Audubon County Community Foundation (ACCF) Chair Brett Irlmeier reports grants totaling $104,076 were recently awarded to five nonprofit agencies within the County. The largest grants of $34,692 each, went to the Audubon Recreation Foundation, for the construction of a recreation center, and the Exira Community Club, for the expansion and renovation of the Exira Rec Center.

Irlmeier says also, the City of Kimballton received a $24,692 grant to replace the Town Hall/Community Center, and, the Audubon County Agricultural Society along with the Audubon County Free Clinic, each received $5,000 grants from the ACCF, for their separate projects.

Only those nonprofit organizations within Audubon County that met the criteria of having charitable missions in five different areas, were eligible to apply for the grants. Each of the groups received their checks on April 12th.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports a Pottawattamie County man was arrested Friday. 22-year old Jacob Allen Washburn, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 9:30-p.m. on a warrant for Revocation of Probation, after deputies executed a search warrant at 303 Oak Street, in Braddyville. Washburn was being held in the Page County Jail on $20,000 bond.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested over the weekend. On Saturday, 45-year old Brenda Lee Davis, of Atlantic, was taken into custody on a charge of OWI 1^st Offense. Davis was taken to the Cass County Jail where she was released the following day on her own recognizance.

And on Sunday, deputies in Cass County arrested 54-year old Ray Lee Shannon,  of Griswold,  on a charge of OWI 1^st Offense. Shannon was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance.

Two Audubon residents were arrested Friday on drug charges. According to Audubon Police, 44-year old Joel Brannan and 23-year old Desiray Elliott, both of Audubon, were taken into custody after a search warrant was executed at a residence in the 1100 block of North Division Street, in Audubon. Officials say both suspects have pleaded Not Guilty to a Serious Misdemeanor charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Brannon is also facing Felony charges of: Possession with the Intent to Deliver/Methamphetamine & Marijauna While in Possession of a Firearm, and, for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Brannon was being held in the Audubon County Jail on $50,000 bond. His Preliminary Hearing is set to take place April 29th.

Elliott faces additional felony charges that include Possession with the Intent to Deliver Meth & Marijuana. She was released today (Monday) on a $50,000 recognizance bond. Her Preliminary Hearing takes place May 2nd. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation and arrests.

The Audubon P-D also reports two men were arrested April 10th, following a dispute at a local business. 57 -year old Cleo Barrett, of Audubon, was charged with Simple Assault, and 51-year old Randy Williamson, of Audubon, was charged with Disorderly Conduct. And, on Sunday, April 21st, 25-year old Alex Nolan, of Panora, was arrested in Audubon on outstanding warrants from Guthrie and Adair Counties. 

Members of the Elk Horn-Kimballton School District’s Board of Education will hold a Special Meeting Tuesday evening, at the High School in Elk Horn. During the 7-p.m. session, the Board will discuss and take action on: The appointment of a School Board member for District 1; The election a Vice President; The approval of a resolution calling for an election on the proposal to change the Method of Election of the five Directors of the EHK District, to “At Large,” and set June 25th as the date for the Special Election.

The appointment of a Board member to District 1 is necessary due to Board President Mark Smith’s move out of the District to another part of the District. In other business, the Board will also approve the list of Seniors for graduation, and contracts for Driver’s Education instructors. Their meeting takes place in the Family/Consumer Science Room at the High School.

Governor Terry Branstad is mum about a big economic development deal set to be revealed tomorrow (Tuesday). The Des Moines Register reports Facebook plans to build a one BILLION dollar data center in Altoona, a suburb just to the east of Des Moines.  “We don’t talk about economic development prospects until the people, the company that we’re working with is ready to announce it,” Branstad says. “We’ve been working on a project for about a year, but I think it can jeopardize the likelihood that these things will happen if they’re leaked prematurely and so we think that’s inappropriate and I’m not going to talk about it until the announcement is ready to be made — and I think Tuesday’s the day it’s going to be announced.”

Google has invested over a billion dollars on a “server farm” in Council Bluffs and Microsoft runs a data center in West Des Moines. Iowa is an attractive spot for the facilities, with its relatively cheap and available supply of electricity. The Des Moines Register reports the site Facebook is considering in Altoona is near a MidAmerican Energy power station. Governor Branstad was asked about the project this morning (Monday) during his weekly news conference. Branstad would only acknowledge it was a “big” project — and he would not say the company’s name.

“We have been working and negotiating with this project, I think, probably for the better part of a year, maybe even more than a year,” Branstad said, “but in a big and important project like that it’s important to maintain confidentialtiy and to work in good faith and our economic development people have done that with this, as they have on many other projects.” Branstad will not reveal what state incentives have been offered to Facebook. The governor told reporters to attend the announcement on Tuesday to learn those details.

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Ric Hanson

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State auditors are investigating a southwest Iowa county sheriff’s office that swapped seized weapons to a firearms dealer in exchange for gun parts.  The Des Moines Register reports that the deal may violate a state law against selling, trading or giving away guns and ammo seized during investigations.  County records show the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office traded away as many as 47 shotguns, 36 rifles and 27 handguns.

Sheriff Kevin Aistrope told the newspaper that he’d done so as a way to augment his department’s arsenal without incurring any cost for taxpayers.  Representatives for the Iowa Public Safety Department and Attorney General’s Office say their departments aren’t investigating the swap.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Officials with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, Sunday, released information about a single-vehicle personal injury accident which happened one-week earlier. Authorities said just after 1-p.m. on April 14^th, a van driven by Joshua Joel Moses, of Clarinda, and owned by Great Plains Investments, went out of control and crashed near 295^thStreet.

Taylor Co. Accident, April 14th 2013 (Taylor Co. Sheriff’s Office photo)

The 2002 Dodge Caravan was traveling north on Colt Avenue, when for reasons unknown it veered to the left crossing the centerline and into the left ditch. Officials say when Moses failed to apply the brakes, the van continued through the ditch and struck a field drive. The impact launched the van into the air, causing it to take out a utility pole guy wire and snapping the pole.

When the van hit the ground, it drove itself into the base/embankment of 295th Street, causing damage to the road. The vehicle finally came to rest with its front tires on the edge of 295th Street and the rear tires in the south ditch. The van was a total loss. Moses was transported to the Clarinda Regional Health Center by Clarinda Medic 1, for treatment of his injuries. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the accident, which remains under investigation.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, New Market Fire and Rescue, Clarinda Medic, Clarinda Fire, Clarinda Police Department, Taylor County Secondary Roads and United Electric all assisted at the scene of the crash.