(Radio Iowa) – The hospital in Keokuk closed permanently at 7 a.m. today (Friday). Blessing Health System bought the hospital in Keokuk last year from UnityPoint. The facility needs millions of dollars in repairs and patient traffic has dwindled, so Blessing Health executives announced earlier this month that it would close. The hospital’s 147 employees will stay on the payroll through November 4th. Some are going to work in other Blessing Health facilities and others are on paid leave.

Keokuk has had a hospital for well over a century. The city’s first hospital opened in 1892. During the Civil War, a military hospital in Keokuk treated soldiers from both sides of the conflict. 

The original announcement from Blessing Health indicated the current hospital in Keokuk would close at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, but the hospital’s website says it already has been closed and anyone with a medical emergency should call 911.

(Radio Iowa) – Books about Vietnam were the focus of an event Thursday at the Siouxland Freedom Park Interpretive Center.

A long-time Sioux City college professor turned over his extensive collection of books on Vietnam during the event. Ralph Swain’s collection includes more than 100 books. “I actually started accumulating the books just before I went to Vietnam because I wanted to learn about the place I was going to, especially since I’m half Asian, and I’m going to an Asian country on the pretext of engaging violently against other Asians that I encounter that are trying to get me,” he says. 

Swain served in the Army in Vietnam and later taught at Briar Cliff and Western Iowa Tech In Sioux City. University of South Dakota professor emeritus Steve Feimer was also on hand. He wrote a book, profiling the stories of 31 Vietnam veterans.
“One story led to the other and I thought well I’m gonna do six guys and have it take me six months — but as you can see it took me nine years and we ended up with 31,” he says. “I just couldn’t say no, and every time I’d interview one vet they’d say you got to talk to this guy get this guy’s stories.”

You can find the book online at TheVietnamVets.com.

(Radio Iowa) – A new group is proposing that businesses that use the most energy in Iowa be able to buy electricity from other sources. Under current rules, customers must use the utility assigned to both maintain the power grid in their area AND provide the electricity for it. R.G. Schwarm is executive director of the new Iowa Economic Alliance.

The concept called electric choice is up and running in some other states, like Illinois and Ohio, and customers can compare electricity prices from different providers — but still are required to pay fees to the company that maintains the electric lines in their area. Schwarm says electric rates are a factor businesses evaluate when deciding where to locate or expand.

Schwarm is not revealing the names of the businesses that are part of the Iowa Economic Alliance, but he says the coalition’s members have seen electric rates sharply increase over the past couple of years.

The group recently commissioned a statewide survey to gauge public sentiment about the concept of electric choice. The poll found about 70 percent of Iowans prefer the idea of choosing from among electric providers rather than being restricted to the one company state regulators have designated to serve their area.

(Radio Iowa) -Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says a significant percentage of land owners should agree to let carbon pipelines run through their property before any developer is granted eminent domain authority to acquire land from unwilling property owners.

John Norwood, a small business owner and Polk County Soil and Water Commissioner, is the Democrat who’s running against Naig. Norwood says all pipeline land deals should be voluntary and the pipeline owners should make yearly payments to landowners and to counties.

Norwood says the pipelines aren’t the right answer for the long term success of the ethanol industry.

Naig, a Republican who is seeking a second full term as ag secretary, says an over reliance on electric vehicles is dangerous and ethanol use should expand.

The candidates made their comments during taping of Iowa Press which aired tonight (Friday) on Iowa P-B-S.

(Radio Iowa) – Federal drug agents are warning Iowa parents about so-called “rainbow fentanyl” being a potential danger to kids going trick-or-treating next month. Emily Murray, spokeswoman for the regional U-S Drug Enforcement Agency office in Omaha, says they haven’t seen any evidence of that controversial, colorful killer in the region — yet.

Halloween is a month away yet, but Murray urges Iowa parents to sort through all the candy their kids bring home before any of it is eaten.

Murray says there are some common sense steps to take, like not eating anything that’s not properly wrapped.

Along with the fentanyl dangers, Murray says the agency is still seeing — and seizing — large quantities of meth in the region.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors held their regular weekly meeting Friday morning, during which they received a resignation from Sara Harris, Cass County Auditor. The letter states her last day is September 12, 2022. During their meeting last week, the Board had refused to accept her resignation. The board, Friday (today), accepted her resignation date to effective as of Friday, October 7, 2022.

In her Agenda minutes, Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns said that after publishing the Notice of Intent to Appoint Cass County Auditor in all three county newspapers the board came to a consensus that they have decided to appoint, per Iowa Code Section 69, Kathy Somers to the vacant position of Cass County Auditor to begin October 10, 2022.

In other business, as we previously reported, the County Sheriff’s and Attorney’s offices have requested permission to add a shared part time position. After conducting five interviews they have chosen Stephanie Witzman to fill the position ‘Office Liaison’ for their offices. Ms. Witzman has 23 years prior experience in the Sheriff’s Office and 11 months in the Clerk of Court. The offices recommend, based on her experience, that she begin at a starting wage of $24.00/hour. The position is considered a part time basis with no more than 32 hours per week and benefits are included according to the County Employee Handbook. The Board approved the request as written.

During the Public Comment portion of the meeting, Wendi Barnett, Cass County Clerk of Court, requested new locks on the Court Attendant, Magistrate Court and Juvenile Services Offices. Supervisor Steve Green will contact a locksmith. Clerk of Court Office inquired about the mail distribution at the courthouse. It was advised that the Clerk of Court is able to obtain their own suite number and have their mail delivered directly to them.

The Supervisors recessed for public hearing on County Ordinance Two: General Relief Assistance Program. The Board motioned and approved the Ordinance Two after the second reading, with the Third reading to take place October 11, 2022. In regular session once again, Cass County Treasurer, Tracey Marshall, presented wage adjustments for 3 employees, Stacy Mueller and Jordan Liddell to 85% and Celeste Burroughs to 80% of the annual salary of the county treasurer’s base salary. The Supervisors approved the wage increases as submitted.

Cass County Treasurer, Tracey Marshall, also requested pay increases for Stacie Linfor and Bailee Smith to increase from $18.00/hr. to $20.00/hr. The board referred to minutes from June 8, 2022, where it was approved that their wage could be increased to $19.00/hr after 90 days and a performance review. The Supervisors approved increasing Bailee Smith to $19.00/hr starting 9/26/2022 and Stacie Linfor to $19.00/hr starting 10/25/2022.

Cass County Treasurer made a written recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to abate taxes due on two mobile homes. After lengthy discussion, the Board voted 5-to 1 (with Mark O’Brien opposed) to adopt RESOLUTION 2022-046 Resolution to Abate Tax. In other news, the Cumberland Public Library submitted to a Board an ARPA request. They request $16,249.00 to replace the roof and gutters on the library building. The supervisors said they would like to visit with the City of Cumberland before deciding on whether or not to award ARPA funds to repair a city owned building. Action was tabled until their meeting on October 11, 2022.

The Sale of the County Owned Farm was discussed. The consensus of the board is that an auction seems to be the preferred method at this time. A public hearing must be held to proceed any further. A Resolution was approved to Set Date of Public Hearing for Sale of County Owned Farm. Public Hearing dates would be October 18, 2022, and October 25, 2022 and October 31, 2022.

The Cass County Supervisors’ next meeting is Tuesday, October 11, 2022.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Extension will be celebrating all things 4-H during National 4-H Week October 2-8. Now is the time of year for youth to join and participate in 4-H, a worldwide youth development program, hosted in Iowa by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Keep an eye out for Cass County 4-H members, volunteers, and supporters showing their 4-H pride during National 4-H Week. Many of the local 4-H clubs will be creating window displays in local businesses. Other clubs will be doing special events and activities during the week such as wearing 4-H shirts to school or doing service projects around their community!

In addition, the Iowa 4-H Foundation and Cass County 4-H are partnering to host the Iowa 4-H Giving Day (www.iowa4Hgivingday.org), a special 24-hour event, on October 4th and 5th from Noon to Noon during National 4-H Week. Each year on Iowa 4-H Giving Day, supporters and alumni across the state come together to financially support Iowa’s largest youth organization, to ensure these opportunities continue to be available to youth across the state and at the county level. 4-H supporters can donate online or in person to support programs at the county or state level!

To wrap up National 4-H Week, Cass County 4-H will be hosting a Fall Fest on Sunday, October 9 from 2-4 PM at the Cass County Fairgrounds followed by a 4K Fun Run. 4-Her’s will be on hand to celebrate 4-H as well as invite new/potential 4-Her’s to join in the fun and see what 4-H all is about. All members of the community are invited to come out for an afternoon of family fun!

Katie Bateman, County Youth Coordinator with Cass County Extension says “We have a variety of fun activities planned which will showcase some of the project areas with hands-on activities, games and fun at our Fall Fest October 9th!. We will have youth hosting game booths, a hayride, plinko, a scavenger hunt and much more. A 4-H information booth and snacks will be available from 2-4pm. Following the Fall Fest, we are hosting a 4-K for 4-H starting at 4:00pm. You can sign up for the run or a 1-mile fun-run/walk option at the Youth Council Booth from 2-3:30pm at Fall Fest!”

Fall Fest will be a fun event for all ages to come out and celebrate National 4-H Week! Details about National 4-H week events are located on the Cass County Extension Website, www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. You are invited to follow Cass County 4-H on Facebook page, www.facebook.com/CassCoIAExt or search for “Cass County Iowa 4H” on Instagram. We will feature our club activities, share 4-H trivia and more on these social media pages throughout the week.

Bateman says “4-H is a year round program for youth in grades kindergarten through 12. National 4-H Week is a great time to show some the wonderful things 4-H offers to youth. In fact, research has shown that young people in 4-H are nearly four times as likely to contribute to their communities and are twice as likely to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs during after school time.”

4-H is active in each of Iowa’s 99 counties and empowers youth to reach their full potential through many different types of experiences including photography, music, woodworking, sewing, livestock and horticulture. 4-H grows confidence, creativity, curiosity, courage, character and much more in youth. 4-H allows youth to use the skills that they learn to go out and make a positive difference in their communities.

Cass County 4-H has more than 300 4-H youth and 100 volunteers involved in the program. Interested in joining 4-H? Contact the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132 or visit the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.