emerson; 1.81″ 4-miles north of New Market, in Taylor County; 1.74″ in Clarinda; 1.62″ at Jefferson (as of 5:15-a.m.) – from an NWS Cooperative Observer; 1.61″ northeast of Creston; 1.58″ 2 miles NE of Denison.