The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday) approved a request by Steinbeck and Sons, to install an additional 30,000 gallon anhydrous tank on their property located about six-miles southeast of Griswold. Tim Steinbeck said the request is based on increased demand for anhydrous ammonia used as fertilizer.

Steinbeck said they currently have 12,000, 18,000 and 30,000 gallon tanks on their property. He said also that in order to abide by rules set forth by the Department of Agriculture, he’s required to seek approval from the County before the new tank can be installed.

In other business, the Board was informed a rededication of the Cass County Civil War Monument will take place this Saturday, beginning at 2-p.m. Steve Livengood explained what the public can expect to see during the event. He told the Board the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War will be on hand, along with a static displays, rifle shooting, a large canon, or Livengood’s own smaller, yet equally loud cannon.

Livengood quipped that they may shoot the cannon toward the park shelter from the southeast corner of the park, “So if it’s raining, and you’re under the shelter, the good news is you’ll be dry…the bad news is you’ll be down-range.” He said he’d rather be wet, than be down range from the canon fire.)

Of course, they don’t really shoot anything out of the canon. Dave Hancock will be the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Board Chair Mark Wedemeyer said Hancock’s great-grandfather’s name is on the monument. He said also that there will likely be some civil war re-enactors on-hand for the event, including a chaplain.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors has approved a request for funding from the Cass County Historical Museum, in Griswold. Museum representatives Shiona Putnam and Lila Hoogeveen addressed the Board during their meeting to answer any questions. Putnam said they were requesting a total of $20,000. She said the money will be used to pay for local contractors, who have worked to replace a 20-year old roof on an adjacent building.

The building will be used to house a collection of county artifacts and displays being donated by Wayne Kerkhoff. Lila Hoogeveen said any funds they receive would be helpful. She said funding for the museum provides them with a challenge each year, as they start without any amount of secured funding. Money provided by the Supervisors helps in keeping the museum open and in paying for necessities such as insurance and electricity. She says the museum is run on a $10,000 per year budget.

During each of the past few years, the Supervisors have provided $5,000 in funds. Hoogeveen says the rest is raised through a variety of methods, including two separate fundraisers, which brings-in about $6,000 altogether, on average. Private donations are also a big part of keeping the museum open. She says they are “very appreciative” them, and when they come in, are “like Christmas in July,” because they never know when they will arrive. Another part of the fundraising effort is writing grant applications.

She says sometimes the grants are approved, other times they aren’t. Federal and State grants don’t pay operating costs, however. Another aspect of fundraising, is a membership drive. Funds received are first and foremost used for operating costs, according to Hoogeveen. Others are set aside for emergencies, like roof repairs. Tourism is yet another means of receiving funds, even though there is no charge to visit the museum. Over the past couple of weeks, eight tour groups have visited the museum. Monies received from speaking engagements by museum volunteers are also directed back into the facility.

The Board unanimously approved a contribution of $10,000 upon receipt of a formal, written request, and another $10,000 in October. The money will come from the Local Option Sales Tax Fund.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports four people were injured early this (Wednesday) morning near Crescent, when a stalled van  being prepared for towing was struck from behind by a full-sized pickup truck. The accident happened on Interstate 29 near the 62-mile marker, at around 1:40-a.m.

Officials say the driver of a 2000 Chrysler van, Christopher Zimmerman, of Omaha, and the tow truck driver, Jonathan Garringer, of Omaha, were standing in between the vehicles, which were parked on the shoulder of I-29, when a 2001 Chevy Silverado, driven by Paul Raymond Trudeau, of Troy, MO, struck the van in the rear, causing it to hit the tow truck. Zimmerman, Garringer, and Joanne Zimmerman, who was a back seat passenger in the van when the collision occurred, were injured. Another person,  Christina Baer and her infant daughter, Annabella Macvitte, of Omaha, were standing outside the van at the time of the crash. Baer wasn’t hurt, but the child, the Zimmermans and Garringer were transported to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, by Crescent Fire and Rescue.

The Patrol says Trudeau complained of a nose bleed, but refused medical attention. Authorities cited him for Failure to Maintain Control and Violation of Financial Liability/Accident related. Damage from the crash amounted to about $13,000.

No injuries were reported following an accident Monday morning, in Atlantic. According to the Police Department, vehicles driven by Ashley Mayo, of Lewis, and Robert Stuetelberg, of Atlantic, collided at around 10-a.m., at the intersection of 7th and Chestnut Streets. The accident, which caused $3,500 damage altogether, occurred in the middle of the intersection, as Mayo was traveling east on 7th and Stuetelberg was turning west on 7th. Both drivers claimed the other ran the stop sign. Mayo was cited for having No Proof of Insurance.

Four people were arrested recently, in Mills County. The Sheriff’s Department reports 39-year old Justin David Reha, of Thurman, was arrested early this (Wednesday) morning on charges of OWI/1st offense and Driving Under Suspension. His bond was set at $1,300. On Monday, 28-year old Brett Allen Coyle, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. He was being held in the Mills County Jail without bond.

Last Saturday, deputies arrested 24-year old Adam Lee Maher, of Shenandoah, on a charge of OWI/2nd offense. Maher’s bond was set at $2,000. And, on Friday, 25-year old Lance Christian Bierma, of Sheffield, TX, was arrested on an OWI charge. Bond was established at $1,000.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports also, a Malvern woman was injured during a single vehicle accident Sunday, two-miles southeast of Pacific Junction. Nancy Ruwe was driving a 2007 Chevy westbound on 221st Street, when the vehicle drifted onto the shoulder. Ruwe overcorrected, sending the vehicle across the center line of the road and into a ditch, where it came to rest after hitting a tree. Ruwe was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center by Pacific Junction Rescue.

A Shenandoah man was arrested without incident this (Wednesday) morning, for allegedly stealing a vehicle from the Shenandoah area. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, 20-year old James Allen Lilly was taken into custody by Red Oak Police following a traffic stop on 130th Street in Montgomery County. Lilly was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 cash bond, for Possession of Stolen Property. He also faces a charge of Driving While Suspended.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Iowa Board of Cosmetology Arts and Sciences has suspended indefinitely, the license of a Pottawattamie County woman. The Board’s decision in May went into effect June 24th. Melissa Huerta Mendoza, of 2800 Margaret Avenue in Council Bluffs, was ordered to surrender her original license to the Board, after she failed to contest the matter at a hearing. The penalty was the result of Mendoza’s failure to comply with an order issued by the Iowa Department of Revenue’s Centralized Collection Unit.

The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy has fined a Shelby County man for advertising a service he was not licensed to perform under Iowa Code. In it’s ruling issued July 1st, the Board ordered David North of Harlan, to pay $1,000 within 30-days, or face further, legal action.

In December 2012, the Board ruled North advertised his Shiatsu massage therapy practice in the Atlantic News Telegraph when he was not licensed to perform that therapy under Iowa Code.

The Board says the Practice of “Massage Therapy” includes the performance for compensation, of massage, myotherapy, massotherapy, bodywork, bodywork therapy, or therapeutic massage, which comes in several forms.

Five people, including an infant, were injured during a collision early this (Wednesday) morning, in Pottawattamie County. According to Omaha television station KETV, the accident occurred at around 1:30-a.m. on Interstate 29 near the Crescent exit. Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s officials told the station a stalled minivan was about to be towed, when it was hit from behind by a pickup truck.

Three adults and a 7-month old child were transported to the hospital, suffering from minor injuries. The driver of the tow truck was also sent to the hospital. The driver of the pickup was injured, but refused treatment. The accident was under investigation.