Sheriff’s Deputies in Page County today (Tuesday), arrested 44-year old Joseph Edward Harris, of rural Essex. Harris was taken into custody on a Page County Warrant for Probation violation. He was being held in the Page County Jail on charges of Burglary 3rd Degree and Theft 2nd Degree when he was arrested on the latest charge. Harris’s total bond is currently $15,000.
DOON, Iowa (AP) — BNSF Railway says it’s reopened a track where 32 tank cars derailed, spilling thousands of gallons of crude oil in northwest Iowa. Spokesman Andy Williams says a train ran down the repaired line near Doon around 10 p.m. Monday. An estimated 230,000 gallons of crude oil spilled Saturday into floodwaters of the Little Rock River from 14 of the cars. He says much of the oil spilled is contained to a small triangular area between the track and two nearby roads. Hazardous materials and environmental experts are using skimmers to recover additional oil.
City and water district officials downstream in Iowa and Nebraska have been assured by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources that the oil will be contained before reaching the Missouri River at Sioux City, Iowa.
MARGARET E. CLIFFORD, 95, of Guthrie Center died Monday, June 25th at The New Homestead in Guthrie Center. Funeral services for MARGARET E. CLIFFORD will be held Monday, July 2nd at 10:00am at the First United Methodist Church in Guthrie Center. Twigg Funeral Home in Guthrie Center has the arrangements.
Visitation will be held Monday, July 2nd from 9:00am-10:00am at First United Methodist Church in Guthrie Center prior to services.
Burial will be in the Union Cemetery in Guthrie Center.
Online Condolences may be left at www.twiggfuneralhome.com
The Harlan Police Department reports 18-year old Alexandra Page Butterfield, of Moorhead, was arrested Monday on drug charges, following a traffic stop. She was charged with Prohibited Acts penalties, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance. Last Saturday, 40-year old Erin Lynn Tebockhorst, of East Moline, IL., was arrested in Harlan for Operating a non-registered vehicle, and OWI/1st offense. On Friday, 68-year old Dennis Raymond Smith, of Plattsmouth, NE., was arrested for OWI/1st offense. That same day, 46-year old Pamela J. Frieze, of Harlan, was cited for Driving while suspended.
On June 21st, 32-year old Terri Lynn Hallas, of Harlan, was cited by Harlan Police for Driving While Suspended and having an insufficient number of headlamps. And, on June 20th, 29-year old Dereck J. Hilsabeck, of Manning, was arrested for OWI/2nd offesne, and open container. The H-PD says also, no injuries were reported after a 2000 Dodge Dakota pickup driven by Branden Ericksen, of Harlan, hydroplaned and went out of control, before entering a ditch and striking a fence. The accident happened June 19th, as Ericksen was traveling north on Highway 59.
A new study released this (Tuesday) morning concludes 37 percent of Iowa households could not afford to pay monthly bills that cover the basic necessities of life in 2016. The report identified 12 percent of Iowans living below the poverty line and another 25 percent of working Iowans living paycheck-to-paycheck. Shane Orr, executive director of United Way of Muscatine, is chairman of the United Ways of Iowa board of directors, the group that commissioned the report. “Sadly, there is no single solution to fix the challenges that so many in Iowa face,” Orr said. “The challenges are complex and interwoven. However, armed with the information from this report, everyone can make more informed decisions.”
Iowans who are identified as “income constrained” live in both urban and rural Iowa. More than half the residents of southern Iowa’s Decatur County are unable to afford basic necessities according to Stephanie Hoopes, the former Rutgers University professor who did the research. “This basic household budget that we measure is the bare minimum of housing, child care, food, transportation, health care and the bare minimum cell phone plan because there are the things you need to live and work in the modern economy in Iowa,” Hoopes says.
Those costs increased 26 percent for a single adult and 41 percent for a family of four. “That is much faster than the rate of inflation, which during that period was nine percent,” Hoopes says. In 2010, about 18 percent of Iowa households with a working adult were living paycheck to paycheck. The updated report indicates that increased to 25 percent by 2016. “We’re actually hearing some really good economic indicators right now: low unemployment, increased productivity, the stock market’s booming,” Hoopes says, “…and yet there’s something else going on.”
Hoopes says working Iowans who are employed, but have few assets and little to no savings are “one emergency away from falling into poverty.”
(Radio Iowa)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The latest Army Corps of Engineers figures say the reservoir that protects Des Moines from Des Moines River flooding is expected to peak at around 75 percent of capacity next week.
But the Saylorville Lake manager also says those figures could change — and alarmingly so — with heavy upstream rainfall on already saturated ground.
Jeff Rose is the Corps’ operations project manager for Saylorville, and he says Tuesday morning’s lake peak forecast of nearly 881 feet above sea level is down from Monday’s forecast of 883.5 feet, despite heavy local rain.
He says the current inflow is more than double the controlled outflow. The outflow can go only so fast without causing river flooding downstream, so the Corps must balance that against the inflow, using the reservoir to handle the difference.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a prescription form of cannabis oil as treatment for patients with two rare forms of epilepsy. A West Des Moines mother whose daughter has chronic epilepsy says the move means insurance may cover this new drug that’s derived from the marijuana plant, but does not contain the chemicals that cause the “high” associated with recreational marijuana use. “I think it opens up a population that number one could not move to Colorado to try anything and number two could not afford to use hemp products in the quantity needed to be effective.”
Sally Gaer’s daughter Margaret has Dravet syndrome. This is the first drug specifically identified as prescription treatment for the condition, but Gaer says it may not be the right choice for her daughter. “We’ll have to have a discussion,” Gaer says. “We’re kind of at a place where we know where we’re at and when we change things, the unknown can be tricky.”
And Gaer says the newly-approved, cannabis-based drug is not the same kind of “full-spectrum” medication as the cannabis oil her daughter is taking. Gaer is among a group of parents who successfully lobbied legislators to decriminalize possession of cannabis oil as treatment for chronic epilepsy in 2014. Gaer was also among those who successfully urged lawmakers to expand the law in 2017 so cannabis oil could be produced and dispensed in Iowa, for a wider range of medical conditions. Distribution of Iowa-manufactured cannabis oil is scheduled to start in December.
(Radio Iowa)
The 2018 Shelby County Fair is just around the corner, and the names of the Shelby County Fair Queen candidates have been released. Vying for the title of Fair Queen is 16 year old Abigail Jacobsen, the daughter of Joel Jacobsen and Andrea Miller. Abigail will be representing the Helping Hand Clover Kids. Allyssa Obrecht is the 17 year old daughter of Donald and Jennifer Obrecht. She will be representing the Shelby County 4-H Council. Representing the Northeast Sodbusters 4-H Club is 18 year old Amelia Juhl. She is the daughter of Kenny and Cindy Juhl. Cassidy Robinson is the 18 year old daughter of Steve and Ivy Robinson. She is a member of the Shelby Clover Kids. Claire Dresen is 18 years old and the daughter of Mike and Julie Dresen of Earling. She will represent the Harlan FFA.
16 year old Emily Taggs is the daughter of John and Mary Taggs of Harlan. Emily will be representing the Lincoln Bluebirds 4-H Club. Kara Reuschenberg is a member of the Center Comers 4-H Club. She is the 19 year old daughter of Joe and Amy Reuschenberg. Kara Weis is the 17 year old daughter of Craig and Michele Weis of Earling. She will represent the Northern Explorers 4-H Club. The next candidate is Kaylee Rivera. She is the 17 year old daughter of Todd and Tammy Rivera of Shelby. Mary Carroll is the 17 year old daughter of Dwight Carroll and Colleen Driscoll. She is representing the Exira-Elk Horn Kimballton FFA Chapter.
Mikala Kenkel is 19 years old and will be representing the Northwest Leaders 4-H Club. She is the daughter of Terry and Karen Kenkel of Panama. And the final candidate is Taylor Andersen. She is the 18 year old daughter of Kent and Chery Andersen of Kirkman. She will represent the Jackson Jets 4-H Club.
The crowning of the 2018 Shelby County Fair Queen will be held on Thursday evening, July 12th, following the fair parade. Last years queen was Emma Barnes, the daughter of Rich and Denise Barnes of Harlan.
The Fourth of July falls on a Wednesday this year and many Iowans are either taking a long weekend before or after the Fourth — or they’re taking all of next week off. Nick Jarmusz (JAR-mus), spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says the motor club survey indicates it’ll be a vacation weekend like never before. “This is going to be the biggest Independence Day holiday travel period that we have on record,” Jarmusz says. “Nearly 47-million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more from home during the six-day stretch around the holiday.”
The travel forecast is up five-percent from last year. Based on the survey, the highways across Iowa and nationwide will be busy.”The vast majority are going to be traveling by car,” Jarmusz says. “It’s still a road trip auto weekend, although we are expecting quite a few air travelers, in fact, quite a few more air travelers than typical. We’re expecting an 8% increase in the number of folks who are traveling by air.” Even higher gasoline prices aren’t keeping people home for the holiday. “We’re seeing nationwide and here in Iowa the highest gas prices that we’ve seen in the past three to four years,” Jarmusz says, “Still, it’s not nearly as high as what we saw as recently as 2014.”
The statewide average price for gas is two-70 a gallon. That’s up about 60-cents a gallon from a year ago, but the average price back in 2014 topped three-50 a gallon. The current national average price is two-85, about 15-cents a gallon higher than in Iowa. July Third is already being referred to as Terrible Tuesday as the motor club predicts heavy traffic congestion in the late afternoon as commuters leaving work early mix with holiday travelers.
(Radio Iowa)
The Iowa Supreme Court has issued a key ruling on the constitutionality of Iowa’s embattled right-to-farm law. The director of the Center for Ag Law at Iowa State University, Kristine Tidgren, says – in one respect – the decision is a victory for livestock producers. “The plaintiffs really wanted the court to say that the right-to-farm statute was just unconstitutional and they wanted the court to basically eliminate that protection for ag producers,” Tidgren said. “The court did not do that.”
The Iowa Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision that found the statute protecting producers from nuisance lawsuits was unconstitutional. But, the decision does not prevent ag nuisance lawsuits from being filed in the future and, according to Tidgren, livestock producers may still have to prove they are operating within the law. “This does give (producers) more protection because the court did affirm that the statute can be valid, but it’s not something that can be decided on someone’s judgement, it’s going to have to be after some fact-finding, which is costly,” Tidgren said.
By requiring plaintiffs to provide more proof of negligence or a violation of the law, Tidgren said the ruling may help deter the filing of unsupported claims. The court ruling stems from a case in southeast Iowa’s Wapello County, where three families complained of the odor from two nearby hog farms.
(Radio Iowa)
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