The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday), issued a report on arrests dating back to Dec. 11th. Authorities says 26-year old Robert Paul Joens, of Exira, was arrested at around 12-a.m. December 11th, for Possession of Marijuana/2nd Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. The charge stems from an incident occurring in the 2600 block of Heron Ave. Joens was later released from custody after appearing before the Magistrate. On Dec, 23rd, 56-year old Jarold Field Joens, of Exira was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance – Marijuana/1st Offense. The charge is the result of a search warrant executed on Joens’ property, in connection with an incident that occurred earlier in December. Jarold Joens was summoned to appear before the Magistrate later that week, and was subsequently released. During execution of the aforementioned search warrant, 26-year old Robert Paul Joens was arrested and charged with two counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Controlled Substance/Marijuana 2nd Offense, and Possession of Controlled Substance/Meth – 2nd Offense. Robert Joens was transported to the Audubon County Jail and later posted a $3,600 bond.

Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson reports also, 45-year old Christopher Lee Hilleshiem, of Exira, was charged Dec. 15th with disclosing confidential information. The charge stems from an investigation into an incident that occurred in November. Hillesheim appeared before the Magistrate and was released. 43-year old Carrie Waller, of Exira, was also arrested Dec. 15th. She was taken into custody for Obstructing Prosecution or Defense and Theft in the 4th Degree. She was later released after appearing before a magistrate. And, a male juvenile was charged with Burglary in the 3rd Degree – Motor Vehicle, and Theft in the 4th Degree. The charges all stem from an investigation into the July 2019 theft of a firearm from a vehicle in Exira.

On December 16th, 18-year old Levi John Klenda, of Kimballton, was arrested on charges of Theft in the 4th Degree, and Accessory After the Fact. Klenda also appeared before the Magistrate, and was released.

(Radio Iowa) — The U.S. Census Bureau says Iowa is one of the states where the agency is having an especially difficult time finding temporary workers. The Census is hiring for office jobs in Des Moines as well as field workers who will go door to door statewide starting in May. The goal for the agency is to collect more than 21-thousand applications for the part time jobs — but Marilyn Sanders, a regional director for the Census, says so far only about half that number have applied. “Right now we’re looking for approximately about 10,000 more applicants to complete the recruiting for the state of Iowa,” she says.

Iowa’s low unemployment rate is a factor and the Census Bureau recently raised the hourly wage in the Des Moines area in hopes of attracting more applicants. Sanders says having local workers improves the response rate.  “The opportunity to help us to get us a complete count is when we have people that represent the community knocking on the doors,” Sanders says.

The Census determines how many seats in the House of Representatives go to each state. Some 675 billion dollars in federal funding each year is distributed, based on the population count. Sanders attended the first meeting of the statewide Complete Count Committee yesterday (Wednesday) where she encouraged members to organize events to drive recruiting.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Grant Gerlock)

Atlantic Zoning Commissioner John Lund says the City of Atlantic’s Board of Adjustment will meet 7:30-a.m. Monday, Jan. 13th in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. The purpose of the meeting is to hold a Public Hearing, and consider granting a permit for – surface mining near the current Schildberg Construction mining operations at 2307 SW 7th Street. The property currently allows for underground mining of road- and other types- of rock. Approval of the request is necessary as Schildberg looks to expand their existing surface quarry, as existing pits become exhausted of material.

Owner Mark Schildberg and Tim Teig, representatives of the Teig’s family interests in Atlantic, have stated changes to the area will be minimal and gradual, over the course of 20-to 25-years. Over that period of time, the open pit will be moving west towards Highway 6 and then north, parallel to the highway. As each pit becomes depleted, it will be filled-in and another pit mined. John Lund says Schildberg Construction has been working with Snyder and Associates Engineers to develop concept plans for a “Visual buffer” to the mining area, similar to what was seen in the 2003 conditional use permit.

Lund says Mark Schildberg has expressed an interest in continuing his company’s history of civic generosity, by allowing a filled-in site to be transformed into a multi-use area, that could serve both private commercial businesses and/or public recreation. The Board of Adjustment has the authority to grant the permit, but also place restrictions on the nature of what can be done through the permit.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says an Atlantic man was charged with OWI/1st offense, following an investigation into a single-vehicle, property damage accident near Lewis, Wednesday afternoon. Emergency crews were called to the scene at around 4:12-p.m.  Authorities say 67-year old Joseph Francis Emert was traveling on Highway 6 at the At&T curve, when he failed to negotiate the curve and lost control of his vehicle. The car went into the south ditch and came to rest upright near a building site. No injuries were reported.

Emert was being held on a $1,000 bond in the Cass County Jail, pending an appearance in front of the magistrate.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa election officials have stopped using a long-flawed database of felons who are ineligible to vote as they rebuild it from scratch. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office removed the database, which contained more than 100,000 entries, from the statewide voter registration system last week. Workers are recreating the list by reviewing each entry and adding back those that are verified felony convictions. They hope to complete the review before the November election. Pate spokesman Kevin Hall says newly registered voters, who must attest that they aren’t felons, will be compared against only the verified entries to check their eligibility.

This time of year, county and local governments are considering funding requests from various entities. In Adair County, the Board of Supervisors will meet 9-a.m. Friday, to hear additional requests for FY 2021. Requests include those from:

• The Adair County Fair Board – Brenda Meisenheimer
• Adair County Home Care – Jane Ernst
• Midwest Partnership – Sarah Gomez
• Environmental Services – Jotham Arber

Earlier this week, the Board heard from several other groups/entities serving Adair County.

(Radio Iowa) — The winner of Iowa’s 2004 Caucuses is traveling the state this week, campaigning for one of the candidates seeking the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination. John Kerry is reminiscing about the campaign he ran here 16 years ago. “I had the best time criss-crossing this state, measuring my life by the height of your corn…I spent New Year’s Eve in Sioux City with my 300 new best friends, celebrating the New Year,” Kerry said.

Kerry was trailing in the polls in December of 2003, but wound up winning with 38 percent. “We had a hell of a good time, folks, and nothing was better than turning the tide in the Caucuses ” Kerry said. “And going on to win Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania and coming within half a football stadium of winning the presidency.” Kerry lost the state of Ohio in the General Election by about 60-thousand votes. Kerry’s on a bus tour of Iowa, traveling with Joe Biden’s sister and a few other Biden supporters from other states. “I actually thought about running and I’m not — because Joe is,” Kerry said, “and because I believe in his ability to be able to pull the country together, to win those critical states.”

Kerry, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate for 28 years, served as U.S. Secretary of State during President Obama’s second term. He told a crowd in Des Moines late Wednesday afternoon President Trump’s showdown with Iran is reckless, impulsive and has put us at odds with our closest allies. “The more I see of what is not happening in the world measured against what should be happening, the more I know we need to respect experience and value somebody like Joe Biden,” Kerry said, to applause.

Kerry will make stops in Fort Dodge, Algona and Mason City today (Thursday), with more stops in eastern Iowa on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

(Radio Iowa) — New Jersey Senator Cory Booker says he’s taking a gamble that he’ll be among the top three candidates when the Iowa Caucus results are announced. “We’ve said from the beginning that this is our state, that this is going to be the determining factor for us,” Booker says. “…We’re playing to keep here in Iowa, kind of Texas Hold ‘Em in some ways.” Iowans who watched seven of the Democratic Party’s OTHER 2020 presidential candidates debate in December saw Booker’s first campaign ad. He’s spending far more to buy time on Iowa T-V stations this month.  “I’m going to confess we have taken a risk in Iowa by pushing a lot of our resources that we might need to continue on into getting up on TV to compete with those people who are millionaires or who have more resources than us,” Booker told Radio Iowa.

Booker has not joined former competitor Julian Castro in criticizing Iowa’s role as the first voting event in the 2020 presidential selection process. Booker just launched “Black Americans for Cory” with a gathering of about 50 women in Des Moines and he says Iowa’s minority voters may be the deciding factor on February 3rd. “In a Caucus where the difference between finishing fifth and second is probably going to be a few thousand votes, those who appeal to the Sudanese community or can appeal to the Latino community, the black community, if you can generate support in those communities,” Booker says. “it’s the diversity that swings the hinge one way or the other.”

Booker says voters need to pick the candidate who is best able to motivate Obama-level turn-out among diverse communities. Booker’s duty as a U.S. Senator to sit as a juror in the expected impeachment trial for President Trump will take him off the Iowa campaign trail. He is also unlikely to meet Friday’s deadline for a strong enough showing in public opinion polls to be included in next week’s televised candidate debate in Des Moines. Booker returns to Iowa today (Thursday) with events scheduled in North Liberty and Mount Vernon.

Members of the Griswold School District’s Board of Education will meet this evening in a Work Session, to review Open Enrollment data. The meeting takes place in the Conference Room at the High School, beginning at 5:30-p.m.  No action is expected to be taken during their Work Session.