(Atlantic, Iowa) – Patrons of and visitors to, the Atlantic Public Library are reminded about a painting and flooring renovation project that will be underway this week, and that will result in the upper floor of the library being closed to the public. Atlantic Public Library Director Michelle Andersen says work on the project is set to begin today (March 4^th). It’s part of a plan to renovate the entire building over the course of a few years.

The first step in the upper floor renovation, she said, is the flooring and painting. It’s something library staff have been preparing for and are excited to see come to fruition.

The Atlantic Public Library will be open, but with limited or no access to the upstairs for the duration of the project.

The Atlantic Public Library

It may take longer than normal to prepare the holds for pick up, so please wait for a notification that your material is ready before coming to pick it up. Meetings and other activities that are held in the library, are being moved to other sites or other parts of the library, while the work is underway.

Andersen says they are hoping to be back to “normal” operations sometime next month. Speaking of next month…

The renovation project is being funded by private gifts, donations, and grants.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office says no one was injured after an SUV struck a deer Sunday evening, near Afton. The accident on eastbound Highway 34. Authorities say a 2018 Ford Escape, driven by 66-year-old Barbara Irene Moore, of Afton, struck a deer a little before 7-p.m.  The vehicle sustained about $3,000 damage, but was able to be driven from the scene.

Western Iowa firefighters were kept busy, Sunday, battling a variety of field/brush and other fires. Crews from the Creston Fire Department responded at around 11:42-a.m. to a request for mutual aid from Adams County, to provide water and manpower to fight a field fire near Vanilla and Highway 34. Other crews at the scene include those with the Lenox, Corning, Clearfield, and Prescott Fire Departments.

Last week, Creston Firefighters responded also, to a structure fire 1310 E Howard St, White River (formerly known as Benson Hill). Crews worked with White River staff to locate and extinguish fire on three floors of the production facility. The fire was contained to the production pipelines. Mutual aid was received from the Afton Volunteer Fire Department and Lenox Iowa Fire Department. Medics from Greater Regional Hospital in Creston were also on-hand. The call went out at around 3-p.m. On Feb. 29^th.

At around 12:36-p.m., Sunday, crews from the Red Oak, Elliott and Stanton Fire Departments were dispatched to 1301 E Cherry St in Red Oak for a dumpster on fire next to a residence. Fire crews arrived a short time later and were able to contain the fire to the dumpster. The residence was checked for extension and none was found. The dumpster belonging to Batten Sanitation sustained some damage from the fire. It appears minimal to none to the residence itself. The residence was not occupied at the time. The incident is being investigated by the Red Oak PD and Red Oak FD at this time. The property belonged to Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church. No injuries reported. Montgomery County 911 assisted in the handling the incident.

At around 3-p.m., Sunday (March 3^rd) the Missouri Valley Fire Department was called to a field fire that was rapidly escalating. Modale Fire was dual paged to assist. “Ironically,” officials said, “ Logan and Magnolia had their own wildfire at the same time.” The wind and smoke obscured the true size of the fire so Mo. Valley Fire also requested Mondamin and Crescent to respond. After reassessing the scene and having crews work the fire it was decided to cancel Mondamin and Crescent. Modale and Mo. Valley F-D crews handled the bulk of the fire with the assistance of two tractors with disks (these made a HUGE difference in keeping the fire from spreading more quickly and were greatly appreciated).

An estimated 5-to 6 acres were burned. Authorities believe the cause of the fire was from two fuses that blew on a nearby power pole. Officials say to put in to context how quickly the fire spread in the high winds: the call was at 3pm; crews were on the scene within 12 minutes, but by then the fire had spread across approximately 4 acres- that’s how dry it is and how the wind can push a fire. The Department says “If the fire would have made it to Willow Creek that would have been very detrimental. Examples like these are why we are asking for no burning until we get moisture.” In addition to the aforementioned fire departments, Deputies with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri Valley Police assisted at the scene with traffic control.

On Sunday, multiple agencies spent the afternoon fighting a fire in central Iowa, off Interstate 80 in Jasper County, just north of Mitchellville. The call of a grass fire came in around 1 p.m., according to Jasper County Emergency Management. High winds caused the fire to move quickly and crews to work even harder to contain it. The cause of the fire is not immediately known.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – If you’ve ever wondered what people serving on county boards and commissions do, and how you can serve in those types of positions, an event taking place this Saturday, March 9th in Atlantic, will help to answer your questions. Cass County Democrats are hosting “Local Office, Boards, and Commissions Panel and Q&A” from 10-until 11-a.m., March 9th,  AM at the American Legion Memorial Building (201 Poplar St., in Atlantic. While the event is being hosted by the Democrats, all people, regardless of party affiliation are encouraged to attend. The event is free and open to the public. Panelists scheduled to share their experiences will include Wendy Richter, Todd Weppler, Phil Hascall, and Sandy Sothman.

Richter was elected to the Cass County Board of Supervisors in 2022. In this role, she serves as a liaison to the following boards and commissions: Cass County Board of Health, Cass County Local Food Policy Council, Healthy Cass County, Cass County Tourism, Boost 4 Families Board, and West Central Community Action Board. She also serves as an alternate liaison to Nishna Valley Trails and the Southwest Iowa Planning Council. Cass County Supervisors serve four-year terms.

While Richter is just two years into her term, the following Board members are up for reelection this November: Steve Green (District 1, representing rural Atlantic), Steve Baier (District 4, representing the south and southwest portion of the county, including Griswold), and Bernard Pettinger (District 5, representing the north and east portion of the county, including Wiota,
Anita, Massena, and Cumberland).

Todd Weppler was last elected to the Cass County Agricultural Extension Council in 2022. Members of this board serve four-year terms. Sandy Sothman was appointed to the Cass County Conservation Board in 2021. Members of this board serve five-year terms. Phil Hascall is currently appointed to both the Airport Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Cass County Zoning Board of Adjustment. Members of these boards also serve five-year terms.

LaVon Eblen, retired Extension leader in Cass and Audubon Counties and former host of KJAN’s Backyard and Beyond program, will moderate the panel. LaVon herself has previously served on county boards including the Cass County Local Food Policy Council and Healthy Cass County.

Doors will open at 9:45-a.m., Saturday. Light breakfast refreshments will be provided.

For more information on the Cass County Democrats, or to join the Cass County Democrats email newsletter, contact casscountyiadems@gmail.com or follow the Cass County Democrats on Facebook @CassCountyIADems.

An early spring it could make things difficult for some of the state’s trees. D-N-R Forestor Tivon Feeley says conifer trees in particular may have some problems. He says wind and the ground that still a little bit frozen so roots can’t take up water leads to something called winter desiccation. Feeley says the symptoms may not appear until well into spring and then they are going to brown up. You will notice that the greenery turns brown and Feeley says the winter desiccation often kills the trees.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department reports the arrest at around 1:17-p.m. Sunday, of 45-year-old Joshua Duane Mohn, of Red Oak, for Driving While Barred. Mohn was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man from Red Oak was arrested late Sunday night, on an Assault charge. Authorities say Officers arrested 31-year-old Matthew Allen Boyce at around 11:15-p.m., in the 1100 block of N. 3rd Street. Boyce was charged with Assault causing bodily injury – a Serious Misdemeanor. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa district court judges are paid less than judges in every state that touches Iowa. While the Iowa Supreme Court’s chief justice has recommended a more than six percent salary hike for Iowa judges, that still won’t bring their pay in line with any surrounding state. In January, Chief Justice Susan Christensen told lawmakers Iowa district court judges have gone without pay raises in 10 of the last 15 years and they now make 16-thousand dollars less per year than South Dakota judges and 38-thousand dollars less than judges in Nebraska.

“Being appointed by our governor should be the pinnacle of a lawyer’s career, not a deep financial sacrifice,” Christensen said. Bob Gast, the state court administrator, says the number of applicants for district court judgeships has declined 61 percent in the past 20 years. “Fewer of those applicants are coming from the private practice of law,” Gast says. “There has been a 65% decline from 2009 to 2023.” State Representative Brian Lohse, a Republican from Bondurant, is chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that drafts a budget for the the state’s court system. He says raising the salaries of district court judges is a goal he hopes to achieve this year, but lawmakers haven’t settled on a number yet.

“Being a judge is a difficult job, but it’s also not the most lucrative when compared to the private sector,” Lohse says. “If we’re going to really move forward in the law and have the kind of decisions we want and good, good justice, we need to be able to put bright legal minds in the benches and, as a lawyer myself, you want a good person sitting in that judicial seat, making the decisions for your case.”

The annual salary for a district court judge today is just over 158-thousand dollars. The average salary for an attorney in Iowa’s capitol city of Des Moines is four-thousand dollars higher.

(Pilot Mound, Iowa) – A collision Saturday evening in Boone County resulted in three injuries. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2017 Chevy Equinox SUV driven by 17-year-old Dylan Joseph Herout, of Omaha, was traveling north on H Avenue, and a 20020 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 59-year-old Robbie Thomas Schreier, of Fort Dodge, was traveling west on 130th Street. When the SUV entered the intersection, it was struck by the pickup. The accident happened at around 5:20-p.m.

Both drivers were injured, along with a passenger in the SUV, 18-year-old Britney Alexis Herout, of Omaha. All three crash victims were flown by Life Flight helicopter to the hospital. Dylan Herout – who was not wearing a seat belt -and Robbie Schreier were transported to Methodist in Des Moines. Britney Herout was transported to Iowa City.

The collision remains under investigation.