(Griswold, Iowa) – Members of the Griswold School District’s Board of Education will meet Monday, beginning at 5:30-p.m., with a Public Hearing on the 2022-2023 Budget. The session takes place in the Conference Room at the High School. Following a presentation and public input on the Budget, the Griswold School Board will move into a regular hearing, during which they will discuss and/or approve Baseball Field Maintenance Bids.

Other action items include:

• Consider & Approval of a Resolution authorizing the redemption of General Obligation School Bonds, Series 2017 (Dated 11/1/17), and Levying a Tax for the Fiscal Year 2023 for the redemption of said bonds.
• Consider & approval of the 2022-23 Budget.
• The Board will receive a presentation on and possibly act to approve, a Student Club.
• They will consider & act on approving Mowing Bids.
• Act on Master Contracts for 2022-23, to include: GCEA; A School-based Interventionist; A Technology Coordinator; Non-Certified Staff.
• Act on Contract Renewals for: Certified Staff, Coaches/Sponsors, Administration, Quasi-Administrators, and Support Staff.
• Approval of:
  •  The 2022-23 Elementary Guidance and School Business Official Sharing Agreements with the Riverside CSD.
  • The 2022-23 Transportation Director & Industrial Technology Sharing Agreements with the Atlantic CSD.
• Consider and act on approval of a Staff Retention Bonus.
• and other administrative matters.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Dept. will meet via Zoom at 5:15-p.m., Monday (Mar. 21). Action and/or New Business on their agenda includes:

• Sunnyside (Park) Tennis Courts
• An update with regard to Bull Creek improvements
• The Mollett Park Community Gardens (E. 3rd St. Place)
• Inclusive Playground Equipment
• Summer Programs.

In his Director’s Report, Bryant Rasmussen will touch on several topics, including:

• The Easter Egg Hunt
• Doggy Bone Hunt
• Easter Egg “Cruise”
• Summer Employees
• and the “Bags to Benches” program.

The meeting is being held electronically, while Rasmussen and Assistant Parks Manager Jeff Christensen, are in Dubuque, attending the Iowa Parks and Rec Conference.

(Stringtown, Iowa) – A traffic stop on a speeding vehicle Saturday afternoon east of Stringtown, in Adams County, resulted in two arrests. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the vehicle was pulled over at around 3:13-p.m., at Highway 34 and Union Avenue.

Upon further investigation, the driver, 41-year-old Lakisha Boston, and her passenger, 34-year-old Caitlin Larabee, both of Lincoln, Nebraska, were arrested. Boston was charged with OWI/1st offense, and Child Endangerment. Her cash bond was set at $3,000. Larabee faces two counts of Child Endangerment, with her cash-only bond set at $4,000.

Southwest Iowa’s public transit service recognized drivers for their service and will deliver gift bags filled with treats to drivers over the next week.

ATLANTIC, IOWA – Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) celebrated Transit Driver Appreciation Day on March 18th. The unofficial holiday, observed each year on March 18, recognizes the men and women who ensure safe travel for millions of Americans. This year’s celebration comes on the heels of the two-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been especially stressful for essential workers due to the increased risk they encounter on the job and their roles enforcing state, federal, and local safety measures to keep their passengers safe.

“Transit Driver Appreciation 1” – (Left to right) Transit Coordinator Kristen Templeton, SWITA Driver Brian Elliott, Transit Dispatcher Kersten Abild.

“SWITA is showing appreciation for our drivers this week with goodie bags put together by the staff in the transit office,” said Transit Coordinator Kristen Templeton. “Our drivers go above and beyond daily on their routes getting people to their destinations. Please pause to say thank you when you board or exit a bus or other mode of public transit—today and every day.”

During the pandemic, southwest Iowa’s transit drivers assumed risks others were able to avoid—even transporting patients who had tested positive for COVID-19—because despite the pandemic, people still needed to go to important medical appointments or other essential services. And between spring 2020 and summer 2021, Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) drivers delivered more than 1,900 meals through a volunteer-run program for homebound or at-risk residents.

In the coming week, transit office staff will visit drivers in all corners of the SWITA service area to deliver the gift bags and show gratitude to the more than 70 drivers who operate SWITA’s fleet of vehicles.

SWITA offers affordable, safe public transit services throughout southwest Iowa and is available to all residents of Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties.

“Transit Driver Appreciation 2” – (Left to right) Transit Coordinator Kristen Templeton, Transit Dispatcher Kersten Abild, SWITA Driver Jo James, SWITA Driver Garry Marcellus, and Transit Dispatcher Cindy Johnson.

(Anita, Iowa) – The male driver of a Volvo suffered from a head injury following a collision with a Jeep early this (Sunday) morning, in Cass County. The accident happened at around 4-a.m. on I-80 eastbound near the 68.5 mile marker.

Firefighters and rescue personnel from Anita and Wiota, as well as Cass EMS and Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the scene.

Reports indicated one of the vehicles went off into the ditch and caught fire. The fire then spread to an adjacent field. The female driver of the vehicle was able to escape without apparent injury, prior to firefighters’ arrival. The flames were quickly extinguished. The driver of the Volvo was transported to Cass Health.

No other details are currently available.

(Missouri Valley, IA) – The Harrison County Emergency Management Agency reports, that at around 4:50-p.m., Saturday, the agency was notified by Union Pacific Railroad, of a minor train derailment outside the California Junction area. Upon arrival, it was discovered eleven cars had derailed near the intersection of Fremont Ave and First St. of California Junction.

The train was made up of cars that contained dry good cargo containers. There are no hazards presented to the public by this train derailment and no injuries to report. Union Pacific Railroad is on site cleaning up the derailed cars and working to get the railroad tracks opened back up.

While crews work to get the railroad open, the railroad crossings at Grover Ave and Fremont Ave are expected to remain closed. Citizens are asked to avoid these areas so crews can restore normal operations to the railroad tracks.

(Clinton County, Iowa) –  The Iowa State Patrol, late Friday night, released the identities of four people who died and one who was injured, during a head-on crash Wednesday evening, in eastern Iowa. All of the victims were from Clinton. The Patrol says a 2014 Chevy Cruze driven by 90-year-old Donald June Bartels, was traveling westbound on Highway 136 at around 4:54-p.m., when the vehicle collided with an eastbound 2014 Honda Odyssey van, driven by 94-year-old Benjamin Early Ehrhart. Both drivers died.

Two passengers in the van, 91-year-old Donna Mae Ehrhart, and 81-year-old Phyllis Ann Krogman, also died. Another passenger in the van, 87-year-old Robert Grego Krogman, was seriously injured and transported by ambulance to the hospital, in Clinton. Three of the victims were not wearing seat belts (Donald & Donna Ehrhart, and Phyllis Krogman).

The crash remains under investigation.

ANKENY, Iowa – March 18, 2022 – The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Investigation & Identity Protection is warning the public to be aware of a fraudulent vehicle sales scam. Delta Motors Auto Sales and the website https://deltamotorsautosales.com/ has been attempting to impersonate Delta Motors, LLC of Waterloo, a licensed and legitimate car dealership in Iowa.

If you have had dealings with a company you believe to be either Delta Motor Auto Sales or Delta Motors, LLC please contact 319-235-5591 to verify the legitimacy of your interactions.

You may also contact the Iowa DOT’s Bureau of Investigation & Identity Protection at 515-237-3050 or invbureau@iowadot.us to confirm legitimacy or to report any interactions you believe are fraudulent.

DES MOINES – Cass County Emergency Management, Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD), National Weather Service (NWS), and Iowa Emergency Management Association (IEMA) have joined together to promote Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa.

Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 21-25, is an opportunity to highlight the importance of being aware of, and prepared for, severe weather. It is also an ideal time to review your family’s emergency plan, check the contents of your emergency kit, and sign up to receive alerts to stay weather aware.

Mike Kennon, Cass County EMA Coordinator says “Severe weather season arrived much earlier than is typical this year. The December 15th derecho that spawned a local tornado as well as the deadly March 5th tornado in Madison County remind us that we need to stay prepared for severe weather events.”

Each day during Severe Weather Awareness Week has a different focus:

Monday – Severe thunderstorms
Tuesday – Weather warnings
Wednesday – Tornadoes
Thursday – Family preparedness
Friday – Flash floods

The annual statewide tornado drill will take place on Wed., March 23, beginning at 10 a.m. In the event of severe weather, the drill will be postponed to March 24 at 10 a.m.

Additional information about the tornado drill can be found on local NWS-DM website. For more information on severe weather preparedness, visit www.beready.iowa.gov.

To find a link to sign up for local emergency alerts on the Cass County homepage, visit https://www.casscountyia.gov or https://homelandsecurity.iowa.gov/alert-iowa

Follow HSEMD, IEMA, and NWS on social media using the hashtag #IAwx and #ReadyIowa.

(Anita, Iowa) – The driver of a semi tractor-trailer suffered minor lacerations to his arm this (Friday) afternoon, during a rollover accident on Interstate 80, in Cass County. The accident happened on I-80 westbound at mile marker 64 (near the Anita exit). The semi was pulling trailers registered to UPS. Anita Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene, but the driver refused transport to the hospital.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Cass County EMA Coordinator Mike Kennon were also on the scene.

Photos courtesy Cass County EMC Mike Kennon