Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Customers of Mediacom in Fort Dodge and Webster City had their Internet access cut for at least 14 hours after a crew encountered problems in trying to make a fiber line repair. The Fort Dodge Messenger reports the problems began late Tuesday when a crew from Windstream, from which Mediacom leases fiber lines, tried to repair fiber between Fort Dodge and Humboldt. Mediacom spokeswoman Phyllis Peters said service resumed at 2:40 p.m. Wednesday.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — A pack of wild coyotes in Illinois has proved to be pivotal in the capture of an Iowa fugitive. The Muscatine Journal reports that 21-year-old Daniel Rice is back in Muscatine County custody, facing a charge of escape in addition to other allegations. He’d been taken from the Muscatine County Jail on Monday to a Muscatine hospital for treatment of a heart-related issue when he slipped out of handcuffs. The Rock Island County, Illinois sheriff’s office respond early Wednesday to a call about coyotes chasing two men at a forest preserve, including Rice.

EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) — That cougar sighted in Evansdale? It’s probably a house cat. KWWL-TV reports that’s the verdict of Iowa Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist Jason Auel after studying photos a woman took near the Cedar River on Tuesday.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A northwest Iowa man has been convicted of making and using counterfeit credit cards. Federal prosecutors say Yoirland Rojas of Storm Lake was found guilty Thursday in Sioux City.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Frontier Airlines is saying goodbye to a Sioux City airport, ending a four-month stint serving the community. The Sioux City Journal reports the flights began with much fanfare and were popular, but the airline says it’s focused on faster-growing markets, such as Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. In August, the airline announced that it was stopping its nonstop flights from Sioux Gateway Airport to Denver International Airport.

The last flight from the Sioux City airport was on Friday. Frontier flights traveled three times each week between the two cities. American Airlines is now the only other carrier at Sioux Gateway Airport. The airport’s director says Frontier’s lease in the terminal ends next month. He says crews from the airline will soon remove computer systems and ground equipment.

The Red Oak Police Department made three unrelated arrests this (Friday) afternoon. 58 year old William Wayne Elliottt of Red Oak was charged with violation of a protective order. 56 year old Charles James Netherton also of Red Oak was arrested aggravated assault and held on 2-thousand dollar bond.  50 year old Candace Suzanne Johnson of Red Oak was charged with third degree harassment and was being held on 3-hundred dollar bond.

A man from Central Iowa was arrested this (Friday) morning, on a theft charge. Red Oak Police say 19-year old Ryan James Corder, of Gilbert, was taken into custody at around 9:25-a.m. on a warrant for Theft in the 5th degree. Gilbert was arrested at the Shelby County Jail. His bond was set at $300.

Police in Lenox have arrested a local man for writing bad checks. 36-year old Jeremy Harris, of Lenox, was arrested at around 9:40-a.m. on a warrant for theft in the 4th degree. The warrant was issued as the result of an investigation into several hundred dollars of bad checks written to Lenox area businesses, Harris was transported to the Taylor County Jail where he was being held on a $1000 cash only bond

A traffic stop in Red Oak this (Friday) morning, resulted in two people being arrested on drug charges. Authorities say officers stopped a vehicle in the 600 block of west Coolbaugh Street at around 8:25-a.m., and upon further investigation, charged the driver, 26-year old Samuel Joseph Kier, of Red Oak, with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, 2nd offense. He was also given warnings for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign and Failure to Obey.

A passenger in the vehicle, 20-year old Gillian Ray James Bourne, of Red Oak, was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, 3rd offense. Bourne was also issued a warning for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Both men were brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where Kier was being held on $1,000 cash bond. Bourne’s bond was set at $2,000.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad’s administration says 3,200 union workers are expected to be reimbursed for years of meal expenses that were improperly cut. After lengthy negotiations with the state’s largest union, the Department of Administrative Services agreed last week to refund meal reimbursements that were cut in August 2011.

A department spokesman tells The Associated Press that the deal with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is expected to cost nearly $1.5 million. The state has already reimbursed members of two other unions nearly $250,000 under prior settlements.

AFSCME Council 61 President Danny Homan said Friday that checks might go out in February after the reimbursements are calculated. Homan says employees who traveled every day – such as motor vehicle enforcement officers – might receive $2,500 or more.

Democrats and Republican voters in Cass County will have a chance to meet with candidates for office or party representatives, in the coming days. On Saturday (Oct. 25th), Republican Representative Jack Drake, of Griswold, and Tom Shipley, State Senate candidate for District 11, from Nodaway, will hold a meet and greet with voters at 9 a.m. at the Heritage House, in Atlantic.

Shipley is running against fellow Republican Art Hill, of Council Bluffs, for the State Senate’s 11th District that covers all of Adams and Union Counties, a good portion of Cass County, and most of Pottawattamie County. The men are competing for the seat being left vacant by Hubert Houser, who is not running for re-election. Drake is running for re-election in House District 21, which encompasses parts of Cass, and Pottawattamie Counties, as well as all of Adams and Union Counties.

And on Monday (Oct. 27th), Troy Price, the Executive Director of the Iowa Democratic Party, will be at the Cass County Democratic Headquarters (at 511 Chestnut) in Atlantic at 9-a.m. Price will meet with local Democrats and Democratic volunteers, and talk about the current election.

Both events are open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

A lot of auto dealerships across the state are fielding calls from concerned car owners. That’s after federal officials have increased a recall to a total of 7.8 million vehicles equipped with Takata brand airbags. Dave Wright, of Dave Wright Auto in Cedar Rapids, told KCRG-TV that his receptionists are keeping busy on the phone. “We’ve experienced several calls each day from customers with questions about how to handle the recall,” Wright said.

The recall involves cars of many makes and models, manufactured from 2000 to 2008. Three million additional vehicles are being recall than previously announced. Safety experts said the airbag can explode, shooting shrapnel into the faces of the people in the car. Now, dealerships are watching and waiting for updates, especially with the growth of that list of cars involved.  “Nissan acknowledged it a year ago and have repaired or at least had the campaign so customers had the opportunity to come in as much as a year ago and have their airbags replaced,” Wright said.

Auto companies send out a letters to everyone impacted with instructions on what to do. If your car is on that list of recalls, it’s also important to remember that it does not typically include every single car made during that time frame. “If you provide your (vehicle identification number), we’ll run it, and we will be able to tell you if you are in there and if you need the part replaced,” Wright said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the airbags are more of an urgent issue in places of high humidity and temperatures. So, it is especially urging people in warm-weather states to see that the problem is fixed quickly.

(KCRG-TV/Cedar Rapids via Radio Iowa)

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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