(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports two arrests. On Sunday, 43-year-old Nathan Styles, of Glenwood, was arrested for Eluding, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. He later posted a $2,000 bond and was release. And, on Saturday, Glenwood Police arrested 44-year-old Barbara Riley, of Glenwood, for Driving While Barred. She also later posted a $2,000 bond and was released.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested on separate drug charges over the past few days. Saturday night, 54-year-old Jessica Kay McFarland, of Emerson, was arrested following a traffic stop near Hilman Road and Highway 34 east. McFarland was transported to the Mills County Jail and charged with Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs, Poss. of a Controlled Substance, and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $2,300.

Thursday night, deputies in Mills County arrested 36-year-old Jeffrey Michael Sorenson, of Council Bluffs, for: a Drug Tax Stamp violation; Use of a dangerous weapon in a crime; Carrying a weapon while intoxicated; Poss. of a Controlled Substance, and OWI/1st offense. Sorensen was arrested on Interstate 29 near mile-marker 42. His bond was set at $17,000.

Monday afternoon, 30-year-old Diego Miguel Juaquin, of Omaha, was arrested in Tabor on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear. He was being held in the Mills County Jail without bond.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Guthrie County will hold a Special Session at 9:30-a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 13th, in their Guthrie County Courthouse Board Room. The meeting is being held to canvass the results of the Nov. 5th, 2024 General Election. The canvass will make official, the currently “Unofficial” results of the election.

The unofficial election results indicated, among the contested races, Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Harmann, a Republican, defeated long-time Sheriff Marty Arganbright, a Democrat, by more 1,550 votes.

(Radio Iowa) – A central Iowa girl who had a bout with bullying and bigotry has turned around what happened by writing a book that aims to make a positive difference in the world. Twelve-year-old Saily Bah of Urbandale says her goal for the book, called “Rise Above,” is to do exactly as the title says. “I experienced an act of racism at school and I felt really horrible because it was something that should never happen and that I didn’t even understand at the time,” Bah says. “It just hit me. It was a really bad experience.” To sort out her feelings, Bah wrote a speech about what happened for her class at Radiant Elementary School. The speech was so well received, she decided to create something more lasting — a book — out of those same words.

“I wrote the book because I didn’t want people to feel the same sense of being put down as I did,” Bah says. “It was a way of coping with negative things that should never happen. I want young people to realize that when things happen like this, they need to speak up instead of pushing it aside so that everybody knows not to do these things.” Bah loves to draw and also created all of the illustrations for the book.

Rise Above cover and Saily Bah (center)

“My main thing was actually butterflies and that’s what’s on the cover of the book,” Bah says. “Butterflies to me symbolize overcoming, because they’re just free and fly around and do whatever they want without any concerns, and I want people to feel that way, too.” At just 12, Bah says she’s not sure what she’d like to do for a profession some day. For now, she says she’s happy and “living the dream” as a student and author. All proceeds from the book sales will go to Bah’s college fund and art supplies.

Find the book through her Saily’s Swag Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/800773265011300/

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors will canvass the results of the Nov. 5th General Election, Wednesday morning, at the Adair County Courthouse in Greenfield. During their session that begins at 9-a.m., the Board will also draw lots for the vacant Washington Township Trustee position. Unofficial results show there were 10 Write-in names for the position after the ballots were reviewed.

The Board will also hear about Summer Program results, from Ag Extension representative Kerry Aistrope. And, they will act on authorizing Board Chair Jerry Walker to sign a Services Agreement with Adams County, with regard to assistance for tornado clean-up.

County Engineer Nick Kauffman will present his regular, weekly Secondary Roads Department report to the Board, prior to the meeting’s conclusion.

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM School Board held their regular monthly meeting Monday evening, with one of their topics of discussion being the (Unofficial) results of the Nov. 5^th General Election, as it pertains to the proposed district facilities bond referendum. The Public Measure failed by a vote of 874 No to 697 Yes, or 44-percent. A 60-percent super majority was needed in order for the measure to pass. Superintendent Paul Croghan tells KJAN News, the Board spent some time in their discussion about the facilities and the next steps.

He says they won’t have the funds to do everything on their priority list for district facilities, but they will work on taking care of those priorities as best as possible, and continue to move forward. He was asked why he thought, after all the public meetings they had held emphasizing the need for funds to improve the district’s facilities, why the referendum failed. He said the timing of the referendum in conjunction with the presidential election and other important public measures did bring the voters out, but people are still concerned about the economy.

He said it’s too early say if they will make a third attempt to float a referendum before the voters.

Superintendent Croghan also discussed with the Board the enrollment numbers for 2024.

In other business, the CAM School Board approved an International bus lease agreement with the Hoglund Bus Company.

Planning ahead, he said, helps with the General Fund expenditures. And, the CAM School Board acted on numerous personnel matters, including resignations and contracts.

Mr. Croghan said also, they had a Veteran’s Day Program Monday with a special guest, that students and staff got to hear from.

He said it was a “very humbling experience for our kids.”

(Cedar Falls, Iowa) — A student at the University of Northern Iowa was just featured in People magazine. Gabi Riessen, an elementary education major and member of the marching band, lives with a heart condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, also known as POTS.

The condition can cause her to faint without warning. Winnie, her golden retriever, is on alert for signs a spell is approaching and can alert Gabi to keep her safe.

The story in People Magazine focuses on the bond Gabi and Winnie have built over the years.

Gabi Riessen & her service dog “Winnie.” UNI Facebook photo

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Students in a northeast Iowa school district can sign up for sports teams, but they might not have anyone to compete with next year. That’s because the Decorah Community School District (DCSD) will operate as an independent during the 2025-2026 school year, after the Northeast Iowa Conference dissolves at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.

KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids reports that at a school board meeting Monday night, the resounding feeling was that the process in place has not worked for this district at all.
Iowa law states every district is entitled to belong to an athletic conference. The Iowa Department of Education denied an appeal from DCSD to switch to the Upper Iowa Conference. The state denied that request saying the high school’s enrollment size is more than double the average enrollment of other schools in the conference.

If the district had joined the WaMaC conference, that would have meant teams traveling close to 300 miles round trip for some competitions. District officials said at Monday’s meeting that athletic competition schedules are created 2 to 3 years out, and it’s “preposterous” to start making one on a much shorter timeline.

Officials said school year 2025-2026 had been determined by default, so what they’re doing now is working on a solution for the 2026-2027 school year.

The conference changes do not affect football.

FONDA, Iowa (KTIV) – A Pocahontas County nursing home is being sued by the family of a patient who died there last year. KTIV in Sioux City reports the family of Marvin “Pete” Jacobs has filed that suit against Fonda Specialty Care, its parent company Care Initiatives, two nurses and a medical staffing firm. In the lawsuit, they allege that one of the nurses refused to provide necessary care to Marvin Jacobs on the night of February 18th, 2023, directly leading to Jacobs’ death.

They say the other nurse did not make other arrangements for that necessary care. The family is asking for an unspecified amount of money in compensatory and punitive damages from the defendants and demanding a jury trial.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Drake University will offer two new financial aid options for certain students, with the hopes of expanding educational opportunities for those seeking associate or bachelor’s degrees. The Iowa Capital Dispatch says the university announced Monday in a news release that both the Bulldog Promise and Bright College Pathway scholarships will cover 100% of tuition for Iowa students who meet eligibility requirements.

“We believe that access to opportunity is a fundamental right,” said Marty Martin, Drake University president, in the release. “These programs provide the hardworking, talented students of Iowa access to a world-class education with aid that is equitable to their financial situation.” The Bulldog Promise provides first-year, in-state students with up to four years of full tuition coverage after other aid is factored in, according to the release. To qualify, students must have at least a 3.8 grade-point average at the time of admission, file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid by July 1 before the fall semester, and be Pell Grant eligible.

Drake University announced two programs that will cover 100% of tuition for certain students seeking their degree. (Photo courtesy of Drake University)

The Bright College Pathway scholarship is meant for students pursuing an associate degree through the university’s Bright College. The college offers two-year programs in business, organization and professional studies and integrated arts, sciences and humanities, and students who complete a program will have guaranteed admission to four-year programs at Drake.

Students who are residents of Iowa and are Pell Grant eligible will receive full tuition coverage for up to two years through the scholarship, according to the release. Both scholarships will be available for students starting in Fall 2025.

“A Drake education unlocks a return on investment that ranks in the top 3% nationally, and we want to provide that opportunity to more students, while helping the state of Iowa retain the best and the brightest future leaders,” Martin said in the release.