(Radio Iowa) – Winnebago Industries celebrated a milestone today (Tuesday) that the company says makes it the first in the recreational vehicle industry to reach. Winnebago spokesperson Kelli Harms explains.  “We just produced the 500-thousandth motor home, and we were able to do a celebration with our employees and mark this significant occasion in our company’s history.” according to Harms.

The company got its start in Forest City making motorhomes and in recent years has expanded to many other products. This event was marked across all its facilities — including its North Iowa campus in Lake Mills, where the vehicle ceremoniously rolled off the production line. The record-setting motorhome is the popular Revel, a model introduced four years ago. “It’s a class B, four-by-four motorhome that really shows how Winnebago has grown and changed throughout the years — and we just thought it was a great vehicle to choose for our 500-thousandth motorhome,” she says.

Winnebago paused business across all facilities to allow every employee to join in the celebration — including the top ten-most senior employees who have been with the company for multiple decades and can remember some of the earliest vehicles. “It takes a true team to build our products. Our dealers see our products and they know that they are quality built products. It’s a great way to honor our employees for all the hard work they do every day to make these products come to life. Whether it’s engineering or ship out or stitchcraft, or in the offices — it’s truly a team that provides these products,” according to Harms.

The history on the company’s website says it began in 1958 as Modernistic Industries selling travel trailers, and then changed the name to Winnebago in 1960. The company produced its first motorhome in 1967 and went public in 1970. The company moved its corporate headquarters from Forest City to Eden Prairie, Minnesota in August of 2021.

(Radio Iowa) – The U.S. Senate has just voted to make next year’s switch to Daylight Saving Time PERMANENT. A bill to end the twice-a-year changing of clocks IN IOWA is moving through the state legislature, too. Senator Jeff Reichmann of Montrose is an ex-Marine who was stationed in Hawaii for five years.

“Hawaii is one of the states that does have Standard Time year round,” Reichman says. “I didn’t really like the fact that it got dark at eight o’clock at night. I like longer days. I’m kind of a summer person.” Under Daylight Saving Time, some summer sunsets are around nine o’clock. Reichman’s senate subcommittee has advanced a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent in Iowa — if congress approves.

Nineteen other states have passed similar laws, but state action will be unnecessary if the U.S. House passes the Senate’s “Sunshine Protection Act” and ends clock adjustments in the spring and fall.

(Radio Iowa) – Gasoline prices in Iowa dropped a few pennies a gallon in recent days, though the statewide average of three-90 a gallon is still a dollar-ten higher than a year ago. Julie Percival, an economist at the U-S Bureau of Labor Statistics, says it’s not completely fair to compare the current prices to last year. “It can be a little bit deceptive because the year previous to that, we actually had serious declines in gasoline prices, however, we’ve certainly more than made up from those losses from 2020,” Percival says.

“We have seen sustained increases in gasoline prices for most of the year.” Percival says it’s important to note that the fuel hikes are not just because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She says there’s no sign of any major relief in the near-record prices in Iowa. “There’s not really going to be much change unless we saw something that would cause people to be driving less or to be using less gas or something that would increase the supply of gas,” Percival says.

Triple-A says the average price in Iowa is three-90 a gallon, 12 cents below the all-time record of four-oh-eight set in July of 2008. The national average is four-31, down just two pennies from the record high — which was set last week.

(Radio Iowa) -A Clinton woman has pleaded guilty to not paying any taxes for the tree trimming business she ran. Forty-seven-year-old Penny Witt pleaded guilty to evading taxes for the business called Ultimate Tree Service and Spruces Tree Service. Witt admitted she took only cash, had no bank accounts, and paid her employees in cash, while not keeping any records for the business.

Witt admitted she knew she owed a substantial amount of federal taxes for 2016 and 2017 and that she willfully chose not to file tax returns. She is scheduled to be sentenced in June.

The Red Oak Police Department reports no injuries occurred during a two-vehicle accident on Tuesday. The accident happened at the intersection of Corning Street and Broadway in Red Oak.

It was determined that a 2008 Mercury Milan owned and operated by 64-year-old Mark Lelan Petersen of Red Oak was northbound and stopped at the red light at the intersection. A 2014 Ford F-150 operated by 46-year-old Andrea Kay Swank of Shenandoah did not see the Petersen vehicle stopped and struck the rear of the Mercury.

Damage to the Mercury was estimated at $2,000 and damage to the Ford was estimated at $3,000. Swank was cited for following too close.

(Creston, Iowa) – Authorities say no injuries were reported following a rollover accident this (Tuesday) morning, in Creston. Officials say a 2005 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 20-year-old Wyatt Allen Keller, of Creston, was traveling south on a left-hand curve on S. Chestnut Street, when, according to Keller, the throttle stuck, causing the vehicle to speed-up, and go out of control. The truck hit a curb and flipped over down an embankment and came to rest on its wheels. The accident happened a little before 9-a.m.

Damage to the pickup was estimated to be $5,000. No citations were issued.

(Adel, Iowa) – The Atlantic High School Speech Team is very proud of their success at State Individual Contest held at ADM on Saturday, March 12th. High School/Middle School Spanish Instructor Co-Head Speech/Debate Coach Trisha Niceswanger reports Atlantic took 26 entries who performed in front of a panel of three judges. Performances covered a wide variety of categories from Acting to Musical Theatre, Poetry and After Dinner Speaking. A total of 19 of the entries received a Division I rating from the judges; 10 of those were a straight 1 rating, meaning all three judges awarded a I rating.

Coach Niceswanger said “I am so proud of our success! We have grown our program immensely this year with more entries than ever before. It is very promising to see the younger performers with lots of talent for the future as well as the senior leadership we have in upperclassmen. Being able to have an in-person contest again this year really felt great to let these kids compete and meet fellow performers.”

Brandon Baggett, Coach, said “These kids have put in the work and it paid off big time! I cannot say enough about the drive of our young talent and the upperclassmen leading by example. Since we are back to in-person competitions, the events have been so much fun this year and our team is learning so much by watching fellow competitors. As our numbers have grown again this year, the future is very bright for our speech program!”

What’s next: All-State Nominations were posted online the afternoon of Monday, March 14th. These students chosen are the best in the state in their categories. In order to receive this honor, at least two of the three judges must nominate the performer. These students will perform one last time on the UNI Campus at the All-State Festival held on Monday, March 28th. Students awaited the postings excitedly in Niceswanger’s room while repeatedly refreshing the web page.

Three students earned All-State honors this year from Atlantic.

• Charlotte Saluk for Poetry
• Reese DeArment for Prose
• J Molina for After Dinner Speaking

(Radio Iowa) – After announcing she was running for governor seven months ago, Democrat Deidre DeJear has now submitted 66-hundred signatures on nominating petitions, to place her name on Iowa’s June Primary ballot. “We just made history,” DeJear said, to cheers. If elected, DeJear would be the first black Iowan to serve as governor. She addressed a crowd of supporters in the Capitol rotunda. “It’s the type of history that outlines possibilities for not only our young people, but each and every one of you all,” DeJear said. “We’re seeking to run for this office because we want to see change happen in this state, the type of change that impacts y ‘all’s pocketbooks, your communities, your counties and the better life that we can all have in this state.”

DeJear is a native of Mississippi who graduated from Drake University and settled in Des Moines, where she runs a small business. DeJear grew emotional as she and her supporters waited for staff in the Secretary of State’s office to review her nominating petitions. DeJear told reporters it’s because she was surrounded by mentors. “Some really strong women who have helped me chart this path and reminded me of what I was capable of,” DeJear says. “And I just hope I’m emotional because I hope to do that for other young women and young boys, to help them understand whatever they dream is possible.”

Deidre DeJear and supporters. (RI photo)

DeJear’s name has been on Iowa’s statewide ballot before, as the Democratic Party’s 2018 nominee for Secretary of State. DeJear lost that race by eight points. A recent Des Moines Register Iowa Poll found DeJear trailing Republican Governor Kim Reynolds by eight percent. “We’ve got a lot of work to do in the governor’s office,” DeJear says. “(As a candidate for) Secretary of State, my focus was on small businesses and voting. Well, small business and voting is still a point of interest, but we’ve got a lot of other things we’ve got to conquer, too.”

Last week, Kim Reynolds formally kicked off her campaign for a second full term as governor with a rally on the state fairgrounds. Reynolds and her husband delivered nominating petitions with 16-thousand signatures to the Secretary of State’s office last Thursday. Reynolds has not commented on DeJear’s candidate, but a spokesman for the Iowa G-O-P says freedom is on the ballot in November and Reynolds is the only candidate in the race who will defend it.

(Atlantc, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday (Today) held a Public Hearing on the published, Fiscal Year, 2023 Cass County Budget, during which there were no comments from the public. The Board then voted to adopt the resolution as proposed. The Board also acted on a Resolution to reduce by half, the percentage of Elected Officials compensation that had been recommended by the Cass County Compensation Board, effective July 1, 2022.

Board Chair Steve Baier noted the revised amounts.

Approved salaries (which are also less than what the Compensation Board recommended), will be as follows:

• Cass County Attorney: $124,081 (This year’s salary is $120,467)
• Cass County Auditor: $65,433 (Compared to $63,527 in the current year)
• Cass County Recorder: $65,433 (This year, $63,527)
• Cass County Treasurer: $65, 433 ($63,527)
• Cass County Sheriff: $94,167 (Compared to $83,334 in the current year)
• Supervisors: $32,759 ($31,805 current year)
• Board Chair, $33,759 ($33,805 currently)

Supervisor Mark O’Brien was in disagreement with the Supervisor’s Board Chair compensation…he said it should be more, wanted to increase it, based on the responsibilities that come with the position. The others agreed, but Supervisor Steve Green said “The law doesn’t allow us to go higher.” Green and Baier advised the issue should be “left alone.” Supervisor Hartkopf reminded the public that neither the Supervisors nor the Compensation Board have a say over the final outcome, because the State regulates some areas.

In other business, the Supervisors approved a Resolution to use ARPA funds to purchase election equipment. Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns explains…

The cost is $108, 624, with no maintenance or annual license fees included. The old equipment will be included in a trade-in deal. Board Chair Baier said in previous discussions, it was agreed purchasing election equipment would be a good use of the recovery act funds the County has received. The new election machines will not be available for the June Primary, and it’s questionable if they will be available for the November General Election.