The Adams County Sheriff’s Department reports an ongoing investigation into incidents that date back to last year has resulted in felony charges being filed against two people. Fred Almaguer and Jonnie Weeks were arrested Feb. 7th and charged with Distribution to person under the age of 18 on certain real property, a Class-B Felony. Almaguer and Weeks were brought to the Adams County Jail and held on $25,000 cash bond, each.

Jonnie Weeks was also arrested Feb. 4th on an Adams County Warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Almaguer was originally arrested January 28th, following a traffic stop. After further investigation, Almaguer was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Paraphernalia.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – State officials say an invasive insect that kills ash trees has been confirmed in Iowa City. The Iowa Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that a specimen collected from trees that appeared to be under attack on the University of Iowa campus was confirmed as an emerald ash borer. With Johnson County added to the list, there are now 30 Iowa counties where the pest has been confirmed.

The insects are native to Asia and were first spotted in the U.S. in 2002, when they showed up in the Detroit area. Authorities say the insects have spread to at least 25 other states, killing millions of trees. Once infected, trees typically die within five years. University of Iowa officials estimate there are 560 ash trees on campus.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa lawmakers have advanced bills that would raise the speed limit on rural roads despite warnings that the change could lead to more fatal crashes. The Des Moines Register reports a three-person subcommittee approved two bills Monday that would raise the speed limit on rural, two-lane roads. One bill would increase the speed limit from 55 mph to 60, and another would bump it up to 65 mph.
The bills now go to the full Transportation Committee.

Steve Gent, with the Iowa Department of Transportation, cautioned that increased speed limits are linked to a higher number of fatal crashes. He also noted it would cost roughly $5 million to implement changes including new mileage signs and road markings.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Transportation have released the 2015 Council Bluffs Interstate System Annual Report. The report highlights progress made on construction and design projects in the Council Bluffs Interstate System Improvement Program (Program) during the past year. It features information about completed and active projects, public outreach, program status, statistics for work completed in 2015, and 2016 key projects around the Council Bluffs area.

Iowa DOT District 4 Engineer Troy Jerman says “The Program was very busy over the last year working towards opening capacity to reduce congestion on Interstate 80/Interstate 29 west of South Expressway and completing several improvements near the I-29 and U.S. 275/Iowa 92 Interchange. The Program’s Annual Report provides a high-level overview of all of the work and design engineering that occurred in 2015 to provide the public with a summary of how Iowa DOT is delivering this important highway improvement project.”

The Iowa DOT is in the process of reconstructing I-29, I-80, and I-480 in the Council Bluffs metropolitan area. The comprehensive interstate redesign is expected to modernize the highway system and improve mobility and safety of approximately 18 miles of interstate. Motorists are encouraged to allow for extra travel time while the interstate improvement takes effect. If you would like more information about detours and traffic impacts, visit the program website: www.councilbluffsinterstate.iowadot.gov/.

To view the annual report, visit www.councilbluffsinterstate.iowadot.gov/2015annualreport/.

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) – A former Pacific Junction city clerk accused by state auditors of giving herself unauthorized Christmas bonuses and vacation and sick pay has been given probation and must pay a civil penalty of $625. Forty-three-year-old Kari Williams, of Glenwood, pleaded guilty to tampering with records and was sentenced Monday to a year of probation. Williams was granted a deferred judgment, which means that if she successfully completes probation, the conviction will be wiped from her record. Mills County prosecutors dropped charges of theft and felonious misconduct in office.

Williams resigned in March before the results of the auditor’s investigation were announced in April. The charges were filed in August following an investigation by the Mills County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation found Williams took nearly $32,000 in improper payments.

The National Weather Service (NWS) and local county emergency managers are once again hosting storm spotter training classes across Iowa. There are a combination of “in-person” spotter training classes scattered across the state and webinar-based distance learning classes. In-person spotter training classes are offered primarily in larger cities and towns, but also in several rural counties and smaller towns.

Spotter talks are open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. No prior registration is required. Scheduling usually takes place in January and February, but not every county will have a talk.

In the KJAN listening area, here is the schedule for Storm Spotter classes:

• Wed., Feb. 17th: Ringgold County Spotter Training, 7:00-to 8:30-p.m. at 109 W. Madison St., in Mt. Ayr.
• Wed., Feb. 24th: Madison County Spotter Training, 7:00-to 8:30-p.m. at Madison County Elderly Services (1006 N. John Wayne Dr.).
• Mon., March 7th: Adams County Spotter Training, 6:30- to 8-p.m at the Corning Fire Station (905 Davis Ave.)
• Wed., March 16th: Adair & Guthrie County Spotter Training, 7-tp 8:30-p.m. at the Menlo Community Bldg. (417 Sherman St.)
• Thu., March 24th: Audubon County Spotter Training, 7-to 8:30-p.m. in the Court Room at the Audubon County Courthouse.
• Tue., March 29th: Dallas County Spotter Training, 6:30-to 8:00-p.m at the Washington Township School (Intersection of County Roads P-58 & F-31).
• Wed., April 6th: Crawford County Spotter Training, 6:30-to 8:00-p.m. at the Denison Fire Station.

Webinar Storm Spotter Training is being offered on Tue., April 12th and Tue., April 19th, from 7-until 8:30-p.m. at https://join.me/nws-desmoines. Also please call 1-866-231-8384. The webinars are open to all spotters. One “advanced” spotter class is offered and built on what was taught in the regular class. It is intended for those who wish to do mobile spotting and desire a deeper understanding of mesoscale and storm-scale meteorology as it relates to storm spotting. Spotters interested in attending this class should have attended either a regular in-person or webinar-based spotter class.

Two central Iowans have created a coffee table book detailing stories of the county courthouses in all 99 Iowa counties. The 207-page book, “Prairie Jewels,” features color panoramic images and narratives about each of the stately structures. Freelance writer Michael Adams, of Des Moines, says David Richmond, who teaches photography at Simpson College in Indianola, started the project five years ago and it evolved into the book.

“Some of the stories are kind of long on history, others I might focus more on the architecture, and then some might have a little personal observation,” Adams says. “I approached this as a celebration of Iowa’s county courthouse heritage.” During their many journeys across the state to visit each building, Adams says they encountered other “courthouse groupies” who were making similar treks to every courthouse. He’s confident the book will have a wide audience.

“There’s folks that are going to be interested in Iowa history, there’s folks that are going to be interested in architecture, there’s going to be folks that just revel in looking at beautiful buildings,” Adams says. “These are stories of the host communities of these buildings as well.” In addition to the many unusual and sometimes-spectacular features of the buildings themselves, he says there were always tales of community pride, intrigue and whimsy.

“You just walk through these places and you’re incredibly aware of the history,” Adams says. “There were places I visited, like in Leon, I heard about this attempt by two thieves to blow up the treasurer’s office and they ended up blowing up half the courthouse.” While Iowa has 99 counties, there are actually 100 county courthouses in the state. “Lee County has two courthouses,” Adams says. “There’s one in Fort Madison, which happens to be the oldest courthouse in Iowa, and then there’s one in Keokuk that used to be a post office in its early life.”

Pottawattamie County also has two courthouses: the main one in Council Bluffs and the original structure in Avoca, which was built in 1885, though it’s now considered a sub-courthouse. “Prairie Jewels” was the focus of a successful crowd-funded Kickstarter campaign in the spring of 2015. It’s available at independent booksellers and online at: http://prairiejewels.com

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning, are expected to act on approving a Resolution to adopt an Indigent Disposition (Burial and cremation) Policy. The matter was tabled during their meeting Jan. 29th, after it was determined the Resolution, as originally proposed, needed an amendment.

During their session on January 29th, the Board met with representatives of county funeral service providers, the Veteran Affairs and General Assistance Directors, as well as the Cass County Attorney. Their discussion covered the type(s) of disposition, what dollar amount(s) should be paid for the service and whether or not to pay additional funds for grave opening/closing.

In other business, the Supervisors this Wednesday, will hear from Department of Human Services representatives Matt Madsen and Mary Jo Rehm, with regard to the DHS’ Fiscal Year 2017 Budget and Reimbursement arrangement. And, the Board will act on awarding contracts for two bridge replacement projects: A replacement bridge  on the Audubon County line or Akron Road, project # BROS-C015(58)-8J-15; and a reinforced concrete box culvert on 690th Street, project #BROS-C015(59)-60-15.

The Board will also award a contract or contracts for dump truck boxes and snow removal equipment for two new dump trucks. Their meeting in the Supervisor’s Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse, gets underway at 8:30-a.m.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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• 1 package (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup fat-free milk
• 1 egg yolk

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cinnamon-sugar:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.  In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar and salt; cut in butter until crumbly.  Stir milk and egg yolk in yeast mixture.  Add to flour mixture; stir to form a soft dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate two hours.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Punch down dough.  Turn onto a lightly floured surface; cover and let rest ten minutes.
3. Roll dough into an 18″ x 10″ rectangle.  Spread with softened butter.  Mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over butter.  Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal.  Cut crosswise into twenty-four 3/4 inch slices.  Cover slices with plastic wrap until ready to flatten.
4. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon-sugar ingredients.  Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon mixture on a sheet of waxed paper; top with a slice of dough.  Sprinkle with an additional 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon-sugar.  Roll dough to a four inch circle.
5. Place two inches apart on baking sheets caoted with cooking spray.  Repeat with remaining slices.  Bake seven to nine minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on wire racks.

(Delores Baeten, Downers Grove, IL)