Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke reports an audit of the June 2nd Primary Election will be held this Thursday, June 11th. The Secretary of State’s Office ordered the post-election audit, and by random selection, Precinct 5 will be the precinct audited. The polling place location for Precinct 5 is the Grant Fire Station (which was combined with the Stanton Fire Station this election).

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office will conduct the audit beginning at 9-a.m., Thursday. The audit will take place in the North meeting room in the Courthouse, in Red Oak. The proceeding is open to the public.

Health officials in Mills County, Monday (Today), confirmed one additional positive cases of COVID-19. The case is an individual between 19 and 40-years old, who contracted the virus by community spread. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Mills County is 21, with all but one of those persons having recovered.

Officials say 1,358 residents have been tested. And, that “With summer all but here, we would like to remind people that public and community swimming pools are allowed to open strictly for lap swim and/or swimming lessons.” Those rules do not apply however, to pools owned by individual families.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A leader of recent protests against police brutality and racial injustice in Iowa City has been ordered jailed on a probation violation after police charged him with unlawful assembly. Police arrested 20-year-old Mazin Mohamedali on Sunday evening on charges of unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct for his role in a June 3 protest near Interstate 80 that ended with officers using tear gas and flash grenades to disperse the crowd.

This June 7, 2020 photo provided by the Johnson County jail in Iowa City, Iowa, shows Mazin Mohamedali. Mohamedali, a leader of protests against police brutality and racial injustice in Iowa City, was charged with unlawful assembly for his role in a June 3, 2020 protest in which activists shut down roadways before facing tear gas. He was ordered jailed Monday June 8, on a probation violation. (Johnson County jail via AP)

Mohamedali has been an outspoken member of a group calling itself the Iowa Freedom Riders. He has delivered speeches ad led chants during several days of marches and gatherings throughout the city.

Police in Red Oak say a man wanted on a Fremont County warrant for Probation Violation, was arrested this (Monday) afternoon. 28-year old Matthew Cole Whitt, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 12:15-p.m. in the 300 block of E. Valley Street. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail, for Fremont County. Bond was set at $10,000.

(Radio Iowa) A 13-year-old boy drowned Saturday afternoon near Le Mars at a private pond while attending a birthday party.  The boy was reported as missing, and rescuers used a boat from the Iowa DNR equipped with a sonar system to help locate the boy at the Kellen Ponderosa. He was found about two hours after he was first reported missing in about 15 feet deep of water. The child was transported to the Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars, where medical personnel declared the boy deceased.

Officials have identified the drowning victim as 13-year-old Reid M. Swaggerty-Morgan of Sioux City.

Residents of Greenfield and Griswold will experience brief power outages this week. Officials with the Nishna Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (NVREC) report that on Wednesday, June 10th, NVREC members in the Griswold area will experience a brief, 10-15 minute power outage between 9:00am and 10:00am while crews make substation equipment replacements.

Officials with Greenfield Municipal Utilities report GMU will be conducting mandatory Black Start Testing from 10-p.m. Tuesday, June 9th through 6-a.m. Wednesday, June 10th. The process allows GMU to test their ability and train their employees to re-power the town in the event of a complete loss of power from their supplier, Central Iowa Power Cooperative. During the test, some or all customers may experience an interruption of their power service for short periods of time.

Officials say if all goes as planned, the outage should not last more than 10-minutes at a time, and service may be out numerous times during the event. GMU says they understand the inconvenience of this testing, and has tried to schedule it to hours with less demand on the electric system, to avoid seriously impacting as many customers as possible. If you have any questions, call GMU during their business hours (7:30-a.m. to 4:30-p.m.) at 641-743-2741.

(Radio Iowa) — A committee in the Iowa Senate has narrowly approved a plan to give Iowa restaurants and bars permanent permission to sell mixed drinks to go. Governor Reynolds ordered restaurants and bars to close on St. Patrick’s Day due to the pandemic, but she issued a proclamation on March 31st that allowed bars and restaurants with a liquor license to sell carry-out cocktails along with carry-out food. Senator Claire Celsi, a Democrat from Des Moines, says she’s no prude, but continuing this practice now that bars and restaurants have been allowed to reopen is unwise. “We’re setting a terrible example for our youth, just having a cocktail culture in this state,” Celsi says, “and it’s getting worse and worse and worse.”

Another senator says says it’ll be easier for someone to pass mixed drinks to minors, making some 21-year-olds the hit of the parking lot. Senator Craig Johnson, a Republican from Independence, says the proposal does NOT lift the state ban on consumption of alcohol in a public place. “These are sealed drinks,” Johnson says. “It’d be no different that what you would buy in a convenience store, one off the shelf.”

The proposal also would let the state’s vineyards sell so-called growlers that hold up to 72 ounces of wine AND it would create a new state permit for selling beer and spirits at charity events. This package of changes in Iowa’s alcohol laws cleared the Senate State Government Committee on an eight-to-seven vote late Friday night and is eligible for debate in the full senate.

An accident in Mills County, Saturday afternoon, resulted in a Glenwood man being transported to Mercy Hospital by Glenwood Rescue. Sheriff’s officials say 44-year old Darrin Goos was stopped in traffic near Goode and Grande View Avenues at around 12:40-p.m., and waiting for a vehicle to finish pulling into a driveway, when his 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle was struck from behind by a 2008 Nissan. The driver of the car, 18-year old Jamie Poole, of Glenwood, was not hurt. Authorities cited him for Failure to Stop in an Assured Clear Distance.

Mills County Deputies, Saturday morning, arrested 21-year old Nathen Tate Hardisty, of Tabor. He was taken into custody at around 1:47-a.m., on a Fremont County warrant for Disorderly Conduct. Bond was set at $300. And, Friday evening, 58-year old Darrell Alan Klahn, of Glenwood, was arrested on a warrant for two counts Probation Violation. His bond was set at $2,000.

Officials with the Atlantic Food Pantry say they have an ample supply of containers for now, but they need plastic grocery bags.  If you have time to double bag your bags, that would be greatly appreciated.  They prefer bags from Walmart, Hy-Vee and Fareway be doubled together to make them stronger. If you don’t have time to double them please bring them as singles!

Due to the higher than normal volume of clients the pantry is also in need of donations of canned vegetables – corn, green beans, peas, baked beans. Please check that the expiration dates are 2018 or later. Donations can be brought to the pantry Monday and Thursdays from 9-11 AM. The volunteers at the Food Pantry thank you for all your support!