(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Secondary Roads Department is encouraging residents to be prepared, and avoid travel during the forecast storm, and for 48 hours to follow. Shelby County Engineer Brandon Burmeister says plows will be unable to maintain clear roadways during rapid snow accumulation or high winds. For your safety and ours, Shelby County advises against travel in blizzard conditions.

“Our operations will be most effective as the accumulation and winds subside and visibility is restored. Snow removal operations may take up to 48 hours after the storm subsides. Please consider the timing of the storm and our ability to respond; Christmas travel will likely be difficult in the rural areas.”

(Elk Horn, Iowa) – The Exira-EHK School District’s Board of Education met Monday and approved four action items on their agenda. Superintendent Trevor Miller said one of them was a Resolution approving a Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS)

The RPS allows the District to have access to SAVE and PPEL funds. It must be updated by 2029.

The measure will be on a ballot in March. Additional information is forthcoming to stakeholders, community members, to explain how the funds will be used. The Exira-EHK Board also discussed a facilities planning proposal in cooperation with Boyd Jones design and construction services.

The Board approved a renewed Human Resources Sharing Agreement with IKM-Manning, and the 2022-23 Early Notification Incentive Plan.

And, the Board approved a request to the SBRC (School Budget Review Committee) for At-Risk Dropout Prevention, in the amount of $159,127, which helps to pay for guidance counselor nurses, multi-tier systems of support for At-Risk students, and more. The request is made each year, in a varying amount, depending on enrollment.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Rising and volunteers could be seen out delivering food boxes on Thursday, December 15th in the evening. The organization began collecting donations and nominations in early November and completed another successful program. Atlantic Rising Social Chair, Kelsey Beschorner said “We anticipated to see a continued increase in nominations due to the sustained challenges of COVID-19. We were over-joyed to see the constant support of our community in both donations and volunteers.”

This year, Atlantic Rising was able to provide a holiday meal to over 180 individuals and families all throughout Cass County. The donations received from the community totaled over $6,200, which allowed each box to contain more items and each nomination to be fulfilled. Atlantic Rising teamed up with the Washington G.E.M, a local 4-H group, who helped assemble, pack, and load the vehicles with the Christmas boxes which made the process run smoothly.

Photo & info. courtesy Kelsey Beschorner

“Atlantic Rising is proud to carry on and continue to grow this tradition of the Christmas Box program. We are so thankful for our volunteers and the ability to partner with Hy-Vee who makes this big project a huge success,” Beschorner added.

If you are interested in joining Atlantic Rising and finding out what they are involved in throughout the year, you can contact Kelsey at 712-243-3017 or kelsey@atlanticiowa.com. The membership application can also be found at www.atlanticiowa.com.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau reports a Washington, Iowa man, 46-year-old Thomas Stephanie, received a deferred judgment on December 19, 2022 and was placed on probation for five years following a guilty plea on October 26, 2022, to one count of Presenting False Information, a class “D” Felony, following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. Stephanie was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $3,181.60 and a civil penalty in the amount of $1,025.

The charges against Stephanie stem from an investigation which began in June 2022. According to criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, Stephanie provided false statements to an insurer in connection with a workers’ compensation insurance claim. Stephanie received insurance benefits due to these false statements. Stephanie was arrested on August 10, 2022.

Thomas Stephanie. Photo courtesy of the Jefferson County Jail.

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

DES MOINES, IA – A Judge has sentenced a man from Des Moines to serve 20-years in prison, on drug and weapon charges. The sentence was handed down Monday, against 34-year-old Michael Joseph Wilson, for his role in crimes that include: conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and MDMA; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; attempt to possess contraband in prison; and violation of supervised release.

In May 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Wilson’s Des Moines residence. Officers found methamphetamine, heroin, MDMA, and a loaded revolver. At the time, Wilson was on federal supervised release for an Indiana firearm conviction. While in the Polk County Jail awaiting sentencing, Wilson worked with others in an attempt to get contraband, specifically K2, into the jail by imitating legal mail.

At sentencing, the Court sentenced Wilson to: 120 months for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, 60 months (5-years) for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, 12 months for attempting to possess contraband in prison, and 48 months (2-years) for violating his supervised release. Each sentence must be served consecutively, for a total of term of 240 months in prison.

The investigation was conducted by the Des Moines Police Department, United States Marshals Service, and Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – With a winter storm moving into the state, officials at the Des Moines International Airport are advising travelers to keep a close watch on flight delays and cancellations. Airport spokeswoman Kayla Kovarna says ground crews will be taking time to prevent ice buildup on planes and that’s what often causes delays.  “Aircraft have to be pushed back to a special area on the ramp so that we can collect that chemical,” Kovarna says. “So they get pushed back, then the aircraft is de-iced, and then it has to be cleared by air traffic control to take off.”

Kovarna says the quickest way to get news of delays and cancellations is through a specific airline’s mobile app. The airport expects to see an uptick in passengers this holiday season with up to 70-thousand people departing from Des Moines over the last two weeks of December.

LED Display – Airport flight status board

Kovarna says travelers can expect to wait longer getting on and off their flights as ground crews clear ice from the planes. “Ground crews, they are responsible for both that de-icing and de-planing,” she says, “so, give them some grace, pack that ‘Iowa nice’ and just be patient because it might take you a little bit longer to get to the gate and de-planed.”

Kovarna says airport staff are in charge of clearing snow from runways, but it’s the airlines that make the call to delay or cancel flights. She says the Des Moines airport has never closed completely for weather since the Airport Authority took over management in 2011.

(reporting by Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Atlantic Municipal Utilities are offering some tips on helping your home fight the extreme frigid temperatures and wind chills over the next few days. They say that our homes’ heating systems are NOT designed for -20 to -30-degree temperatures with wind chills into -40 and up to -50+. Newer homes will struggle to maintain temperature and older homes will NOT maintain temperature and the temperature WILL drop while the heating system is working at full capacity. They suggest the following:

1. Raise the temperature in your home on Wednesday morning, 2 to 4 degrees above your normal setting.

2. Take all programmable thermostats out of setback mode and set on a permanent HOLD.

3. If you have a furnace; replace the filter.

4. Keep garage doors closed.

5. Limit opening exterior doors.

6. Make sure air vents and radiators are not blocked or obstructed.

7. If you have a 90%+ furnace and boiler: You must keep the intake and exhaust clear of ice and snow. During these cold temperatures, ice can build up. A 90%+ furnace and boiler have 2 white PVC pipes; an exhaust pipe and an intake pipe that are generally on the side or back of your home. In some instances, they are on your roof, do NOT go on your roof to clear the pipe.

• If the temperature in your home is dropping and your radiators are HOT with boiler systems or you have HOT air coming out of your vents with furnaces DO NOT PANIC. Please make sure that your heating system continues to operate.
• If the temperatures drop in your home, it will not be able to recover until temperatures rise and the windchill diminishes. Our heating systems cannot overcome temperatures -20 to -30 with wind chill up to -50+. They are sized to operate at 0 degrees outdoor. Put your thermostat on hold 70 degrees or higher.
• To help minimize temperature loss you can boil water, make soup, or stews; they help introduce humidity and warmer temperatures into your home.

DO NOT USE YOUR OVEN or a GRILL TO HEAT YOUR HOME.

• Please check on neighbors and elderly residents during these extreme temperatures. Stay warm and safe this week.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Audubon Community School District Superintendent Eric Trager reported to the School Board, Monday, an update on the District’s Building Project. Mr. Trager said the news there was “pretty much all positive.”

He said they still have the whole downstairs area to work on, however, so there might be some surprises in-store…but hopefully not.

In other business, the Audubon School Board approved a request to SBRC for MSA-Dropout Prevention. And, they discussed their Board goals.

The Audubon School District will be on Winter Break from Dec. 22nd through Jan. 2, 2023.