Patrons of a few area school districts have the chance to head to the polls today to decide the fate of bond issues or PPEL renewals. The Audubon Community School Board is asking registered district voters to renew the district’s Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) for another ten years. This levy, which the board is proposing to leave at its current rate of $.67 per thousand valuation. Those PPEL funds can only be used for specific purposes as stated by Iowa Law, including, but not limited to: Student Security (Security cameras, secure entrances, playground upgrades); Building Maintenance; Transportation Equipment; Technology and Energy Savings.

By using PPEL funds to maintain facilities and equipment school officials say the Audubon Community School District has been able to hold the line on the General Fund levy, making it one of the lowest levies in the area. This has also allowed the school board to focus General Fund dollars on the District’s main goal of providing a first-rate education to Audubon students. If you have any questions concerning the PPEL fund levy, please feel free to contact the Superintendent’s office at 712-563-2607. Voting will open at 12:00 p.m. and will close at 8:00 p.m. at the Agri-hall at the Audubon Fairgrounds.

Voters in the Treynor School District will decide the fate of an $11.5 million bond issue for a wide range of projects. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Treynor Community Center. If approved by the necessary 60% supermajority, the referendum would cover a long list of proposed improvements, including classrooms at the high school for increased enrollment, a new fine arts complex at the high school–including a new auditorium plus new vocal and band areas–renovation of the existing auditorium into a new wrestling area–including locker rooms and storage, renovation of the district’s weight room, and updated sprinkler and HVAC systems. Also covered: a new drop-off location at Treynor Elementary School, as well as a new transportation facility near the back of the building. School officials say passage of the bond issue would equate to a property tax increase for the district’s patrons. Plans call for all projects to be finished in the time for the start of the 2020-2021 school year. In April, voters rejected the PPEL by 54% of the vote.

And, Council Bluffs Community School District residents will have the opportunity to go the polls today, to vote on whether the district should issue  $37-million in General Obligation Bonds, to fund improvements and renovation at the District’s two middle schools, Kirn and Wilson. Renovations will address areas of concern identified during a year-long facility audit by a committee of teachers, parents, administrators and representatives of an architectural firm. If the bond is approved, the architects will develop detailed plans and specifications. The renovation of each building is estimated to be in the $14-$17 million range.  If the costs are less than $37 million, the school district will not borrow the full amount allowed, which will decrease the amount of the tax rate. This measure would not allow the school district to borrow more than $37 million. The District’s website say the total levy is currently $17.24 per thousand valuation, and would increase by 49 cents per thousand on the taxable value of property if the bond is approved. That amounts to an annual property tax increase of $31 for an appraised home value of $120,000.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports four arrests took place over the past week. On Thursday, 43-year old Michelle Ann Day, of Greenfield and 53-year old Nathan William Storey, of Council Bluffs, were arrested by Adair County Deputies related to drug trafficking charges. According to the complaint, Day – who was arrested at around 9-p.m. – agreed with Storey to receive Methamphetamine and sell it to others. She and Storey were both charged with a Controlled Substance Violation, associated with the intent to deliver more than 5-grams but less than 5-kilograms of meth. Both were brought to the Adair County Jail, where Storey was released later that day on a $25,000 cash or surety bond, and Day remained in custody on the same amount of bond.

Storey was arrested just before 4-p.m. Thursday following a traffic stop for speeding on westbound Highway 92. An Iowa State Patrol Trooper assisted in the stop near Bridgewater, and deployed a K-9, which indicated to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A probable cause search was conducted, during which a large quantity of a crystallized white substance was found inside a sock located in a tool belt in the rear of the vehicle.

Also arrested Thursday, was 20-year old Jacob Thomas Peterson, of Fontanelle, who was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine, after the drug was found inside a safe in his bedroom. He also had numerous letters addressed to him within the safe, and had admitted to smoking meth two days prior to his arrest. Peterson was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

And, 54-year old Timothy Edward Riegel, of Council Bluffs, was arrested Friday night in Adair County, following a call about a fight in progress at the Adair County Fairgrounds, in Greenfield. A Deputy spoke with a male who was identified as being involved in the fight. The man initially identified himself as “Henry Chillingworth,” but after further investigation, he admitted to being Timothy Riegel. He said he gave the false name because he was worried a No Contact Order was still in-place between Riegel and a woman he was with. Riegel was arrested for providing false identity information to a law enforcement officer. He was later released on a $300 bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — An 11-year-old Iowa boy who wanted racing stickers to cover his casket has died. Michael Sytsma of Bates Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa says Caleb Hammond died Monday. His family brought him home to Oskaloosa after determining the painful leukemia treatments he’d been undergoing at a Des Moines hospital weren’t working and other options offered little hope. Race drivers and others answered his call for the stickers, and he was even given a chance to drive a race car at a local track.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — A steam leak at a University of Northern Iowa dining hall has killed a maintenance worker. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the employee died Monday morning while working on malfunctioning equipment at the Rialto dining center on the Cedar Falls campus. University spokesman Aaron Clingingsmith says 61-year-old Kevin J. Bley died from injuries he received while testing a steam distribution service, which heats water for the center’s dining service.

MONONA, Iowa (AP) — U.S. officials have identified the remains of a sailor killed in the World War II attack on Pearl Harbor as those of an Iowa native. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Monday that the remains of Navy Fireman 3rd Class Robert J. Bennett were accounted for on Aug. 13. The 18-year-old Bennett was born in Monona. His remains were identified using DNA tests and other evidence.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former Food Bank of Iowa employee has been accused of stealing nearly $35,000 while working for the nonprofit. Polk County court records say 31-year-old Lauren Phillips is charged with theft, identity theft, forgery and other crimes.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — A steam leak at a University of Northern Iowa dining hall has killed a maintenance worker. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the employee died Monday morning while working on malfunctioning equipment at the Rialto dining center on the Cedar Falls campus.

University spokesman Aaron Clingingsmith says the employee was testing a steam distribution service, which heats water for the center’s dining service. The dining hall had been closed since last week because of problems and was being brought back online.

The worker, who wasn’t immediately identified, was a UNI employee in the maintenance department. No one else was injured.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — An 11-year-old Iowa boy who wanted racing stickers to cover his casket has died. Michael Sytsma, of Bates Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa, says Caleb Hammond died Monday. He declined to say where.

(A-P file photo) – In this Aug. 18, 2018, file photo, 11-year-old Caleb Hammond grins before heading out in a stock car designed for children on the Southern Iowa Speedway dirt track in Oskaloosa.

Caleb’s stepmother, Kaylee Hammond, posted a photo of the boy on her Facebook page and said in a post Saturday that he had taken a turn for the worse Friday. His family brought him home to Oskaloosa, about 55 miles southeast of Des Moines, after determining the painful leukemia treatments he’d been undergoing at a Des Moines hospital weren’t working and other options offered little hope.

Race drivers and others answered his call for the stickers, and he was even given a chance to drive a race car at a local track, under the guidance of a 12-year-old racer.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig recognized Century and Heritage Farm families during a ceremony at the State Fair.  To qualify, a family must have owned at least 40 acres for 100 years or more in the case of Century Farms and 150 years or more for a Heritage Farm. This year 359 Century Farms and 148 Heritage Farms were recognized.

Naig said “To keep a farm in the same family for 100 or 150 years is a testament to the passion and perseverance of these families and a true picture of sustainability. These families inspire all of us to roll up our sleeves, identify innovative conservation solutions and forge new public-private partnerships to ensure our agriculture industry remains strong for generations to come.”

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has partnered with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation since 1976 to recognize families that have owned and worked a farm for 100 years or more.  Including this year’s recipients, more than 19,000 farms from across the state have been recognized.

The Heritage Farm program was started in 2006, on the 30th anniversary of the Century Farm program and more than 1,000 farms have been recognized. The 2018 Century and Heritage Farms Program ceremony was held at the Iowa State Fair in the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion on Thursday, August 16.  Craig Hill, President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, or Joe Heinrich, Vice President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation joined Naig to recognize all award recipients.

Find links to the pdf documents listing the Century Farm and Heritage Farms here:

https://www.iowaagriculture.gov/century/pdf/2018/2018CenturyFarms.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

https://www.iowaagriculture.gov/century/pdf/2018/2018HeritageFarms.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

A call about an argument in Red Oak at around 11:54-a.m. today (Monday), resulted in the arrest of 25-year old Amanda Leeann Solt. The Red Oak woman was taken into custody for Breach of Peace because the argument was disturbing her neighbors.

(Radio Iowa) — A new survey finds more than one-third of Iowans do -not- have a life insurance policy. Triple-A-Iowa spokesman Nick Jarmusz says most of us don’t like to think about our own mortality, but it’s essential to have a plan in place for the inevitable. “No matter who you are, if you run into a catastrophic situation where you have a serious injury or a death, there are going to be expenses that are associated with that that someone is going to have to pay,” Jarmusz says. “That life insurance policy can help cover those costs so that you’re not burdening others with them.”

The survey found 36-percent of Iowans have no life insurance. While many people don’t have a policy or don’t have enough coverage, Jarmusz notes it only takes one accident or terminal illness to leave your family in serious financial trouble. “If you’re married and you have a family, you’re the head of a household, certainly, you’re going to need more coverage because you’re going to want to replace the lost income that you had been earning to support your family,” Jarmusz says. “Even as a single person, there will still be expenses associated with those events that you’re not going to want to pass along to your friends and loved ones.”

A common misconception is that life insurance is too expensive, but he says policies can be tailored for practically any financial situation. “If it’s outside your budget, trying to get some coverage instead of no coverage is going to be better,” Jarmusz says. “You can work with an agent to find coverage that’s affordable and can still provide some relief and some coverage for the expenses that could come up.”

Jarmusz says a 35-year-old woman in excellent health who never used nicotine may get 100-thousand dollars of coverage for as little as eight-dollars per month.

(Radio Iowa) — A group appointed by the director of the Iowa Department of Education is now reviewing and preparing to make a recommendation on what would be the first statewide standards for teaching physical education and health in the state’s schools. Department spokesperson, Staci Hupp, says it’s part of the ongoing process of reviewing and revising standards. “We have mandatory standards for math, science, social studies, literacy and 21st century skills. But we also have what we call recommended or voluntary standards for things like fine arts or computer science,” Hupp says. “And now we’re looking at having P-E and health standards — and those would be voluntary for schools as well.”

Hupp says the standards give schools guidelines as they carry out the actual job of teaching students. “Standards are open-ended they are not prescriptive, but again they establish the expectations and then it’s up to the locals schools to make decisions about curriculum and teaching, the things that help students meet those expectations,” according to Hupp. She says educators have asked the state to look at the P-E and health standards. “There are standards for P-E and health in the U-S, but we don’t have any that are Iowa specific. In fact, we are the last state to look at adopting P-E and health standards,” Hupp says.

The Physical Education and Health Standards Review Team has already had one meeting and will have five more before putting together recommendations for the State Board of Education by next spring. “The State Board of Education has the authority to adopt or revise state standards, so then the State Board of Education would review a recommendation and then decide ultimately whether or not to adopt P-E and health standards for Iowa,” Hupp explains.

Hupp says the meetings are open to the public and the team will take input from the public later this fall in an on-line survey. The next meeting is scheduled for October 11th, with other meetings set for November 15th, December 7th, January 10th and February 21st. All meetings are 9:30 to 3:30 p-m at Grand View University’s Student Center (Room 201).

(Radio Iowa) — An Iowa State Patrol trooper used a Taser to arrest a man Sunday afternoon. According to the Patrol, the trooper tried to pull over 25-year-old Jacob Ira of Des Moines for an equipment violation on his vehicle, but Ira refused to stop. The chase ended in a neighborhood on Des Moines’ northeast side when Ira left his car and tried to run from the trooper.

Ira was caught, but allegedly fought with the trooper, who Tased Ira to subdue him. Ira is facing charges that include assault on a peace officer and interference with official acts. Ira was booked in the Polk County Jail. There was also a felony probation warrant out for his arrest.