Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken reports, effective Monday, May 24, 2021, Olive Street (N16) will be closed to thru traffic for the replacement of a bridge one mile south of I-80, between Boston Rd. and Chicago Rd. A signed detour will be provided using I-80, Hwy 6, and Hwy 71.

A.M. Cohron & Son, Inc. of Atlantic, IA is the prime contractor for this project. The project involves replacing the existing 56 ft. long x 24 ft. wide bridge with a 110 ft. long x 30 ft. wide bridge. The construction contract is for $664,562.32 and is funded by federal swap funds.

The contract contains 85 working days to complete the project. It is estimated that the project will be closed until early September.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports six arrests. On May 14th, 44-year-old Nina Bruns, of Audubon, was arrested  for Possession of Controlled Substance- 3rd offense and possession of drug paraphernalia. She was released on her own recognizance on the charges and was held on an out of state no bond warrant until she was extradited to Nebraska.

There were two arrests in Audubon County on May 13th: 32-year-old Mark Holland, of Audubon, was arrested on an outstanding Violation of Probation warrant. He later posted bond and was released; and, 24-year-old Andrew Malloy, of Audubon, was arrested for Driving While Barred. He was released on his own recognizance and will appear before the magistrate at a later date.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Audubon County arrested 31-year-old Matthew Petersen, of Audubon, on May 8th for Driving While Intoxicated-2nd offense. He was released on his own recognizance and appeared before the magistrate on a later date. The charge stems from a traffic stop in the area of Littlefield Drive and Ibis Avenue.

On May 4th, Deputies arrested 46-year-old Abby DeJong, of Manning, on an outstanding warrant for Operating While Intoxicated-1st offense. She appeared before the magistrate and was released on her own recognizance. And, on April 27th, 19-year-old Ethan McMichael, of Panora, was arrested in Audubon County on an outstanding warrant for Violation of Probation, original charge Theft 2nd and Theft 3rd. He posted bond, was released and will make a court appearance at a later date.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 3 recent arrests.

On Monday, May 17th at 11:00 a.m. Deputies arrested 37-year-old Travis Mitchell Long of Council Bluffs on a warrant for Failure to Appear. He was arrested in Pottawattamie County and held on $30,000 bond.

Also on Monday, May 17th at 11:07 a.m. Deputies arrested 24-year-old Blake Michael Cole of Villisca on a warrant for Violation of Probation. Cole was arrested in Pottawattamie County and held on $25,000 bond.

On Tuesday, May 18th at 9:33 a.m. Deputies arrested 36-year-old Hector Antonio Melendez Robles of Bellevue, NE on a warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of OWI 1st. Robles was arrested in Glenwood, taken to the Mills County Jail and held on $15,000 bond.

Atlantic, IA— Effective officially on July 1, 2021, Cass County Health System will be known as Cass Health.

“As an independent hospital, we can be nimble and sensitive to the needs of the patients, families, and communities we serve. Over the past four years, we have recruited more than 30 new providers to the community, and we have been modernizing, updating, and renovating several areas inside and outside the walls of the hospital. During this renovation process, we along with our board, decided it was the right time to update our name,” said Cass Health CEO Brett Altman.

“Healthcare certainly doesn’t look the same as it did when we opened in 1968, and neither does the area we serve. Today, about 33% of our patients travel to Cass Health from outside of the county.  As we have gotten more regional, we are no longer just a county health system. We have added primary care providers, specialists, and surgeons, and we are seeing our patients come from a much broader region, where similar services aren’t readily available. Our mission is to provide a superior healthcare experience, and that does not stop at the county line.  We want to be inclusive and make everyone feel welcome here,” said Altman.

In recent years, Cass Health has added several providers who have increased the service area for the organization. When Montgomery County Memorial Hospital ceased its labor and delivery services, Cass Health partnered with them and Dr. Marcela Pineda, OB/GYN. While her patients continue to see her in the clinics outside of Cass County, they travel to Cass Health when they are ready to deliver their babies. Additionally, Internal Medicine physician Dr. Bethel Kopp joined Cass Health, also extending its reach, as she had practiced in the southern Iowa communities of Corning, Lennox, and Bedford for over 30 years, including patients from northern Missouri.  Now those same patients are accessing her through Cass Health’s rural clinics in Anita and Massena.  Doctors Weresh and Rinehart are routinely bringing in patients from the Des Moines metro. Most recently, Cass Health recruited Dr. Kim Hendricks, who is the only rheumatologist in southwest and west central Iowa and draws patients from a 70-mile radius.

“Patients are seeking out these physicians because they are highly respected, and time after time, these patients are impressed by their experience with our entire team,” said Altman.

Cass Health Chief Financial Officer Abbey Stangl stated, “The current construction and rebranding project is a refresh for our organization. We will have an entirely new clinic, new and improved parking lots, a coffee shop and new gift shop, a new helipad, and several other major improvements. There is no better time to show our employees, our physicians, our patients, and our community that we are investing in our future, and that we are here to stay as an independent rural hospital. Our investments here are not about us – it’s about investing in our community. That is part of the reason why we are also committed to paying for these improvements with cash; we will not go into debt or need to raise our tax levy to achieve these improvements. In fact, we’ve continued to lower our tax levy each year over the past several years.”

The Cass County Board of Supervisors had a short meeting on Tuesday morning at the Cass County Courthouse.

Veterans Affairs Director Mitch Holmes shared that current Veterans Commission member Dean Harrison will not be continuing his service on the commission at the end of his term which ends on June 30th. He said he will begin advertising for the opening and the Board will eventually have to appoint a new member.

Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken provided an update on equipment and projects. The big news of his discussion was that work will begin on Bridge 433 on Olive Street, 1 mile south of the interstate next week. The bridge will be closed on Monday, May 24th to begin work. The detour will be Highway 71 to 83/6 for traffic in and out of Atlantic. He said the closure is set to be in place until the week after Labor Day but could possibly be done sooner.

The Board also discussed the opening for a County Assessor following the departure of Brenda Nelson. Board Chair Steve Baier said the search process has started.

He said the Examining Board will have a list of qualifications to guide them through candidates and they will make recommendations on a candidate or candidates. County Auditor Dale Sunderman explained the ultimate approval comes down to a vote of a few entities.

Chair Baier said there is a limited pool of candidates and a number of counties have dealt with some lengthy vacancies at the position. They will see what kind of response they get within the next week.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors is set to meet on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. in the courtroom at the Adair County Courthouse.

The board will here from Catherine Olesen in regard to the Greenfield Historic Public Square design guidelines.

They will also hear a report from Conservation Director Dominic Johnson on activities and updates. He will also introduce an AmeriCorps Naturalist.

Last on the agenda is a report from County Engineer Nick Kauffman. He will report on maintenance and activities, as well as provide signing papers for a right of way contract for W10 Orient RCB projects and a final voucher for N11 Jefferson bridge replacement project.

Public in-person attendance will be allowed but will be limited to 21 people to allow for distancing. A phone option will also be utilized at (605) 313-6157 with Access Code: 526272#

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says one segment of President Biden’s proposed two-point-three trillion dollar infrastructure plan will be discussed in a Senate Finance Committee hearing today (Tuesday). The Senate’s official calendar lists the hearing name as, Funding and Financing Options to Bolster American Infrastructure.

Grassley, a Republican, says he still hasn’t made up his mind on whether or not he’ll support the massive measure going forward.

The Biden package goes beyond traditional infrastructure items like roads and bridges, as it also aims to address issues ranging from elder care to climate change. Grassley says he wants to focus on getting high-speed internet service to America’s under-served areas, which includes wide expanses of the Iowa countryside.

The Biden administration is proposing paying for the enormous proposal by raising corporate taxes, an idea Republicans are resisting.

Iowa is on track to have its quietest severe weather season in history. Senior meteorologist Brad Small, at the National Weather Service in Johnston, says their office covers 51 counties across western and central Iowa and practically the only time the warning sirens have wailed this year has been during the monthly tests.

All three warnings issued were for severe thunderstorms. By comparison, the busiest year for severe weather was 2001, a year in which there had already been more than 200 warnings by this date. Small says the last time a tornado warning was issued by his office was in July of last year. Eastern Iowa has seen two relatively small tornadoes this year so far, but ordinarily there would’ve already been at least a dozen statewide. Iowa saw a total of 28 tornadoes touch down last year, which is well below the average number of around 50. As for this year, Small says conditions simply haven’t been conducive for strong storms.

Small assures he’s not tempting fate by calling attention to this being such a quiet season, as virtually nobody is itching for a tornado to spin out of black clouds on the horizon.

The forecast does call for the possibility of warmer weather and thunderstorms later this week, but Small says overall, the chances for severe weather threats remain low.

The evacuation order was lifted for portions of Sibley last (Monday) night and residents who’d been out of their homes since Sunday afternoon’s train derailment were allowed to return. Sibley businesses may resume normal operations today (Tuesday). Kristen South, a spokesperson for the Union Pacific Railroad, says cars that derailed were carrying hydrochloric acid, asphalt and potassium hydroxide — but fears about a more combustible chemical were allayed.

“There was a car involved in the derailment – it was empty. It had been carrying liquid ammonium nitrate, but again, it was empty,” she says. “There was likely some residue in the car, but it was not full.” Ammonium nitrate is used in fertilizers. No crew members were hurt in the derailment. Staff from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources have joined federal officials at the derailment site to assess the environmental impact of the wreck and develop a cleanup plan.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has released details on arrests dating back to May 3rd.

On May 16th Deputies arrested 38-year-old Cecil Leo Foster of Shelby following a search warrant that was executed at the residence along Western Ave in Shelby following a call for service.  Upon further investigation Foster was charged with distribution of a controlled substance, failure to affix drug tax stamp, 2 counts of felon in possession of a firearm and prohibited acts. Foster was transported to the jail where he was held under bond pending magistrate appearance.  Foster was released later that morning after posting the required $10,000 cash surety bond.

On May 14th 40-year-old Anthony Thomas Germann of Shelby was taken into custody for having a valid arrest warrant out of Story County.  Germann, who had no local charges was taken to the Shelby County Jail and held pending release the following day to Story County Sheriff’s Officials.

On May 9th 47-year-old Kristy Ann Walker and 55-year-old Todd Michael Walker, both of Hancock were arrested after a traffic stop along 10th and Durant St in Harlan.  Upon further investigation it was determined that both parties had a protection order against each other, therefore were taken into custody without incident and held in jail without bond pending initial appearance. The following day, both parties were released on their own recognizance with promise to appear and given a future court date.

On May 6th 27-year-old Justine Danielle Jones of Walnut was taken into custody from an incident that took place on 4-29-21 in Elk Horn along College street. Upon further investigation, it was determined that Jones unlawfully went to a property and assaulted someone. A charge of assault with injury was filed, and Jones turned herself in and released a short time later after posting the $5000 cash surety bond and given a future court appearance date.

On May 5th 27-year-old Stormy Shaye Cole Trucke of Harlan was taken into custody for an outstanding warrant for assault with bodily injury. During the arrest, Trucke also received charges of interference with official acts. Trucke was transported to the jail and held under bond until he was able to post the required cash bond on 5-7-21 and given a future court appearance date.

Also on May 5th 37-year-old Brett Edward Howard was taken into custody from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for and outstanding warrant for violation of no contact order charge, and pending violation of probation.   Howard, taken into custody originally by Douglas County authorities, waived extradition to come back to the State of Iowa to answer said charges. Howard was held without bond until initial appearance and then he was able to post the required $1000 cash bond and given a future court date.

On May 4th 18-year-old Joseph Dean Durand and 20-year-old Michael Lee Durand of Shelby were taken into custody after a call of underage drinking at a location on Des Moines St in Shelby.  Upon further investigation it was determined that both parties were believed to be under the influence, and both charged with minor in possession of alcohol and taken into custody.

On May 3rd 37-year-old Rachelle Lynn Leggio of Omaha was taken into custody following a traffic stop in Shelby. It was determined upon further investigation the Leggio’s driving privileges have been revoked in the State of Iowa. Leggio was transported to the jail where she was released later that evening after posting the $1000 cash surety bond.