(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns says there will now be 3 public measures on the ballot for voters during the Nov. 5th General Election:

Public Measure A:

Shall the Cass County Board of Supervisors, upon recommendation by the Cass County EMS Advisory Council, for the purpose of funding emergency medical services in Cass County, including, but not limited to, ambulance service, personnel, and equipment, be authorized, for a period of 15 years, to 1) levy and impose a local option income surtax of one percent upon the state individual income tax of each individual taxpayer who is a resident of Cass County on December 31 for each calendar year commencing with the calendar year 2025, and 2) levy and impose an ad valorem tax not exceeding seventy-five cents per one thousand dollars of assessed valuation on all taxable property within Cass County commencing with the levy of property taxes for collection in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026?

Public Measure B:

Shall the Board of Directors of the CAM Community School District in the Counties of Adair, Adams, Audubon, and Cass, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $22,500,000 to provide funds to construct, furnish and equip a classroom addition to the High School building; to remodel, repair, improve, furnish and equip exterior and interior portions of the existing High School building, including mechanical, electrical, and fire systems improvements, secure entry improvements, and technology and security improvements; and improve the site?

Public Measure SB:

Shall the Board of Directors of the Iowa Western Community College (Merged Area XIII) in the Counties of Adair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Crawford, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie and Shelby, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $55,000,000 to provide funds to construct, furnish, and equip a new academic building and renovate, remodel, and improve existing buildings within the Merged Area XIII?

A list of all the current candidates that have successfully filed papers for an election position in Cass County as of August 26th can be found here: Candidate Listing

The last day to file nomination papers is this Wednesday (8/28/2024) at 5 p.m.

As a reminder, Absentee Ballot request forms can be turned into the Auditor’s Office starting tomorrow 8/27/2024.  Ballots will be mailed out on Oct 16th.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Officials with the Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA) say they are celebrating another year of record ridership for Fiscal Year 2024. From July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 SWITA provided 552,231 rides. The milestone tops last year’s record mark of 542, 457 total rides, showing the continued importance of public transit in Southwest Iowa.

SWITA helps get riders in the region to work, education, healthcare, and much more. SWITA’s workforce transportation services provided approximately 94,000 rides this fiscal year. Taxi rides are available in Atlantic, Glenwood, Harlan, Missouri Valley, Red Oak, and Shenandoah. That service notched 54,808 rides this year; helping residents complete their day-to-day activities.

Fiscal Year 2024 riders travelled a total of 1,880,799 miles during 116,792 hours of vehicle operation. Obtaining cost-efficiency during that much public transit service can be a major challenge, but SWITA has improved that metric each of the past three years, leading the state among rural agencies.

Photo courtesy SWITA

SWITA officials say they are proud to be part of transit equation for many people in eight area Iowa counties. SWITA’s ride services include that workforce transportation and those taxis along with medical transportation, student transportation, and special/charter trips. SWITA vehicles are equipped with wheelchair accessibility and one personal attendant rides free.
SWITA has earned major honors for its service this year. SWITA was named the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Regional Transit System of the Year and received the FTA Region 7 Rural Transit Systems Award of Excellence.

To find out more about SWITA and the services offered you can browse SWITA.com or call 800-842-8065 or 712-243-2518. Follow us on Facebook for regular updates as well. SWITA services are open to the public.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Montgomery County Extension Office in Red Oak, report Clayton and Jan Castle Renander of Montgomery County were inducted into the 2024 Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the 4-H Exhibits Building at the Iowa State Fair on Sunday, Aug. 18. Ninety-three Iowa counties participated this year and selected 125 inductees for their outstanding service and dedication to 4-H. Inductees or their surviving family members were presented a certificate by the Iowa 4H Foundation President, Jeff Murphy, and State 4-H Program Leader, Mitchell Hoyer, as they were introduced on stage.

To say that Clayton Renander grew up with 4-H is, literally, the truth. His father, the late Carol Renander, began the Grant Spitfires 4-H Club, serving as its first leader. Consequently, 4-H has been a part of Clayton’s life from the beginning. As a member of the Grant Spitfires 4-H Club, Clayton participated in all club activities and has fond memories of 4-H meetings, especially playing outside with friends AFTER the meeting. Clayton’s main 4-H projects were his first love, cattle. While he never showed a grand champion, he loved the experience, from raising and feeding the cattle, to showing them in the ring. After graduating out of the Grant Spitfires, Clayton assumed the role of leader and soon became beef superintendent for the county fair. He held that position for more than 20 years. His children, Karl and Kate, participated in numerous 4-H activities but cattle were always their dad’s highlight. Clayton also served with the Extension Council and lent his expertise to any 4-H question posed to him, sometimes even when no one asked!

Unlike Clayton, Jan did not grow up with 4-H. Her introduction to 4-H and county fair began as an adult. Her first newspaper job was in the small town of New Albany, Mississippi, where she experienced the Union County Fair. In spring of 1985 Jan moved to Iowa as editor of the Red Oak Express. That summer she experienced her first Montgomery County Fair. After her first county fair experience, Jan determined to improve fair pictures. She was the first newspaper person to meet with county fair show superintendents to solicit their help. Working with Lynn Benson, county extension agent at that time, she developed the first picture board – a 10’x8’ wood frame covered in off-white canvas. When Jan and Clayton’s children joined 4-H, Jan learned how fun it is to be a 4-H mom! After Karl and Kate had graduated and Jan had left the newspaper, she continued to offer workshops for 4-H photography, helped mount pictures for judging, and became a 4-H photography judge herself, judging numerous county fairs and at the Iowa State Fair.

Photo courtesy Katie Hart, Montgomery County Extension

Counties select inductees for their exceptional work in contributing to the lives of 4-H members and the overall 4-H program. Many inductees serve as club leaders, youth mentors, fair superintendents or fair board members, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach county council members, county youth council members, fair judges, financial supporters, chaperones or ISU Extension and Outreach staff members. The inductees have demonstrated dedication, encouragement, commitment and guidance to Iowa’s 4-H’ers through the years.

“We are honored to recognize these special individuals, for their advocacy and dedication to the Iowa 4-H program,” shared Iowa 4-H Foundation Executive Director, Emily Saveraid.

“This is a great way to honor the volunteers and staff across the state of Iowa that generously give their time and talents to foster positive partnerships with our 4-H youth,” said Tillie Good, Iowa 4-H staff and volunteer development manager.

The Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame was initiated in 2002 to help commemorate the 100th anniversary of 4-H. A summary of previous honorees was on display at the 2022 Iowa State Fair in the 4-H Exhibits Building. These summaries are also available at the Iowa 4-H Foundation office in the Extension 4-H Youth Building at Iowa State University. Information about previous inductees to the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame also is available on the Iowa 4-H Foundation website, organized by year and by county. Go to www.iowa4hfoundation.org/ and under the heading “What We Do” select “Recognizing Service” then “Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame.”

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday) released information about multiple incidents of vandalism that occurred over the weekend in Treynor, Underwood, Neola and Minden. As the result of an investigation, four juveniles were charged with Criminal Mischief in the 1st Degree – Damage over $10,000, and Reckless Use of a Firearm.

The Sheriff’s Office says during the early morning hours Sunday, August 25th, Deputies were dispatched to the Treynor area for a report of a person’s window being shot out. Later that morning, Deputies were dispatched to Neola for a shots-fired call, with a possible suspect vehicle being a white truck. As Deputies were enroute, they located a Dodge Ram pickup with no headlights on, in the Underwood area.

A traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle, which was occupied by four juveniles, one of whom admitted that they had shot multiple vehicles, but couldn’t remember how many. Inside the vehicle was a shotgun and a CO2 pistol.

Throughout the rest of the day, Deputies took reports of vandalism involving items being damaged by a firearm, from 42 victims throughout the County. (Photo’s courtesy Zach Ploen)

(DES MOINES) – The Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) will host the 2024 HousingIowa Conference Sept. 4th-6th at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The conference is Iowa’s premier housing event, drawing nearly 1,000 housing professionals for discussions on timely housing topics in Iowa and networking with Iowa housing leaders. The event is open to anyone interested in learning more about housing in Iowa. The IFA today (Monday) announced the finalists for three Innovation in Housing Pitch Competitions aimed at addressing housing needs at every level of the housing continuum, challenging leaders to think innovatively about how to implement new approaches to alleviate housing barriers. Finalists will pitch their proposals to industry judges at the HousingIowa Conference.

Finalists:
• Housing Fund for Linn County
• Shelter House, Iowa City
• Jennie Edmundson Foundation, Council Bluffs

The Iowa Innovation in Homelessness Incubator called for forward-thinking proposals from housing and community leaders across Iowa for innovative ways to implement new approaches to alleviate homelessness in our state. The goal is to redefine the landscape of homelessness prevention and response systems and rethink how assistance for persons experiencing homelessness in Iowa is delivered. The winning pitch will receive funding of up to $100,000 to transform their concept into a pilot initiative.

More information about the conference, innovation finalists and registration are available at housingiowaconference.com

(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowa school districts will dismiss classes early today (Monday) because of the extreme heat, as high temperatures are forecast in the upper 90s, with heat indices climbing into triple digits. While we’re less than a month from the first day of fall, meteorologist Cory Martin, at the National Weather Service, says this type of heat is usually associated with the dog days of summer. “Today, during the afternoon hours, we’ll be looking at heat index values peaking between 105 to 110,” Martin says. “Some areas may jump a little over 110, with the highest readings likely to be in eastern Iowa today.”

The entire state is under a heat advisory, while excessive heat warnings are posted for wide sections of eastern and western Iowa. “So it’s really across the whole state, when you’re looking at the different advisories and warnings, those both key in on different thresholds, but really the end result to everyone today is — it’s going to feel hot and humid outside,” Martin says. “It’s important to take your precautions, to limit your time outside, and make sure you’re adequately hydrated, and really just limit your time exposed to the heat.”

Tuesday will only be slightly cooler, with highs in the 80s and 90s statewide, though Martin says we should see a cool-down soon. “As we go through the week, we’re still looking at temperatures gradually tailing off,” Martin says, “with highs back to around 80 degrees across much of the state as we head into the weekend.”

The forecast for Labor Day weekend calls for more seasonal temperatures and dry conditions.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston say five people were arrested on separate charges over the past few days. There were two arrests last Friday (Aug. 23rd):

23-year-old Kristina Gale Marcum, of Creston, was arrested at her residence at around 11-a.m., on an outside agency warrant, and charged with Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon. Marcum later posted a $10,000 bond before being released from the Union County Jail; And, at around 2:25-p.m., Friday, Creston Police arrested 45-year-old Brady Gale Richert, of Creston. He was charged with Interference with Official Acts and Willful Injury/Resulting in Serious Injury. Richert was taken to the Union County Jail and held on a $10,000 bond.

Early Saturday morning, 35-year-old Bradley Anthony St Pierre, of Creston, was arrested for OWI/1st Offense. St Pierre was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on a $1,000 bond. And, Saturday evening, 36-year-old Darrell Curtis Beaman, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County Warrant of Parole Violation. Beaman was being held without bond in the Union County Jail.

Sunday afternoon, Creston Police arrested 22-year-old Christopher Gage Selvy, of Creston, for Assault, and a failure to appear on Union County Warrant for OWI/1st Offense. Selvy’s bond was set at $1,300.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man who was reportedly laying down in the dog food aisle at the Red Oak Dollar General Store, and who refused to get up and leave, was arrested Sunday night. Red Oak Police say 46-year-old Dennis Gerald Tyler was charged with Public Intoxication, following his arrest at around 8:35-p.m.  Tyler was also taken into custody on two active Taylor County warrants for Violation of Probation (Aggravated Misdemeanor), and a Controlled Substance Violation (a Class-B Felony).

Tyler was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. Red Oak Police were assisted in handling the incident, by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies.

(Radio Iowa) – The last holiday of summer is just ahead and tens of thousands of Iowans will hit the road for the Labor Day weekend. AAA-Iowa spokesman Brian Ortner says the record-breaking summer travel season will wrap up with what’s anticipated to be another exceptionally busy holiday for get-away vacations. “The Labor Day weekend is up 9% compared to last year, and the good news is that the cost of travel domestically is down 2%,” Ortner says, “so it’s great for consumers, and great to see people back out on the roads and taking that last summer trip.”

Since most Iowa kids are already back in school, regional road trips tend to be the most popular Labor Day option for families. Because of that, Ortner says other vacationers see this as an opportunity to travel the world, with the expectation of smaller crowds at popular sites. “Domestic airfares are 2% less compared to last year,” Ortner says. “Hotels are up a little bit compared to last year, about 7% but that balances out if you’re renting a car, which is 16% cheaper this Labor Day holiday compared to last year.”

The majority of vacationers over Labor Day will be traveling by motor vehicle, and while electric cars are becoming more common, most cars, trucks and SUVs still run on gasoline. Ortner does -not- expect any major jumps in gas prices in Iowa before the weekend. “Gas prices, thankfully, have remained steady, hovering around that $3.20 cent per gallon average across the state, and even with the popularity of summer road trips, gas demand is down,” Ortner says. “Daily driving habits have changed post-pandemic, tempering price spikes.”

Gas prices vary widely across Iowa. The most expensive fuel is reported in Dubuque at $3.45 a gallon, while Sioux City has the cheapest gas at $2.98.

(Radio Iowa) – The State Hygienic Lab has confirmed the first case of West Nile Virus this year in a man in Harrison County. Iowa State University entomologist Ryan Smith oversees the state’s mosquito surveillance program. “This year has been somewhat interesting in the fact that as we got into May and early June, we didn’t see a whole lot of mosquito activity,” he says, “and then later in June, especially as when we started seeing some of the heavy rainfall and flooding, really, across the state, and with that, I think we saw a big explosion of our mosquito numbers.”

The rains ended the drought and left the water that is key for mosquito breeding. “Mosquitoes take advantage of standing water. Any kind of flowing or moving water doesn’t allow for the juvenile stages of mosquitoes to survive, and so they really do thrive on that flooded or standing water in many of these locations,” Smith says. “And especially those counties that were impacted the most, especially out in western Iowa. I think we’ve seen really high numbers.”

He experienced the mosquito explosion first hand. “We’ve actually responded to some of the flooding that occurred in Sioux County this year, and you know, we saw really high numbers, and it doesn’t surprise me that we would have that kind of carry on, and many of the other affected areas that we kind of been able to trap in,” Smith says. Smith says there’s been an increase in disease carrying mosquitoes as well as those that are simply a nuisance. “Those are ones that will bite us, you know, and they’re going to be annoying, and, you know, that’s why we call them a nuisance,” He says. “Whereas others can actually kind of do the same. They can bite humans, but they can also transmit disease. And those are the ones that you know, at least from my perspective, that we really do worry about.”

The state Health Department recommends you dump out standing water to help cut the number of mosquitoes. Smith says that does work. “These mosquitoes usually don’t travel very far, and so if you can reduce places where they might breed, then more than likely you’re also going to reduce the impact of where you might find adult mosquitoes,” Smith says.

The Health Department also recommends that you wear mosquito repellent when outdoors to prevent mosquito bites. Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk. The Health Department says those infected with West Nile may not experience any signs or symptoms of the virus. Some people experience minor symptoms like fever and mild headache, while others can develop serious symptoms such as a high fever, headache, disorientation, and muscle weakness. There were 17 confirmed cases of West Nile virus in 2023, and one death.