Officials with what’s called the People’s Garden school pilot project toured 17 locations across Iowa this week, where schoolhouse gardens are being created as a way to improve nutrition and tackle childhood obesity. One stop was the garden at Sunset Heights Elementary School in Webster City. Janet Toering, with the Iowa State University Extension, complimented the students’ efforts and says there are multiple goals. Toering says, “We’re looking at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, more physical activities, getting kids outdoors, increasing their STEM skills — science, technology, engineering and math — in the classrooms with lessons, outdoors with gardening and healthy snacks.”

Students in three other states are taking part in the pilot project: Washington, New York and Arkansas. The eventual goal is to go nationwide with the program. Brad Gaolach is director of the Washington State University Extension Service, based in Tacoma. Gaolach says he likes what he’s seeing in Iowa. “We’ve got raised beds planted and stuff growing so it’s looking like a great start to this pilot project,” Gaolach says. “As I’ve seen in other schools, clearly it looks like the teachers and the principals and everybody’s very engaged in this program.” 

A total of three-thousand Iowa elementary students are participating in the school garden project. Several southwest Iowa area schools taking also taking part in the project, including the following rural districts: Lenox Community School District in Taylor County; the Afton/East Union District in Union County; Mt. Ayr Community Schools in Ringgold County. And, among the “urban” districts taking part in the program is: Walnut Grove (Council Bluffs), West Pottawattamie County; and Rue (Council Bluffs), in t Pottawattamie County.

Learn more at: “www.extension.iastate.edu/growinginthegarden”

(Radio Iowa/Matt Kelley)

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No injuries were reported following a fire Friday afternoon at the Clarinda McDonald’s restaurant. According to the Omaha World-Herald, the store was closed briefly after a fire scorched the rear of the business at around 12:50-p.m. The store’s employees noticed smoke near the back door. Further investigation revealed smoke coming from an electrical receptacle. When an employee removed the receptacle, smoke began pouring out of the wall, and flames were observed coming from the exterior of the buiding.

A maintenance worker used a fire extinguisher to control the flames until the fire department could arrive on the scene. The assistant fire chief said later, that the fire appeared to have started on the outside of the building and climbed the wall near the back door. The damage, he said was minimal. The cause remained under investigation.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A 41-year-old woman who had previously been teaching chemistry at a Cedar Rapids high school has been charged with having sex with a student. Authorities say Heather Adams was arrested on Sunday night after police say Adams and the 18-year-old student were found having sex in a car. Adams faces one charge of sexual exploitation by a school employee.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — A 42-year-old woman who’d been working as a caretaker for an ailing Marshalltown man has been accused of stealing from him. The Marshalltown Times-Republican reports Kimberly Pepper has been charged with theft, two counts of forgery and two counts of identity theft. She’s accused of stealing more than $25,000 from Calvin Goecke and his wife in 2011.

LA MOTTE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a 7-year-old boy has been fatally injured in the crash of a four-wheeler on an eastern Iowa farm. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says the boy was driving the four-wheeler when it rolled. He’d been using it for doing chores shortly before 7:30 p.m. Thursday on the farm near La Motte.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo woman has been sentenced to almost two years in federal prison for trying to sell and deliver counterfeit bills in a sting operation run by the Secret Service. The U.S. attorney’s office says 38-year-old Rena Kirk was sentenced to 21 months in prison on Thursday in Davenport federal court. She has pleaded guilty.

Officials in Harrison County say free popcorn, wine-tasting, and a demonstration of the new Smartphone interpretation are just a few of the activities planned for the Saturday, May 19th Grand Opening celebration for the Lincoln Highway/Loess Hills Interpretive Center located at the Harrison County Welcome Center near Missouri Valley.

The new Lincoln Highway/Loess Hills Interpretive Center, which opened in September along Highway 30 in west central Iowa, provides informative displays on both the historic Lincoln Highway and the Loess Hills. (photo Courtesy IA Div. of Tourism)

To officially open the new center, a “rope” cutting ceremony will be held at 10:45 am.  The “rope” will actually be made of colored-yarn signifying the six school districts represented by Harrison County communities. At the conclusion of the short ceremony in the center’s large shelter, free hot dogs, chips and cherry drink – a tradition of the village since the 1930’s – will be sponsored by the Harrison County Historical Society for as long as it lasts.

Also occurring between 10:30 and 1:00 pm, will be Western Iowa wine-tasting including a new Lincoln Highway variety, an animal tracks scavenger hunt on the hard-surfaced portion of the new trail, and a sample of the upcoming Welcome Center Farmers Market.  A few of the vendors for the 2012 season will share their wares as well as a listing of what crops and crafts can be expected from all of this year’s vendors.

From noon to 1:00 pm May 19th, the Harrison County Conservation staff will be offering demonstrations on the new Smartphone interpretation for the Lincoln Highway Road bed demonstration area, and explain the new “Smart Trail” interpretation available in some Harrison County Parks.

Throughout the day, free popcorn will be available for all those watching the Loess Hills and Lincoln Highway movies in the auditorium.  All attendees are also invited to register for the chance to win a cabin stay at the new King Cabin being built at Willow Lake Recreation Area near Woodbine or a $100 Welcome Center Gift Certificate.  Special discounts in the gift shop will also be available. May 19th is also the first day of the Living Loess third Saturday of the month tour season.  There will be a special table available for those wanting to learn more about Living Loess, get a passport stamped, and receive a free Harrison County Log Cabin ornament.

The Harrison County Historical Village and Iowa Welcome Center is located between Missouri Valley and Logan, Iowa on Highway 30.  For further information, please call 712-642-2114 or visit Harrison County Iowa Welcome Center on Facebook. http://harrisoncountyparks.org/welcome/

“Fly Iowa” Chairman Garry Pellet Friday, announced the theme for the September 15th Atlantic “Fly Iowa” air show event,  to be “Homecoming & Heritage.”

"Homecoming & Heritage" Fly Iowa logo for Atlantic event

In a Press Release, Pellet said “We have a strong history of individuals in aviation in the greater Atlantic area. Our mission with this air show is to recognize those people and anyone who has touched aviation in some way during their life, and along the way, we plan to present some pretty phenomenal family entertainment.”

A subcommittee of the Fly Iowa event continues to work on collecting contact information for area pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, instructors, airport managers, military and others who have touched aviation and have roots in southwest Iowa.

Pellet said “We have a fantastic facility right here in Atlantic, and many have gotten their start locally,” Pellet said. “We also have several local businesses who utilize the Atlantic Airport on a regular basis.” According to the Atlantic Municipal Airport operator and Airworks owner Barry Reid more than 50 commercial planes utilize the facilities and more than 200 local pilots.

Pellet said not everyone visits the airport regularly, so the Atlantic Fly Iowa event will provide the opportunity to see some local planes as well as unique displays including a hot air balloon, aerobatic demonstration, World War II aircrafts, skydivers and more. He said “We are very excited about this first-time ever event for the Atlantic area, which we expect will bring in thousands of people.” Pellet added that the committee is planning a memorable presentation which will appeal to all age levels and be accessible to all because the sponsors have made it possible for free admission.

The Fly Iowa air shows are located in one Iowa community each year and sponsored in part by the Iowa Aviation promotion Group. Atlantic, Iowa is the 2012 host and co-sponsor. For more information contact Fly Iowa Chair Garry Pellet 712.250.0128 or Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Megan Roberts at 712-243-3017.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office late Friday afternoon reported four arrests this past week. Two people were taken into custody Thursday (May 10th): 27-year old William C. Kautter, of Omaha, was arrested on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Threat of Terrorism and False Report to Law Enforcement. Kautter was booked into the Cass County Jail where he was being held on $25,500.00 cash bond. And, 28-year old William Daniel Mendez, of Grant, was arrested on a District Court Warrant for Probation Violation. Mendez was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was being held on $5,000.00 bond.

On Wednesday, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested: 59-year old Deborah Ann Thomas, of Atlantic, on a charge of Public Intoxication. Thomas was booked into the Cass County Jail where she pled guilty before the magistrate the following day. And, 25-year old Michael John Carroll, Jr.,  of Avoca,  turned himself in at the Cass County Jail on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear to Serve Time. Carroll was booked into the Cass County Jail. He will be released upon completion of his sentenced time served.

The Griswold School District’s Board of Education received some welcomed news during a special meeting held Friday evening: the bid for the High School/Middle School re-roofing project came in roughly half of what the early estimates indicated. Prior to accepting the bid, a public hearing was held concerning the project, during which Superintendent Dana Kunze read a letter from officials with Estes Construction and FRK Architects with regard to their recommendations.

The firms, after having received a number of bids and completing a pre-contract award interview with the apparent low bidder for the project, recommended accepting a bid from the R.L. Craft Roofing Company, in Denison. Board President Steve Baier said he was very pleased with Craft’s bid of $669, 024, which was much less than the $1.2-million dollar anticipated cost of the project. The Board voted unanimously to accept the bid.

In other business, the Board approved the resignations of: Chris Elwood, from his teaching and coaching positions; Erin Amelien, from her teaching and coaching positions, and Gena Rush from her Para-professional position. And, after reviewing three parking lot redesign proposals from Bishop Engineering’s Joel Jackson, narrowed the design down to one, but made several changes and/or additions to the plan.

A final draft of the plan, included the changes, will be presented to the Board during a special “Electronic” meeting (conducted via conference call and e-mail), next Wednesday evening. Regardless of the final plan design, everyone on the Board and Jackson agreed, there will be a “six-week” learning curve, for everyone to get used to the new layout, once construction is complete.