Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report three arrests took place this past Monday: 45-year old Renee Jean Gooch, of Glenwood, was arrested at around 6-p.m. Monday for Driving Under Suspension (DUS). Her bond was set at $300; 20-year old Dylan Seth Harris, of Malvern, was arrested at around 8:40-p.m. Monday, for DUS, Failure to File SR-22 Insurance, and Careless Driving. His bond was set at $1,300. 28-year old Jeffrey Scott Holsinger, of Omaha, was arrested at around 2:20-p.m. Monday at the Mills County Jail, on a warrant for Probation Violation. His bond was set at $1,500.

And, on Feb. 23rd, 57-year old Deborah Ann Fencer, of Glenwood, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Her bond was set at $1,000.

The Exira-Elk Horn/Kimballton School Board met Tuesday evening in Elk Horn, after their meeting had previously been delayed twice by bad weather. Superintendent Trevor Miller told KJAN News they held public hearings on the 2018-19 School Calendar, and Capital Improvement Projects, during which their were no comments. He said the Board then approved the bid packages and they are ready to go on four of the five packages. People are in-place also, and they’re just waiting for better weather.

Miller provided a reminder of what those packages entail: Package A includes the windows project, plus a new HVAC system in the Elk Horn Building, to replace a 1955 boiler and place the building under one system, instead of three. The north and south side parking lots for the Exira Building will be redone. There will also be a new playground in the front, and a new preschool playground on the south side of the building. Other improvements include new lighting for the football and baseball fields, and new concession stand/restroom for the baseball field in Elk Horn.)

Miller says the Package A contract (windows & HVAC system) went Grand Contracting, of Red Oak, for $1.7-million. Package B, the playground/parking lot project, was awarded to Caliber Concrete of Adair, for about $770,000, with the Alternates. Viking Construction, of Exira, was awarded the concrete work for Project C, the baseball/concession stand and other work, for their bid of $156,000. And, the sports lighting and other services went to Pro-Tech Electric Services, of Omaha, for $400,000. Miller says those bids came in where the School Board wanted, so they’re pretty happy, and it leaves them leeway for change orders, and still stay within the $3.9-million bond issue voters approved.

They hope to have all those projects completed by this Fall. Miller also spoke about the “Coaches vs. Cancer” first-year effort by the Student Council and Leo’s Club, which raised $1,400. He said also, there is no change to the 2018-19 School Calendar, from last year, other than a few dates. And, Trevor Miller said the Exira-EHK School Board voted to renew their Auditing contract for three-years, with Nolte, and, they approved Ahlers & Cooney as their Bond and Disclosure Counsel. The next Board meeting is March 19^th, at 7-p.m.

EAGLE GROVE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a house fire in north-central Iowa killed one person and injured another. Eagle Grove Fire Chief Tom Peterson told The Messenger that three people were in the Eagle Grove home when the blaze erupted around 9:30 p.m. Monday. He says two of them made it out — one uninjured and one later taken to an Iowa City hospital. Firefighters found the third resident’s body as they knocked down flames.

Peterson says an electrical fire in the kitchen spread through the rear of the structure.