The final Cass County legislative coffee for the current legislative session will be held 10-a.m. Saturday, April 2nd, at the Lewis Community Library (506 West Main Street), in Lewis. The events are organized by P.R.I.D.E., the Progressive Rural Iowa Development Enterprise.

The economic development organization works on behalf of communities, businesses, and citizens for Southwest Iowa development. For additional information, contact Clarke Gerlock, vice-president, at 712-774-5476, or Kenner Baxter, president, at 781-2395.

Rep. Tom Moore and Sen. Tom Shipley meet with constituents at the March Legislative Coffee, in Marne.

Heavy snow overnight in northwest Iowa has made travel conditions difficult and will continue through the morning commute. Travel is not advised on many roadways around and to the north and east of Sioux City, including Interstate 29 north of the city. Some areas are impassible due to disabled vehicles.

Motorists are urged to evaluate the need to travel in extreme conditions. If you must travel, be sure to monitor road conditions and Iowa DOT snow plow locations by using the winter driving resources listed under the travel section of the Iowa DOT website, www.iowadot.gov.

If you must travel to a bordering state you are reminded to check their traveler resources as well. A link to these pages is available at 511ia.org.

CHARTER OAK, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a western Iowa high school student was sent home with his parents after he allegedly threatened his school principal. The incident occurred Wednesday morning at Charter Oak-Ute High School in Charter Oak. Principal Adam Eggeling says no one was hurt and that classes were held without interruption. Eggeling says the student allegedly threatened to shoot him.

Parents were sent a message that the school was in lockdown, but Eggeling says he regretted using that description because the issue had been resolved before the message was sent. He says the student won’t be allowed on campus today (Thursday).

Two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation after fighting a house fire in Council Bluffs, Wednesday afternoon. The Omaha World-Herald reports five pets – three dogs and two cats – died in the blaze, but none of the residents at 2003 5th Avenue, were injured.

The fire was reported just before 3-p.m. Officials say conditions at the scene worsened after they entered the building, and two firefighters were taken to an area hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lawmakers in the Iowa Legislature have approved legislation that would increase K-12 education spending for the upcoming fiscal year. The Democratic-controlled Senate and the Republican-majority House both voted Wednesday in support of the legislation, which would increase basic aid for K-12 schools by 2.25 percent for the next academic year.

NORWALK, Iowa (AP) — Norwalk police say they have captured an escaped kangaroo. Police received a call Tuesday night reporting that a kangaroo was wandering around Norwalk. Police quickly captured the animal and transferred it to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Police say the 3-foot-tall animal is owned by a man in Norwalk who had intended to keep the animal as a pet while living in a rural area.

POMEROY, Iowa (AP) — A court says Iowa authorities had no duty to protect residents of a nursing home from a sexual predator who assaulted a 95-year-old woman after being placed there by court order. The Iowa Court of Appeals says the state had no duty to supervise William Cubbage once he was discharged from its treatment program for dangerous sex offenders in 2010.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An appeals court says Iowa State University can get out of paying some legal fees to a whistleblower who was viciously mistreated by his superiors. The Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on Wednesday that a judge erred in awarding $368,000 in legal fees to Dennis Smith, sending the case back for a lower award. Smith was awarded $500,000 for emotional distress and $150,000 for reputational harm he suffered after reporting financial misconduct by his boss. The majority says Smith can recover attorneys’ fees only for the whistleblower claim, and the judge should have cut the fee award since that claim was only partially successful.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Dept. Assistant Director Seth Staashelm reports the Buck Creek Dog Park at the Schildberg Recreation Area remains open, despite the beginning of construction on a parking area. Staashelm says they hope to have the parking lot in-place within a couple of weeks. In the meantime, persons bringing their animals to the park, are asked to park on the street.

The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office says one person is dead, another was critically hurt during a rollover accident Tuesday afternoon. In an update to our earlier report, authorities say a passenger in the car, 47-year old Theresa Moses, of Lenox, was flown to a hospital in Des Moines, where she later died. Another passenger, 54-year old Junior Chumbley, Jr., was flown to a Des Moines hospital, where he was reported to be in critical, but stable condition. A third passenger, 32-year old Kyle Gile, was flown to Des Moines and later released from the hospital. The driver of the car, 46-year old Rachel Reed, of Lenox, was treated and released from the hospital in Creston.

Officials say the accident happened at around 4:15-p.m., as Reed and her passengers were traveling west on 130^th Street near Yellowstone Avenue. Her 2005 Kia Sorento went out control on the gravel and rolled several times. Three occupants of the car were not wearing their seat belts and were ejected and a fourth was trapped in the vehicle.

The circumstances that led to the accident are still under investigation by the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors have once again tabled action on approving funds  in support of an Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department application to Vision Iowa for a Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grant. The grant application is for $360,000 from Vision Iowa, for improvements and further development of the campground at the Schildberg Recreation Area, and the Pellet Wildlife Refuge Park.

The Board, after much discussion, decided it wanted Atlantic Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring to come up with some figures with regard to how proposed improvements to the campground at the Schildberg Recreation Area, would benefit the county as a whole, and not just Atlantic. Prior to their decision to table the matter until next week, most of the Board made it clear they were not in support of the County vowing to contribute $40,000 to help secure the Vision Iowa grant.

Supervisor Frank Waters was the first to say he was not for the County chipping in to secure the grant.  He says the people he’s spoken with in his district opposes the funds using tax dollars. Using the Local Option Sales Tax monies was brought up as a possible means of committing to the requested funds, but the Supervisors say they intended to use much of those funds to pay down existing debt, especially with regard to improvements for the ethanol site. Supervisor Mark Wedemeyer, who attended last week’s meeting of the Cass County Conservation Board, said that Board didn’t want to upgrade the Pellet Wildlife Refuge – an area tentatively included in the grant application – because it tends to flood, and because they don’t have the funds necessary to maintain it.

Supervisor Chuck Rieken said roads and bridges are the county’s prime focus right now, along with reducing the debt, so that other projects can be funded in the future. Frank Waters agreed. The City of Atlantic earlier this month committed $100,000 in support of the grant application, which requires a 50-percent local match in order for it to be considered. Parks and Rec Dept. Director Roger Herring has said other funds and donations of time, labor and resources would meet the 40-percent requirement for the in-kind portion of the local match. The grant application needs to be submitted by April 10^th.

In other business, the Supervisors approved the hiring of a temporary, full-time employee in the Treasurer’s Office during a time an employee there will be on medical leave. The Board however DENIED a proposal from the Cass County Secondary Roads Employee Group (CCSREG) for personnel to work four, 10-hour days from May 30^th through September 2nd. They would then return to their regular 8-hour per day shift effective Sept. 5^th.  Chuck Rieken was one of the Supervisors who opposed the request, because it hasn’t worked before, and because that’s not what the public wants.

POMEROY, Iowa (AP) – A court says Iowa authorities had no duty to protect residents of a nursing home from a sexual predator who assaulted a 95-year-old woman after being placed there by court order. The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the state had no duty to supervise William Cubbage once he was discharged from its treatment program for dangerous sex offenders in 2010.

The court says state officials didn’t have to develop a safety plan for Cubbage once he was at the Pomeroy Care Center. Willis Hamilton is a lawyer representing the estate of the victim, who has since died. He says he can’t understand how state officials can argue Cubbage was too dangerous to be released but “put him in a nursing home with little old ladies” with no protections.

(In an update to our earlier post) The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the fisherman who died Tuesday evening after falling from his boat on the Cedar River in Charles City has been identified as 54-year old Kevin Neal Endelman, of Charles City. Endelman had his small boat anchored just above a low-head dam on the Cedar River when he apparently fell out and went over the dam shortly after 7 p.m.

The man was pulled from the river downstream of the dam by the Charles City Fire and Rescue and was taken to Floyd County Medical Center in Charles City where he was pronounced dead. Also assisting at the scene were the Charles City Police Department and Floyd County Sheriff’s Department. The incident remains under investigation by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.