An investigation into the burglary of an auto parts store in Sac City has resulted in the arrest of two central Iowa men. The Sac City Police Department reports 33-year old Eric Coon and 37-year old Rocco Viola, both of Des Moines, face felony Burglary in the 3rd degree charges.

Authorities say the men were delivering supplies to the Carquest Auto Parts Store Sac City. After they dropped off the supplies they allegedly went to the front of the store and stole several items. The incident, which happened on July 10th at around 3:20-a.m., and was discovered the following morning.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information on a white Chevy extended cab pickup, with lettering on passenger rear side window. The vehicle’s driver may have information with regard to the July 21st robbery of the Rolling Hills Bank, in Casey. The vehicle was seen in front of the bank around the time of the robbery. Anyone with  information about the incident should call the Guthrie County Sheriffs Office at 641-747-2214.

A picture of a similar make and model of the truck.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Aug. 8, 2017 – The Iowa Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Aug. 15th, from 5 to 7 p.m. to discuss the proposed improvements of the I-29/I-480/West Broadway interchange area in Council Bluffs, from just north of the Union Pacific Railroad crossing to just south of the 25th Street interchange, as well as to gather feedback from the public regarding the completed environmental documentation, alternative(s), and impacts for the proposed improvements. The area also includes the I-29 and I-480 system interchange. A meeting to discuss specific right of way acquisition will be held later this year.

All interested persons are invited to attend this hearing at the Council Bluffs Interstate Program Office in the Mall of the Bluffs, 1751 Madison Ave., Suite 750, in Council Bluffs. The hearing will be conducted utilizing a combined open forum and formal format. Iowa DOT staff will be available to informally discuss the proposed improvements between 5 and 6 p.m. and following the formal presentation until 7 p.m.

A formal presentation will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. There will be a three-minute limit per speaker during the question-and-answer session. Persons wishing to make a formal presentation will need to note that at the time of registration. Oral and written statements will be accepted during the open forum and the formal sessions.

The proposed project will impact two publicly owned recreational properties. Dodge Riverside Golf Course located at 421 Harrah’s Boulevard and Westwood Park, located at 1200 South 35th St. Those facilities are owned and operated by the city of Council Bluffs.

The meeting space is accessible for persons with disabilities. However, if you require special accommodations at the meeting, please notify the Iowa DOT contact listed below by Aug. 8.

For general information regarding the proposed improvements or public hearing, contact Scott Suhr, transportation planner, Iowa DOT District 4 Office, 2210 E. Seventh St., Atlantic, Iowa 50022, phone 712-243-3355 or 800-289-4368, email Scott.Suhr@iowadot.us.

Visit the Iowa DOT’s project-related public involvement event website at www.iowadot.gov/pim for information about scheduled public meetings and hearings, and opportunities to offer input to the Iowa DOT during the development of certain projects. More information regarding this project will be posted as it becomes available at: councilbluffsinterstate.iowadot.gov.

A bill co-sponsored by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley that’s designed to crack down on waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending has cleared the U-S Senate and heads next to the House. Grassley, a Republican, says the bill targets the use of travel and purchase cards by federal workers. Grassley says, “This goes back to investigations I’ve conducted mostly with the Defense Department but it also includes a lot of other agencies as well.”

He says the bill would help prevent charge card misuse and abuse by requiring agencies to take a series of steps to strengthen accountability and oversight. Grassley says, “You can’t believe what government employees use their credit card for, seemingly with no embarrassment to go to houses of prostitution, to buy personal things, just all sorts of illegal use of credit card.”

The legislation is called: The Saving Federal Dollars Through Better Use of Government Purchase and Travel Cards Act. By helping agencies to better track and analyze card charges, Grassley says it will help to curb wasteful spending and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent more wisely across the federal government.

Grassley says, “Another thing is to make sure inspectors general in various departments, starting with the Defense Department, make public what they’ve found out and how they police it so other departments can follow up with more financial controls.”

The new measure builds on an earlier bill Grassley introduced, the Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2012.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Nebraska, South Dakota, the Kansas Plains and Southwest Iowa, are warning that emails claiming to be from BBBs have been received by businesses owners and consumers in our region and throughout the U.S. The BBB name and logo are being fraudulently used by criminals in a phishing scam. The emails look very much like a notice of a complaint from BBB, but they contain links to malware that can infect the recipient’s computer or steal passwords.

Below is an example of one of these emails.

“Dear ________________.
This email has been automatically sent to you because we have got a complaint, claiming that your company XWZ is violating The Safety and Health Act.

You can download the document with the explanation of abuse by following the link.

We also request that you give a reply within 48 hours to us. This message should contain information about what you plan to do with it.

Important note:
When replying to us, please leave the abuse ID “Incident:941665154619:634” unchanged in the subject.

Better Business Bureau
Compliance Department”

If you get an email that looks like it is a BBB complaint:

• Do NOT click on any links or attachments.
• Read the email carefully for signs that it may be fake (for example, misspellings, grammatical errors, generic greetings such as “Dear member” instead of a name, etc.).
• Be wary of urgent instructions to take specified action such as “Click on the link or your account will be closed.”
• Hover your mouse over links without clicking to see if the address is truly from bbb.org. The URL in the text should match the URL that your mouse detects. If the two do not match, it is most likely a scam.
• Send a copy of the email to phishing@council.bbb.org (Note: This address is only for scams that use the BBB name or logo)
• Delete the email from your computer completely (be sure to empty your “trash can” or “recycling bin,” as well).
• Run anti-virus software updates frequently and do a full-system scan.
• Keep a close eye on your bank statements for any unexpected or unexplained transactions.

If you have clicked on any of the links within the email, immediately change your email and network passwords AND notify your local IT provider for next steps and actions.

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer reports two recent arrests. Last Saturday, 30 year old Aaron Lee Ihnken, of Audubon, was arrested for Trespassing and Public Intoxication – 3rd or subsequent offense.  Ihnken was transported to the Audubon County Jail to appear before a magistrate.

And, on Friday, 31 year old Troy Donald Marasco, of Missouri Valley, was arrested for Driving While Suspended.  Marasco was released on promise to appear in court.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A former council member for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska who’d pleaded guilty to stealing from the tribe’s casino in Iowa has been given five years of probation. A U.S. district judge in Omaha also told Lawrence Payer on Monday that he must pay $36,000 in restitution. Payer had pleaded guilty to theft from a gaming establishment on Indian lands.

Also Monday in Omaha, another former tribal council member pleaded guilty to the same charge. The sentencing for Thomas Snowball is scheduled for Nov. 6. Authorities say nine former council members conspired to siphon more than $327,000 from the WinnaVegas Casino in Sloan, Iowa.