The CAM School District’s Board of Education will hold a Special, closed session 12:30-p.m. Thursday, in the Nodaway Valley High School Media Center. The purpose of the meeting is to conduct formal interviews with three finalists for the shared Superintendent’s job. When the Board returns to open session, they may take action on offering a contract for the position prior to adjournment. As previously mentioned, the candidate finalists include: IKM-Manning High School Principal Brian Wall; East Mills-Essex School District Shared Superintendent Paul Croghan; and Woodward-Granger Superintendent Brad Anderson. Whomever is selected will begin their duties on July 1st.

The Board will also meet 6:30-p.m. Thursday at the same location, to consider approval of contracts.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a food pantry that serves more than 5,000 people a month in Sioux City is being evicted because the building it operates from has been sold. The Midtown Family Community Center houses the food pantry, a free Saturday meal and a 4-H program. Janet Reynolds of the Jones Street Neighborhood Coalition says the center’s closure will be a “huge loss for the community.”

Boys and Girls Home Inc. owns the building and had allowed the community center to use the building rent-free. But the building was sold last month. Boys and Girls Home is moving its programs to a centralized campus at the site of the former Indian Hills shopping center.

Reynolds says the grant funding the center receives provides only food for the pantry and Saturday meal. She says officials are looking for another neighborhood space to reopen.

Four people were arrested on separate charges Tuesday, in Creston. Authorities say 30-year old Travis Moran, of Eaton Rapids, MI, was arrested at a residence in the 800 block of W. Taylor Street, on charges of Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st Offense. Moran was later released from the Union County Jail on a $1,300 bond. 19-year old Brandon Kinkennon, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a charge of Assault While Displaying a Dangerous Weapon. He was later released from the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

22-year old Tyler Ray, of Creston, was arrested Tuesday on an Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations Warrant for a Controlled Substance Violation. He was being held on a $5,000 bond. And, 59-year old Michael Alan Fry, of Creston, was arrested on charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver, Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or Subsequent Offense, Possession of Paraphernalia, Failure to Affix Drug Tax Stamp and Possession of Controlled Substance on Certain Property (within 1000 feet of a Public Park). He was being held in the Union County Jail awaiting a bond hearing.

And, a Creston man reported to Police Tuesday morning, that sometime between May 30th and 31st, someone took his wallet out of his vehicle that was parked at his residence. The loss was estimated at $20

(Radio Iowa) — With another school year wrapped up, low-income Iowa youngsters who got many of their meals at school won’t go hungry, thanks to the Summer Food Service Program which started this week. Dylan Lampe, a spokesman for the Food Bank of Iowa, explains why the program is so important. “Throughout the school year, we put together about 5,000 backpacks that get shipped out across 55 counties that go into the hands of students in need,” Lampe says. “When it’s summertime, those backpacks don’t go out, so these kids have to find somewhere else to get a consistent source of food.”

Lampe says many thousands of Iowa kids qualify for the program, though they likely will be going somewhere other than their schools for the meals. “It depends on the different spots and where they’re going,” he says. “In each community, every one is different. It’s open to low-income teens and kids in the area.” The program is under the U-S-D-A umbrella but it involves dozens of local agencies. “It’s a federally funded program and it’s administered through the state,” he says. “The Summer Food Service Program reimburses providers who serve these healthy meals to children and teens in the low-income areas.”

School food service staff employees and volunteers help with preparing the meals for the youngsters. For more information, contact your local school district or visit the Food Bank of Iowa website at www.foodbankofiowa.org.

(Radio Iowa) — An organization that represents the state’s construction industry has established a new five-MILLION dollar endowment — to award yearly grants to schools, businesses and charities for programs that promote jobs in the construction trades. Chad Kleppe president and C-E-O of the Master Builders of Iowa, says about 75-thousand people are working on construction projects in Iowa today, but the demand is growing for more skilled workers.

“Our concern is that if we’re not being more pro-active from an industry perspective that matters are only going to get worse,” Kleppe says. His organization is now accepting applications online for the grants, which will be awarded in December. The money isn’t for scholarships, but for projects or programs that promote construction jobs in carpentry, electrical and mechanical skills.

“Maybe exhibits at museums or exhibits at different locations that are construction based,” Kleppe says. “Our hope is that contractors will work with local schools to provide the capital infrastructure for construction equipment, shop equipment be it table saws or miter saws or things like that and couple with a contractor who will provide the expertise on how to work the equipment, provide the safety and then maybe some material suppliers to provide the in-kind support in that regard.”

The Associated General Contractors of America recently conducted a national survey and Kleppe says 77 percent of contractors said their number one concern was finding skilled workers. “We are seeing more people retiring and we just are not filling those positions as quickly as we necessarily need,” Kleppe says.  Governor Kim Reynolds has identified Iowa workforce shortage issues as a top priority. She attended Tuesday’s announcement of what the Master Builders of Iowa are calling their Workforce Opportunities Require Knowledge and Skills or “M-B-I WORKS” project.

“The more that we can implement these types of programs into our middle schools and high schools, it helps educate parents to see that these are phenomenal opportunities,” she said. “It gives our students an opportunity to test run some of these careers, find that they have a passion for it and they recognize that this is a great career opportunity for them.”
The Master Builders’ plan is to support up to four projects each year. The organization’s president says one of their goals is to promote more diversity among Iowa’s construction workforce, including getting more women and minorities to consider careers in the construction trades.

Firefighters from Atlantic were called to the scene of a reported residential fire early this (Wednesday) morning. The call from 1210 Locust came in just before 2:15-a.m.. The occupants were out of the home at the time of the call, thanks to being alerted by their smoke detectors. Prior to firefighters’ arrival, Atlantic Police Officer Nathan Kinney was able to extinguish flames coming from an overloaded power strip for a fish tank circulation and filtration system.

Fire crews remained on the scene until around 3:15-a.m., ventilating the home. No injuries were reported and the house sustained primarily smoke damage. The family was being assisted by the American Red Cross, following the event.