Two people were flown by helicopter to hospitals in Des Moines following a crash this (Monday) morning, in Guthrie County. The Iowa State Patrol says the drivers of two pickups, 57-year old Kurt Schoon, of Scranton, and 32-year old Derek Woltman, of Cherokee, were injured when their vehicles collided on Highway 141 at around 7:30-a.m.

The accident happened when a westbound 1999 Ford Ranger pickup driven by Schoon, for reasons unknown, crossed the centerline of Highway 141 and struck Woltman’s eastbound 1996 Ford F-150 head on. Following the crash, Woltman’s Ford came to rest in the ditch, while the Ranger remained on the highway.

Schoon was flown by Life Flight to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, while Woltman was flown by Mercy 1 to Mercy Hospital, in Des Moines. The accident remains under investigation.

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday to decide who will serve on area boards of education and other matters. The polls open at Noon and close at 8-p.m., Tuesday. In Cass County, persons desiring to vote, but who are unable to go to their polling center on election day, may cast a vote early at the Cass County Auditor’s Office at the courthouse, in Atlantic. Voting hours are 8-a.m. to 5-p.m. today (Monday), and 8-a.m. to 11-a.m. Tuesday.

Auditor Dale Sunderman reports there are very few contested races in Cass County. One of the races is for an At Large seat on the Atlantic School Board, where incumbents Kristy Pellet and Josh McLaren as well as challenger Bob Reilly, are vying for two open seats on the board.

In the Griswold School District, incumbents Steve Baier and Robert Peterson, along with challenger Denise Bridges, are vying for two At Large seats on the School Board. Scott Peterson and Thomas Jay Moore are unchallenged for their respective District 3 and District 4 seats on the board.

There are no challenges in the CAM School District, where Chuck Kinzie and Gary Dinkla are the incumbents for the North and South Districts, respectively, and Nick Kaufman is the At Large incumbent.

There will also be two public measures on the ballot in Cass County, with regard to  property tax levies for Iowa Western Community College.

When voters head to the polls Tuesday to take part in local school board elections, in addition to casting their vote for local candidates, some ballots will have Public Measures asking you to renew two property-tax levies that pertain to Iowa Western Community College. The levies – the Physical Plant Levy and the Instructional Equipment Levy – are placed before the voters every 10-years, and are designed to raise money to build or improve buildings on campus and to buy classroom equipment for the community college. The levies have been in place for at least five decades.

Specifically, the Physical Plant Levy, which sits at 20.25 cents per $1,000 of taxable property value, pays for utilities and for building maintenance and renovation. The Instructional Equipment Levy, which is 6 cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation, is only used to purchase instructional equipment. College officials say the Physical Plant Levy generates approximately $1,725,000 per year, while the Equipment Levy generates approximately $780,000 per year.

If approved by voters Tuesday, both levies would be in place from July 2016 through June 2026.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports one person was flown to the hospital following a motorcycle accident early Saturday morning. Robert Fatica, of Fremont, NE, was taken by Mercy One helicopter to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, after the 1995 Harley Davidson he was driving left the road and entered a ditch at around 12:20-a.m.

The accident happened as Fatica, and a passenger on the motorcycle were traveling north on 190th Street, near a business drive at 58233 190th Street. Both the driver and an unnamed passenger were ejected from the cycle during the crash, but only Fatica was transported to the hospital, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

And, officials in Mills County report the arrest on Sunday, of 42-year old Gary Michael Martin the 3rd, of Glenwood. He was taken into custody at around 7:40-p.m. on a warrant for Assault and Trespassing. Martin’s bond was set at $2,000.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests over the past week. On Tuesday, September 3, 2013, deputies arrested 27-year old Prudence Penelope Gwendolyn Page, of Atlantic, on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Page was taken to the Cass County Jail where she was being held on $10,000 bond.

And on Friday, Sept. 6th, 36-year old Shawn Joseph Williamson, of Anita, was arrested on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Theft 5^th Degree. Williamson was taken to the Cass County Jail where he pled guilty and was released the following day.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports no one was injured following an accident that took place last Thursday afternoon (Sept. 5th). The accident involving a 2003 Ford Ranger and a 2008 Dodge Avenger, took place  at 2:25 p.m. on Highway 92. Officials say the Ford Ranger owned and driven by 52-year old Brent Behnken, of Atlantic,  was eastbound on Highway 92 when it was struck in the rear by the Dodge, owned and driven by 18-year old Haley Marie McVay, of Bridgewater. The accident happened while Behnken was waiting at a construction site. McVay was cited for Failure to reduce speed. Damage from the crash amounted to $700.

One person was injured during an accident that took place on August 30, in Cass County. The Sheriff’s Office says the incident happened  at around 5:41 p.m. on Highway 83, near Anita. A 2007 Suzuki motorcycle driven by 19-year old Tayler Michael Murphy, of Anita,  was traveling eastbound when the bike began to skid. Murphy was ejected into a ditch after he lost control of the cycle, which continued to slide unoccupied down the highway. The cycle hit the rear bumper of an eastbound 2004 Dodge Durango  driven by 27-year old Amber Ellen Schlake, of Atlantic, before coming to rest on the south side of the roadway. Murphy was transported to Cass County Memorial Hospital by Anita Rescue.He was later cited for Reckless Driving and Failure to Maintain Control. Damage from the crash amounted to $4,400.