Iowans with mental health, intellectual, and developmental disabilities, their families, and other interested persons, are being invited to share their views regarding Iowa’s Mental Health and Disability Services (MH/DS) Redesign, at one of five meetings being held around the state in the next few weeks. The meetings are sponsored by advocacy groups, and according to Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) Director Chuck Palmer, are “Important to make sure that policy makers are aware of the needs of those with disabilities.”

Legislation approved last Spring, directs the DHS to recommend a complete redesign of Iowa’s current system of delivering mental health care to those eligible for government services. Workgroups have been appointed to address core services and delivery systems. The groups’ recommendations will be delivered to the legislature, in December.

In western Iowa, meetings on the MH/DS redesign will take place September 30^th in Sioux City, and October 7^th, in Council Bluffs. For more information on the time and place, go to www.dhs.state.ia.us/partners/mhdsredesign.html on the web.

The Atlantic Police Department reports three arrests over the weekend. On Saturday, 24-year old Jeffrey Knight, of Atlantic, was taken into custody for Public Intoxication, 3rd or subsequent offense. And, 42-year old Troy Baker, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. Both men were brought to the Cass County Jail and held pending a court appearance.  On Sunday, 24-year old Levi Olsen, of Atlantic, was arrested for shoplifting (Theft in the 5th Degree). Olsen was also brought to the Cass County Jail, and held pending a court appearance.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following two separate accidents last Friday. 19-year old Tyler Rich Wood, of Des Moines was cited for having no insurance, after the car he was driving hit a deer on Highway 44, at around 10-p.m., Friday. The 2005 Chevy Cavalier Wood was driving sustained $12,000 damage.

And, at around 11:45-p.m., vehicles driven by 23-year old David Michael Guill, of Macedonia, and 51-year old Dennis Alan Esbeck, of Brayton, collided at the intersection of Highways 44 and 71 in Hamlin. Authorities say when Guill failed to obey the stop sign as he was headed east on 44, the 1991 Honda Civic he was driving was hit by Esbeck’s 1998 Chevy, as it was traveling south on 71. Damage from the crash amounted to $7,000.

In other news, the Audubon County Sheriff’s Department reports 50-year old Fred James Muhr, of Exira, turned himself-in to the Sheriff’s Office this (Monday) morning. Muhr was wanted on an outstanding warrant out of Audubon County, for Driving While Revoked. The charge stems from an incident which occurred in Exira, on August 25^th. Muhr was released from custody after appearing before the magistrate. His preliminary hearing was set for September 29^th.

w/ Ric Hanson

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – This summer’s prolonged flooding along the Missouri River caused significant damage to several hundred thousand acres of farmland. At a workshop this (Monday) morning, farmers in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Missouri can get some advice about dealing with the issues they will face after the floodwaters recede. Experts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and Iowa State University Extension will participate in the event from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

The workshop will be broadcast over the Internet to 20 locations along the river, so farmers shouldn’t have to travel far. Details are available online at http://flood.unl.edu . Experts say farmers will have clear debris and sand deposits from their land and repair erosion damage. And they may have to restore microscopic organisms to the soil, so it will be fertile again.

Sheriff’s officials in Fremont County report a Des Moines woman was arrested last week on drug and other charges. 40-year old Annette LaVonne Thompson was taken into custody for 1^st Offense OWI, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Open Container, and for Driving Under Suspension. Thompson made her initial appearance in court on Thursday.

And, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports a Fergus Falls, Minnesota woman escaped injury on September 4^th, after the car she was driving hit a sand pile caused by the road closure on North Street, in Hamburg. Kathleen Kostrewski’s 1999 Pontiac Sunfire flipped once, and ended up on its wheels.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Food prices could rise next year because an unseasonably hot summer is expected to damage much of this year’s corn crop. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates a surplus of 672 million bushels of corn will be left over at the end of next summer. The estimated surplus is down from last month’s forecast and well below levels that are considered healthy.

This spring, farmers planted the second-largest crop since World War II. But high temperatures stunted the plants. Corn prices soared to record levels earlier this year because of limited supplies. More expensive corn drives food prices higher because corn is an ingredient in everything from animal feed to cereal to soft drinks. It takes about six months for corn prices to trickle down to products at the grocery store.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Voters across Iowa will head to the polls Tuesday, to elect their school board members and make a decision other, school related matters. The polls open at Noon at close at 8-p.m.  In Cass County, there are contested races in the Atlantic Community School District, where there are three At Large seats to fill. Incumbents Dennis Davis, Phil Hascall and Jon Martens are up for re-election, along with Rodney Hartwig. Voters in Atlantic will also act on approving a Physical Plant and Equipment levy that would allow the district to ask for up to 85-cents per thousand dollars of taxable valuation, beginning in the Fiscal year ending June 30^th, 2013. The levy would remain in effect for the following 10-years.

In the newly re-organized CAM Community School District, Julie Williamson is the lone candidate for the North District, and incumbent Todd McKee is unopposed for the South District. In the Griswold Community School District, Scott Peterson is running unopposed for the District 2 seat, and Douglas Lembke is unopposed in District 6.  They are expected to replace two retiring Board members, Mary Perdue and Angie Amos.  Incumbents Scott Hansen and Clarion Campbell are also unopposed in Districts 4 and 7 respectively.  Voters in the Griswold District will also decide whether or not to adopt a renewed Revenue Purpose Statement. Superintendent Dana Kunze  says it‘s basically a continuation of “business as usual” with regard to how sales, service and other tax funds from the State of Iowa can be used.  He says it’s an extension of the statement for a few more years. It will not increase or decrease taxes paid by the district’s patrons. It will allow the district to plan for some large projects. That includes the Griswold High School parking lot, which Kunze says is in pretty rough shape.  It also includes a new roof for the high school, projects will can be completed without having to raise property taxes, which is something that hasn’t been done in a while. In fact, in the last year, those taxes were lowered by One-dollar per thousand dollars valuation. Patrons of the district may vote at the Community Building in Elliott, and at the City Hall in Griswold and Lewis.

In the AHST Community School District, there are three spots open on the Board of Education: Kimberly Wise is running for the District 2 seat being vacated by Alan Sieh; Russell Sturm is running for the At Large seat in-place of Allen Cordes, who has decided to seek election in his own district, which is District 4. Incumbent Tony Denning will not seek re-election in that district.

In the Elk Horn-Kimballton School District, Mark Smith and Joel Schlueter have filed for the District 1 and 4 seats, respectively. Each of the incumbents in the Walnut Community School District are unopposed for re-election. Voters in the Corning Community School District have no candidates for District 2, so that will filled by write-in vote, the other districts have one candidate running for each seat. In the Prescott School District, there’s another write-in situation for a vacant Director At Large seat.

There are no contested races in either the Audubon or Exira Community School Districts, but voters in the Audubon District will act on adopting the Revenue Purpose Statement. In Guthrie County, there are a total of 14 seats up for election in five school districts, but only two contested races. One is in the Panorama School District, and pits incumbent Tom Arganbright against Jim Nelson, in District 3. The other is in the West Central Valley School District, where newcomers Dianne Harwood and Bryan Abbott face off in District 5.

AMES, Iowa – Sept. 12, 2011 – The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) will hold a public information meeting Thursday, Sept. 22, to discuss the proposed bridge replacement of the U.S. 34 bridge over the Platte River, 1.3 miles west of the Iowa 25 intersection, in Adams County. The meeting will be held from 4:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Lenox Community Center, 110 E. Dallas St. in Lenox. This public information meeting will be conducted utilizing an open forum format. No formal presentation will be made. Iowa DOT staff members will be present to discuss the project informally. Through traffic would be detoured using Adams County Road N-64, Taylor County Road J-13 and Iowa 25 during construction. 

For general information regarding the proposed bridge replacement or the public meeting, contact Donald Stevens, interim district engineer, Iowa DOT District 4, 2210 E. Seventh St., Atlantic, Iowa 50022, telephone 712-243-3355 or 800-289-4368, e-mail donald.stevens@dot.iowa.gov. Visit the Iowa DOT’s project-related public meeting website at www.iowadot.gov/pim for information about scheduled public meetings and hearings – and opportunities to offer input to the Iowa DOT during the development of certain projects.