(Red Oak, Iowa) –  The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County are expected to act on approving a Resolution approving the Final Plat of the Stanton Technology Park Subdivision, in Montgomery County, Iowa. The Resolution is one of five items under New Business on the Board agenda for their regular weekly meeting. The meeting takes place in the Supervisor’s Board Room at the Courthouse in Red Oak, beginning at 8:30-a.m., Tuesday.

The Stanton Area Industrial Foundation owns the property located on the north side of the community, near the intersection of Highway 34 and Halland Avenue. The Stanton Child Resource Center would be the first business located at the Technology Park. The Technology Park will be served with full fiber optic service through FMTC to accommodate businesses heavily reliant on technology and connectivity. Bids will be going out this spring, with construction scheduled to begin this summer. Officials say the project has a timeline of three-to-five years.

In other business, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will discuss and/or act on:

• Claims payable for Wednesday March 8, 2023
• Approve to vote in favor of IPEP merger with IGHCP Wellmark BC/BS
• Recorders Report of Fees in the amount of $12,112.21 for the month of February
• Sheriff’s Report of Fees in the amount of $9,928.86 for the month of February.
• Budget Discussion.

(Area) – A handful of school districts in the area are holding special elections, Tuesday. The Polls will be open from 7-a.m. until 8-p.m.  Locally, patrons in the Exira-EHK School District Special Election are being asked to renew a Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS) [Public Measure A], and a 10-year Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) [Public Measure B],  both of which are already in place. District officials say neither measure will result in a property tax increase. The polling places include the Exira Event Center for eligible voters in Audubon, Casss and Guthrie Counties, and the Elk Horn Town Hall for eligible voters in Shelby County.

Patrons in the IKM-Manning School District are being asked to vote on the use of $7.9-million in school infrastructure sales service and use tax revenue bonds towards a series of construction and renovation projects at the Manning campus. The 20-year revenue bond would allow the district to borrow up to 78% of SAVE money.

Southwest Valley School District patrons will vote Tuesday on a $19.2 million bond referendum. Schools Superintendent Chris Fenster says if approved, the bond will be used to fund new learning classrooms for the district’s elementary students, and remodel other areas of the elementary to house the Early Childhood Education Center.  Additionally, the plan consists of upgrading the baseball and softball fields, and replacing the wooden playground equipment with an ADA-compliant facility. All voting will take place at the Corning Community Center for those eligible of the Corning Community School District who reside in Adams and Taylor County.

If you have any questions about where to vote, Tuesday, please contact your County Auditor’s Office or visit their website.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds, Friday, announced a list of persons she has appointed to various State Boards and Commissions. The appointments are subject to Senate confirmation. In the KJAN listening area, the following individuals were appointed:

Board of Mortuary Science: Martin Rieken – Pottawattamie County

Commission of Veterans Affairs: Darlene McMartin – Pott. County

County Finance Committee: Melvyn Houser – Pott. County

Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council: Timothy Carmody – Pott. County

(Radio Iowa) – Today (Monday) is Jeremy Parsons’ first day as the Iowa State Fair’s C-E-O and general manager. Parsons says most of the plans for the 2023 Iowa State Fair in August have been made well in advance.  “The best thing I can do is go to the Iowa State Fair as their new CEO and really watch and learn from their very talented staff and look to see what I can do to help and support them,” he says.

Parsons worked as a seasonal employee at the Iowa State Fair when he was 17. A former English teacher and coach, Parsons was in charge of fundraising for the Missouri State Fair when he was hired in 2011 to be C-E-O of the Clay County Fair in Spencer. He was in Spencer last week for the announcement of his successor at the Clay County Fair.

“The Clay County Fair is such a special place and it’s hard to leave here,” Parsons says, “but I’m just excited about the opportunity to move on to the Iowa State Fair.” In a news release announcing his new position, Parsons has called the Iowa State Fair one of Iowa’s most beloved institutions. Parsons, who is 45, is replacing Gary Slater, who retired after serving two decades as C-E-O of the Iowa State Fair.

(Radio Iowa) – Nurses are in short supply and high demand in Iowa, and a new study from the University of Iowa looks at ways nurses can overcome some of the things that cause them stress. Study co-author Amy Colbert, a U-I professor of management and entrepreneurship, says nurses are under mounting pressure from patients and others who treat them poorly, especially since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Colbert says difficult interactions with patients or patients’ families sometimes made them feel as though they weren’t good at their job. Through the study, Colbert surveyed hundreds of nurses and asked how they managed to cope with uncivil behavior from patients — coincidentally, the ones who benefit from the nurses’ work. Those who were able to focus on the ultimate purpose of their work could more positively reframe the interactions.

Colbert says some nurses were able to boost their own confidence after bad experiences, while others encountered greater success at rebounding when they turned to other nurses.

(Radio Iowa) – A large crowd gathered at the Iowa Capitol Sunday afternoon for what organizers called a “rally to resist” bills in the legislature on L-G-T-B-Q issues. Organizers like Keenan Crow of One Iowa urged rally-goers to call, email and visit with their legislators and tell them to vote no. Several students addressed the crowd. Bekah Schurz, a junior at Carlisle high school, said the bills Republicans are advancing send a message that trans and queer Iowans do not belong here.

Republican lawmakers say they’re responding to parents’ concerns by proposing a ban on elementary classroom discussions about sexual orientation and requiring students use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificate. Bills that would ban puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgery for minors are also eligible for debate in the Iowa House and Senate.