The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday), approved the 1^st reading of an Ordinance designed to penalize those to illegally dump refuse in County ditches and elsewhere. The action followed a public hearing, during which a man who works for a local trash hauling company said he was fully in favor of the Ordinance. 

The ordinance which was presented to the Board during their meeting by Cass County Attorney Dan Feistner, was tweaked for minor wording changes, but other than that was left intact. Its purpose is to prohibit illegal dumping in public places and on private property within the unincorporated areas of the County. Supervisor Frank Waters said it’s really meant to get people to use the County Landfill, and discourage the throwing of appliances, tv’s, building and other, potentially hazardous materials or trash, into the ditches. 

The ordinance, which is expected to be adopted following the next and final public hearing and second reading next Wednesday, says the penalties for persons who knowingly dump trash in the unincorporated areas of Cass County, will face fines ranging from $100-to $1,000, depending on the combined weight of the trash that was dumped, and the number of times the offense has been committed. The person or persons will also be responsible for the complete abatement, cleanup, removal and disposal of the items dumped.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports a 9-1-1 call for help early this (Wednesday) morning resulted in the arrest of 33-year old Matthew Ronald Corey, of Clarinda. Corey who has a long history of run-in’s with the law, now faces a misdemeanor Assault charge, after officers responded to the Parkview Apartments on East Main Street, at around 1:45-a.m. According to Brothers, the 9-1-1 call was with regard to a woman who could be heard screaming for help. When officers spoke with the woman, she  alleged that she had been assaulted by Matthew Corey, who resides in the apartment with the woman. Corey was taken into custody and brought to the Page County Jail, where he was held without bond pending an initial appearance before the Page County Magistrate Court. Brothers said the female did not sustain any injuries that required medical attention.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad says he’ll propose during union negotiations that state employees pay 20 percent of their health care costs.   Branstad told The Des Moines Register on Tuesday that, “Everybody ought to have some skin in the game and ought to pay something toward health insurance.”   Iowa legislators and most state employees don’t share the cost of the insurance premiums.
 
Officials calculate that Branstad’s initiative could save the state almost $111 million a year.   State union leaders have said that not having to pay health care premiums is the employees’ trade-off for the lower pay in government jobs.