Cass County Republican Party Chair David Wiederstein says a grand opening event for the newly-established county headquarters will be held this Friday, October 5th, from 3:30 until 4:30 p.m. The event will take place at the headquarters located at 319 Chestnut St. in downtown Atlantic (formerly the U.S. Army Recruiting Office). The Keynote speaker for the event is Congressman Tom Latham.

Also attending, is State Representative Jack Drake, State Senator Hubert Houser, and Cass County’s numerous other elected officials. Refreshments will be provided. The public is invited to attend this event as it will be a great opportunity to learn more about the Republican candidates for elected office.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Department says a Creston man was arrested Tuesday evening on Kidnapping and Violation of a Protection Order, charges. Sheriff Alan Johannes told KJAN News 55-year old Leonard Capp, of Creston, was taken into custody at around 6:35-p.m., for allegedly holding a 48-year old woman against her will, in a local motel. Capp was being held in the Adams County Jail on $10,300 bond.

It’ll be a while before the first snow flakes begin to fall and accumulate, but the Harlan City Council wants to make sure residents don’t use snowmobiles on the streets, once the snow begins to stick. An officer with the Harlan Police Department told the Council snowmobiles will not be allowed on City Streets.

In past years, snowmobiles were allowed on the City Streets before the maintenance crews had plowed them. Since the Council approved the second reading of an amended ordinance and waived the third reading, the ordinance, which was adopted Tuesday, means snowmobiles will need to be hauled in on a trailer into town and out. Violators of the law may be issued a ticket.

In other business, Harlan Mayor Gene Gettys presented City Administrator Terry Cox with the Iowa League of Cities Hall of Fame Award. Cox received his award at the 2012 League of Cities Annual Conference in Sioux City on September 27th. The League Hall of Fame award was created to recognize individuals who have provided extraordinary public service to the League and local government.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Shelby County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, discussed, but failed to take action on the use of hotel-motel tax funds. The Supervisors will continue discussion on the matter during their next, regularly scheduled meeting, on October 16th. During their session, the Supervisors had discussed continued funding of the tax monies to the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, but a motion to continue that failed for lack of a second. to receive a second, and died on the table.

In other business, Bob Broomfield, co-chairman of the Shelby County DevelopSource reported to the supervisors about an enterprise zone resolution. Regency Villa apartments are looking to renovate their 24 single bed units. If they are placed in an enterprise zone, they would receive a lower tax bracket. The County is only allowed a certain percentage of acres to be in an enterprise zone, and with 3.4-acres north of the F-S Plant being approved, the County has 127 acres left that can be placed in an enterprise zone.

The Regency Villa renovation project will cost over a million dollars to fully develop. The Board of Supervisors approved the resolution as proposed.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency has moved the Fire Danger Index in the County into the “Extreme” category today (Wednesday), and tomorrow. Low humidity and winds shifting to the NW today and tomorrow, will create dangerous fire conditions. NO open burning of any kind is allowed in Shelby County, and farm equipment operators should be extremely vigilant in making sure their equipment is free of debris, and pay close attention to their surroundings, especially when combining acreages. Shelby County is included in a Red Flag Warning that is in effect from 1-p.m. today through 7-p.m.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting a dozen public meetings to discuss the future of Iowa’s state parks. Kevin Szcodronski, state parks bureau chief with the DNR, says the forums will help the agency develop a five-year plan to improve the parks’ amenities. The meetings are taking place this month at 12 state parks. “It’s just an open book meeting, if you will, to get a good idea of what the people who use that park are thinking about that park’s future,” Szcodronski said. Two of the public meetings were held Monday in Creston and Tuesday in Boone. Ten more meetings remain – including two forums Thursday night at Gull Point State Park near Spencer and Backbone State Park near Strawberry Point.

Although improvements at state parks can be costly, participants are encouraged to bring all their ideas. “We specifically ask people in attendance, if money was no object, what would you like to see in that park? We’re thinking into the future quite a ways, so you really can’t let finances deter you,” Szcodronski said. At the same time, park users are being asked to be reasonable with their requests. “After they get done with their wish list…then we ask them, ‘O.K., given money is a factor, what should we focus on?’ We kind of bring them a little back to reality and talk about some of the top priorities that are within reasonable means,” Szcodronski said.

Upcoming meeting dates/locations:
Oct. 4 Gull Point
Oct. 4 Backbone
Oct. 8 Stone
Oct. 9 George Wyth
Oct. 9 Rock Creek
Oct. 9 Pleasant Creek
Oct. 11 Wapello
Oct. 11 Bellevue
Oct. 15 Waubonsie
Oct. 18 Prairie Rose (meeting to be held at the First Baptist Church in Harlan at 6pm, not at the Park itself)**

Learn more at www.iowadnr.gov

(Radio Iowa)

THE GRASSLAND FIRE DANGER INDEX WILL BE IN THE EXTREME CATEGORY THIS AFTERNOON. EXTREME FIRE DANGER MEANS THAT FIRES START QUICKLY…SPREAD FURIOUSLY AND BURN INTENSELY. ALL FIRES ARE POTENTIALLY SERIOUS. ALL OUTDOOR BURNING SHOULD BE AVOIDED IN AREAS WITH EXTREME FIRE DANGER.

AREA COUNTIES: MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT AND PAGE….

A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 1-PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7- PM CDT THIS EVENING, FOR LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY AND GUSTY WINDS.

SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE INTO THE 15 TO 25 MPH RANGE BY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON…WITH WIND GUSTS TO 30 MPH FROM TIME TO TIME. RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL LIKELY DROP TO AROUND OR LESS THAN 20 PERCENT FOR MUCH OF THIS AFTERNOON. ANY FIRES THAT DEVELOP WILL LIKELY SPREAD RAPIDLY. OUTDOOR BURNING IS NOT RECOMMENDED, AND MANY AREA COUNTIES HAVE BURN BANS STILL IN EFFECT.

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW…OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS…LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY…AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.