Small, non-farm businesses in 43 Iowa counties and neighboring counties in Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin are now eligible to apply for low interest federal disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Alfred E. Judd, Director of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West said Wednesday, that the loans offset economic losses because of the frosts and freezes that occurred in the following primary Iowa counties from April 6th through the 30th. Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance.

The Primary Iowa counties in this area include: Audubon and Harrison.  Neighboring Iowa counties: Adair, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Dallas, Guthrie, Monona, Pottawattamie, and Shelby.

Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency (FSA) about the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure Web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Disaster loan information and application forms are also available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling SBA toll-free at (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance.

Small, nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private, nonprofit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disaster not occurred. The deadline to apply for the loans is March 11th, 2013. By law, SBA makes EIDLs available when the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. Secretary Tom Vilsack declared this disaster at the request of Governor Terry Branstad.

A Griswold man was sentenced on drug charges Wednesday.  47 year old Douglas Dean Bates was sentenced to 180 months imprisonment for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in and around Cass County.  District Judge John Jarvey also ordered Bates to serve a five year term of supervised release following incarceration. On February 21, 2012, Bates plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance – methamphetamine. The conviction was the result of a three year investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in and around Atlantic, Iowa. At the time of his guilty plea, Bates admitted that from July of 2009, until May of 2010, he agreed to distribute methamphetamine obtained from a South Omaha, Nebraska, source to customers in the Atlantic, Iowa, area.  The investigation was conducted by the Cass County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office, Audubon County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office, Cass County, Iowa, County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors had their regularly scheduled meeting this morning in Atlantic.

The supervisors head from Cass County Conservation Director Micah Lee.  In his quarterly report, Lee says the Iranistan shooting range near Lewis has now closed.

He says they had some concerns from people in the area that their property was being damaged from the shooting area.  So he says the board voted to close the area to shooting until they can figure out how to make the area safer.  Lee says the may consider a new place in the area to put the shooting range.

Towards the end of the meeting, the supervisors head from Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon, who spoke about burn bans going into effect around the area and when or if Cass County might institute a burn ban.

He says its not as easy as just saying, “we want a burn ban” as there are other considerations.  He says primarily fire departments from the southern portions of Cass County are concerned about the fire risk.  There will be a fire association meeting being held tomorrow night where Kennon says a possible burn ban will likely be discussed.

Burn bans are already in effect in Montgomery, Mills, Audubon, Pottawattamie, and Page Counties.

(Updated to add Pottawattamie County)

Burn bans will be issued for four southwest Iowa counties.  Officials in Audubon, Mills, Page and Pottawattamie Cunties will have burn bans go into effect.

In Audubon County, the burn ban will go into effect on Thursday at noon.  In Mills and Pott Counties, the burn ban goes into effect today at noon.  In Page County, the burn ban goes into effect Thursday at 8 AM.

A burn ban already went effect this morning at 8:00 in Montgomery County.  Altogether, 37 counties in Iowa have announced burn bans.

A burn ban means no open burning will be allowed. Permits for burning may be requested from area fire departments, but approval is up to the local fire chief.  Recent hot and dry weather has made conditions favorable for wildfires that can cause heavy damage.

The Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office said today (Wednesday) three more southwest Iowa counties will be under a ban on open burning. The Burn Ban begins in Mills County at Noon today. in Page County, the ban takes effect at 8-a.m. Thursday, and in Audubon County, at Noon on Thursday. Outdoor burning is prohibited without a permit issued by your local fire chief or Emergency Management Office, until further notice. The bans are being implented due to the lack of rain and extremely dry conditions, which could result in explosive fire danger in grassy and timber areas. Those fires could result in substantial property damage and endanger lives. A Burn Ban went into effect in Montgomery County at 8-a.m. today.

The Clarinda Police Department reports two arrests and two cases of theft or vandalism this past weekend.

On Friday, July 13^th shortly before 4 AM. officers responded to 500 block of East Stuart Street to deal with a 14 year old white male juvenile who was out of control at the residence and destroying property. Officers were able to restore order and no arrests were made.

On Saturday, July 14^th The Clarinda Police Department reports three separate, unrelated incidents.

At about 2 AM, officers responded to a fight in the 200 block of East Lincoln Street. A 35 year old male was involved in a minor scuffle with his 25 year old sister. Officers were able to restore order and no arrests were made.

Also Saturday, 26-year-old Amanda Marie Searl of Clarinda reported that a door handle on her 2007 Buick Lucerne had been damaged in the 100 block of Logan Street. Damage was estimated at about $180.00. There are presently no suspects and the incident remains under investigation.

Clarinda Police also say Saturday that 70-year-old Fred Bennage of Clarinda reported that two tires had been slashed on a 1990 Ford F-150 pickup truck while the truck was parked in the driveway at 606 N. 11^th Street. Damage is estimated to be $200.00. There are presently no suspects and the incident remains under investigation.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Clarinda man and an ATV accident on Saturday.

The Sheriff’s Office says that on Saturday at about 1:45 PM on highway 2 about a half mile west of Clarinda, deputies arrested 35-year-old Steven Wayne Nothwehr of Clarinda for OWI first offense.  The arrest stemmed from a traffic stop where Nothwehr was operating a blue 2001 Dodge pickup traveling eastbound on Highway 2.  He was released pending an appearance in Page County District Court.

Later  Saturday at about 6:30, the Page County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the 2100 block of A Avenue for an ATV accident.  28-year-old Toby Jerome Scharp of Shenandoah was riding an ATV on A Avenue south of highway 2 when the ATV rolled and landed on top of Scharp.  He was treated for injuries at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital.  The accident remains under investigation.

w/ Brett Johnson

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Officials say tips are now pouring in from across the country because of national attention to the search for two missing northeast Iowa girls. Rick Abben — chief deputy in the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s office — says the calls are coming in from “all over.”

“Every tip that comes in is something that needs to be checked,” Abben says, “and we’re doing that.” The two girls were last seen riding their kids in downtown Evansdale early Friday afternoon. Some of the tipsters claim to have seen the girls outside of Evansdale — even in other states.

“We have people that think they may have seen someone and those tips are being followed up on,” Abben says. Abben would not estimate how many tips investigators have checked out, and ruled out. He dismisses the idea national attention to the case and tips from around the country are an unnecessary diversion for law enforcement.

“Law enforcement…we think we’re all professional here or try to do the best we can and so things are proceding,” Abben says. “But I don’t think it’s hurt anything, by any means.” The girls’ bicycles were found on a nature trail, near Meyers Lake and officials began draining the lake early Monday afternoon to completely rule out the possibility the girls drowned. A reporter asked Abben Tuesday afternoon if investigators from the F-B-I and other agencies might leave the Evansdale area if no more clues are found.

“Right now we’ll have ’em here as long as we need,” Abben says. “We’re still working this as a 24/7 operation. Nothing has been said that, ‘Hey, if the lake is dry that we’re going home’ because we’re not going to do that. We’ll just have to see what happens once the lake is drained.” Abben has been the chief spokesman for the search effort, which began Friday afternoon. Abben told a reporter yesterday the investigation was in the “same place” as it had been at the start and there was “nothing more” to say.

“We continue to get leads in continuously and they’re being to be followed up on, but we have,” Abben said, pausing before adding: “We still haven’t found these two young ladies.” As for whether the girls’ relatives may be suspects, Abben gave this response:

“Everyone is, you know, a suspect until we find something. (The families) have been talked to. They’ve been very cooperative with us and we have no reason to believe that there’s any foul play or anything at this time, so we just continue to investigate.” Search dogs have been seen around the lake, but Abben told reporters he is not able to discuss what the dogs did or may have found.

A 12-year-old girl drove her Mom’s minivan into a porch early Tuesday morning in Council Bluffs.

The Omaha World Herald reports the accident happened at about 2:00 AM Tuesday at 712 27th Avenue.  The newspaper says a Council Bluffs Police Officer saw a 2004 Kia Sedona driving with no headlights that turned onto 27th Avenue where it jumped the curb and hit the porch.  The home sustained about $800 damage.

According to the The Omaha World Herald, the 12-year-old girl told officers she took her mother’s van to go to Casey’s while her mother was asleep.  The newspaper reports the girl was charged with suspicion of driving without headlights, no driver’s license and operation without owner’s consent. After being taken to the county jail, she was released to the custody of her mother.