The Cass County Board of Supervisors met in a brief session Wednesday morning. On their light agenda for the day, was a 1^st Quarter report for Fiscal Year 2013-2014 from Veterans Affairs Director Mitch Holmes.

Holmes said his office has assisted 288 individual veterans during the Quarter. Claims for assistance in the Quarter amounted to slightly more than $2,100, with 16 having been filed. Holmes says that’s slightly higher than the same time frame last year, and is likely the result of an increase in the cost of living. Holmes said there were 25 applications for Federal VA Compensation and Pension benefits, which he said was spurred by the recently approved driver’s license benefit.

Claims covered reimbursement for transportation costs, rent, utilities and groceries. Holmes said Veterans who desire to have a “Veteran” designation on their license, need to come to his courthouse office. He said you’ll need to bring your DD-214 form as proof of Honorable Discharge in order to qualify.

Total contacts with Veterans for the quarter, including office and home visits, e-mail and other forms of correspondence, amounted to 1,717. Holmes said his office was not affected by the partial government shutdown, since he is a County employee. The only hitch was that he was unable to get into the Federal VA office, but he was still able to get paperwork accomplished on his end. Holmes said also, there should be no issues with Veterans receiving their disability benefits, due to the partial government shutdown.

w/ Chris Parks

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The Atlantic Police Department reports a Pottawattamie County woman was arrested Tuesday on a Theft charge. 18-year old Allyson Miller, of Avoca, was arrested for 5th degree Theft (Shoplifting). Miller was booked into the Cass County Jail and held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

An electrical fire Tuesday evening at a business in Harlan caused minimal damage and no one was injured. According to Harlan Fire Chief Roger Bissen, the department responded to a call around 4:57pm to 1111 Cyclone Ave for a structure fire. Bissen said the owner of the building was about to leave for the day and smelled something burning. Upon further investigation, smoke was coming from the south wall as the fire was inside the wall.

Firefighters were able to put out the fire with minimal damage done to the structure. The chief said some insulation and wiring would need to be replaced. Bissen said the owner was lucky he was still at work and was able to report it quickly. If the fire occurred two hours later, the building may have been in jeopardy. The Harlan Fire Department was on scene for about 30 minutes.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors have set Nov. 5th as the date for a public hearing on the issuance of $1.7-million in General Obligation bonds, which if approved, would be used mostly for renovations at the Pott. County Courthouse. The Omaha World-Herald reports the action came Tuesday during the Board’s meeting in Council Bluffs.

The bonds would help to pay for more than $1.2-million in renovations, that include the installation of fire sprinklers on three levels of the courthouse, new lights, and an air conditioning system. The funds will also be used to make the restrooms ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant. One-half million dollars would be set aside for upgrades to election counting machines, pending Board approval.

Other projects include the replacement of control mechanisms in four elevators, the installation of electronic card readers for access to the rooms throughout the courthouse and a building that houses election materials, and, the resurfacing of four parking lots and an alley between 5th and 6th Avenues.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farmers should begin getting payments soon for land set aside in the Conservation Reserve Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it is sending out checks several weeks late because of the partial government shutdown. About 390,000 farms nationwide have enrolled land in the CRP program covering nearly 27 million acres.

In exchange for an annual rental payment farmers take environmentally sensitive land out of production and plant grass or trees on it to improve water quality, wildlife habitat and prevent erosion. Payments to corn and soybean farmers enrolled in the Average Crop Revenue Election program will begin going out Thursday. The USDA says 1.7 million farms are enrolled in the program, which provides farmers a revenue guarantee based on market prices and average yields for certain commodities.

Authorities in Page County say three people were transported to the hospital following a crash that occurred at around 2:45-p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Highway 48 and B Avenue, about a mile north of Shenandoah. Officials say 24-year-old Meaghan Baker, of Red Oak, was traveling south on Highway 48 and attempting to pass another vehicle, when Baker failed to yield to oncoming traffic. The van she was driving collided head-on with a car driven by 19-year-old Douglas Clark, of Sidney.  The impact caused Clark’s vehicle to be pushed into the southbound lane of traffic, where it collided with another car.

Two passengers in Baker’s van, 34-year-old Michael Irvine, of Red Oak, and 19-year-old Shannon Barnard, of Shenandoah, suffered unknown injuries and were flown by Mercy One-Clarinda to a hospital in Omaha. Baker was taken by Shenandoah EMS to the Shenandoah Medical Center.

The accident remains under investigation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An overnight freeze warning is in effect for central, south central and southeast Iowa and weather officials say minor snow could fall in the northwest part of the state. The system early Wednesday is expected to produce light rain across the southwest half of the state and possibly a dusting of snow to the northwest.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Mason City man convicted in connection with his son’s death has had his request for a new trial rejected. The Globe Gazette reports that 30-year-old Kenneth L. Adams was convicted of child endangerment in the October 2012 death of his 18-month-old son. Prosecutors say Adams put the boy face down in a pillow, cutting off his breathing.

JEFFERSON, Iowa (AP) — Suspicious fires in a school bus and building in the central Iowa city of Jefferson are being investigated by the State Fire Marshal’s office. KCCI-TV reports that the bus that burned was in a school district parking lot where it had been locked. The other fire was in a 3½-story building being used to store tools. That structure was heavily damaged.

CARTER LAKE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa official says there’s no easy solution or quick fix to a persistent algae problem at a lake in western Iowa. Chris Larson with the state Department of Natural Resources told the Carter Lake City Council that unusual weather conditions over the last three years have made it difficult to clean up Carter Lake. Larson said routine maintenance from the city’s mechanical harvesters may be the best long-term solution for the lake.

CARTER LAKE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa official says there’s no easy solution or quick fix to a persistent algae problem at a lake in western Iowa. Chris Larson with the state Department of Natural Resources told the Carter Lake City Council that unusual weather over the last three years have made it difficult to clean up Carter Lake.

Larson said routine maintenance from the city’s mechanical harvesters may be the best long-term solution for the lake. The Council Bluffs Nonpareil reports that DNR recommended the city begin using harvesters in mid-April or early May. Priority areas for algae removal will be discussed at a later date.