(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County (IA) Auditor’s Office has released the open positions for Cass County and the signature requirements needed to appear on the ballot in advance of the June 4th Primary.  Nomination papers can begin to be circulated at anytime to collect the needed signatures, however, these papers can not be filed with the Auditor’s Office until March 4, 2024 thru March 22, 2024.

Here are a couple important dates for candidates and registered voters to remember:

• March 4 County candidate Filing begins
• March 22 County candidate filing ends (Auditor’s Office open until 5:00 p.m.)
• March 26 First day to submit absentee ballot requests (to be mailed)
• May 15 Absentee voting begins in office and by mail
• May 20 Deadline to request absentee ballot by mail (Auditor’s office open until 5:00 p.m.)
• June 1 (Saturday) Auditor’s office open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for voting purposes
• June 3 Last day to vote in person in the Auditor’s office
• June 4 Primary Election Day
• June 4 All absentee ballots must be received by 8:00 p.m. to be counted
• June 11 Official Canvass of Election (results official)

Additional details will be forthcoming. Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns said she wanted to get this information out to now, as there are already candidates and voters asking many questions.

Click HERE for information on the signature requirements.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County, today (Tuesday), set the date for a public hearing on an FY 23/24 Budget Amendment. The hearing takes place Feb. 6^th, at 8:45-a.m. In their Board Room at the Montgomery County Courthouse.

They also tentatively set Feb. 27^th as the date for setting the first hearing on the FY 24/25 Budget. The hearing would then be held March 19^th, and the second hearing on April 9^th.

Auditor Jill Ozuna said the while date of February 27^th is not set in stone, there’s also “Not a lot of room for error” in getting the public hearing dates set, as the budget deadline is April 30^th.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County (IA) Board of Supervisors, during their meeting Tuesday morning in Atlantic, approved the County’s use of a funding request form. Board Chair Steve Baier explains…

The form is designed to provide a standardized means of submitting information in applications for County funding by non-profit organizations and agencies, and a means of accountability. In other business, the Board approved the hiring of a Cass County Attorney/Sheriff’s Office liaison, at a rate of $25 per hour.

Cass County Attorney Vanessa Strazdas explained.

The person hired will hopefully start within a couple weeks, according to Strazdas.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports seven recent arrests:

1/8/2024: Cody Dean Nevada Carlson (32) of Clarinda Iowa. Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office on an active warrant out of Ringgold County Iowa. Carlson was released to Ringgold County Deputy.
1/10/2024: Zachary Aaron Thomas (27) of Shenandoah Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail to serve time.
1/11/2024: Douglas Franklin Nicholas (56) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for violation of a no contact order and possession of a controlled substance; Aaron Duwayne Childs (40) of Red Oak Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for violation of probation. Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office at the Atchison County Missouri Sheriff’s Office; Thomas Gabriel Uhl (19) of Creston Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for possession of a controlled substance and interference with official acts with bodily injury.
1/12/2024: Anthony David Racine (28) of Shenandoah Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for OWI first offense; Brent Allen Neal (35) of Shenandoah Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for driving while revoked

“A charge is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.”

Accidents:
1/8/2024 2553 State Highway #2. Emily Carol Ann Randle was traveling east on Highway #2. Just west of the address of 2553 State Highway #2 Randle swerved to miss a snowplow. Emily lost control and ran over a mail box at 2553 State Highway #2. The mailbox sustained damage and Randle’s vehicle sustained damage in this accident.

(Griswold, Iowa) – The Griswold School Board met in a regular monthly session, Monday night (Jan. 15), discussed planning for Virtual Snow days to make-up for lost time incurred by the recent snowstorms. Superintendent Dave Henrichs told KJAN News four days were missed last week and two more this week, but to this point, have not implemented a Virtual Snow Day.

A few hours after Monday’s Griswold School Board meeting, a custodian discovered a water pipe had broken.

The Griswold School Board, Monday, acted on approving a couple of resignations, a new hire, and early retirement applications. The Board agreed to hire Shelby Steffens as an Elementary Paraprofessional. The Board acted on approving the resignation of Hannah Sederburg, Elementary Education Para, effective this Friday, January 19th. And, the following additional resignation.

Three teachers applied for the Early Retirement package, but only two were selected, based on Board policy.

The Board denied and Early Retirement application from Sandra Nelson, grades 6-through 12 Instructional Coach, who has 21-years of experience in education. Mr. Henrichs said the loss of the two early retirees will be a loss to the District, because “They are such great people, but at the same they certainly deserve the next chapter of their life…and we wish them the best as we move forward at the end of the school year.”

In other business, the Griswold School Board approved a Modified Supplemental Amount of $176,180, and plan for Dropout Prevention and At-Risk programs. They also approved a 2024-25 Corner Conference Agreement, and accepted the FY23 Audit report, which showed nothing out of the ordinary. They also discussed but took no action on the 2024-25 School Calendar.

(Radio Iowa) – The Humane Society of Northwest Iowa has launched a program to try to address the feral cat problem in Dickinson County. Free-ranging and feral cats can spread disease and prey on native wildlife. Haley Dirks, director of the Humane Society of Northwest Iowa, says several communities in the Iowa Great Lakes area have concerns about a growing population of stray cats. “It’s a pretty intense problem,” Dirks says. “…Honestly, the worst city I’ve seen so far is Arnolds Park itself.” The organization began a T-N-R program January 1st.

“TNR stands for trap, neuter, release,” she says. “For all of those stray cats that you see ,primarily the ones that aren’t necessarily friendly or they are not huge fans of humans, we help get them trapped, spayed and neutered and then we get them back out in the wild.” Dirks says an aggressive trap, neuter and release program in Palo Alto County has greatly reduced the feral cat population in that county.

Humane Society of NW IA photo

Some of Iowa’s larger cities, like Coralville, have similar programs. Cedar Rapids officials say there are more feral cats within city limits than after the 2008 flood and they’re seeking public input about a city ordinance to trap, neuter and release feral cats. Private donors have helped launch the program in Dickinson County, but Dirks says they’re looking for volunteers to help trap cats.

The U-S-D-A estimates there are as many as 100 million feral cats in the United States. Females have an average of five kittens per litter and males are responsible for seven pregnancies per year.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests occurring between Dec. 20 and Dec. 31, 2023. The report is as follows:

12-20-23: Michael Ray Jurgensen, age 39, Panama, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 2100 block of 23rd St in Harlan. Jurgensen was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault 1st.

12-22-23: Aaron Robert McCutcheon, age 38, Harlan, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 1100 block of Willow St.in Harlan. McCutcheon was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Child Endangerment, Possession of Controlled Substance Meth 1st offense, Gathering where Controlled Substances are used, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Bryan Joseph Schuemann, age 37, Harlan, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 1100 block of Willow St in Harlan. Schuemann was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent, Gathering where Controlled Substances are used, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substances, Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana 3rd or Subsequent, Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

12-23-23: Martin James Ellison, age 55, Exira, IA was arrested following a traffic stop in Elk Horn. Ellison was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, OWI 1st, Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle, and Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability.

12-24-23: Geremias Edgardo Salazar-Portillo, age 21, Council Bluffs, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Violation of Probation. Salazar-Portillo was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

12-25-23: Cassandra Jean Garcia-DeGroot, age 51, Harlan, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 1200 block of Street F32, Harlan. Garcia-DeGroot was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Child Endangerment.

12-27-23: Diane Marie Sparks, age 59, Harlan, IA was arrested following a traffic stop in Harlan. Sparks was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Driving While Barred, Failure to Provide Proof of Liability Insurance, Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle, Failure to Maintain Registration Plate, and Speeding.

12-29-23: Michael Joseph Stessman, age 48, Elkhart, IA was arrested on an active Shelby County Warrant for Violation of Probation;. Gerry Dean Ballantyne Jr, age 51, Harlan, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 900 block of Hill St in Harlan. Ballantyne was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault 1st.; Alan David Graham, age 69, Avoca, IA was arrested following a traffic stop in the 800 block of Hwy 59. Graham was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Possession of Controlled Substance 2nd, Possession of Controlled Substance Marijuana 2nd, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, OWI 1st, and Failure to Maintain Registration Plate.

12-31-23: Anthony Joseph Koester, age 39, Harlan, IA was arrested following a call for service in the 1700 block of Exchange St. Koester was transported to the Shelby County Jail and charged with Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Keeping Premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Possession of Controlled Substance 3rd or Subsequent Offense, and No Valid Drivers License.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – The Council Bluffs Police Department has a new way for citizens and businesses in Council Bluffs to help us investigate crimes. Many homeowners, property owners, and businesses use camera systems to protect their properties. The Council Bluffs Police Department often requests to have owners check their systems to see if they captured an incident.  In an effort to make this process more thorough, CBPD has started a database for camera owners.  

• Participation is voluntary and you can remove your camera information from our database at any time.
• CBPD will only ask for contact information for the owner or business and what type of coverage you have available.  
• At no time will the Department ask for login information, or have access to your system.  
• Information collected and stored in our records management system will be encrypted, and will only be used as described below. 

Council Bluffs PD Shield

When an incident occurs in the area of a homeowner or business, CBPD officers or detectives may contact those near the incident to see if they have coverage of the incident. The homeowner or business may voluntarily release footage to the Department. Having your system listed in the CBPD database does not require an owner to release any footage to the Council Bluffs Police Department. Any footage released by a homeowner or business to the Department may be used in any portion of the investigative or court processes.

If you are interested in assisting us through this program, we ask that you click HERE to enroll your camera(s).

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man who possessed a firearm on school grounds during an Iowa Caucus event in Red Oak, was arrested Monday night. Red Oak Police say officers were called to the Red Oak High School. Upon further investigation, 53-year-old Raymond Lester Simmons, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 8:40-p.m. in the 1200 block of Boundary Street. Simmons faces a Class-D Felony charge of Carrying Firearms on School Grounds.

He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond. Red Oak Police were assisted by Deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.