Brett Irlmeier, Chair of the Audubon County Community Foundation, and Nicholas Hunt, Chair of the Cass County Community Foundation, remind residents in their respective counties that the fall grant program is now beginning. The deadline to apply for funds through a grant application process is September 1st. In Audubon County, $39, 770 has been allocated for the fall grant cycle. In Cass County, $27,500 is available.

Of the $39,770 in Audubon County, nearly $2,500 is available from the Leon and Iva Milliman Endowed Fund, for the Exira area. $2,800 is available from the Charles T. and Kathleen K. Manatt Endowed Fund, $690 from the Audubon State Bank/Stephen Garst Endowed Fund, $1,200 from the Audubon Masonic Association Endowed Fund is available for the City of Audubon area, $490 is available for the City of Audubon from the Fred and Evelyn Nissen Endowed Fund for Audubon, and $490 from the Merle and Norma Petersen Endowed Fund for the City of Audubon.

In Cass County, the grant fund is available in-part, thanks to $3,000  from the Griswold Community Development Endowed Fund, and $500 from the Triumph Endowed Fund for Cass County.

In both counties, the grants and program Mission is to participate in funding community betterment projects and nonprofit organizations that have similar objectives. The Goal of both the Audubon County and Cass County Community Foundations grant program, is to improve the quality of life in the county by supporting needs that are not being met in the areas of civic, cultural, health, education and social service. The objective is to fund projects that will have a permanent impact for our county that people can take advantage of for many years.

Only organizations providing services in Audubon County and Cass County are eligible to share the grant funds in each respective county. They must be able to demonstrate broad community/county support and supply a copy of their 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter. Requests for general operational funds will not be considered. Application procedures and grant guidelines can be obtained online at www.iowacommunityfoundations.org/auduboncef, for Audubon County non-profits, and at www.iowacommunityfoundations.org/casscef, for Cass County non-profit organizations.

Click on the Grant Information tab or contact any board member for additional information. Detailed instructions are provided in a downloadable form, as well as a link to the online application. Only online applications will be considered. The grant funds are made possible by the generosity of  Audubon and Cass County Community Foundation donors.

To inquire about donating to the ACCF, please contact a Board member. Community Foundations in Southwest Iowa are particularly attractive charities because donations to these funds may be eligible for a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit. Contact Dennis Nissen at 800-794-3458 or dennis@omahafoundation.org or Denise Cardos at denise@omahafoundation.org with grant application specific questions. All completed applications will be considered at the October board meeting with notification of results the end of October.

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Board members of the Audubon County Community Foundation are Chair, Brett Irlmeier of Audubon, 563-2644; Vice Chair, Jonnie Meislahn of Audubon, 563-2009; Secretary/Treasurer, Thomas R. Nielsen of Audubon, 563-2721; Jay Nelson of Atlantic, 549-2277; Daryl Olsen, DVM of Audubon, 563-2080; and Joseph T. Rasmussen, Esq. of Exira, 268-5357.

Board members of the Cass County Community Foundation are Chair, Nicholas Hunt of rural Atlantic, 243-5485; Vice Chair, Gary Maas, of Anita, 762-3434; Secretary/Treasurer, Roland K. Landsness, Esq. of Atlantic, 243-4154; Royal Bierbaum of rural Griswold, 778-2586; Beulah Follmann of Massena, 779-3457; and Mark D. Kyhnn, CPA of Atlantic, 243-1800.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Senate candidate Joni Ernst will take a break from campaigning for two weeks to take part in active duty training for the Iowa National Guard. But before lacing up her boots, Ernst has recorded the Republicans’ national radio address.

The Republican National Committee confirms that Ernst recorded the speech Thursday evening just hours before she was scheduled to report for duty. Ernst is a lieutenant colonel and will not campaign for two weeks while she leads an Iowa transportation battalion on its annual active duty training at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. The address airs Saturday morning.

Ernst is an Iowa state senator who won a five-way primary last month. She faces Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley for the seat being vacated by five-term Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, who is retiring.

Two women from Nebraska were arrested this (Friday) morning on drug charges, in Crawford County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 21-year old Laterra Patterson and 20-year old Raven Loftus, both of Omaha were taken into custody following a traffic stop on Highway 30 in Dow City.  After Crawford County K-9 “Bayou” alerted to the odor of narcotics coming from the vehicle, the vehicle was searched and drugs along with related paraphernalia were allegedly found. The women were subsequently taken into custody.

Patterson was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (a Simple misdemeanor). Her bond was set at $300. Loftus was arrested for Possession of Marijuana (a Serious misdemeanor). Her bond was set at $1,000.

The Director of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce has resigned from the position after less than two-months on the job. Rhonda Larsen’s resignation is effective immediately.

According to reports, Larsen said she was asked to resign. She began her job as Chamber Director May 19th, taking over the post from Megan Roberts, who resigned to accept a position with a local insurance agency.