Fresh Artisan cheese, wines, lavender, and fine handcrafted creations are much closer than the hills of France! Just a short drive away, nestled against the rare and beautiful Loess Hills, nine unique destinations welcome your curiosity Saturday, June 18th. The Living Loess Family Tour is an affordable, memorable family outing on less than a tank of gas.

The Loess Hills along the western border of Iowa are comprised of silt deposited over 15,000 years ago when glaciers receded. Similar to the Yellow Hills in China, our Loess Hills cradle fossils, diverse plant life, extraordinary birds and butterflies, and a surprising array of craftsmen for you to experience.

The Living Loess Family Tour on Saturday, June 18th, runs from 9am to 3pm, and features special programs and discounts at nine unique destinations, all conveniently located along a 20 mile corridor:

Sawmill Hollow Family Farm, Aronia berry plants and products, premium wines on a 150 acre farm; Loess Hills Lavender Farm, where the mystical herb lavender is raised, lotions and bath products, too; Harrison County Historical Village and Welcome Center, reminiscent village, Lincoln Highway, trails; Hitchcock Nature Center, bird watching tower, nature preserve, hiking trails, educational programs; Loess Hills Woodworks, impressive handcrafted custom furniture from local hardwoods; Harvest Studio, one-of-a-kind botanical art and hands-on projects; Gallaher Designs, Silversmith demonstration and amazing wearable art; Honey Creek Creamery, historic Goat farm and fresh Artisan cheeses; Garden Grove Eatery, an 1896 Victorian farmhouse offers a gourmet menu and locally grown items.

Just outside Missouri Valley and Crescent, Iowa, each destination can be reached East of Interstate 29 on the Loess Hills Trail, the Old Lincoln Highway, or are just off the road nearby.

The Living Loess Family Tour will be available for you to enjoy each third Saturday of the month from June through October-June 18, July 16, August 20, September 17, and October 15. Be sure to pick up a “passport” from any of the destinations, visit all 9 Living Loess attractions and have your passport stamped, and enter a drawing for an end-of-season prize.

Valued at $500, the prize features desirable handmade items from the Living Loess group. For a map, occasional fees, a list of participating locations and addresses, and vivid descriptions of all you’ll enjoy, please log onto www.livingloess.com or call 712-642-2114.

(Press Release/Council Bluffs CVB)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) approved a proposed preliminary plat for a new subdivision, located about 2.5-miles south of Atlantic near the old Walnut Grove Research Farm. Zoning Administrator Rich Hansen said plans for the Walnut Grove Subdivision off of Highway Six, started last October. He said the septic systems have already been approved, the utilities are accessible and hard surface roads are nearby for those who want to construct homes on at least three of four available lots. Plans for the fourth lot, which is a little over 11-acres are still being discussed.

Hansen said there were also some issues with regard to easements for some water lines, but the zoning board approved the preliminary plat, and recommended the Supervisors follow suit. Hopefully, he says, that issue will be resolved by the time the final plat is presented to the zoning board.

Hansen says the land itself won’t be rezoned. It’s classified as agricultural, and the prospective property owners were made aware of that.  The subdivision is bordered on the north by Lansing Road, on the east-southeast side by Highway Six, on the west/southwest by the Jerry and Linda Petersen, and Billy and Leanne Pellett properties, and the Pellet property on the south.

In other business, the Cass County Board of Supervisors approved expense appropriations for Fiscal Year 2012, certified the base salaries of deputies serving county offices, a two-percent across the board compensation increase for non-union or other such county employees, and a 28-E agreement with Adair County for the services of Cass County Engineer Charles Marker. The 28-E agreement stipulates Marker will get a two-percent increase in pay, the cost of which will be shared by the two-counties.

About one-third of the City of Atlantic and a large part of a rural area served by an Atlantic Municipal Utilities substation were without power for a few minutes Tuesday evening, thanks to a previously unknown problem.

Greg Smith, AMU’s Director of Electric Operations said they were putting in a new control system at around 4:45-p.m., and when they went to test the system and operate a breaker remotely, they quickly discovered a problem with some of the older wiring. Smith says result was a signal being sent to a wrong breaker, which opened-up and caused the Chestnut Street substation to briefly go off-line. He says it‘s a good thing they found the problem because the wiring was incorrect.

He says once the signal was sent and the breakers were tripped, they were able to clear the alarms and restore electrical service.  Smith says they are working to correct the problem so it doesn’t occur again.