The Cass County Board of Supervisors Wednesday, approved the employment of a jailer, and the appointment of two persons to the County Compensation Board. Dorothy Bartlett was hired as jailer, retroactive to September 30^th, with a union scale wage of $13.65/hour. And, Maynard Hansen and Phyllis Nichols were appointed to the Compensation Board, with their 4-year terms retroactive to July 1^st, 2013.

In other business, the Supervisors authorized Chair Mark Wedemeyer to sign the release of mortgage for properties in Glenwood, Council Bluffs, Essex and Anita, whose owners have satisfied the conditions of their 5-year forgivable loans with the “Jumpstart Disaster Recovery Program,” which is administered by SWIPCO (the Southwest Iowa Planning Council), and the funds for which flow through the County.

Cass County Engineer Charles Marker also updated the Board on current road and bridge projects. Marker said a couple of paving projects on the secondary roads are nearing completion by Henningsen Construction. He said G-43 (Lewis to Hwy 71) needs to have the shoulder rock and centerline painting finished. County Road M-56 from a feedlot to the airport road has one lane which remains to have surface work completed, but that is expected to be finished yet this week.

The road will also need centerline striping and shoulder rock. And, as far as bridge projects are concerned,  Murphy’s Bridge over the Nishnabotna River by the ISU Research Farm, some paving has to be done on the east side of the bridge, and concrete poured for the concrete. That work is also expected to be completed this week.

Crews have worked to reopen on a Pony Truss-style wood-deck bridge from the Highway 92/71 intersection east to near Schuler Manufacturing and a mile south. Marker said they removed the wood deck and welded in steel corrugated metal decking. Dirt and rock was then placed on the decking.

Work is expected to get underway by October 15th on the Boston Road bridge (located about a mile east of Highway 71), where a box culvert will be installed under the bridge. Gus Construction is in charge of the project. In other business, the Board of Supervisors approved an intergovernmental Federal Aid agreement between the County and Iowa Department of Transportation, for County highway bridge program projects that will cost an estimated $360,000. The County’s share of the cost from the Farm to Market Fund is 20-percent. Work on the #83 bridge on 560^th Street, located near the Griswold Golf Course, is expected to begin next Spring.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The State Fire Marshal Division, along with the Woodbine Police Department, has been investigating the cause for the fire that occurred on Thursday, September 26th, at Ellen’s Flower Shop located at 413 Walker Street, in Woodbine. The fire was reported at approximately 3:29 p.m. The fire completely destroyed the building housing the flower shop and caused structural damage to an adjoining building to the north and water and smoke damage to two or three other buildings located along Walker Street.

The investigation has revealed that the fire may have been intentionally set to the west wall of the flower shop adjacent to the alley that runs north and south behind the building. The exact manner of how the fire was set is being withheld to preserve the ongoing investigation. Information has been obtained that indicates a white male subject was in the alley approximately two minutes prior to the first smoke being observed.

Investigators are requesting the public’s help with the investigation. Anyone who was around the south end of the alley near the flower shop at approximately 3:25 p.m., who may have observed someone walking out of the valley, is asked to contact investigators. Witnesses may contact the Iowa State Fire Marshal Division at 712-308-3977, the Arson Hotline at 800-532-1459, or the Woodbine Police Department at 712-647-2345.

This is Fire Prevention Week, and among the area departments with activities planned, or those which have taken place, is the Atlantic Volunteer Fire Department. Captain Tom Cappel says the week began with a great turnout Sunday for their donation breakfast. Other activities include visits to area schools, which is supported by the donation breakfast.

Still to come is the Annual Fire Prevention Week parade. The event takes place on Saturday, beginning at 6-p.m. Cappel says the event honors not just local firefighters and those who support them, but the cooperative spirit all the area fire departments share. It’s also a chance for the departments to showcase some of the new and antique fire trucks.

Cappel says it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in firefighting equipment, when you consider how primitive the technology was. He says looking back at some old photos, fires used to be fought with a horse-drawn wagon and pumper. Firefighters back in the day had to contend with smoke inhalation as they fought the flames in close proximity, but crews these days have self-contained breathing apparatus, flame resistant gear, and tools that can detect a victim trapped in a structure, not to mention high-volume pumper trucks that can dispense fire retardant foam or pressurized water.

The Fireman’s Parade starts at 2^nd and Walnut in Atlantic on Saturday, and proceed down Chestnut Street. The Shriners will lead-off the parade, which will be telecast on KJAN.com.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson….

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A man from Adel in central Iowa was injured when the semi he was driving was struck by a train Tuesday evening, about a mile east of Menlo, in Guthrie County. The Iowa State Patrol says 74-year old Ira Norman Stine was transported by helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, after the 2014 Kenworth semi he was driving (Registered to Stine Seed Farm, Inc., of Adel) was struck by an eastbound train after Stine failed to yield.

The truck, which had just dropped off a load of grain, was traveling south on Talon Avenue, just north of Highway 925, when it was struck behind the cab by the train. Following the collision, which occurred at around 6:35-p.m., the cab came to rest on the south side of the railroad tracks, while the trailer portion came to rest on the north side of the tracks.

RED OAK, Iowa (AP) — A fire in the southwest Iowa city of Red Oak has destroyed a 116-year-old building in the city’s downtown. The Omaha World-Herald reports the building previously housed a bar but wasn’t currently being used. The fire was reported at 12:25 a.m. Monday in the two-story building, and it took firefighters more than four hours to control the blaze.

The cause of the fire was under investigation. Montgomery County records show the building was constructed in 1897. The remainder of the building was demolished Monday because of fears its walls would collapse.

Firefighters from Atlantic were called to the scene of a structure fire at 304 W. 2nd Street, Tuesday. The call came in at around 7:07-pm. Mike Trotter told KJAN News he was biking by and saw the smoke before calling it in. Cass County 9-1-1 Director Rob Koppert said when he arrived, flames were shooting out the front of a window, toward the street.

304 W. 2nd St. fire (Ric Hanson photo)

Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees said fire crews saw the same thing when they arrived. The structure itself was not damaged, but the inside sustained severe smoke damage throughout, and significant fire damage toward the front.

The west half of the building was being rented by Dean Beech, who was using the structure for furniture refinishing. McNees said Beech had been working in the building on some furniture, and left at around 5-p.m to attend a meeting.

Photo from Atlantic Fire and Rescue’s Facebook page.

The Chief said they could see where the fire started, but were unable to determine how it began. Suspicions are centering around some rags which were soaked with linseed oil, with the cause possibly being spontaneous combustion. An electrical fire is not suspected.

McNees said while the inside was heavily damaged, it wouldn’t take much to rehab in in order for it to be used. Three vehicles were removed from an adjacent garage, including a custom pickup, a car and a motorcycle. No injuries were reported. Firefighters were on the scene for about 2-hours.

The state Transportation Commission moved up the start time for some construction projects at their meeting in Mason City today (Tuesday). D-O-T  planning and program director, Stuart Anderson, explained the projects involved to the commission.

Road improvement projects slated for 2014 and beyond.

They include six interstate construction projects, 16 non-interstate pavement projects, and five non-interstate bridge modernization projects that are being moved into this fiscal year. Anderson says several factors allowed them to move the projects up in the five-year plan.

Among the area projects slated to get underway in 2014, (and the total cost of each project): Highway 71 widening from U-S Highway 6 in Atlantic south to Highway 34, and a widening/pavement rehab project on 71 from 34 south to the Missouri State line ($4.13-million total); Widening and pavement rehab on US 34 from Highway 71 east to Creston ($8.2-million); Pavement rehab of Highway 92 from the Cass County line to east of Greenfield at Highway 25 ($6.5-million); and Highway 92 in Pottawattamie County, from Keg Creek east to the east City limits of Treynor, a $2.2-million dollar pavement rehab and widening project. (For additional information on those an other projects, go to http://www.iowadot.gov/program_management/interactivemap.html)

Anderson says the money is available for the projects due to favorable bid lettings that saw current projects that came in under budget, along with department budget savings, and more federal funding than expected. The interstate construction projects are in Decatur, Johnson, Linn, Polk, Poweshiek and Jasper counties. The bridge modernization projects are in Clay, Humboldt, Lucas and Woodbury Counties. The projects were chosen because they can be designed and ready for construction in 2014.

(Radio Iowa/Ric Hanson – KJAN)

Police in Harlan arrested one person last week following an altercation involving a knife. Authorities say officers were called to the 1000 block of Park Street on Oct. 3rd, and upon their arrival, found 44-year old Clinton Scheffler outside the house with minor injuries and 66-year old David Peters, of Harlan, inside the residence. Peters was arrested and transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with serious assault.  A complaint was also filed with the Shelby County Clerk of Court, charging Scheffler with serious assault.

That same day, Harlan resident David Meyers reported to police several tools had been taken from his garage at Westridge Acres lot #30. Also reported missing were several watermelons from his garden.  The incident case remains under investigation.