The Harlan Police Department says an unusual accident happened Monday. Officials say a 2000 Cadillac Eldorado driven by Cheryl Petsche, of Harlan, was traveling north in the 1100 block of 4th Street, when the vehicle drove over a temporary man hole cover. The cover popped-off and became wedged between the vehicle and the road. The man hole cover came through the backseat driver’s side floor board, causing damage to the vehicle. A dollar amount of the damage was not listed. No injuries were reported.

The Harlan Police Department reports five arrests took place over the past week. On May 23rd, 54-year old Patrick Martin Duncan, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop at the intersection of Highway 4 and Highway 59. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating while intoxicated, failure to maintain control, and failure to display license plate. On May 24th, 26-year old Kolten Kenneth Kobold, of Harlan, was arrested on an outstanding Shelby County warrant. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

On May 25th, 61-year old Kathleen Ash, of Harlan, was arrested for driving while suspended following a traffic stop in the 800 block of Industrial Avenue. On Monday, 31-year old Bradley Allen Hess, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop at the corner of 9th and Chatburn. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating while intoxicated and speed. And, 35-year old Brent Michael Swisher, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for a disturbance in the 1000 block of Hill St. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with criminal mischief 3rd degree.

May 30, 2018 (Red Oak, Iowa) – U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst along with other state and local officials announced today (Wednesday), that Montgomery County has received the designation as the 81st Home Base Iowa (HBI) Community. Local community leaders, businesses and veterans attended the event at Red Oak’s Historic Downtown Fountain Square Park, near the Veteran Monuments to celebrate. Home Base Iowa is a one-of-a-kind program to connect veterans and transitioning service members with almost 2,000 businesses statewide who have pledged to hire over 10,000 veterans. In addition to the 81 communities statewide, the program also has 24 college and university partners.

The program connects businesses and communities with veteran job seekers using the “Find a Veteran” feature on the Home Base Iowa website. Find a Veteran allows Home Base Iowa businesses and communities access to all active veteran job seekers who have submitted their resume through the website. The program has had over 250 veteran resumes submitted in 2018. Businesses and communities are also alerted by email when a veteran resume is published with matching location and industry criteria. These features allow program partners to directly connect and market to veterans by providing businesses with a user-friendly platform to find veterans with the skills they need. Find a Veteran also helps communities market their opportunities and quality of life in order to attract veterans and their families.

Iowa offers many incentives to veterans and transitioning service members including no state taxes on military pension and veteran hiring preference, which allows veteran preferential treatment in hiring decisions for both public and private organizations. Additionally, the state of Iowa provides up to $7,500 for the down payment or closing costs of a home through the Iowa Finance Authority Military Homeownership Assistance Program. The state also provides in-state tuition rates for qualifying veterans, their spouses and their dependents.

Home Base Iowa designates qualified communities as centers of opportunity for military veterans based on four standards:

Within a designated community, at least 10 percent of eligible, hiring businesses must become HBI businesses and pledged to hire veterans,
Community develops its own incentive package for veterans,
Community prominently displays HBI Community designation, and
Community must obtain a resolution of support from the appropriate local governing body
Montgomery County has met or exceeded these requirements. For more information on Home Base Iowa, please visit www.HomeBaseIowa.gov.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Iowa wildlife experts have released two squirrels after a vet removed electrical zip ties from around their necks, including one with a bell attached. Dreama Bartz with the Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project said Wednesday that she trapped the animals this month after a Waterloo resident called to report the apparent cruelty. A vet helped to remove the ties and determined the squirrels were not hurt before they were released back into the neighborhood where they were found.

Members of an Iowa wildlife rehabilitation organization have returned two squirrels to their Waterloo neighborhood after removing electrical zip ties from around the necks of both and a bell from the neck of one. (Dreama Bartz/Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project via AP)

Bartz thinks a resident captured the squirrels as infants and let them go months later, after realizing the frisky pair wouldn’t works as pets. She thinks the zip ties and bell were ways to keep track of them. Bartz says the squirrels could have been choked by the ties as they grew.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports 51-year old Michael James Brown came to the Sheriff’s Office this (Wednesday) morning, and inquired if he had a warrant for his arrest. In checking with Pagecom dispatch, it was confirmed that Brown did have a valid Page County warrant for Failure to appear on an original charge of Animal running at large. Brown was arrested, and posted a $300 cash only bond on the warrant and was released pending further court proceedings in the case.

The Atlantic Police Department reports five recent arrests. On Tuesday (5/29), 38-year old Melissa Wheeler, of Atlantic, was arrested as an accessory to a misdemeanor. Last Sunday, 32-year old Christopher Castillo, of Atlantic, was arrested for Harassment and Public Intoxication. And, 29-year old Katherine Coleman, of Atlantic, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault.

On Saturday, 38-year old Kantauo Mark, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI, Domestic Abuse Assault, and Child Endangerment. And, on May 24th,  36-year old Adam Petersen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication. All five subjects were booked into the Cass County Jail.

Seven fire departments in northwest Iowa’s Plymouth County are now equipped with pet oxygen mask kits, thanks to the efforts of a Le Mars 7th grader. Brooklyn Bockelmann raised nearly $1,000 within a month to purchase the kits. She collected much of the money by selling root beer floats at a middle school dance. “I read a news article about two girls in California who purchased these per oxygen masks for their fire department and I really love animals, so I thought it would be a really cool idea if I did the same thing for our (fire department),” Bockelmann said.

Each pet oxygen kit contains three masks of varying sizes. “The large can be used on large dogs and small horses, the medium can be used on small dogs and cats, and the small can be used on gerbils, hamsters and parrots,” Bockelmann said. This week, Bockelmann delivered the pet oxygen mask kits to the Oyens, Hinton, Kingsley, Merrill, Remsen, Akron and Le Mars fire departments. Her new goal is to raise enough money for every fire department in Iowa to be equipped with the kits.

(Radio Iowa)

Justin Garey

Deputies in Page County, Tuesday, received custody from a law enforcement agency in Missouri, of 32-year old Jeffrey Scott Dewit, of Linn Creak, MO. Dewit was taken into custody on a Page County Warrant for Indecent contact with a child (an Aggravated misdemeanor). He was arrested in Rock Port, MO., and transported to the Page County Jail where he is being held without bond bond. Also arrested Tuesday, was 38-year old Justin William Garey, of rural Villisca. He was arrested about three-miles east of Clarinda on a Texas warrant for Probation Violation. Garey was transported to the Page County Jail and held without bond, pending extradition proceedings to Texas.

Jeffrey Dewit

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer reports three recent arrests. On Tuesday, 31-year old Randy Travis Kurth, of Audubon, was arrested for Harassment in the 1st Degree. He was transported to the Audubon County Jail and held pending an appearance before a magistrate. On May 21st, 21-year old Andrew Allen Malloy, of Audubon, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Causing Injury. He was also transported to the Audubon County Jail.  Malloy was seen by a magistrate the following day and released on promise to appear in court. And, on May 18th, 32-year old Brandon Gregory Hayes, of Vancouver, Washington, was arrested on a warrant for Felony Escape from a Washington State Facility.  Hayes is currently awaiting extradition back to Washington.