(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County today (Tuesday), accepted the Fiscal Year 2024 Montgomery County Annual Financial (Cash-basis) Report. Montgomery County Auditor Jill Ozuna explained it’s the only financial report that gets published. She said the total ending fund balance as of June 30, 2024 was $2,734,026.

In other business, the Board approved claims payable for Nov. 27^th in the amount of $154,290.67, and, they passed an amended resolution pertaining to the Sheriff’s Schedule of Services Inmate fees, which are intended to recoup some of the costs of room, board and medical. Officials say the amended fees should allow them to collect 60-percent of the costs.

The Board set the date and time for their January 2025 Organizational meeting as 8:30-a.m., on January 2^nd. And, Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert provided her weekly report to the Board.

The Montgomery County Supervisor’s next meeting is 8:30-a.m., December 3^rd.

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Senator Chuck Grassley says the tariffs President-elect Trump previously imposed on China pressured China to agree to buy U-S grain, but Grassley says the new tariffs Trump has threatened against Mexico, Canada AND China could hurt American agriculture. “I just think we need to get tariffs down,” Grassley says. “And that doesn’t bad mouth, in no way is that meant to disagree with Trump because I think he’s using tariffs as a negotiating tool.” Trump says he’ll add onto the tariffs already in place on goods from China unless the country imposes the death penalty on those caught trafficking the drug fentanyl. Trump also says he’ll impose 25 percent tariffs on all products from Mexico and Canada because they aren’t doing enough to stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs into the U-S.

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-New Hartford, IA) (official photo)

Grassley says U-S agricultural exports are typically the first casualty of a trade war. “It’s kind of a tricky game when it comes to increasing tariffs,” Grassley says, “because we in Iowa and throughout the agricultural community know that the first thing that’s retaliated against is agriculture.” Grassley says throughout most of his nearly five decade career in congress, he’s been an advocate for trade agreements that reduce tariffs and resolve trade disputes. “I believe we ought to be negotiating more trade agreements,” Grassley says, “whether that’s through the (World Trade Organization) or whether that’s through the multi-lateral or whether it’s bilateral.”

And Grassley suggests Trump’s new tariff threats could be linked to a clause in the U-S-Mexico Trade Agreement Trump signed when he was president. “Sometime in ’26, the USMCA says it could be renegotiated,” Grassley says, “and maybe he’s leading up to that.” Grassley says Trump’s initial tariffs on China led to a favorable deal in which China promised to buy 200 BILLION dollars more of U-S exports, but China wound up buying far less than that and began relying on other countries for many ag commodities. Grassley says it’s too soon to judge the motivation behind Trump’s latest tariff threats and what the outcomes may be.

“I’m going to be doing everything I can in the congress to have more trade, more fair trade agreements,” Grassley says, “and always constantly telling the president to be cautious about what you’re doing so it doesn’t hurt American agriculture.” During Trump’s first administration, the U-S-D-A sent over 23 BILLION dollars worth of trade disruption payments to farmers to compensate for China’s reduction in U-S grain and meat purchases.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says there were three accidents the week of Nov. 18th. Late Sunday morning, a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by 29-year-old Sean Michael Mason, of Guthrie Center, was traveling south on Hickory Avenue at 130th Street, when Mason swerved to miss another vehicle coming around the curve. His SUV entered the west ditch, drove through a fence, and came to rest after striking a pine tree. Authorities say Mason showed no signs of impairment. He complained of pain and possible injury, but was not transported to a hospital. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $8,000.

There were two vehicle-deer related accidents last Friday, in Guthrie County. Sheriff’s officials say at around 3:25-p.m., a 2020 Hyundai driven by 29-year-old Nicholas W. Knopik, of Lincoln, NE, was traveling north on Highway 25 when the car struck a deer. Damage to the vehicle was estimated at $10,000. And, at around 10:15-p.m., Friday, a 2018 Dodge Durango driven by 35-year-old Shannon Marie Oliver, of Guthrie Center, hit a deer on Monteith Road. The vehicle sustained an estimated $6,000 damage.

No injuries were reported following those two accidents.

Des Moines, IA – State Auditor Rob Sand on Monday, congratulated Iowa counties, cities, and school districts across Iowa for their efforts to save taxpayer dollars through participation in the Auditor’s Public Innovations and Efficiencies (PIE) program. In southwest Iowa, Adams County, the City of Orient, along with the Bedford, Essex and Hamburg School Districts, all won awards (See below). Sand says “Since we started PIE, there’s been no end to the appetite for pinching taxpayers’ pennies. Iowans work hard to make ends meet, and this program is helping local governments in every county do more with less money for Iowans.” Auditor Sand will hand-deliver a pie to celebrate with officials at each entity who earned a 2024 PIE Award at a later date.

Sand created the PIE program in 2019 to encourage public entities across Iowa to implement efficiency practices and reward innovative ideas to save public dollars. The PIE checklist, distributed each year by the Auditor’s office to local leaders, provides public servants with tools and a chance to collaborate with others—inviting them to share their concepts, known as “PIE recipes,” via the Auditor of State’s website. “Government works best when best practices are easily shared and duplicated, and no one needs to reinvent the wheel,” Sand said. “The appeal of PIE is that everyone should want efficient government, whether they’re a Republican, Democrat, or independent. Besides, who wouldn’t want the opportunity to celebrate a job well done with a slice of pie?”

The Auditor of State’s PIE program has been so successful that the Mississippi State Auditor, a Republican, copied the program for use in his own state—even keeping the name. The PIE program was also replicated in 2024 by the Comptroller of the City of Baltimore.  To learn more about the PIE program, please visit auditor.iowa.gov/pie.

 2024 PIE Award Winners

Counties
Largest County: Scott County
Smallest County: Adams County
Best Performing County, Overall: Lucas County
Best Performing Counties, Awarded Within Categories of Size: Story County, Fayette County, Hardin County, Hancock and Franklin Counties (TIED), Lucas County
Most Improved County: Boone County

Cities
Largest City: Cedar Rapids
Smallest City: Ellston (Population 22)
Best Performing City, Overall: Cedar Rapids
Best Performing Cities, Awarded Within Categories of Size: Cedar Rapids, Donnelson, Alburnett, Orient, Fostoria
Most Improved City: Alburnett

Community School Districts
Largest Community School District: Des Moines Public
Smallest Community School District: Olin
Best Performing Community School District, Overall: Charles City
Best Performing School Districts, Awarded Within Categories of Size: Charles City (Winner), Des Moines (Runner-Up); Allamakee (Winner), Albia (Runner-Up); Bedford (Winner), Montezuma and Kingsley-Pierson (Runners-Up); Hamburg (Winner), Essex (Runner-Up)
Most Improved Community School District: Charles City

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department says no injuries were reported after a large PUP trailer became detached from a tow truck Monday night. The trailer rolled downhill and crashed into a parked SUV and a car, before hitting a light pole. It came to rest only after hitting a house, and causing a brief natural gas leak. The family safely evacuated until the gas could be shut-off. Fire crews were on the scene until about 11-p.m.

The accident happened at around 8:10-p.m. in the 500 block of Olive Street. No injuries were reported. Authorities say the Richter and Son tow truck, operated by Eric Kardell, of Atlantic was traveling north on Olive Street, when the trailer became unhitched at about 6th and Olive.

One of the vehicles that was struck Monday night, remained on the scene Tuesday morning (Photo by Lori Murphy/KJAN)

The trailer rolled downhill and hit a 2010 Dodge Journey, owned by Nichole Waterman. Her vehicle sustained about $10,000 damage. The trailer caused about $10,000 damage also, to a 2022 Nissan Sentra, owned by Carroll Area Nursing Service. Damage to the light pole was estimated at $2,500, while the house, owned by Jason Cook, sustained about $15,000 damage. There was a long scratch in the pavement along Olive Street, where the tongue of the trailer gouged the road before the trailer crashed into the aforementioned vehicles and home.

Photo courtesy Chris Parks

(Radio Iowa) -If you are driving for the Thanksgiving holiday National Weather Service meteorologist Dylan Dodson says roads should be clear of snow and ice. “We’ve got some low chances for some precipitation, mainly on Wednesday. Those are favoring southern Iowa right now, and those are going to be looks like, mostly during the day,” Dodson says. He says temperatures will be warm enough early on to keep away snow. “We’ve got a high in southern Iowa around 45-44-45 degrees, so looking like probably some rain falling along the Iowa, Missouri border,” he says, “so if you’re heading south, you might see some of that.

It really gets more concerning. I guess when we get into the evening.” Dodson says you might see some snow later Wednesday. “When that sun sets, temperatures are cooling off. We could see a few flurries as that occurs, if there is some lingering precipitation as it starts to cool off. But we’re not expecting much for amounts as that occurs. So you could see some wintry precip falling from the sky, but at the moment, we’re not expecting anything significant,” Dodson says. The dropping temperatures Wednesday will carry through the holiday Thursday an into the weekend. “Once we get into Thanksgiving Day temperatures are going to really start cooling off. And then, especially as we go into the holiday weekend as well, Black Friday and into the weekend,” Dodson says.

“On Thursday, we’re going to be looking at temperatures highs in the upper 20s in the north, and then right around freezing in Central and South. And then as we get into Friday and Saturday, we’re going to see highs falling into the 20s, mid 20s, and overnight lows in the teens to even single digits across northern Iowa.” Dodson says that is well below average for this time of year.

(Radio Iowa) – The advice has always been to avoid discussions of politics and religion at the dinner table. University of Iowa professor Michelle Williams says that may be easier said than done this Thanksgiving. “If you think about everything that’s going on in the world today, it’s hard for some of these topics not to come up, even if you’re just talking about the price of eggs, right, that can turn into a political discussion,” she says. Williams says things are different with your family. “The most important thing I think people need to remember is these are people you love, right? And one of the things we can think about is having a dialog with them instead of a debate,” she says. “We are so used to being trained in school to debate, right? I’m right. You’re wrong. I’m going to show the weaknesses in your argument.” She says the discussion doesn’t need to have a winner or loser.

“Dialog is totally different. That’s an idea of, geez, I want to know. I want to understand your perspective. I want to understand the assumptions you’re making. And we’re not necessarily going to come to a resolution. What we’re going to end up with is I will understand you better, and when you think about your family members, that’s really what you want,” Williams says. Williams says if don’t think the dialog approach will work, it may be best to avoid the subject. “I wouldn’t bring it up, but if it comes up, you can have an approach that conversation in a way that allows people to have better understanding.

Williams is an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship in the U-I College of Business.