Officials with the French Icarian Colony Foundation say an Iowa Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission endorsed event, entitled “Icaria, Adams County and the Civil War,” will be held June 23rd from 9:00-am to 5:00-pm, at America’s French Icarian Village, located  at 2349 220^th Street, in Corning.  The commemoration will recognize the sacrifices made by Icaria and Adams County families during the Civil War.  Whether they were soldiers on the battlefield, supported the troops from the home front, or defended their state’s southern border, Iowans played an important role in the Civil. War.  The Icaria and Adams County men and their families shared in that sacrifice. 

The family oriented event will include a military encampment, recruiting scenarios, musket and cannon demonstrations, a skirmish, storytelling, a ladies tea (for which reservations are required by June 18th), children’s period games and activities, heritage craft demonstrations, President Lincoln and two exhibits.  The Fiery Trial: Iowa and the Civil War, a traveling exhibit from the Iowa on the Move Program will be on loan as well, from the State Historical Society of Iowa.  An additional traveling exhibit from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, Looking at Lincoln: Political Cartoons from the Civil War Era with presentations from President Abraham Lincoln will be on loan.  More information is available at www.icaria.net, 641.322.4717 or icaria@frontiernet.net.

A Carroll man faces a trio of charges following an accident Monday evening, in Audubon County. Sheriff’s Officials say 54-year old Richard Lee Wilson was charged with OWI/3rd offense, Driving While Revoked and Failure to Maintain Control. Wilson was driving a 2000 Chevy Impala southbound on Highway 71 just north of Hamlin, at around 6:30-p.m., when the vehicle went out of control, crossed the road and a bike trail before coming to rest in a field.

The man refused medical treatment. He was subsequently brought to the Audubon County Jail and held pending  a court appearance. Damage to his car was estimated at $5,000.

Concerns are being raised after the U-S Environmental Protection Agency announced it’s using airplanes to conduct fly-over inspections of large-scale livestock lots in Iowa and Nebraska. Josh Svaty, the E-P-A Region 7 Senior Advisor, says they are focusing on livestock operations that may be violating Clean Water Act regulations. Svaty says, “We don’t want to bother the people that are doing their very best and are in complete compliance but there are hundreds of animal feeding operations in these impaired watersheds and this enables us to more easily find some of the ones that might need a little more attention from us than others.” He says it saves taxpayer dollars to use the aircraft to so this type of surveillance versus driving up and down hundreds of miles of rural roadways to do spot checks of farmers and ranchers.

“Most of them are in compliance and are doing just fine,” Svaty says. “Some of the larger feedlots, in fact, some of them that we’ve worked with in the past, we’ve noticed have made significant, substantial improvements over the years.” The practice is raising concerns from livestock producers and legislators. Members of the Nebraska Congressional delegation recently sent a letter to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, asking for answers to those concerns by June 10th. Svaty says the EPA only takes still photographs and they avoid houses. He says Nebraska’s Farm Service Agency has been doing compliance flyovers since the 1980s so it isn’t a new concept. Iowa U-S Senator Chuck Grassley says he’ll likely join the Nebraskans in asking for more answers from the EPA.

“I’ll probably sign the letter without any insinuation that anything’s wrong but I sure have a right to know what in the heck they’re doing and what they’re up to,” Grassley says. “I’m more interested in that. Transparency will bring some accountability.” The Nebraska delegation is asking how many flights have been conducted and what statutes authorize aerial surveillance inspections. The delegation also wants to know if the EPA conducted such flights prior to 2010. It asks what images are made, how they are used and how long they are kept. Grassley says this type of flight is nothing new. “Going back to the 1930s and ’40s, we’ve had airplanes fly over farmland in Iowa and take pictures and all of the work at the county offices where measuring fields was done from the photographs that airplanes were taking at that particular time,” Grassley says. “If that’s what they’re up to, we’ve been involved with that for 60 years but I wanna’ know what they’re up to.”

The letter to the head of the EPA notes that farmers and ranchers pride themselves in the stewardship of natural resources, saying, “As you might imagine, this practice (of flyovers) has resulted in privacy concerns among our constituents and raises several questions.” Grassley says the EPA needs to be more upfront.
“Whatever the federal government’s doing, observing on private land, the public has a right to know,” Grassley says. “You’ve also got to remember though that out in California, they use a lot of airplanes to take pictures to see where people are violating the laws by growing marijuana.” Grassley, a Republican, says all farmers know they have to abide by the Clean Water Act. “I don’t think it’s very easy to cover up if you’re killing fish that you’re violating.”

(Radio Iowa)

An Atlantic woman was arrested Monday for Operating a motor vehicle While Intoxicated. The Atlantic Police Department reports 27-year old Samantha Schroeder was taken into custody on a charge of OWI/3rd offense. She was booked into the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.

And, the A-P.D. says no injuries were reported following an accident Monday afternoon, at 7th and Cherry Streets. Officials say vehicles driven by Atlantic residents Danny Grover and Sarah Park collided, when Park pulled out from a business entrance, and in front of Grover’s vehicle as he was traveling westbound on 7th. Park was cited forFailure to Yield upon entering through street. Damage from the collision amounted to $5,200.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports the arrest Monday evening of 29-year old Edward DaWayne Mayes, of Clarinda. Mayes was taken into custody after officers responded to a reported domestic disturbance taking place at the Meadow Run Apartments. When they arrived shortley after 6-p.m., their investigation determined an 18-year old female had suffered a minor injury resulting from an alleged assault,  but the woman did not require or seek medical treatment.

Officers noted the door to the apartment sustained an estimated $500.00 damage during the altercation. Mayes was arrested without incident on a felony domestic abuse assault charge, and a charge of misdemeanor criminal mischief. He was booked into the Page County Jail and held without bail, pending an initial appearance before the Magistrate. The incident remains under investigation by the Clarinda Police Department and has been forwarded to the Page County Attorney’s Office for review.

w/ Ric Hanson

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A woman from Arkansas was injured during an accident Monday evening, in Exira. The Iowa State Patrol reports 61-year old Monta Bahus, of Dover, AR,  was transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital by Exira Rescue, after the pickup she was a passenger in, was involved in a broadside-type accident with another pickup. The accident happened at around 7:10-p.m., at the intersection of Fairview and Washington Streets, in Exira.

Officials say 74-year old Lonnie Barber, of Hamlin, admitted that he failed to stop at the posted intersection, while he was traveling south on Fairview Road. His 2010 Ford F-150 pickup continued into the intersection, where it was hit broadside by a 2005 Dodge pickup driven by 62-year old David Bahus, of Dover, AR. The accident happened as Bahus was traveling east on Washington Street.

Monta Bahus suffered from unknown chest injuries resulting from her seat belt and a non-deployment of the airbag. A report on her condition is not available.

w/ Ric Hanson

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The state will increase the maximum benefit paid for unemployment at the start of the new fiscal year on July first. Iowa Workforce Development spokesperson, Kerry Koonce, says the amount paid is going up about three percent.”Every year we do a review of what they call the average annual wage for Iowans across the state, and that affects any changes that would take place in what an individual could receive for maximum weekly benefits on unemployment,” Koonce explains. “And since Iowa’s average annual wage increased for calendar year 2011, that means for our fiscal year that starts July first of 2012, the average weekly benefit for unemployment will also increase.” The average annual wage now used to calculate unemployment benefits is 38-thousand-949 dollars. The change will result in just over 10 dollars more each week for those who earn the maximum unemployment benefit.

“You know it’s not a large change, for example, if you are a family that has two dependents lets say, it goes from 415 to 426 a week. However, if you’re on unemployment, every little big extra you get each week helps out greatly,” Koonce says. Workforce Development figures show about half those who are eligible for unemployment benefits have enough earnings to qualify for the maximum benefit. There’s also a change for those who become disable and can’t work. Koonce says the change for temporary total disability rises weekly to one-thousnd-498 dollars ($1,498) and the amount for permanent partial disability, the maximum increases to one thousand-378 dollars ($1,378). Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped to five-point-one percent (5.1%) in April, and has dropped every month this year.

(Radio Iowa)

Voters across Iowa are heading to the polls today (Tuesday), to cast their ballots in the Primary Election. Winners in the Primary will have their names appear on the ballot for the November 6th General Election. The polls opened at 7-a.m., and will close at 9-p.m. In Cass County, there are no contested local races.

In Audubon County, five men, four Republicans, including one incumbent (Todd M. Nelson), and one Democrat, are vying for two seats on the Board of Supervisors. One seat was left open by the announcement by Vernie Venteicher that he is not running for re-election. Facing-off against Nelson for one of the seats is Duane Deist, Monte L. Dreher, and Roger Merk. Jerry R. Carter is unopposed on the Democratic ticket. Also in Audubon County, Democrat Blake Asberry is running against incumbent Todd Johnson, a Republican, for the title of Sheriff. It’s the first time in more than a decade there is a race for the Sheriff’s job, in Audubon County.

There are no contested races in Adams County, where the Republican incumbents for County Supervisors in Districts 2 and 5, along with Sheriff Alan Johannes, County Attorney Duane Golden and Democrat Auditor Nancy J. Carmichael, are unopposed. In Guthrie County, there are two Democrats on the ballot for Board of Supervisors in District 1: Jerome F. Caraher, of Bayard, and John Milhollin, , of Yale. Only one will be elected, and move on to meet Republican, James Carroll, in November. Carroll is unopposed in the Primary. In District 5: Democrat David Guisinger is unopposed on the ballot, while Republicans Mike Dickson, of Stuart, and Robert Schemmel, of Dexter, are squaring-off, each with hopes of moving on to face Guisinger in the November election.

In Montgomery County, incumbent Republican Sheriff Joe Sampson faces a challenge from fellow Republican, Chris Stephens. In Pottawattamie County, incumbent Sheriff Jeff Danker faces a challenge from fellow Republican John Hitchcock. The man who wins today’s election will likely be the next Sheriff, as no Democrat has filed to run.

There’s a six-person Republican race in Shelby County for the Board of Supervisors. Scott Burchett, Delbert Hull (who is seeking re-election), Steve Kenkel, Randy Nelson, Charles Parkhurst and David Yamada are all on the ballot. On the Democratic ticket men are in the running: Herb Christensen, LaVon Christensen and Jerry Henscheid. There is also a State Representative Race in District 18 on the Democratic side, with Kasey Friedrichsen and Bernard Murphy vying for a win. The biggest race in Shelby County though is the Republican Sheriff’s position. Since there isn’t a candidate running on the Democratic side, it’s down to current Sheriff Mark Hervey and Nathan Dee Christensen.

Other races to watch include those for State Senate in District 10 (which includes parts or all of Audubon, Guthrie, Adair, Dallas & Cass Counties), featuring Republicans Jake Chapman and Matthew T. Mardesen, and, Senate District 6 (parts or all of Audubon, Carroll & Crawford Counties), where Republicans Matthew Biede (a Sac County Sheriff’s Deputy), Adam Schweers (The Mayor of Carroll) and Mark Segebart (a farmer from Vail & member of the Crawford County Board of Supervisors) are in the running, with only one in each district moving on to the November General Election, where they will face Democrat Mary Bruner. Incumbent legislator, Greg Forristal, is being challenged by Clint Fichter for the GOP nod in the new 22nd district, which covers most of Pottawattamie County.

If you are not sure where your voting precinct is, call your County’s Auditor’s Office, or go the the Iowa Secretary of State’s website at https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx We’ll have the results of the election for you Wednesday morning, on KJAN and on the web at kjan.com.