(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular, weekly meeting beginning 9-a.m. Tuesday (July 11), in their Boardroom at the Cass County Courthouse, in Atlantic. Here’s a look at their agenda:

The order of agenda items may change based on when personnel are available and when time allows.
1. Call to order
2. Approve Agenda
3. Approve minutes from the June 27, 2023 meeting
4. Public Comments
5. Discuss/Approve Addressing excessive scrap metal and inoperable vehicles on rural properties by Zoning Administrator Mike Kennon
6. Discuss/Approve Resolution 2023-26, Appropriations and Transfers for Fiscal Year 2023-2024
7. Approve Resolution 2023-27 Allocating final ARPA payments to fire departments.
8. Discuss/Approve homestead and military tax credits as recommended by the Assessor
9. Report from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken
10. Monthly Reports by Debbie Schuler, Cass County Mental Health & General Relief Coordinator for April, May and June
11. Supervisor Committee Reports
12. Filed Reports:
• Sheriff
• Recorder
13. Approve claims
14. Adjournment
15. Next Meeting: Tuesday, July 18, 2023

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Two people were arrested recently on separate charges, in Glenwood. According to Glenwood Police, Crystal Harris, of Omaha, NE, was arrested Friday on a Mills County warrant for interference with official acts. She posted a $300 cash-only bond, and was released. On Saturday, 33-year-old Jordan Henze, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense, and Possession of a dangerous weapon. Henze’ total cash/surety bond was at $3,000.

(Griswold, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office said today (Monday), they are asking for the public’s help in locating and identifying a vehicle and driver involved in a hit-and-run incident in Griswold. The incident occurred at the Casey’s Store, at around 6:14-a.m. Surveillance still-frame images show the suspect vehicle appears to be a white, 4-door Ford pickup, pulling a goose-neck flatbed trailer hauling some type of brown boxes. The vehicle was last seen traveling south on Highway 48 out of Griswold.

Additional information was not made available.

Surveillance camera still-frame images posted on the CCSO Facebook page

(Harlan, Iowa) – Events leading up to Wednesday’s opening of the Shelby County Fair in Harlan have been underway since Saturday, including animal weigh-ins and inspections, along with some showing of livestock and pets. The Fair runs from July 12th through the 16th. View the full schedule HERE. Here’s a partial look at the schedule:

TUESDAY, JULY 11 (Pre-Fair Events)
9:00 a.m……………………Enter & Judge 4-H Static Exhibits – 4-H & Morgan Hall. Buildings close at 5:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m……………………FFA Static Entry Judging starts at 9:00 with 4-H Clubs scheduled in Green Book
10:00 a.m………………….4-H Baked Goods & Garden Sale

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12
6:30 – 8:30 a.m………….Enter & Weigh 4-H/FFA Swine – Unload at dock and be inspected by veterinarian.
8:00 a.m…………………..Opening Flag Raising Ceremony – Front Gate
8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m…..Bottle/Bucket Calf followed by Bottle/Bucket Calf Plus One Interviews-
Extension Office, 906 6 th Street
9:00 -10:00 a.m…………Enter & Weigh 4-H/FFA Sheep and Goats –
Unload at dock and be inspected by veterinarian
9:00 -11:00 a.m…………4-H Cake Decorating entries – 4-H Exhibit Building
8:45 a.m…………………..4-H Table Setting Exhibitor’s Meeting
9:00 -11:00 a.m…………4-H Table Setting – 4-H Exhibit Building
11:00 a.m…………………Willard Olson Swine Contest – 4-H Exhibit Building
11:15 a.m…………………Best of Iowa Contest Exhibitor’s Meeting
11:30 a.m…………………Best of Iowa Contest – Immanuel Lutheran Church
1:00 p.m…………………..4-H Booths to be finished
12:00 – 6:00 p.m………..Enter Open Class Non-Livestock Exhibits
6:30 p.m…………………..Judge Open Class Non-Livestock Departments (if not judging Thurs.)
5:30 – 6:30 p.m………….Enter 4-H/FFA Rabbits – All livestock must be inspected by the vet before
going to their cage
4:30 – 7:00 p.m………….Enter & Weigh 4-H/FFA Market Beef, Breeding Beef, & Dairy –
Unload at dock and be inspected by a veterinarian.
4:30 – 5:30 p.m………….4-H/FFA Horses will be checked in – All livestock must be inspected
by the vet before going to stall.
6:00 p.m…………………Tractor Pull – Grandstand
6:30 – 7:30 p.m………….Enter 4-H/FFA Poultry and Rabbits

(Corning, Iowa) – The next to last full-day of activities at the Adams County Fair today, is “Senior Day,” at the fair. Events this morning include:

7:00-a.m., Swine Show

8:30-9:30-a.m., Senior Day Cookie Entries.

9:30-11:45-a.m., Senior Day Entertainment

10:00-a.m., Senior Day Cookie Judging

11:00-a.m., Rabbit & Small Pet Show

There’s no shortage of things to see and do this afternoon, at the Adams County Fair. The activities include:

1:00-p.m., Livestock Judging Contest Bingo

4:30-p.m., Pedal Pull registration.

5:00-p.m., Adams County Extension Council Pedal Pull; Rural Development BBQ.

6:00-p.m., 4-H Awardrobe Fashion Show, 4-H Foundation Award, & State Fair Awards.

7:00-p.m., Iowa Draft Horse Pullers Pull.

Tuesday, activities at the Adams County Fair kick-off with a 4-H Endowment Breakfast. Find the full fair schedule on Facebook, at Adams County Fair, Corning Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – As the Biden Administration continues its push to move from gas-powered to electric cars, police departments are finding it tough to make the transition. Sioux City Police Chief Rex Mueller says getting regular patrol cars right now is not easy. “It is very hard for us to get patrol cars nowadays there’s a very short window that the manufacturers give for orders — so just being able to replenish your fleet — whether it’s hybrid or electric or or gas engine is very difficult,” he says. “It’s a challenge for all police departments right now.”
Mueller says electric vehicles pose some challenges that include the time it takes to charge them.

“The charging technology is getting better. But during the time period that those vehicles are being recharged, they’re out of service,” Mueller says. “… Our patrol cars are being driven literally 24/7. An officer comes in, they hand the keys off to another officer and they’re off. It’s easier and quicker to fuel them up during the course of a shift than it is to recharge a vehicle, because they’re absolutely unavailable for service then.” Mueller says police vehicles have more equipment than stock electric vehicles, which also poses a problem.

“There’s not a lot of all electric vehicles made for police use and police vehicles need to be ruggedized, they need to be made to accept all the equipment that we give them, and there’s not a lot of manufacturers that are willing to dive into that at the moment,” Mueller says. He says they do not have any electric vehicles in use, but do have a handful of hybrid vehicles. He says the hybrids do save on gas, but they also pose some challenges as well.

(Radio Iowa) – The online retail giant Amazon is holding its “Prime Days” sales event this week, and Iowans are being warned to watch out for related scams. Jim Temmer, with the Better Business Bureau, says crooks have cooked up websites that mimic large retailers to try and fool you with phony links. Temmer says, “A lot of them are scams, and they take legitimate websites, photos, and descriptions, and they plug them in on their own.”

You might get a text or email claiming you have a free gift waiting for Prime Days, with runs tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday. Temmer says do some basic research on the website before you put down your money for that “amazing deal.” “Is there a return policy? Is there a customer service number you can call and talk to a live person? Do they have an address,” Temmer says. “If they do, pump it into Google Maps or something like that. It might be a vacant field.”

Temmer says you should always be using a credit card to make online purchases and don’t let yourself get bullied into other payment methods. “The protections built into a credit card aren’t always offered by debit cards,” he says, “and of course not with a check or money order or Green Dot card or gift cards or any of that other stuff.” Temmer says if you see a deal on premium merchandise that seems too good to be true, it’s likely a scam. He says to be sure to check the fine print to see what you’re actually purchasing and be ready to get a return or a refund.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak arrested a local man Sunday evening. 27-year-old Austin Lee Jones, of Red Oak, was arrested for Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree, and Reckless Driving. Jones was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – G-O-P lawmakers have released the bill they intend to pass tomorrow (Tuesday) in a special legislative session that would ban nearly all abortions in Iowa. The bill is almost identical to the Fetal Heartbeat Act that passed the legislature in 2018. Last month, a three-to-three tie among the Iowa Supreme Court justices kept in place the injunction that has blocked that law from taking effect. Senator Dennis Guth is a Republican from Klemme.

“What we intend to do is just repass the same ‘heartbeat’ bill that we had before,” Guth says, “because that’s going to be the easiest and the fastest to do.” When Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bill in 2018, it was the toughest anti-abortion policy in the country and would have banned abortions after fetal activity can be detected. That’s around the sixth week of a pregnancy. Guth voted for the bill in 2018.

“The legal eagles that have analyzed what the Supreme Court justices said are thinking those Supreme Court justices thought we were just fooling the first time,” Guth says, “so we’re just going to pass the same thing and then they’re going to have to deal with it.” Senator Dave Rowley of Spirit Lake was first elected to the state senate during a special election in 2021. He says tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) vote will send a message.

“With the Supreme Court, of course, of Iowa going 3-3 that we had to prove pretty much that the bill was not just hypothetical and was placed into law and signed by the governor,” Rowley says, “and we’ll go through that step again.” Senator Guth says lawmakers “meant it” the first time and they’ll prove that quickly tomorrow (Tuesday).  “In the Senate, we plan on getting done in 24 hours unless the Democrats really throw some big snafus on it,” Guth says. “We’re going to start at 8:30 in the morning and it may take us ’til midnight, but we think we can get it done in one day.”

Mazie Stilwell with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa says polling has shown a growing majority of Iowans support legal abortion. “We are calling on all Iowans to show up at the Capitol on Tuesday, to be contacting their legislators who work for them,” Stilwell says. “…Iowans are simply not interested in the ways in which politicians are trying to claw their way into the exam room.”

Planned Parenthood officials say they’ll fight any new abortion restrictions in court. so it’s more than likely the issue will wind up before the Iowa Supreme Court again. Two weeks ago, Planned Parenthood announced they’re closing three of Iowa’s nine Planned Parenthood clinics and will expand abortion services at many remaining locations. Ruth Richardson is president and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States.

“Should the legislature and the governor fail to listen to Iowans and pass harmful legislation next week, we will continue our expansion plan while we continue to fight to protect access through the courts,” she said. Tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) special legislative session is expected to get underway at 8:30 a.m.

A public hearing on the bill is scheduled to start at 9:30 and last until 11.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Republican Party leaders have set January 15th as the date for their party’s 2024 Caucuses. Iowa’s Caucuses have traditionally been the kick off event of the presidential campaign for both parties. The Republican National Committee has agreed on a schedule that keeps the Iowa G-O-P’s Caucuses first. National Democratic Party leaders booted Iowa from its early state line up and plan for South Carolina’s Democratic Primary to go first, on February 3rd of next year.

Iowa Democratic Party leaders have indicated they’ll host caucuses on the same night as Republicans next year, just to conduct party business. They’re planning a separate mail-in system for Iowa Democrats to express their preference in the 2024 presidential race, but party leaders haven’t said when that voting would start or when the results might be announced. Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann says Iowa Republicans are committed to maintaining Iowa’s cherished first-in-the-nation Caucuses, where Republicans cast a straw poll ballot on Caucus night.

It’s possible the January 15th Iowa Caucus date for Republicans may change after New Hampshire officials announce the date of their state’s presidential primary.