SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – County officials in western Iowa will now allow employees to carry concealed guns to work in the courthouse and two other county buildings. The Sioux City Journal reports the move comes as the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors try to abide by a new state law that expands gun rights while also complying with a state Supreme Court order limiting guns in court-controlled areas.

Guns must be concealed and won’t be allowed in courtrooms and a few other areas. The state Supreme Court issued an order in June that only law enforcement can have weapons in courthouses and court-controlled areas. The board rescinded a ban on weapons on county property that same month, saying it was necessary to comply with the state’s expanded gun rights law.

DES MOINES – Preserving the Historic Squirrel Cage Jail records in Council Bluffs…Saving the 1885 “Guardian Angel” painting in Des Moines…Racing against time to restore the Jasper County Courthouse clock. Those are just three of the projects that will receive Historical Resource Development Grants and Country School Grants in fiscal year 2018 from the State Historical Society of Iowa. Overall, the State Historical Society of Iowa awarded $535,726 to museums, historical organizations and others for 27 projects in 25 communities across 21 Iowa counties today (Wednesday).

In Council Bluffs, the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County received a $1,226 Historical Resource Development Grant to preserve and protect materials from the past century at the Historic Squirrel Cage Jail, which was built in 1885 and was in use until 1969. It was added in 1972 to the National Register of Historic Places and today serves as a museum and repository for historic documents and photographs.

Historic Squirrel Cage Jail

Historical Resource Development Program grants help individuals and organizations preserve, conserve, interpret and educate the public about documentary collections, historic preservation and museums. Since 1990, the program has awarded more than $16 million to 1,200 historical projects across the state to conserve museum collections, microfilm newspapers, preserve photographs, install exhibits, survey historic neighborhoods, nominate buildings and districts to the National Register of Historic Places, and more.

View a list of all grant recipients, alphabetized by category and then by city, here: https://iowaculture.gov/sites/default/files/history-grants-awardedgrants-fy18.pdf

The Historical Resource Development Program and Country School Grant Program are funded by the Resource Enhancement and Protection Act, established by the Iowa General Assembly in 1989. Local governments, nonprofit corporations, individuals, businesses and American Indian tribes are eligible to submit applications. Projects funded in this grant cycle must be completed by Nov. 30, 2019.

The State Historical Society of Iowa is a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. More information is available at www.iowaculture.gov or 515-281-5111.

The Iowa West Foundation Board of Directors recently approved more than $4 million in grants and initiatives funding to 22 nonprofit organizations and government entities in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska.

The Council Bluffs Community School District received $404,000 in initiative funding to continue implementing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle School Program at both Kirn and Wilson Middle Schools. CBCSD also received $100,000 to continue the implementation of BLink – Council Bluff’s free Wi-Fi – across the city.

Additionally, Tri-Center Schools received $50,000 to launch their preschool program for 3-year-olds and start a before- and after-care program for students in the district. AHSTW Community Schools received an $85,492 grant to purchase equipment in support of their career and technical education programming.

The Iowa West Board also approved Phase 1 funding totaling $1,700,000 for the West Broadway Reconstruction project. Pottawattamie County received $222,500 for the implementation of a rural recycling center to be located just north of Oakland. The centralized location will offer recycling to rural Pottawattamie County residents for the first time, and allow for the sale of items that can be repurposed, such as construction material and paint, items that previously were deemed waste.

In addition, the Foundation awarded nearly $50,000 to five Pottawattamie County fire departments as part of its ongoing commitment to rural southwest Iowa communities. The Avoca, Neola and Treynor Volunteer Fire Departments and the Macedonia Fire and Rescue each received $10,000 and the Minden Fire and Rescue Department received $9,752, all for equipment upgrades.

The Iowa West Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the Midwest. It has distributed more than $400 million to nonprofits and governmental agencies through southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska since the inception of its grant program. Funding for the grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association, which receives contractual fees from casino operators, Ameristar and Harrah’s. IWRA is the license sponsor for Ameristar and Harrah’s and the license holder for Horseshoe-Bluffs Run. The Foundation targets resources into programs and projects that focus on economic development, education, placemaking and healthy families. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.iowawestfoundation.org.

Grants and Initiatives:

• Avoca Hancock Shelby Tennant Walnut (AHSTW) Community Schools – Career & Technical Education Equipment, $85,492
• City of Council Bluffs – Sternhill Park – Art in the Park, $54,500; West Broadway Beautification/Phase 1 $1,700,000
• City of Shelby – Sewer System Improvement $150,000
• Council Bluffs Community School District – Blink IV City Wi-Fi network $100,000;Middle Schools’ International Baccalaureate Program, Year 2 $404,000.
• Habitat for Humanity of Council Bluffs – Neighborhood Network $70,000
• Pottawattamie Arts Culture & Entertainment (PACE) – Arts and Culture Center, $408,195.
• Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors – Rural Recycling Center, $222,500
• Red Oak Grand Theatre, Inc. – Phase II – Theatre Addition, $90,000
• Tri-Center Community School District – Preschool/Before & After School Programming, $50,000
• Fire Departments:
• Avoca Volunteer Fire Department – $10,000
• Macedonia Fire & Rescue – $10,000
• Minden Volunteer Fire & Rescue – $9,752
• Neola Volunteer Fire Department – $10,000
• Treynor Volunteer Fire Department – $10,000

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A $1 million donation will create a permanent home for a theater, ballet company and community orchestra in Council Bluffs. The Daily Nonpareil reports Polina and Bob Schlott’s donation will be used to transform the empty Harvester II building into the Hoff Family Arts and Culture Center, in Council Bluffs.

The culture center will include the Polina and Bob Schlott Performing Arts Center, which will house the Chanticleer Community Theater, the Kanesville Symphony and Ballet Nebraska. Ballet Nebraska will rename itself the American Midwest Ballet beginning in the 2018-19 season. The company will continue to perform in Omaha and Council Bluffs.

Renovations are estimated to cost $18.5 million. Construction is expected to begin next spring and the building should be ready for occupancy in 2019.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report two men were taken into custody, Tuesday, on warrants. 20-year old Joshua Poe and 19-year old Alex Lauenroth, both of Glenwood were arrested on Mills County warrants for Assault with a weapon. Both men later posted a $2,000 bond or surety.

And, 44-year old John Molnar, of Glenwood, was arrested this (Wednesday) morning, for Domestic Abuse Assault and Criminal Mischief. Molnar was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail, pending a court appearance.

Authorities say a traffic stop in Shenandoah Tuesday resulted in two people being arrested on drug charges. Shenandoah Police Department stopped a vehicle for having no license at Orchard Corners near Highway 59. Following an investigation and deployment of the K-9 Unit, officers located methamphetamine, marijuana, prescription drugs and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle.

Taken into custody was 32-year old Kenton Schooling and 30-year-old Tiffany Wood, both of Shenandoah. They were being held in the Fremont County Jail on $100,000 bond each, on charges that include possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The driver of the vehicle, Monte Newton, of Shenandoah, was cited for operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The office of U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) is seeking Iowa college students and recent graduates for internship opportunities in the Washington, D.C. and Iowa offices for fall 2017. Internship applications are available here:

https://www.ernst.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/internships

Ernst said in a press release, that “Whether in Washington, D.C. or one of our state offices, a congressional internship provides the next generation of leaders with insight into the issues most important to Iowans and gives them the opportunity to learn more about policy, constituent services, communications and more. She encourages any Iowa college students and recent graduates that are interested to apply for an internship.

Interns will have the opportunity to experience a wide-range of responsibilities. In the Iowa offices, interns will assist constituents and attend local events. In the Washington, D.C. office, interns will learn about communications, the legislative process, give tours of the U.S. Capitol and help with constituent services.

Applications for fall 2017 can be submitted to Ernst_Internships@ernst.senate.gov. For student/parent questions, please contact Erica Wenig at Erica_Wenig@ernst.senate.gov.

Senator Ernst was elected as the first woman to serve in federal elected office from the State of Iowa and also became the first female combat veteran elected to serve in the United States Senate. In Washington, Senator Ernst serves on four Senate committees: Armed Services; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Environment and Public Works; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Officials with Exira Fire and Rescue report Washington Street in Exira is once again open to traffic. The street had been closed since early last Friday morning, when crews from at least 30 different departments from as far as 45 miles away battled a stubborn blaze that destroyed four businesses on a city block.

Exira Fire Chief Mike Bintner said today (Wednesday), that the State Fire Marshal is expected to update him on the status of the investigation later today, and that some insurance company investigators will be in town as well. No new flare-ups have been reported since Sunday.

The incident remains under investigation.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A psychiatric evaluation has been ordered for a Nebraska man accused of threatening Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. U.S. Magistrate Judge Helen Adams on Tuesday ordered the transfer of 64-year-old Robert Simet, of Omaha, from the Pottawattamie County Jail in Council Bluffs, to the Douglas County Jail in Omaha, where he’ll be held while undergoing an evaluation. Simet is charged with threatening a U-S official.

An arrest affidavit says employees of a motorcycle shop in Pacific Junction, Iowa, told an FBI agent that Simet had been there July 5th. During that visit, Simet made several statements about Ernst, including that he believes she is a member of the Islamic State group and that he “could kill” her during a July 10 event at the motorcycle shop.