(Radio Iowa) – A coalition of churches in the Carroll area is hosting its annual “Blue Christmas” service this weekend. Reverend Terry Plocher is pastor of the United Methodist Church in Carroll, where the event will be held Saturday, December 11th. “Anyone might find themselves in a place where they’re grieving during the holiday season, where they find that they’re sad or blue and this is for everybody,” he says. “It’s not just for people of a particular church or people of a particular denomination.” Plocher says the service aims to provide a quiet time of reflection for people experiencing a loss.

“It is a difficult time for people who have lost someone they love or I like to emphasize other losses as well — losing a job, losing the opportunity to do some of the things they wanted to do. losing a dream,” he says. “Those things are all hard on us come the holidays.” Plocher says the holiday season can be difficult for people who are grieving or have been diagnosed with a mental illness. “All around them are these lights and people having fun and the parties and people smiling and cards and they just don’t feel it,” Plocher says. “It’s just not there for them and whatever the reason for that is, whether it’s a biological cause or if it’s a situational cause after the death of a loved one or the loss of a job or something, we want to let them know that it’s o.k. to feel however you feel at Christmas time, during the holidays.”

The Carroll County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness and two funeral homes in Carroll are co-sponsors of what has become an annual event. This year’s “Blue Christmas” service in Carroll will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 11th.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  At its first annual grant celebration event, the Cass County Community Foundation honored 32 nonprofit organizations and community projects that received grants throughout the past year. These honorees included both spring and fall grant recipients, who were awarded a collective sum of over $137,000.
Spring 2021 Grant Recipients:

Throughout 2021, the Foundation received a total of 48 grant applications from community
organizations, with over $280,000 requested. As a part of its two grant cycles, the Cass County
Community Foundation awarded $137,525 to 46 of these 48 applications. “In 2021, we’ve been able to fund a wide array of projects and programs,” said Board Chair Kristi Burg. “Grants were awarded to
support a variety of recreational opportunities and building renovations, as well as many more projects that will have a positive effect on our community members—both young and old. We’re proud of the impact of the Foundation, and we’re glad to have this opportunity to celebrate the important work of these organizations throughout Cass County.”

Each year, the Cass County Community Foundation holds two grant cycles with an objective to fund projects that will have a lasting impact in the county. “Since the Foundation was established in 1998, it has distributed over $2.4 million in grants and scholarships,” said Iowa Foundations Director Stacey Goodman. “Through the generosity of donors and charitable funds allocated through the community foundation, along with our participation in the County Endowment Fund Program, we are able to continue to invest valuable resources back into communities across Cass County.”

The Cass County Community Foundation is an affiliate of the Omaha Community Foundation, which meets National Standards for Community Foundations, and is one of nine county members of the Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa. It annually receives funds from the State of Iowa County Endowment Fund Program for endowment building and grantmaking throughout the county. The spring grant cycle is made possible through the County Endowment Fund Program and is funded by a percentage of the state’s commercial gaming tax revenue, which is distributed annually to participating community foundations associated with counties without a state-issued gaming license.

The Foundation’s fall grant cycle is made possible through the generosity of donors to the Cass County Community Foundation. The Foundation works with individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to create permanent and expendable funds that address changing, vital community needs and interests. Gifts to permanently endowed funds through the Cass County Community Foundation may be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit.

The Cass County Advisory Board Members are Chair, Kristi Burg of Massena; Vice Chair, Mark D. Kyhnn, CPA of Atlantic; Secretary/Treasurer, Sue Hunt of Atlantic; Sandy Bierbaum of Griswold; and Gaylord Schelling of Atlantic. For information about donating or establishing an individual foundation/fund, please contact Stacey Goodman, Iowa Foundations Director, at 800-794-3458 or stacey@omahafoundation.org.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A Christmas tradition that dates back nearly 50-years in rural Montgomery County, continues this weekend, much to the delight of those near and far. The Baird family Christmas light display between Red Oak and Elliott will be switched-on each evening at dusk for a few hours, beginning Saturday, Dec.11^th, and continuing through the end of the year. The lights are shut-off each night at 10. The elaborate display of illuminated structures, characters and machines can be viewed at Baird farm, located at 1233 E. Avenue. Jack Baird started the tradition about five decades ago. He says family members have taken advantage of the good weather since Oct. 1^st, to set-up numerous displays, the glow from which is visible for miles.

He said some new elements have been added to this year’s display.

The airplane will appear to be landing in a field. Each year, new attractions are added to the display. Jack Baird’s 90th birthday is Sunday.

Baird Christmas display (2020 image)

He said while illness has kept him from getting out and helping to set up the lights and the related framework, his family stepped-up to take over, leaving him in a supervisory position. Jack said he appreciates their efforts, and the “Get well” and “Happy Birthday” cards and letters he’s received.

You can drop-off a card when you come to see the display, if you like. And, your free-will donation helps to defray the cost of keeping the displays lit during the season.

More information is available on Facebook by searching for “Baird’s Christimas Lights.” (Listen for the full “Heartbeat Today” interview w/Jack Baird, on the Programs page at kjan.com)

(Radio Iowa) – A central Iowa organization that saw thieves steal its vehicles and holiday cheer boxes just as it was getting ready to deliver them has rebounded. EveryStep C-E-O Tray Wade, says they got a lot of help and sent out cheer boxes to those who have lost a loved one — including some people on a waiting list. “Thanks to the wonderful support from the community, all the hard work, we were able to actually take those folks of the waiting list and get them cheer boxes as well,” Wade says.

The two trucks that were taken were recovered and will need some repair work. He says one of their board members and his company F&G also donated a new van.”And we’re going to use that to get cheer boxes out to people, get people to camps, use it for other purposes across our 30 plus programs,” Wade says. “We’re still trying to rehab the two vehicles that they got ahold of — but also incredibly thankful and just in awe of the generosity again of the community.” A lot of other items were also stolen.”Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of success recovering much of anything else as far as the items. They were already gone, thrown away. We don’t know exactly what happened to the other items,” Wade says.

Wade says walking into the rented space where they were putting together the cheer boxes to find everything gone was a bad day. But he says the response turned that around. “Now you look back on it and it’s kind of a heartwarming story. You know — it’s a thing to be proud of — because not only did we do what we set out to do, we exceeded those numbers. We got some other families that otherwise would not be served this year — a little pick me up at the holiday season,” according to Wade.

The Urbandale Police Department says detectives arrested 36-year-old Alan Michael Ward-Well and charged him with three counts of second-degree theft and third-degree burglary in the case. They also arrested 55-year-old Christina Marie Davis on those same charges, along with charges of possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia

DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) today (Friday) identified the subject involved in the officer-involved shooting that occurred on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, in Iowa Falls, Iowa. Authorities say 35-year-old Jared Risius, of Eldora, was identified as the deceased subject in an autopsy completed at the Office of the State Medical Examiner.

Officials said earlier, that a little after 7-a.m. Wednesday, Iowa Falls Police, Hardin County Sheriff’s Deputies, and the Iowa State Patrol responded to a request for assistance from a female regarding a male that was stalking her by following her in his vehicle.  The two have had a previous relationship.

Officers responded to the area of Siloam Ave and River Street in Iowa Falls and witnessed Risius strike the female’s vehicle with his vehicle. They ordered the man out of the vehicle, but he refused and displayed a shotgun.  He refused commands, and attempted to flee the scene when he was shot by officers. He died from his injuries. The incident remains under investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.