(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor Kathy Somers has announced members of the Board of Supervisors may attend a special meeting Tuesday morning, at the invitation of the Charles E. Lakin Foundation and the Community Foundation for Western Iowa. A quorum of the Board may be present, but NO deliberations among the Board members, or action, will be taken. The meeting will take place at 10-a.m. at the Bluebird Hill Venue (56741 655th St.), in rural Atlantic.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors hosted a discussion with Erik Johnson, Cass County EMS, on Thursday, September 26th, to learn more about the proposed EMS Tax Levy to enhance emergency medical services. Johnson, who serves as the Program Coordinator for Iowa United First Aid, shared with the Ambassadors that by making EMS an essential service, taxes that are already being collected will be put into a new, separate EMS fund. EMS is not considered an essential service in Iowa, and with an Iowa law, passed 2021, county boards are allowed to ask county voters to voice their opinion on this issue.

The levy proposes an EMS levy that will allow up to 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to be set aside specifically for EMS. The county vote on November 5th must receive at least 60% to pass.

Pictured Left to Right: Krysta Hanson, Kelsey Beschorner, Ruth Sears, Colt Doherty, Jim Kickland, Dr. Keith Leonard, Lana Westphalen, Dolly Bergmann, Brett Altman, Erik Johnson, Tori Gibson, Chris Parks, Scott Bennett, Jeff Christensen, Sue Liston, Gabby Wahlert, BJ Hart

Erik shared that if the EMS levy does not pass this year, funding for additional EMTS, new equipment, supplies and training may not be available in a time of need.

For more information about the proposed EMS levy, follow Cass County IA EMS Essential Services on Facebook or contact your local County Supervisor.

(Radio Iowa) – A judge has ruled in favor of a state senator who was sued over a car he bought his daughter. State Senator Adrian Dickey of Packwood was sued by his daughter, his ex-wife and her husband. They claimed Dickey had placed a lien on the car without his daughter’s knowledge and his daughter needed the insurance money to buy a new car because the Toyota Dickey bought her had been totaled. The judge has ruled there’s no evidence Dickey defrauded or cheated his way into being the lien holder and the nearly 24-thousand dollar insurance payout will go to him. Dickey says the decision clears his name and shows the lawsuit lacked merit.

The judge also ruled on a counter-suit in which Dickey accused his daughter, his ex-wife and her husband of trying to injure his reputation. Dickey sought 120-thousand dollars in damages. The judge awarded him a dollar ($1). Dickey’s ex-wife and her husband told the Ottumwa Courier they would not appeal the decision and are happy to put this case and their interactions with the senator behind them.

Dickey says the court’s decision shows the lengths that some are willing to go to tarnish his reputation.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst says she’s seeing increased support for a bill she introduced last year to reverse the inclusion of family farms and businesses as assets in the new federal student aid application. Ernst said the legislation is picking up steam in the wake of a Government Accountability Office report detailing decreases in completions of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) this year. The FAFSA was released to the public three months later than usual last year. After its launch, students, families and universities experienced technical issues and other problems that led many universities to push back their financial aid timelines by months.

According to the Government Accountability Office report, FAFSA submissions from first-time applicants decreased by 9% this past cycle, as of late August, and the total number of applicants dropped by 3%. About 1.6 million students started but did not complete a FAFSA application this past cycle, according to the report. Data from the National College Attainment Network states that Iowa has seen an almost 10% decrease in FAFSA submissions from last year, as of mid-September. Lower-income students were impacted the most, according to the report. There was an 11% drop from dependent applicants in the $30,001-$48,000 income range and a 6% decrease from independent applicants with $30,000 or less in income.

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, left, spoke with higher education leaders and students March 25, 2024 at Graceland University in Lamoni. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

In a news release addressing the report, Ernst said the Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act has received the endorsement of 24 education and agriculture groups. The bill would once again make family farms and businesses exempt from the assets definition in the FAFSA.

(Des Moines, Iowa/KCCI-TV) — On the top of minds for school district leaders, law enforcement members, parents, students, and more across the country is school safety. This is especially heightened as hundreds of reports of threats have come in nationwide. On Thursday, an Iowa task force met to come up with recommendations to present to state leaders to improve infrastructural safety. The Governor’s School Safety Bureau met Thursday morning. More than a dozen school administrators, law enforcement officers, and more shared their thoughts and ideas of what’s working now and what can continue to be done. The goal is to come up with a recommendation by December 31 to present to state legislators.

Ideas stemmed from improving locks, identifying which school administrators would take on what roles if an emergency occurred, the use of the Safe and Sound reporting system, and more. In addition to utilizing a whiteboard to jot down ideas, the group also looked at some infrastructural moves made by other states’ school safety bureaus.

There are more meetings to come where other recommendations will be discussed before Dec. 31. The next meeting will be focused on what is the best way to spend funds school districts have available, what can can be done to fortify district buildings, along with what are the best practices to provide that school safety.”

(Johnston, Iowa/KCCI-TV) –  The Johnston Middle School was briefly placed on lockdown status on Thursday afternoon after a weapon was reported in a restroom in the building. According to the district, a student reported seeing a weapon in an upstairs restroom around 2:48 p.m., and the school was placed in lockdown. All students and staff were required to stay in their current locations until given the all-clear, which came 20 minutes later when students were dismissed at 3:08 p.m.

The District cancelled all evening activities while an investigation into the incident was being conducted. The Johnston Police Department says that after a “thorough search” of the school building, no weapon was found. A student was taken into custody.