(Atlantic, Iowa) – The 2023 Cass County (Iowa) Fair begins this Thursday (July 27th), and continues through August 1st.  Thursday, evening, 14 youth are competing for a place in the royal court. Preliminary judging was held on Monday, July 17th at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic where each candidate was interviewed by two judges. Candidates vying for the title of queen: Rachel Becker, Sydney Becker, Natalie Behnken, Ryleigh Harrison, Cecilia Hensley, Rio Johnson, Claire Pellett, Natalye Scholl, Quincy Sorensen, Trista Swain. The candidate selected as queen will advance to the Iowa State Fair, where she will compete in the statewide competition for the title of the 2023 Iowa State Fair Queen.
King candidates include: Dylan Comes, Tristan Becker, Parker Brock, and Brett Dreager.

Judging criteria is based on leadership, citizenship within the community, poise, charm, appearance, personality, attitude, and the ability to communicate openly with honesty about current youth issues. Candidates competing for the Queen and King Position voted amongst themselves for a Miss Congeniality and Mr. Congeniality.

The crowning of the 2023 Cass County Fair King and Queen will take place in the north garden of the Cass County Community Center at 7:30-p.m., Thursday. The evening will kick off at 7:00 pm with the Little Miss and Mister contest. Cass County youth ages 5-8 can participate by signing up in the Extension Office by noon on Wednesday, July 26^th.  All contestants introduce themselves to the crowd before a winner is drawn out of a hat.

(Marne, Iowa) – Firefighters from Marne and Atlantic were dispatched at around 5:34-p.m. Sunday, to a report of smoke coming from a wall inside the Derailed Bar & Grill at 105 Washington Street, in Marne. Management at the establishment safely evacuated patrons when smoke began to fill the air inside the building. Fire Chief Josh Krause said an improperly discarded cigarette apparently caused an upstairs, boarded-up window to begin to get hot and start smoking.

Krause said when a vent fan in the kitchen was turned on, it filled the downstairs restaurant and bar with smoke. Some of the people inside the business used a fire extinguisher to douse the charred boards and any flames evident were put-out before firefighters arrived. Crews conducted an assessment of the building to make sure there were no other hot spots. They then ventilated the bar and grill before returning to quarters.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board has approved state incentives for one company to move into Iowa and three to expand. I-E-D-A spokesperson, Kanan Kappelman, says the RILCO company of Rock Island, Illinois is moving across the river to Iowa. “RILCO is a large lubricant distributor and industrial service provider. And they are planning to expand and renovate an existing building in the community of Eldridge,” she says. The board awarded the company tax benefits through the High Quality Jobs program. “The company has indicated that they expect to create 81 jobs as a result of this move,” Kappelman says. RILCO already has a distribution center in Pella and locations in the Quad Cities. A Story City company is also getting state incentives.

“M.H. Eby is another legacy company. It was founded in 1938, and their business has evolved over the years. And they are a manufacturer of aluminum truck bodies and livestock haulers,” she says. The company will spend more than 15 million dollars on its project. ” They plan to expand their Story City facility by an additional 100-thousand square feet to support the growth of the company,” Kappelman says. “This project is expected to create 120 jobs.” Another central Iowa company is also expanding.

“MidStates material handling and fabrication provides metal manufacturing and fabrication primarily in the agriculture sector. And the company plans to expand their corporate headquarters in Nevada with additional office space, manufacturing space, and they’re going to also invest in new manufacturing equipment,” she says. They have indicated that this project is expected to create nine jobs. The fourth company to receive state incentives is A to Z Drying. “The company plans to expand their footprint in Osage to accommodate new high capacity equipment. The project is expected to create 16 jobs,” she says. The company has been in operation for 50 years offering custom spray drying, blending, packaging and warehousing. They plan to spend 23 million dollars on the project.

(Radio Iowa) – If you find yourself getting bored at work, an expert on the workplace at the University of Iowa says don’t immediately jump to another job but find ways to make your current position more challenging — and fulfilling. Amy Colbert, a professor of management and entrepreneurship at the U-I’s Tippie College of Business, says bored workers can impact everyone’s productivity and bring the whole office down. “The biggest impact is to morale,” Colbert says. “The experience of being bored at work means that people just aren’t engaged and that’s not enjoyable. We want to do interesting, important work, and so, when people are bored at work, they’re much more likely to leave the organization in search of something that is more engaging.”

Younger workers in particular might find themselves disenchanted in their first job out of school, she says, if they don’t feel like they’re making a difference in the world. Colbert says we sometimes need to remind ourselves that the work we’re doing matters, even if it is routine and mundane. “That comes from just keeping purpose front of mind,” Colbert says. “Why did you take the job in the first place? What is it that you’re hoping to accomplish? Even if the job for today is filing or writing reports, something that’s not as exciting, keeping that ultimate purpose in mind can help you remember why you’re doing those tasks.” Jump starting that process is hard to do by yourself, and she says you may have to look to your boss for inspiration.

“This is where I think leaders come in and play a big role, helping everyone understand ‘the why’ of the work that they’re doing,” Colbert says. “So from the frontline employees, all the way up the organizational ladder, everybody should see that connection between the work that they’re doing and the broader purpose of the organization.” Before abandoning our current jobs in search of greener pastures, she says there are likely things we can do to advocate for an expansion of our existing roles, finding new duties and opportunities.

“You could try to learn something that might set you up for a promotion, so I call that ‘job crafting,'” Colbert says. “What can you do in your current role to make it a little bit more engaging and to potentially set you up for a more engaging role in the future?” A Gallup survey last year found only 32-percent of employees said they were engaged in their work, a drop from 34-percent in 2021 and 36-percent in 2020.

(Radio Iowa) – The rolling city on spoked wheels known as RAGBRAI is entering its second day this (Monday) morning, as between 25- and 30-thousand bicycle riders pedal the 57 miles from Storm Lake to Carroll. Carroll Chamber of Commerce program director Ashley Schable says an exceptionally busy day is ahead and they hope to limit the impact on local residents. “We hope people just are prepared. There are going to be bikers everywhere, and vehicles that you’re not used to seeing,” Schable says. “I think the big thing is just encourage people to be patient. Know that things are going to be a little slower to get to where you normally go, but hopefully it goes as smoothly as possible.”

The first cyclists should start rolling into Carroll around midday, and dozens of vendors are in place along with a host of live music. “11 am on Main Street, we’ll have inflatables down there, there’s a big waterslide, and then music starts at the Barrel Stage around 1, there’s three acts that will go on there,” she says, “and then the main stage, four o’clock, Piano Palooza will start and then the big act, the Pork Tornadoes will take the stage at 7:45.”

A Carroll handbook is available for riders at www.carrollragbrai.com that includes maps of the town and festival area, schedules, ATM locations, emergency contacts, and more. The 50th Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa is headed for Ames tomorrow, about 86 miles from Carroll.

[Updated] (Creston, Iowa) – Official with Southwestern Community College, in Creston, announced on social media, Sunday afternoon, a candlelight service will be held Tuesday, July 25th two of its student athletes. The service takes place on the SWCC Sofball Field, beginning at 8:15-p.m.

Halsie Lynn Barnes (SWCC Facebook photo)

19-year-old Halsie Lynn Barnes, of Tingley, died in the crash Friday night between a pickup and the car she was a passenger in. The college also reports 19-year-old Ella Jo Leonard, of Winterset, died Sunday from injuries she received during the crash.

Four others, including the driver of the car and another passenger, plus two people in the pickup, were injured. The crash happened at around 10:28-p.m. on Highway 34 at 190th Street, east of Afton.

A statement from the college said “Halsie was the light and spirit of our team. Her presence at Southwestern next year will be missed greatly. We send our deepest condolences to her family, friends and teammates. We also pray for the other individuals involved in the accident.”

Ella Leonard, the college says, was a member of last year’s SWCC College Dance team, and was returning as a captain this upcoming season. “She was a sweet, talented and passionate team member that we will miss very deeply. Please keep Ella’s family and friends in your prayers,” college officials said.

Ella Jo Leonard (SWCC Photo)

A come-and-go grief counseling and gathering session will be held on Monday, July 24, in the Instructional Center, room 180, from 2-4 p.m. All members of the SWCC family are invited to attend.

Counselors will be available during this time to assist in healing conversations as the community and college come together to grieve and continue to be there for the students and their families who were affected by Friday evening’s auto accident.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police report two recent arrests. Friday afternoon, 30-year-old Stephanie Rose Eggleston, of Red Oak, was arrested at the Family Dollar Store, for Theft in the 5th Degree. Her bond at the Montgomery County Jail was set at $300. And, 51-year-old Wendi Jo Latus, of Red Oak, was arrested Friday in the 1200 block of N. Broadway, for Theft in the 4th Degree. Her bond was set at $1,000.

(Oakdale, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Corrections, late Saturday, said a man serving a prison sentence for the Harrison County crimes of Sex Abuse in the 2nd Degree, and Lascivious Acts with a Child – has died. 72-year-old James Robert McDuffie was pronounced dead due to natural causes at 5:50 p.m. on Friday, July 21, 2023 in a hospice room of the Iowa Medical and Classification Center where he had been housed due to chronic illness.

McDuffie had been serving a 25-year maximum term on the charges with a Lifetime Special Sentence. His sentence began on August, 30th 2016.

(Afton, Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol late Saturday evening in a **CORRECTED** report, released the names of the victims of a crash that occurred late Friday night, in Union County. Authorities say 19-year-old Halsie Lynn Barnes, of Tingley, died at the scene.

19-year-old Ella Jo Leonard, of Winterset**, was injured and flown by helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. Both were passengers in a 2017 Chevy Malibu that was struck nearly broadside by a 2016 Ford F-350 pickup. The crash happened at around 10:28-p.m., Friday, at Highway 34 and 190th Street in Union County.

According to the report, the pickup, driven by 59-year-old Andy David Merritt, of Seymour, was traveling east on Highway 34 approaching 190th Street, when the Malibu, driven by 19-year-old Madalynn Mae Stewart, of Maloy (IA), failed to stop at the stop sign on 190th Street. When the car entered Highway 34, it was struck on the driver’s side. Both vehicles ended-up in the north ditch.

Madalynn Stewart, and another other passenger in the car, 20-year-old Abigail Dawn Barnes, of Lamoni, were injured. Stewart was flown by helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. Barnes was transported to Methodist Hospital by ambulance. Andy Merritt, and 62-year-old Julia Ann Merritt, of Seymour, were injured and transported by a relative to their residence.

Halsie Barnes, Madalynn Stewart, Abigail Barnes, and Andy Merritt, were not wearing seat belts. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Union County Sheriff’s Office, along with Union and Clarke County EMS.

NOTE: The Patrol’s initial report early Saturday morning DID indicate 1 fatality. Saturday afternoon, however, it was changed to 2 fatalities. About 2-hours later, they changed the report AGAIN, with the clarification of 1 fatality.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council, this past Wednesday, approved an Order to restrict down Chestnut Street parking spaces for a special event that takes place on August 19th. The Downtown Block Party/Food Truck event is being planned by four local businesses: Homebody; Brown’s Shoe Fit; Unique Salon, and Atlantic Jazzercise. The ordinance states that food trucks cannot park adjacent to brick-and-mortar businesses. At the time the order was passed, the nearby Xu’s Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant was still closed, but the owner has posted on social media, that the business was expected to re-open August 1st.

It remains to be seen how that will affect the plans for a a food truck parked across parking stalls on the right-of-way.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance that repeals a subsection of the City’s Code of Ordinances, with regard to permitted truck parking.

City Administrator John Lund notes the ordinance is a “technical correction,” that allows truck parking on certain city-owned lots north of the railroad tracks. The lots have been leased for years to Murphy Heavy Construction.

The section being removed (69.11) states “All motor trucks, semi-trailers, semi-trailer tractors or any other motor vehicle with trailer attached may park, without charge, at the “truck/truck trailer parking area, located on Lots 31,32,33 and 34 in Walker’s Addition to the City of Atlantic, with an address of 110 State Street.”

Murphy’s trucks are not affected by the change, since he has a lease with the City. There currently is no designated truck parking within the City.