The Cass County Board of Supervisors had their regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday morning at the Cass County Courthouse.

On the agenda first was the assignment of county held tax sale certificates of purchase to the city of Cumberland for a piece of property located in the town.  The supervisors unanimously approved the sale.  The city of Cumberland will primarily use the property for restoration work and then possibly re-sell to any interested bidders.

The board then heard from County Attorney Dan Feistner, who talked about the counties ongoing policy of directly negotiating collective bargaining with unions.  Supervisor Reiken agreed that there are several advantages to keeping the negotiating process local rather than hiring outside help.

The board also heard from county engineer Charles Marker, who spoke about road work taking place on county road M56 around Marne.  He says work is ongoing on paving county road M56 between Marne and I-80.

Marker says Marne Mayor Randy Baxter asked if other roads in town could be paved as well. They include the road in front of the post office and the bar.  He says the Marne City Council has already agreed the city would eventually pay for that work on the roads.

The supervisors also received a written letter from the Cass County Historical Society updating the board on some of there recent work in the county.

The Atlantic School Board had their regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night at Atlantic High School.  The board approved the signing of a lease for a mobile classroom that will be used at Washington Elementary this fall.  Atlantic Schools Superintendent Dr. Mike Amstein says the school was so short on classroom space that it created the need for the mobile classroom.  It will be primarily used for music and art classes.

He says the lease will be for two years, which was the minimum the school board could get.  For the first year the lease would cost $22,500 because of set up charges, but for the second year the cost will only be the lease itself which is $10,500.

Once the lease for the mobile classroom is up in two years, Amstein says the board will take a look at district needs for the future and determine if there is still need for the mobile classroom at Washington Elementary.

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The Adair County Board of Supervisors will hold their regularly scheduled meeting Thursday morning.

On the agenda is an update on the manure management plan and an EMS Grant Final draw Down.  The Board Adair Supervisors will also hear from County Auditor Mindy Schaefer about server/laptop bids.  Jerry Christensen will speak to the board about courthouse windows, and county treasurer Brenda Wallace will give the treasurer’s semi annual report.

The meeting of the Adair County Board of Supervisors will be held Thursday at 9:00 at the Adair County Courthouse in Greenfield.

The House Agriculture Committee is could vote today (Wednesday) on a farm bill package. Western Iowa Congressman Steve King, a Republican from Kiron, is a member of the committee.

He says they’ve been putting it together on the House side for a long time, with hearings starting back in April. He says they will “mark up” a farm bill on July 11th. King says one of the areas of the ag bill he wants to bring under control is the spending on the program formerly known as food stamps.

He says just a few years ago, there were 19 million Americans on food stamps, and now there’s 44-point-seven (44.7) million. “We have the U-S Department of Agriculture spending millions of dollars advertising to get more people to sign up on food stamps. Now I’d rather spend that money on food than advertisement, if people are hungry then they are going to find a way to get fed. So that’s what we’re missing here, the philosophy of the U-S-D-A,” King says. “Neither do I buy the line that for every dollar worth of food stamps you hand out you get a dollar-four of economic activity. That’s not the way to grow the economy.” King says the way to grow the economy is to create more jobs. The U-S Ag Secretary is former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and the husband of King’s Democratic opponent, Christie Vilsack. King says he hopes the full House can pass a bill before the month.

He says the goal is to get a bill done and get it to the conference committee, that way they can work on it during the month of August and have a bill ready to vote on after Labor Day “before the real silly season of politics is upon us.” Overall, the House bill would cut Agriculture Department spending by 35-billion-dollars over 10 years, or 12-billion-dollars more than the Senate. The House bill’s revenue plan would pay growers when revenue is from 15-25 percent below average, while the Senate bill would eliminate traditional subsidies such as target prices and instead compensate growers when revenue from a crop is 11-21 percent below average. In either bill, crop insurance would cover deeper losses.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A state worker’s union has filed a complaint against Gov. Terry Branstad over asking workers to pay part of their health care premiums.
 
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed a complaint with the Iowa Public Employee Relations Board on Tuesday
The complaint says health insurance is covered under collective bargaining laws and the governor is prohibited from approaching workers about making changes.
 
Branstad signed an executive order last week allowing state workers to voluntarily pay 20 percent of their premiums. He says he and the lieutenant governor will do so beginning Aug. 1.
 
Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht says it’s outrageous that Iowans, who pay their own health care costs, are forced to foot the bill for state workers.

Authorities in two states are looking for a Missouri woman who they say is armed and dangerous that is wanted on drug charges after she was seen early Wednesday morning near the Clarinda Casey’s Store.

At about 2:00 Wednesday morning, Clarinda Police received a report that 23-year-old Lynne Elizabeth Chandler was standing outside an Oldsmobile Bravada at the Clarinda Casey’s Store parking lot and was possibly armed with a handgun. 

When police encountered the Chandler, she ran, and a foot pursuit ensued.  Police believe she went into a wooded area just west of the Casey’s store, but they were unable to locate her after a search of the area was conducted.  Area businesses were advised of the situation and went into lockdown.  The search was suspended at about 4:00 Wednesday morning. 

Chandler is wanted in Nodaway County Missouri for failure to appear at a probation violation hearing for drug possession.  She is a white female with brown hair, height 5’3”, weighing 125 pounds.  She is considered armed and dangerous.  If you have any information about her whereabouts, please contact the Nodaway County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department at 660-582-7451.

The Clarinda Police Department was assisted by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy K-9 Unit and deputies from the Page County Sheriff’s Department and Nodaway County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department.

HANLONTOWN, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say two children died in a collision between a semitrailer and a van near Hanlontown in northern Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol says 9-year-old Cassidy Stehn, of Northwood, and 12-year-old Hana Riedinger, of Kensett, died in the crash Tuesday. The Globe Gazette in Mason City (http://bit.ly/Mh14fd ) says four other youngsters and the driver of the van in which the girls were riding in were injured. 
 
ANKENY, Iowa (AP) – Fire officials say a bottle under pressure exploded in a lab and may have exposed a worker to vapors at a Monsanto Co. facility in Ankeny. The Des Moines Register (http://dmreg.co/LG7cO ) says the bottle was under high pressure during a chemical process when the incident happened Tuesday afternoon. Ankeny Fire Chief Rex Mundt couldn’t immediately say what chemicals it contained.
 
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A state worker’s union has filed a complaint against Gov. Terry Branstad over asking workers to pay part of their health care premiums. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed a complaint with the Iowa Public Employee Relations Board on Tuesday. The complaint says health insurance is covered under collective bargaining laws and the governor is prohibited from approaching workers about making changes.
 
WASHINGTON (AP) – Authorities say the chief of an Iowa-based brokerage firm where millions of dollars have vanished left a suicide note that prompted them to notify the FBI. Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson said the founder and chairman of Peregrine Financial Group was found Monday in his car outside company headquarters. A day after Russell Wasendorf Sr.’s apparent suicide attempt, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed civil fraud charges against the firm, accusing it and Wasendorf of misusing customer funds and failing to keep them separate from company money.

Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday, that T-shirts for the 2012 Coca-Cola Days in Atlantic, are now available for purchase at the Chamber.

Pictured are Coca-Cola Committee members of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce sporting their 2012 Coca-Cola Days t-shirts. The 2012 event held September 21-22 is the 20th anniversary of Coca-Cola Days in Atlantic with the theme of “Mixing up happiness for 20 years.” Shirts are on sale now at the Depot for $16 short sleeved and $22 long sleeved. Pictured are Jann Warnke, Brian Church, Jolene Sisler, Becky Mosier, Margaret Slepsky, Dolly Bergmann and Ellen Rutherford. (Chamber photo)

The shirts feature the theme, “Mixing up happiness for 20 years.” Short sleeve shirts will be $16 and long sleeve shirts will be $22.           

Coca-Cola Days will be held September 21-22 this year. Events will again include a tailgate barbeque dinner, Show-Swap-and-Sell, and a parade. There will be more details and information in the upcoming months. 

Please call the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce with any questions, at 712.243.3017 or email chamber@atlanticiowa.com.