No injuries were reported but a dog died during a fire at a residence northeast of Marne early this (Saturday) morning. Marne Fire Chief Josh Krause told KJAN news they were called out just before 5-a.m. to a reported kitchen fire at 57504 Dallas Road.

He said upon arrival, smoke and flames were visible in the kitchen area. Two adults in the home were awakened by the smoke and escaped safely. One of the family’s pet dogs also escaped, but the other ran back into the structure and was found on the second floor. Both residents were transported to CCMH by Medivac, for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Krause said they were able to get a quick knock down of the flames and were working on overhaul (taking care of hot spots, clean-up and ventilation), as of 7:15-a.m. He said the fire apparently started on the stove, after one of the residents had gotten up late at night and made a snack.

Atlantic Fire crews assisted at the scene.

Photo courtesy Mike Kennon, Cass County Emergency Mgmt. Coordinator.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of two men in separate incidents early Saturday morning.

At 12:01am Deputies arrested 40-year-old Michael Todd Brace of Red Oak in the 200 block of East Nuckols Street on a valid Adams County Warrant for Failure to Appear. Brace was turned over to Adams County Authorities and was booked into the Adams County Jail on $100 cash only bond.

At 3:07am Deputies arrested 19-year-old Heath Robert Woods of Red Oak in the 2300 block of D Avenue. Woods is charged with Felony Eluding and Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense. He was also cited for Speeding (95mph), Possession of Alcohol Under Legal Age, and 2 Stop Sign Violations. Woods was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $5,000 bond. Montgomery County Deputies were assisted by Officers of the Red Oak Police Department.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Nebraska man on Friday evening in Red Oak. At 7:20pm Deputies arrested 25-year-old Dahlton Briggs of Bellevue, NE on a valid Montgomery County Warrant for Harassment 1st Degree. He was arrested in the 100 block of West Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak and taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $2,000 cash bond.

Firefighters from Marne and Atlantic were dispatched this (Saturday) morning, to a residential fire northeast of Marne, at 57504 Dallas Road. According to the dispatch report that went out just before 5-a.m., the kitchen was on fire in the home, and everyone was being evacuated.

Marne Fire reported the flames had been knocked down as of 5:17-a.m., and crews were making their initial entry into the structure. An overhaul (clean-up and ventilation) of the home was underway at 5:36-a.m.

No other details are currently available.

Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline has passed and we now know which candidates for statehouse, statewide and congressional offices submitted the paperwork required to have their names placed on June Primary ballots.

There’s a minimum number of petition signatures from Iowans that must be collected for each office a candidate is seeking. Third district congressional candidate Theresa Greenfield fired her campaign manager when he admitted he forged some of the signatures on her petitions, which were filed earlier this week. Greenfield and a crew of supporters made an almost literal 11th hour dash Friday. They collected signatures from residents in each of the 16 counties in the third congressional district and submit them just before the filing deadline.

In addition to Greenfield, Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Corbett and first district congressional candidate Courtney Rowe, a Democrat, submitted their petitions Friday afternoon. Corbett’s came in just an hour before the deadline. The secretary of state’s staff will review the petitions from those three candidates on Monday. They’ll determine if those candidate met the paperwork requirements.

The NEXT deadline in this process is next Friday, the 23rd. Rival campaigns and private citizens have until then to review the petitions from all the candidates and challenge any signatures that appear suspect.

A list of all the candidates who submitted petitions to run in the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian Party Primaries on June 5th can be found here (on the Iowa Secretary of State’s wesbite: https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/candidates/primarycandidatelist.pdf

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:50 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court says a Des Moines mobile home park may continue to operate handing the owner a legal victory over the city which tried to shut the park down claiming it violated safety codes. The city has allowed the Oak Hill Mobile Home Park to operate since 1955 and began attempts to shut it down in October 2014 when it filed court action against owner Mark Ogden.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Officials say the injured mother of two children killed in a Waterloo house fire has also died. The Courier reports that 33-year-old Amber Dawn Everman died shortly before noon Friday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where she had been taken after being pulled from the burning home Thursday morning by firefighters. Two of her children also pulled from the fire _ 9-year-old Amari Burkett and 6-year-old Ava Everman _ were pronounced dead Thursday at a Waterloo hospital.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ivanka Trump is headed to Iowa to promote workforce development. The daughter of President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit a learning center in the Des Moines suburb of Waukee on Monday. The Waukee Innovation and Learning Center is part of the local school district and houses a program aimed at partnering students with businesses. Ivanka Trump, a senior adviser to her father, says she’s visiting the facility to promote the Trump administration’s infrastructure plan.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rejected a petition from an animal rights group that sought more humane treatment for turkeys and chickens sent to slaughter. California-based Mercy For Animals filed a petition in November asking the USDA to include poultry in the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, a 1958 law that makes it a crime to abuse or neglect pigs and cows during slaughter.

The legislature’s top Republican says state payments to Iowa cities and counties to make up for reduced local property taxes are likely to end soon.  “One thing I know is that we can’t fund both state government and local government.” That’s House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, a Republican from Clear Lake. Upmeyer voted for the 2013 bill that ordered a 10 percent reduction in commercial property tax assessments in cities and counties.

“Some of us remember the debate back when we did that property tax bill,” Upmeyer says. “A five-year phase out or a five-year ending was contemplated in that bill and in that bill until the last moments before it was agreed to and passed so, in many people’s minds, that always had an end point.” Cities and counties are getting 150-million dollars from the State of Iowa THIS year to compensate for the reduced commercial property tax rates state officials approved five years ago.

City officials say this year’s 150-million dollar state payment isn’t covering all the lost local tax revenue and, if the state payments end, local government services will be cut. Upmeyer says it’s time to begin lowering the amount of money the state is sending to local governments because the state has other spending priorities.

“The second fastest growing expenditure in the state is actually dollars sent to local governments,” Upmeyer says. Upmeyer made her comments during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs this weekend.

Governor Kim Reynolds and Jack Whitver, the new Senate G-O-P leader, have expressed similar sentiments about phasing out these state payments to cities and counties. In December, Governor Reynolds said she wants city and county officials to be involved in the negotiations about how and when the payments end.

(Radio Iowa)

Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day and several law enforcement agencies plan to increase their presence on Iowa roads and highways with a Special Traffic Enforcement Project or STEP. Iowa State Patrol trooper John Farley says St. Patrick’s Day is a common day to see an increase of intoxicated drivers on the highways and especially when the holiday falls on a weekend.

He says the weekend gives people more time to celebrate and he says the Iowa State Patrol is not against the celebration, they just want everyone to do it responsibly. Farley says people who’re stopped for drunk driving often say they had no choice but to drive themselves. He says that’s not true.

“We live in a time where we have so many options — not only just the designated drivers — but we have ride-sharing services, obviously cell phones at our disposal all the time so that we can easily call a cab service or any different options that we have,” according toe Farley. He says the STEP program provides extra funding to put more troopers on the road.

He says they will have their normal number of troopers, but will also have some working on overtime to help with the project. Troopers and other officers will be looking for drunk drivers and other violations throughout the weekend.

(Radio Iowa)