Organizers of a fundraising event held last Friday in Exira was a big success. Several communities rallied together in support of an Exira area youth, Jon “Waffles” Herron. Jon is a junior in the Exira-EHK Community School district. Over the last two years, he’s experienced both his parents passing away and then to come home on prom night to find the home where he lives with his aunt burning down. The home was a complete loss.

front row: Kaele Lange, Kate McAlpin, Jon “Waffles” Herron, Jared Hansen, Jen Neville, Jessica Wood, Jake Paulsen
second row: Mitchell Pigeon, Rachel Walker, Nelson Zach, Harrison Olson, Cody Kommes
3rd row: Kennedy Madsen, Rachel Smith, Margo Christensen, Katie Kunik, John Schultes, Martin Olson

The communities put together a fundraiser for Jon and his aunt Kathy. The Exira Rec Center was packed. Organizers say there were waffle irons as far as the eyes could see. A free-will donation got those who attended the event waffles, sausage and all the fixings. There was also a bake sale that brought in additional funds. A forty-two inch flat screen TV was raffled off, and the winner of the television, Darrell Schroeter, donated it back to Waffles and Aunt Kathy.

Jon and Kathy would like to thank everyone who came out to support them. A thank you goes out to all of the area businesses, organization and people who donated time and money to make this all happen. The monetary donations along with the household and clothing donations have been so appreciated. They plan to stay in the area and hope to rebuild.

In all, the Waffles for Waffles fundraiser brought in over $9000. Any other donations can be made to the Exchange State Bank in Exira Iowa.

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation continue to investigate a double homicide that occurred in Carroll County on Sunday. Autopsies on both bodies were completed at the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny by Dr. Dennis Klein.

Karl Allen Devore

Tammie Lee Devore

Through the completed autopsies, both victims were positively identified as a mother and son, 48-year old Tammie Lee Devore, and 30-year old Karl Allen Devore, respectively. Both deaths are classified as homicides.

On Sunday, May 18, 2014, at approximately 9:50 P.M., the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call of an unconscious individual at 129 Carroll Street, Lot #5, in Glidden. Upon arrival and through further investigation, law enforcement officials discovered two deceased individuals at the residence, one adult male and one adult female.

Investigators believe this is an isolated incident and the public should not be concerned for their safety. Iowa DCI special agent Chad Fieldler, speaking at a press conference Tuesday at the Carroll County Courthouse, said no one has been arrested. He refused to discuss a possible motive in the case. Fieldler would not say how the two were murdered.

Back in 1991, Tammie Devore was living in an apartment in Council Bluffs that caught fire and killed her three other sons, a one-month-old, a 4-year-old, and a 2-year old. Investigators said one of the children was playing with a lighter that ignited a Christmas tree. Devore had a history of drug problems and run-ins with law enforcement. Carroll County Sheriff Doug Bass said Devore had dozens of cats in her mobile home and animal rescue workers occasionally visited the home and took some of the animals.

Investigators are asking for anyone with information regarding this double homicide to call the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office at (712) 792-4393.

The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will hold a Special Meeting Wednesday evening. At 5-p.m., the Board will hold a Public Hearing on the 2013-2014 Budget Amendment, during which district patrons may speak for or against the proposed amendment.

Once the public hearing is closed, the Board will vote on approving the Budget Amendment, New Hires, and Resignations. The meeting takes place in the Atlantic High School Media Center.

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation have scheduled a joint press conference from Noon today (Tuesday, May 20th), at the Carroll County Courthouse. The press conference is with regard to the double death investigation in Glidden.

No other details will be released until the press conference. KJAN will update the story  when information becomes available. The Department of Public Safety announced Monday that the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office received a call Sunday night about an unconscious person at a mobile home park in Glidden. Officers found the bodies of an adult man and woman.

Autopsies were scheduled for today at the Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny.

The Griswold School Board held a public hearing Monday evening with regard to the 2014-2015 School Calendar. Superintendent Dana Kunze said there were two proposed options from which the district could choose from. Kunze said a number of teachers were present at the meeting to outline “Calendar A,” which was voted down last month, and would have had school start Thursday, August 14th. The Alternate start date “Calendar B,” proposed starting school on Monday, August 18th.

When it came time for a decision, Calendar B failed in a 3-4 vote. Calendar A passed on a 4-3 vote. Kunze says most people were concerned with the district starting school earlier and earlier each year, and the teachers pointed out that is true this year, but will likely be different next year. He said school traditionally starts on a Thursday, but August starts on a Friday this year, so that pushes the start date back one-week to a Thursday. Kunze said also that Christmas is on a Thursday this year, and that messes with the Christmas break, as well. He said he expects to see the start date to fall back next year as the calendar adjusts.

Kunze says the fall sports seasons starts August 11th, so parents and kids both are looking forward to getting the school year underway. In other business, Superintendent Kunze said the district’s Boiler and Rest Room projects are coming along nicely. He says they expect to see those projects completed before the doors to the school opens in the fall.

And, the Griswold School Board, Monday, voted to increase the amount students and adults pay for their lunches. Lunch at the Elementary School will go up 8-cents this fall, High School students will pay 12-cents more per meal, while the adult lunch prices are increasing by a dime, to $3.30. Kunze said the prices have gone up just about every year, because the Feds want schools to play catch up to rates that are deemed more appropriate, but Kunze said the Feds are allowing districts to gradually “Step-up” their prices for school lunch menus, rather than taking one big bite at a time.

He says the Feds expect the districts to met the criteria for reimbursement on lunch prices, but until that happens, schools are “Held hostage” and their arms are twisted to make them comply. And, after much community input and discussion, the Griswold School District has changed its motto from a long mission statement, to “Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow.”

Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker, today (Tuesday), said a warrant was issued Monday for the arrest of a teacher/coach with the Treynor Community School District. The warrant charges 44-year old Michael Douglas Travis with two counts of Sexual Exploitation by a School Employee, both of which are Class-D Felonies.

An investigation determined three separate females were victims in the case. Travis, a 5th grade teacher and Assistant Softball Coach, is accused of having inappropriate contact with former female students while the girls attended the Treynor High School. One victim, age 29, falls outside of the State of Iowa’s Statute of Limitations. The other victims, age 22 and age 27, fall within the timeline threshold for reporting.

Danker says on April 24th 2014, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into Travis’ alleged activities after authorities were notified by Treynor School District Attorney Joseph Thornton that the School Board had received two separate letters written by former female students accusing Travis of inappropriate contact. Travis was placed on paid administrative leave from the district while authorities investigated the allegations against him.