(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.

(Radio Iowa) – New tenants will start moving into Iowa’s first-ever “zero carbon certified” building in a few weeks. Star Lofts in Des Moines will have 20 affordable housing apartments and four spaces for businesses. To earn the title zero-carbon, new buildings must meet benchmarks for cutting carbon emissions both during the construction phase and when it’s in use. Developers must offset remaining emissions through renewable energy projects to reach net zero. Project developer Molly Cutle says a lot of trial and error was involved initially and she’s sharing the knowledge with others.

“There haven’t been a lot of projects yet who have achieved this certification to look from, but we’re very open book with how we achieved it, and have shared those learnings,” Cutler says, “and hope that other developers go after the same certification in the future.” Cutler says they met the criteria by swapping conventional materials for special ones like engineered wooden beams and low-carbon concrete. Solar panels offsite also offset the remaining carbon impacts. Cutler says they intentionally chose this certification because of its high standards.

“They actually do not allow you to simply purchase carbon credits of solar that already exist,” she says. “You have to be part of the production of new on- or off-site renewables.” Culter says Anawim Housing will help manage the apartments when tenants start moving in in December. The units are available to people in different income levels who make at least 80% or less of the area median income.

(Radio Iowa) – There will be no Democrats holding elected office in Woodbury County in January after Auditor Pat Gill was beaten by his Republican challenger and deputy auditor Michelle Scaff by about eight points. The political landscape has changed since Gill first took over as auditor, recorder, and commissioner of elections 28 years ago when Democrats controlled county offices. “It went from a blue county to a purple county to a bright red one. I suffered the consequences of that. And that’s just the way it is,” Gill says. Gill says the state shortening the window for early voting and outlawing the mailing of pre-filled absentee request forms hurt voters.

“The legislature over a period of time made it very difficult for people to participate in the election by mail,” he says. He also says the integrity of the election process has been under attack. “It was unbelievable that I would get some of the phone calls and people accusing you of different things,” Gill says. “It really did do a lot of damage to the way that people look at elections.”

Gill says he wishes Scaff the best of luck as he looks forward to spending more time with family before figuring out what’s next.

(Creston, Iowa) – A collision Sunday evening between an SUV and a deer in Union County, resulted in the driver of the vehicle being transported to the hospital for treatment of unknown/possible injuries. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, 49-year-old Maria Kaye Dukes, of Afton, was driving a 2017 Nissan Murano eastbound on Highway 34 at around 5:30-p.m., when a deer came out of the ditch. When the SUV struck the animal, the vehicle’s airbags deployed.

Dukes complained of pain and possible injury. She was transported by ambulance to the Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston. Damage to her vehicle was estimated to be $10,000, or a total loss.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police, Monday, arrested 46-year-old Heidi Ann Divis, of Red Oak. She was taken into custody at around 5:40-p.m. on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree (a simple misdemeanor). Divis was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office, has released a report on recent arrests and/or citations. On November 3rd, 29-year-old Matthew Jeffrey Le, of Urbandale, was arrested at around 9-a.m. in Greenfield following a traffic stop. Le was charged with Possession of Marijuana/1st offense. He was pulled over for failure to maintain lanes and a steady speed (30 mph in a 55 mph zone). He was released from the Adair County Jail a few hours later on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

Later that day, 32-year-old Brittany Marie Weddington, of Omaha, was arrested by the Iowa State Patrol in Greenfield, after the Trooper saw her vehicle on the side of the road, with its flashers on, and a jack on the ground behind the vehicle. Upon further investigation, Weddington was arrested on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Marijuana. Her cash/surety bond was set at $2,000. A passenger in the vehicle, 33-year-old Andrew Michael Simmons, of Cedar Rapids, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact-Protective Order/Contempt of Court. He was released the following day on a $300 bond.

On November 4th, Greenfield Police cited 40-year-old Kristin Nicole Ladd, of Greenfield, for Public Intoxication. She was released with the citation, but at around 4:10-a.m. on November 5th, Ladd was arrested in Greenfield for Public Intoxication, two-counts of Theft in the 5th Degree, and Assault. The charges stem from the alleged theft of alcohol from the Casey’s Store in Fontanelle.

Ladd was arrested again on November 6th, in Greenfield, for Theft in the 5th Degree.  Her bond was set at $300.