Supporting a great local cause can be as easy as buying flowers. On Friday, May 8th, Hy-Vee will donate $1.00 from every hanging basket purchased to the Cass County Health System (CCHS) Foundation. Volunteers from CCHS will be at Hy-Vee to help customers pick out a beautiful hanging basket, and the funds raised will go towards the 2015 Annual Campaign.

CCHS Foundation Director Dawn Marnin and Hy-Vee Gen. Merchandise Mgr. Aaron Siggins.

“Hy-Vee has been a great supporter of the CCHS Foundation for years,” said Dawn Marnin, Foundation Director. “This promotion is just in time for Mother’s Day, which seems appropriate since our campaign’s goal is focused on new mothers and infants.”

This year’s campaign goal is to purchase a Central Monitoring System for the Cass County Memorial Hospital OB Department, which costs $100,000. Last year’s campaign enabled CCMH to purchase new fetal monitors, which need to be read at the patient’s bedside.

Adding the Central Monitoring System will allow nurses and physicians to closely monitor multiple babies at the same time. Together, these two systems create a powerful tool to monitor and protect our newborns and their mothers.

(Press Release)

Due to outbreaks of avian flu, the Wright County Board of Supervisors in north-central Iowa is declaring a State of Emergency in an effort to take what they call a proactive, preventative approach. Supervisor chairman Karl Helgevold said with the current outbreak of the disease in northwest Iowa and the potential severe economic impact such an outbreak could cause, the supervisors felt it necessary to issue the state of emergency.

The supervisors stressed there are no reports of avian flu in Wright County and that there is no risk to the public. County officials are working together to develop a plan for rerouting certain traffic in the areas of some of the poultry facilities in an effort to help limit traffic and prevent the spread of the disease.

Wright County leads the state in poultry population with nearly 15 million birds in more than 20 locations across the county. The poultry industry employs more than 600 people in Wright County alone.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will hold two public stakeholder meetings in May to collect public comments on proposed National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water quality permits. Meetings will be held May 20 in the DNR Water Supply Office in the Wallace State Office Building, 502 East Ninth St. in Des Moines, in the second floor conference room 2N.

A meeting from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. will discuss a potential general wastewater permit for hydrostatic test water, underground storage tank ballast water, and potable water line testing discharges (General Permit Number 8). A second meeting from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. will cover a potential general wastewater permit for dewatering and household geothermal discharges (General Permit Number 9).

If issued, General Permit 8 would authorize discharges resulting from hydrostatic testing, which is a process that uses water to verify that a container, like a pipe or tank, will not leak when put into service. The permit would also authorize discharges from underground storage tank ballasting, where water is used to weigh down a tank at installation, and from potable water line testing.

General Permit 9, if issued, would authorize discharge of wastewater from excavation and groundwater dewatering activities. It would also authorize discharges to waters of the United States from residential open-loop geothermal systems.

Both permits will establish eligibility requirements and best management practices to ensure discharges meet state water quality standards. People may make oral or written comments at the public meetings, or can submit written comments through May 27th to Julie Faas, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 502 E. Ninth Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0034; fax at 515-725-8202; or by email, including the commenter’s name, to Julie.Faas@dnr.iowa.gov.

An Atlantic man was arrested Wednesday, on drug and other charges. The A-PD says 24-year old Devin Register was taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine, Unlawful Possession of a Prescription Drug, and Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. Register was booked into the Cass County Jail.

If you’re the type of person who can’t resist a garage sale, you’ll be in heaven this weekend. City-wide garage sales will be held in Atlantic, Griswold, Lewis, and in the communities of Audubon, Brayton and Exira. Some early bird sales take place in Atlantic and along the Highway 71 communities Friday evening, for those who want to get a jump on the throngs of people who’ll be competing for great bargains and finds. There will be crafts, small appliances, toys, adult and children clothing, furniture, bake sale items and much more available.

The Atlantic City Wide Garage Sales will takes place Friday, May 1st, from 2-until 6-pm, and Saturday, from 10-am to 4-pm. Maps will be available at Casey’s, Fareway, and HyVee. The sale is hosted by the Atlantic Business and Profession Women’s (BPW) organization. For more information call Becky Bonney at 712-254-0838.

In Griswold, the City Wide Garage sales take place on Saturday with most starting at 8 a.m. Garage sale maps will be available on Saturday at Casey’s General Store and Main Lil’ Market in Griswold. Garage sale map will also be available online at www.griswoldamerican.com.

In Lewis, the City Wide Garage sale takes place from 7-a.m. until 1-p.m., Saturday.

And, the Audubon-Exira-Brayton Highway 71 Community Garage Sale will be held Saturday from 7-a.m. until 1-pm. Shane Lange, President of the Audubon Area Chamber of Commerce, says flags will mark those residences whose owners or vendors have paid to have their garage sales indicated on free maps. He says there are between 55-and 60 garage sales on the map in Audubon, alone.

Shane says he’s not into garage sales, but he knows others absolutely love them. Free maps are available at most local businesses in Audubon, Exira and Brayton. Residences on the maps will have bright orange flags on their lawns to better identify their location.

Retail sidewalk sales will also be held during the garage sale weather permitting, so be sure and check at individual businesses. The Highway 71 Community Garage Sale is sponsored by the Audubon Chamber of Commerce, Exira Community Club & Brayton Community Club. For more information go to www.auduboniowa.org.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County report they have received two separate reports of scams from residents attempting to sell items on Craigslist. The Sheriff’s Office says if you use Craigslist to sell products or services, it’s important to be aware of the scams you may encounter along the way.

One of the most common is the Craigslist overpayment scam, which usually involves a cashier’s check or money order sent from the buyer for an amount that exceeds the cost of the item being sold. With this scam, these cashier’s checks and money orders won’t clear, leaving the seller responsible for the amount with the bank.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A former University of Iowa employee has been arrested on charges he secretly recorded people using a campus restroom. The Iowa City Police Department says 46-year-old Nicodemus Hendrick, of Coralville, was arrested Thursday on 13 counts of invasion of privacy. He is accused of hiding the camera in a bathroom at the University Capitol Centre’s Information Technology Services space in June.

According to police complaints, the camera could have been in operation as early as March 1, 2014. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports at least five people were recorded or photographed “in a state of nudity” without their consent. Hendrick was a former employee of the department. A news release from UI says additional security measures have since been implemented.

The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest on Wednesday, of 33-year old Toby Merritt. The Glenwood man was arrested for Shoplifting. His cash bond was set at $300.

More area & state news, w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The 7:06-a.m. newscast w/the area’s top news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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