Two southwest Iowa school districts will be looking to fill new positions after resignations.

The Panorama School District will be looking for a new transportation director.

The Guthrie Center Times reports Jim and Kelly Hummel resigned from their transportation duty positions on June 27.  Jim Hummel had served as transportation director while Kelly Hummel was transportation secretary.

Interviews are slated begin for a new transportation director.  The Guthrie Center Times reports that Panorama Schools superintendant Kathy Elliott says the transportation secretary position will not be filled.  Instead those duties will be split among other staff members.

In other resignation news, the Harlan School Board will have to replace a school board member.  The Board will meet this Monday to address that matter.

The Harlan School District office confirmed to KJAN news that school board member Jay Christensen is moving out of the district.  The board will have 30 days to fill his term which runs through September 2013.

A special election might have to be held to replace Christensen.

The Meeting of the Harlan School Board is this Monday at 4:30 in the Board Room at Harlan Community Schools.

Residents of Panora could see their water rates increase.

The Guthrie Center Times reports water rates could go up by about three percent.  The minimum charge in Panora for up to 3,000 gallons would increase a little more than a dollar to $32.61.  Officials say the increase is needed for the cost of upgrading the water plant.  Its unknown when the change in water rates might go into effect.

Federal environmental officials say Iowa is not properly regulating manure discharge permits for livestock confinement operations and must fix its procedures.

The Environmental Protection Agency says the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has failed in several cases to take timely enforcement actions against livestock facilities violating the Clean Water Act and it did not assess adequate penalties.

The EPA says Iowa does not have an adequate program to assess whether livestock operations need certain federal waste discharge permits.

The EPA says Iowa has about 7,000 animal feeding operations and must have a process that complies with federal law.

The state has 60 days to respond in writing on how it will correct the problems.

The EPA’s notice is in response to a petition filed by environmental groups.

The Exira Community School District is searching for a new middle school principal.

During Tuesday’s school board meeting, the board accepted the resignation of Lanny Kliefoth, who plans on becoming a high school principal in another western Iowa school district.  Exira Superintendant Dean Schnoes tells KJAN news that Kliefoth reported that the Nodaway Valley school board had their meeting Monday night and offered the position of high school principal to him, which he accepted.

Schnoes says wishes Kleinfoth the best as he continues to move up the ladder.  They had been discussing the move to Nodaway Valley for awhile before the Exira school board meeting Tuesday.  He says the move to the high school in a bigger district was something Kleinfoth was looking for in his career.

Schnoes says the search for a replacement principal at the Exira middle school has begun and the board would like to have something done within the next week.

w/ Brett Johnson

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An Omaha resident was injured and cited for drunken driving in a traffic accident Thursday on I-80 Pottawatamie County.

The Iowa State Patrol says a 2004 Chevy Blazer driven by 24-year-old Kellie Hiskett was traveling westbound on I-80 near mile marker 12 when they lost control of the Blazer, entered the median, and rolled crossing into the eatsbound lanes before coming to rest in a ditch.

Hiskett refused chemical testing and was cited for OWI 2nd offense, failure to maintain control, and failure to show insurance.

Hiskett was then transported by Underwood Rescue to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs.

Awards totaling $15.7 million were announced Thursday for 45 communities across the state, including five in southwest Iowa.  The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) awarded the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to support 47 community investment projects.  The federally funded grants were awarded for community facilities, flood prevention, infrastructure improvements, and single family owner-occupied housing rehabilitation. CDBG funds enable communities to make needed improvements to water and sewer systems, improve housing conditions for low-income homeowners, provide facilities for disabled and at-risk individuals, and develop needed infrastructure to prevent flooding.

Funding to southwest Iowa communities include $5000,00 being awarded to Bedford for water system improvements, $300,000 for Elk Horn sanitary sewer collection improvements, $300,000 to Massena for sanitary sewer collection improvements, $388,00 to Anita for rehabilitation of 10 owner-occupied single family units, $397,000 to Guthrie Center for rehabilitation of 10 owner-occupied single family units.

IEDA received 132 applications for these funds, totaling more than $41.9 million in funding requests.  The grants are awarded based on the financial need and potential impact of the project, benefit to low- and moderate-income persons and commitment of local resources to moving the project forward.

The CDBG program is federally funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  IEDA is responsible for administering the CDBG funds in the non-metropolitan areas of the state.  Applications are solicited annually, usually during the fall.  For more information on CDBG or other community programs, phone 515.725.3081, email community@iowa.gov, or visit www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com.

The Clarinda Police Department was kept busy Wednesday evening, arresting the same man twice within less than three hours.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says the first arrest of 29-year-old Edward Dawayne Mayes of Clarinda occurred at about 9:00 Wednesday evening after officers responded to a disturbance in the parking lot at the Meadow Run Apartment Complex in Clarinda.  Mayes was arrested for misdemeanor trespass and taken to the Page County Jail. Mayes was released after bonding out a short time later.

Less than three hours later, Mayes was observed operating a motor vehicle while driving on a revoked license.  Mayes was also charged with driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol after failing field sobriety tests. Mayes was once again transported to the Page County Jail where he remains on $1,000 bail pending an initial appearance before a Page County Magistrate.

Brothers went on to state that Mayes was also arrested a little more than a week ago for driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. Brothers said that Mayes had also been arrested at least twice during the month of June for various criminal offenses.

Brothers says that although continuously arresting the same person over is frustrating and places a burden on police resources, Mr. Mayes is to be given due process under the law and is presumed innocent of all charges against him until proven guilty in a court of law.

A Casey’s Store in Atlantic was damaged during a traffic accident Wednesday in Atlantic.

At about 11:00 Wednesday morning, a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Brett Dennis of Atlantic pulled into the parking lot of Casey’s General Store at 701 Poplar Street.  When he applied his brakes to park, they failed, and he jumped a small curb and ran into the north side of the Casey’s building.

Damage to Casey’s was about $10,000, while damage to the Dennis vehicle was about $600.

No citations were issued by police.