The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Monday, held their annual organizational meeting, and elected new officers. Steve Shelley was selected as Board Chair, and Matt Wedemeyer was picked for the Vice-Chairman’s seat.  The Board decided not to change the time of their meetings, which will be held (normally), each Wednesday at 9-a.m., in their Boardroom at the Adair County Courthouse.

Also at Monday’s meeting, Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reported Michael Herbert was hired as the new Jail Administrator and part-time deputy. Pending the routine screening procedure, Herbert will receive a starting salary of $45,000 per year and 10-days of vacation.

One person was injured during a single-vehicle accident Monday night, in Montgomery County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 41-year-old Joshua Franzen, of Elliott, who was not wearing a seat belt, was transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital by Red Oak Rescue, after the 2007 Buick he was driving went out of control on Highway 48, at around 11-p.m.

The vehicle slid into the west ditch and rolled over, coming to rest on its top, facing north. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies, Red Oak Fire/Rescue and Elliott 1st Responders assisted at the scene.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports a Cass County man was arrested Dec. 27th on a warrant from Montgomery County. 59-year-old Myron Lee Flathers, of Anita, was arrested in Bridgewater on the No Bond warrant (a mittimus) where he needed to complete an unspecified jail sentence before being able to be released. Flathers was released the following day to another agency.

And, 22-year old Kane Farlow, of Creston, as previously reported, was arrested Dec. 27th in Dexter, on a No Bond, Parole Violation warrant out of Union County.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:37 a.m. CST

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld a life prison sentence for an influential Iowa youth basketball coach who used his position to sexually exploit more than 400 boys over 20 years. A panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Gregory Stephen’s argument that his 180-year sentence was excessive because he did not kill or physically injure his victims. The panel agreed with U.S. District Judge C.J. Williams “that the harm to the children was ‘incalculable and profound’ and radiated to their families.” Stephen amassed a digital collection of thousands of sexual images of his players and their friends. He also molested some boys during trips to basketball tournaments and professional games.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds appears to be prepared to push schools to return students to classrooms this month. reinforcing her plans to prioritize in-person learning even when a local school board believes it’s too risky. The Des Moines school district’s request on Dec. 28 was the first to be rejected since August. Des Moines Superintendent Tom Ahart says the school board is concerned about the safety and well-being of its students and employees based on local virus conditions. Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo rejected the request on Dec. 30. Lebo echoed Reynolds’ recent statements that students engaged in remote learning are falling behind academically and that schools are not primary drivers of spread of the virus.

WASHINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Police say two people suffered injuries during an explosion at a home in southeast Iowa. The incident was reported early Monday in a residential area of Washington. KCRG-TV reports all the residents of the home were evacuated. Fire crews were able to extinguish the fire caused by the explosion. The explosion blew out windows in neighboring homes. The cause of the explosion is under investigation. Washington is about 30 miles south of Iowa City.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy continues improving in nine Midwest and Plains states but business leaders are less optimistic after the latest surge in coronavirus cases in the region, according to a new monthly survey released Monday. The overall index for the region suggests strong growth even though it dipped to 64.1 in December from November’s 69. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth, while a score below 50 suggests recession. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, said the survey’s confidence index suggests business leaders are worried about the economy after the recent growth in virus cases across the region.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Cedar Rapids police are investigating the shooting death of a 21-year-old man. Police said Jayson Lee Jones, of Cedar Rapids, was shot early Sunday at a Cedar Rapids home. He was taken by private vehicle to Mercy Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Police have not released any further information about the shooting or any potential suspects.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds appears to be prepared to push schools to return students to classrooms this month, reinforcing her plans to prioritize in-person learning even when a local school board believes it’s too risky.

The Des Moines school district’s request on Dec. 28th was the first to be rejected since August. Des Moines Superintendent Tom Ahart says the school board is concerned about the safety and well-being of its students and employees based on local virus conditions.

Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo rejected the request on Dec. 30. Lebo echoed Reynolds’ recent statements that students engaged in remote learning are falling behind academically and that schools are not primary drivers of spread of the virus.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports his deputies today (Monday) arrested 36-year-old Zachary Michael Anderson, of Sidney (Iowa). Anderson was taken into custody on two counts of Violating a Protection Order (Simple Misdemeanors) and three Class-D Felony counts of Violating the Conditions of the Sex Offender Registry 2nd or Subsequent Offense.

Zachary Anderson (Photo courtesy Fremont County S/O)

Anderson wasbeing held without bond pending initial appearance with the Fremont County Magistrate.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy continues improving in nine Midwest and Plains states but business leaders are less optimistic after the latest surge in coronavirus cases in the region, according to a new monthly survey released Monday. The overall index for the region suggests strong growth even though it dipped to 64.1 in December from November’s 69. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth, while a score below 50 suggests recession.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, said the survey’s confidence index suggests business leaders are worried about the economy after the recent growth in virus cases across the region.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld a life prison sentence for an influential Iowa youth basketball coach who used his position to sexually exploit more than 400 boys over 20 years. A panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Gregory Stephen’s argument that his 180-year sentence was excessive because he did not kill or physically injure his victims. The panel agreed with U.S. District Judge C.J. Williams “that the harm to the children was ‘incalculable and profound’ and radiated to their families.”

Stephen amassed a digital collection of thousands of sexual images of his players and their friends. He also molested some boys during trips to basketball tournaments and professional games.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s unemployment rate has steadily dropped back down after hitting a peak when the coronavirus hit — but the pandemic has still left a hole in the state’s workforce. Iowa State University economist Dave Swenson says most of the drop is not from people getting back to work — it’s from people giving up their job search. “The most important factor driving that rate down is not more people working, it’s people leaving the labor force and not working or not looking for work,” Swenson says.

The unemployment rate in Iowa is three-point-six ( 3.6) percent — about one percent above the level before the pandemic — and down from a high of 11 percent in April. Swenson says the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data tell the story of what is happening. “Even though the number of jobs has gone up the number of people that are participating actively in the economy, according to the B-L-S survey, has continued to go down,” according to Swenson.

That survey shows the number of people counted as unemployed in Iowa has fallen by more than 130-thousand since April, while the state has added only about 37-thousand jobs. Swenson says the leisure and hospitality industry leads the state for job losses over the past year followed by the education and health care sector, and government. He says nationally women have been most likely to leave the workforce during the pandemic. He believes the numbers are also likely to include many small business people forced into retirement.

(By Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)