A former state legislator who once got in a national spat with Oprah Winfrey has died. Berl Priebe of Algona served in the Iowa House for four years and in the Iowa Senate for 24 years. Priebe, who raised Angus cattle, took offense to a 1996 Oprah Winfrey show about Mad Cow Disease. Priebe blamed Winfrey for the dramatic drop in U.S. cattle prices. He demanded that Winfrey tell her viewers Mad Cow Disease had not been found in the United States.

In 1988, Priebe brought an Iowa State University nutritionist before his Senate Ag Committee to complain about her warning that there might be a link between grilled red meat and cancer. Priebe quipped that the researcher “got a taste of what it was like to be on the griddle for a while.” Priebe was one of four senators — two Democrats and two Republican — who were known as the “Montana Mafia.”

The senators were known for gathering at Montana’s — a bar near the statehouse — to plot strategy for killing bills they opposed in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Former Senator Jack Rife, a farmer from Moscow, Iowa, who later became the state Senate’s Republican Leader, was a member of the Montana Mafia.  “He was a colorful character,” Rife says. “I enjoyed him very much.” Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs, the current Democratic leader in the state senate, says Priebe had the unique ability to bring the senate to a stand-still.

“He was always quite adept and quite talented at figuring out the kind of amendment to offer that would put the place in a really uncomfortable position,” Gronstal says. Priebe then would often engage in what Priebe called “horse trading” to get something he wanted, in exchange for removing the roadblock he’d designed for another bill. “It was great when he was on your side and it was maddening when he wasn’t because he could tie the place up pretty well,” Gronstal says. This example from Gronstal illustrates Priebe’s ability to maneuver the levers of the legislature:

“Berl Priebe always passed the first bill of the session, some bill out of ag committee…every single year. Even if somebody else was ahead of him, he figured out some way to make sure that his bill was the first bill to pass in the legislature.” Priebe was also the long-time chairman of a powerful legislative committee that has the power to reject the rules and regulations state bureaucrats propose. Priebe died Sunday at the age of 96. A memorial service for Priebe will be held Friday afternoon in Algona.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors Wednesday (today) approved a second amendment and re-stated 28-E agreement for Case Management and Mental Health Disability Services. The Board was left with the options of approving it within 30 days, taking no action and letting the agreement be approved by default, or choose not approving the agreement, which ties in the already approved Mental Health Regionalization Program.

Auditor Dale Sunderman said the agreement basically boils down to a change in the name of the type of service provided, and expands the scope of the services. The name will change from “County Case Management Services,” to “Case Management and Mental Health Disability Services.” The agreement also allows more flexibility in the services offered, expands the services to go beyond case management agencies. It also allows more options for withdrawal from the Case Management if it is deemed necessary.

There is also some administrative language with regard to agency input and allows the County to contract with any public or private agency to provide mental health/case management services. Cass County has been involved with Case Management through ISAC (The Iowa State Association of Counties), since the onset. Supervisor Chuck Rieken, who sits on the Case Management Board, said there’s no reason the County shouldn’t remain involved in the case management system and processes.

The Board also approved a (standard) transfer of $3,647 from the Cass County Farm-to-Market account to the Iowa Dept. of Transportation (IDOT) account, for a bridge project. And, they received a quarterly report from Cass County Veterans Affairs Director, Mitch Holmes.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Preparations are underway today (Wednesday) for the nearly week-long run of the Cass County Fair, in Atlantic. Activities at the Fair begin in earnest Thursday, with the Swine weigh-in from 7:30-to 9:30-a.m., and the rabbits checked-in from 8-to 9:30. 4-H Static Exhibit judging takes place from 9-am until 2-pm, and the Clover Kids showcase runs from 9-a.m. until noon, Thursday.

Other events include: the Food Sale at the Cass County Community Center, beginning at 10-a.m.; the Horse and Dairy check-ins at 4:30-p.m.; Poultry check-in from 5-to 6pm; and the Meat Goat weight-in from 6-to 7-pm. The big evening Thursday evening is the King and Queen Contest at 8, followed by Senior Recognition at 8:30-p.m. Deb Schuler, one of the Fair Superintendents for the King and Queen contest, says preparations for the event began with preliminary interviews with the contestants on July 8th.

This year there are seven young ladies vying for the Queen title, and three young men running to become King. The Queen contestants include – Calley Klindt, Tierney Sothman, Kourtnie Stephenson, Alyssa Dean, Jackie Rush, Hannah Misner, and Valerie Watson. The King candidates include – Tyler Christensen, Wyatt Saueglin, and Dylan Ferguson.

Judges for the event include former Queens Mallory Kirchhoff and Bethany Rogers. KJAN’s Jim Field is the emcee for the King and Queen Contest. The young lady who is crowned Queen will advance to represent Cass County at the State Fair, with the coronation taking place August 9th at 7-p.m. on the Anne and Bill Riley Stage.

The Cass County Fair runs through July 29th. For a detailed PDF schedule of events, go to this link: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/sites/www.extension.iastate.edu/files/cass/2014%20Schedule_Cass%20County%20Fair.pdf

Police in Red Oak, Tuesday, said a local woman was arrested that day on a theft charge. 31-year old Becki Le Hauge, of Red Oak, was charged with felony Theft in the 2nd degree. Hauge was transported to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on a $5,000 cash bond.

The Iowa Department of Public Health has won a three-year grant of nearly eight million dollars for a program to help people overcome substance abuse. Kevin Gabbert is the project director for what’s called Access to Recovery or A-T-R. “Because every person in the recovery is different, a key component to our program is choice,” Gabbert explains. “And so with A-T-R, the individual receiving the service chooses what services they want to be involved in from a variety of our providers.”

Gabbert says providing support services to those in recovery can be key to helping them succeed. “Basic things like transportation — so gas cards and bus passes. Child care so an individual can go to treatment services in the evening or go to a 12-step meeting. Some of those basic things that might have been barriers otherwise if they had not had access to A-T-R,” Gabbert says.

The program has been running since 2010, but its grant money was running out. “There was a new grant application process that was initiated in 2014. We applied and were one of six grantees out of 30 applicants,” Gabbert says. Gabbert says they’ve seen success with the percentage of individuals not using alcohol or drugs six months after admission increasing from over 73 percent (73.3) to over 82 percent (82.3) from 2010 to this year. He says they expect to serve seven-thousand people with the new grant.

Individuals can come to us from a variety of different referral sources. It could be from the Department of Corrections, it could be from a primary care provider, it could be from the Department of Human Services, the list just goes on and on,” Gabbert says. “Individuals can just walk into one of our care coordination providers which we have across the state.”

For more information about Access to Recovery, visit the Iowa Department of Public Health’s website.

(Radio Iowa)

Residents of Pottawattamie County will have a chance to voice their opinion on the sale of three bond issues, next month. The Daily NonPareil reports the Pott. County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, set August 12th as the date for the hearing on the sale of bonds, which amount to $429,200, for vehicles for two departments, plus safety equipment for the Sheriff’s Department.

Two of the bond issues would fund vehicles for the Sheriff’s Department, along with equipment such as protective vests and AED mobile units, all totaling $319,000. The remaining $110,000 would fund two vehicles for the Planning and Maintenance departments. If the county goes ahead with the issuance of the three bonds following the public hearing, they would be offered with the issuance of $1.5 million in bonds voters approved this year for a new veterans affairs building.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man missing from a Sioux City work release facility since July 12 is back in jail after he was located in a Sioux City apartment. The Sioux City Journal reports Dexter James-Lloyd No Ear was taken into custody without incident after authorities found him Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Mike Fuller says the 25-year-old No Ear was staying with a woman he knew at the apartment. He was located as authorities checked out known acquaintances. He is in the Woodbury County Jail. No Ear was placed on escape status July 12 when he failed to return to a work release program. He was serving a 30-year sentence for convictions of assault on a peace officer and other charges.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DONNELLSON, Iowa (AP) — A 70-year-old West Burlington woman has died after being run over by a car on the grounds of the Lee County Speedway in southeast Iowa. Police were called to the track located in Donnellson on Saturday night after a woman was reportedly struck by a vehicle in the pit area. Lee County Medical Examiner officials say Chon Cha Mathias died as a result of the car accident.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — An evenly divided Burlington City Council failed to pass a resolution censuring one of its own members for cursing and storming out of a meeting earlier this month. Four members agreed to the censure Councilman Tim Scott on Friday, but when it came to a vote Monday two said they accepted his apology and voted no, two voted yes and Scott abstained. The vote lacked a majority to pass. At a July 7 meeting Scott, irritated about an incident involving teens shooting fireworks on July 4, cursed and threw papers at Councilwoman Becky Anderson.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new national report on the well-being of children ranks Iowa third in the nation, up four places from last year. The Kids Counts report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation says Iowa ranks first among all states in health, third in economic well-being and seventh in the family and community category. Iowa is 13th in education. It says Iowa has made some of the biggest improvements among states.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is returning to Iowa for fundraisers this weekend. The Democratic governor, who is considering running for president, is scheduled to attend a fundraiser on Saturday morning and another early Saturday afternoon for two Iowa state Senate candidates. O’Malley was in Iowa last month, when he headlined the Democratic Party’s state convention in Des Moines. Iowa holds the first presidential caucus of the 2016 election cycle.