The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday) released a report on recent accidents. On Saturday (Oct. 1st), deputies responded to a report of a two-vehicle accident on 590th Street. Officials say a 2002 Honda CRV owned and driven by 58-year old Rebecca Lynn Klein,  of Belton, MO, was southbound on Highway 173, when her vehicle was struck in the rear by a 2011 Honda owned and driven by 55-year old Laura A. Richardson, of Raymore, MO. A total of four people  were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Damage from the accident amounted to $7,500. No citations were issued.
On Thursday (Sept. 29th), Cass County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a single-vehicle accident on Buck Creek Road. Authorities say a 2008 Dodge Durango owned and driven by 38-year old Tawnya Juanita Brooks,  of Atlantic,  was traveling south on Buck Creek Road when Brooks lost control of the SUV, which entered the west ditch and hit a culvert. The woman refused transport to the hospital. She was subsequently cited for Failure to Maintain Control. The damage to her vehicle was estimated at $4,000.

On September 24th, a two-vehicle accident was reported to have occured on 750th Street, about  one-half mile north of Glendale Road. Sheriff’s officials say a 2011 Ford F-150 Super Cab driven by 26-year old Alexis Arturo Hernandez, of Crane, TX, was northbound on 750th Street when it crossed the center line and collided with a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup, owned and driven by 44-year old Jeffrey Allen Baker, of Earlham. No serious injuries were reported.  Damage from the crash amounted to $3,500. The sheriff’s department says Hernandez was cited for Driving on the Wrong Side of Two-Way Highway.

And, on September 23rd, a single-vehicle accident occured on 690th Street in Cass County, about one-quarter of a mile north of Cumberland. Officials say a 2007 Hyundai Tiburon driven by 16-year old Cole Daniel Johnson, of Cumberland, was traveling south on 690th Street, when the car left the road and entered the east ditch before hitting a tree. An unidentified passenger in the car was injured, and transported to the Cass County Hospital by Cumberland Rescue. Damage to the car was estimated at $15,000.

Concerned citizens want to remind residents of Kimballton and Elk Horn about a meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) night in Kimballton, regarding the possible closure of the Kimballton Post Office. The meeting takes place from 7-until 9-p.m at the Kimballton Town Hall.

The residents of Kimballton recently received letters explaining the possible closure. The letter included a questionnaire residents can fill out, along with information about the declining workload and revenue the Kimballton office has experienced. Post Office officials will be at Tuesday’s meeting to answer any questions citizens may have.

If a decision is made by USPS to close the Kimballton location, residents may opt to request their mail be delivered to the Elk Horn post office. A form is also available at the Kimballton Post Office to request rural delivery service. Postal Service officials say while the Kimballton Office is being studied, it does not necessarily mean the office will end up being closed.

Other southwest Iowa post offices being studied for possible closure include Brayton, Cumberland, and Lewis. A meeting about the possible closure of the Cumberland post office was held last Thursday evening.

A traffic stop on Interstate 80 Sunday night in Cass County resulted in the arrest of four persons on drug charges. According to Sheriff’s officials, a deputy stopped a vehicle about a mile east of the Marne exit on westbound I-80, at around 11-p.m., Sunday. Taken into custody on a charge of 1^st offense OWI, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia charges, was 18-year old Martin Wayne Looney the third, of Des Moines. 19-year old Chad Robert Fogarty of West Des Moines, and 18-year old Martinae Diane Looney, of Des Moines, were charged with Possession of Marijuana, and, 19-year old Corey Jamison Leonard, of West Des Moines was charged with Possession of Marijuana as well as Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. 

Each of the individuals were transported to the Cass County Jail and held, pending an appearance before the magistrate.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad is calling for sweeping changes in the way teachers are paid and tougher standards for measuring student performance. At a news conference Monday, Branstad said he would link teacher pay with performance in the classroom. He says he would create a system where instructors would be classified from apprentice teachers to master teachers. Under Branstad’s plan, students would have to pass proficiency tests to advance beyond the third grade, and would have to demonstrate competency before graduating from high school. The governor conceded the plan would cost more than the $3.45 billion the state currently spends on schools, but he says a final price tag hasn’t been set. Branstad says he plans to travel the state to rally support for his proposal.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – South Carolina Republicans will hold their first-in-the-South presidential primary on Jan. 21 to trump Florida’s rule-breaking jump ahead in the party’s calendar. State GOP Chairman Chad Connelly made the announcement Monday. It caps days of speculation about how the state party would respond to Florida’s decision to hold its primary on Jan. 31. South Carolina has been poised to hold its primary in late February. Florida’s early date breaks Republican National Committee rules and would cause the state to lose half its delegates to next summer’s national convention. South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada and Iowa have been conferring on how to deal with Florida’s move. South Carolina’s move will likely make the 2012 primary calendar look a lot like 2008, with Iowa’s caucuses just days into the year.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court won’t stop Iowa from forcing KFC Corp. to pay nearly $250,000 in corporate income taxes, even though it had no restaurants or employees in the state. The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from the fried-chicken giant, which a decision by that state’s Supreme Court overturned. All KFC restaurants in Iowa are independent franchises, whose owners pay KFC for the use of its logo and systems. But the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance assessed the company more than $248,000 in unpaid corporate income taxes, including interest and penalties, in 2001. The taxes were for 1997 to 1999. KFC says it doesn’t owe Iowa taxes because it doesn’t have property in the state. But Iowa judges have not agreed with that argument.