The Adair County Board of Supervisors will hold a Special Session Monday morning, in Greenfield.The Board will meet at 9-a.m., to hear Fiscal Year funding requests from: the Ag Extension Office; Adair County Home Care; Adair County Health Systems; MATURA; the Adair County Historical Society, and Adair County Tourism representatives.

The Audubon Chamber of Commerce and Audubon County Economic Development held their annual joint Community Banquet and Auction Saturday night, at Saint Patrick’s Parish Center. Receiving a Special 2011 Community Service Award for their service, commitment and sacrifice to the community, was the Audubon Fire Department. Audubon Fire Chief John Ballou said the fire department is one of the few businesses, associations or groups in the community that actually hope their customers DON’T call them, but when they do, their 40 volunteer members, nine of whom are Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s), two of whom are First Responders, one Paramedic and two who are taking EMT classes, are ready to respond to those calls. He said he is extremely proud of each member of his department. He says in his years serving at the State Fire Training Bureau, he’s trained many firefighters from western Iowa and elsewhere around the State, and “The Audubon Fire Department takes a back seat to none of them.” Ballou thanked the community for its support and said the recognition they received Saturday night meant as much as anything else the community could do for the department.

Presenting the 2011 Audubon Citizen of the Year Award Saturday, was the 2010 Citizen of the Year, Thomas R. Nielsen. Nielsen said it was his honor to present the award to Lyle H. Hansen, Junior, who was born and raised in Audubon County, and is a dedicated servant to the community. He said Lyle has been a constant supporter and promoter of the community. When asked to serve, he says Hansen was always there to help, and could be counted on. Not only to serve on a committee, but to committed and active in the community. Hansen said he’s “Always been proud to call Audubon home.”
He says it’s “A great place to grow up and a great place to come back to. A great place to raise kids,” and great to his kids back from college and close to home.

Other recognition went to several sponsors of “Light Up Audubon”, which was tasked with raising money for all new LED lights to be hung in the downtown area. The lights were damaged in an ice storm a couple of years ago. To date, Light Up Audubon has raised over $4,800 toward replacing the lights, but the goal is raise $12,000, which will allow the lights to be replaced as needed, and kept on year around, during special celebrations and community events, not just for the holidays.  And, Audubon County Economic Development President Troy Wessel, Saturday night, recognized 13 businesses and two individuals at the Ceremony, who marked significant milestones over the past year, in the areas of expansion, new business, and/or who have received awards or recognition from their respective industries.

The latest area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson….

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The Superintendent of the Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Council Bluffs says three boys were cited Thursday for carrying weapons to school. Superintendent Marsha Bruckner said the boys – two 11-year olds and a 12-year old — were cited by Council Bluffs Police and released to their parents.

Bruckener said students at the school were never in any danger, and there was no evidence of intent to commit harm. She said the boys were “Trying to be cool,” but now they’re in “Serious trouble.” The boys are no longer in school, and disciplinary measures are still being investigated.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report three people were arrested Friday night. 24-year old Jacob Edward Eggleston, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 5:50-p.m. on possession of marijuana and domestic assault charges. At the same time, 19-year old Cassandra Dawn Redd, of Red Oak, was arrested on a charge of domestic assault. Eggleston and Redd were brought to the Montgomery County Jail, where Eggleston was being held on $1,000 cash bond, and Redd’s bond was set at $300.

And, at around 10:20-p.m., Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 45-year old Thayne Alvin Kinnison, of Stanton, on a warrant out of Montgomery County for 4th degree theft. Kinnison was being held in jail on $1,000 bond.

Authorities in Pottawattamie County say a trail of blood led Council Bluffs police officers to a hit-and-run driver Friday morning. Officers responded to the 1100 block of Sixth Avenue shortly after midnight following reports of a vehicle striking a parked minivan.

According to police reports, a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse was westbound on Sixth Avenue when it struck a parked 2007 Hyundai Entourage, pushing it more than 10 feet. After striking the minivan, the Eclipse rolled onto its top. Witnesses told police they could hear the driver – later identified as a 24-year-old Council Bluffs man – cry for help. After assisting the man from the vehicle, witnesses tried to get him to sit down, but he said he would walk home.

Officers found blood at the scene and believed that the driver had a significant laceration. They notified area hospitals but also followed a blood trail that led to a nearby home. A resident there told officers her daughter had just left with “someone.” About the same time, Jennie Edmundson Hospital notified officers that a man matching the driver’s description had arrived at the hospital. The unidentified man was moved to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha with what was believed to be a non-life threatening head injury.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Safety said today (Friday) agents with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) arrested 26-year old Drew C. Lipovac, of Winterset this morning, on three charges of Sexual Exploitation by a School Employee. Lipovac, a third grade teacher at Winterset Elementary, was arrested following a criminal investigation conducted by the Winterset Police Department and the DCI.

On December 15th, 2011 a member of the Winterset Community School District contacted the Winterset Police Department to report an allegation of inappropriate physical contact between Lipovac and at least one high school aged female student. The criminal investigation revealed that during September, 2011, Lipovac, while at a private residence, consumed alcohol with multiple high school aged students and had inappropriate physical contact with two high school aged females.  The investigation also revealed that Lipovac consumed alcohol with and had inappropriate physical contact with one of the high school aged females at a later date.

Lipovac is currently being held on $10,000 cash bond at the Madison County Jail.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Army Corps of Engineers says it is trying to improve the way it manages the Missouri River’s reservoirs after last year’s historic flooding, but the 2012 plan released today (Friday), doesn’t include any additional flood-storage space. The corps has been criticized by people living all along the river because of the way it managed last year’s flood that caused $630 million damage to flood-control structures and covered hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland along the 2,341-mile-long river for months. The corps said it tried to address some concerns by promising to improve communication and react swiftly to signs of high runoff, but officials say there wasn’t time to clear more space than normal in the reservoirs. Officials say the levees, dams and channels along the river remain vulnerable going into 2012 because many more repairs are needed. Still, the corps said there is only a 10 percent chance that the amount of water flowing into the Missouri River from melting snow and rainfall this year will exceed the amount the plan can handle.