(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning (Today), held a public hearing on vacating portions of Pella Road in Union Township. The Board then approved vacating the Class-B (dirt) road, sections 13 and 24. Both sides are owned by one landowner. The road section in question, is 3,624-feet. The Cass County Supervisors then held a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the County Zoning Ordinance with regard to a zoning change classification request from Russell Lange – owner of R/T Motors in Atlantic – who intends move his business to a building on his land in Brighton Township, for the purpose of buying and selling classic automobiles.

Zoning Administrator Mike Kennon said the County Zoning Commission discussed and recommended the request be approved. The zoning request changes the classification from General Agricultural to Light Industrial.

The Cass Supervisors passed a Resolution to appropriate transfers for the Fiscal Year 2022-23, and a FY 2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement Addendum with Sheriff’s Deputies and an FY 24 Employee Group Agreement with Secondary Roads Department employees.

In other business, the Board approved John Westering for the Jail Administrator position, along with his salary, which is unchanged from last year. They approved the hiring of LaJean Fajen, as Jailer, with her rate of pay at $21.94/hour. The Supervisors acknowledged and confirmed the appointment of Tabetha Smith, RN, as Deputy Medical Examiner. She will replace Dr. Edna Becht effective June 30, 2023. And, the Board approved the re-appointment of Terry Duggan for a three-year term, to the Cass County Veterans Affairs Commission, as well as the appointment of Dawn Walton to fill the remainder of Roger Barbero’s term, which is through June 30, 2025.

Cass County Supervisors 6-27-23

Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken reported three bridges are currently under construction.

The Board’s final order of business was the approval by a vote of 4-to 1, extending the Crook Creek 5C pipe replacement project, to June 30, 2024. The nay vote came from Supervisor Mark O’Brien.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Aviation Museum, in Adair County, report a Vietnam-era helicopter, YL-37, will be at the Iowa Aviation Museum/Greenfield Municipal Airport, Sunday afternoon, July 30^th. It is expected to land between Noon and 1-p.m., and remain throughout the afternoon.

YL-37, a Sikorsky UH-34D helicopter, was flown in the Republic of Vietnam from 1965-1968 by Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron Three Six Two (HMM-362) known as the “Ugly Angels.” With fifty-four patches over bullet holes and shrapnel damage from a rocket attack, YL-37 is the only Marine UH-34D Sikorsky with documented combat history that survived the battle to return home. On many missions, YL-37 was fired on and was once disabled and carried from the crash zone by another helicopter. On her side is a bronze plaque with the names of thirty-three members of the Ugly Angels who gave their lives in Vietnam.

YL-37 Sikorsky helicopter (Vietnam era) – Photo supplied for this story

YL-37 is supported by the YL-37 Group Foundation of Inola, OK, and has become a flying tribute to Vietnam veterans and all of America’s Armed Forces. There is no charge for the event, however, contributions to help maintain and keep YL-37 flying will be accepted and appreciated. The museum will be open from 1-to 5-p.m., with regular admission.

Plans are subject to weather conditions and other issues beyond organizers’ control. If you have questions, call the Iowa Aviation Museum at 641-343-7184. Updates will be posted on the Iowa Aviation Museum Facebook page.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says a Creston man was arrested Monday on multiple charges. Authorities say 23-year-old Anthony Joseph Perry was arrested at 11:45-a.m. at the Creston/Union County Law Enforcement Center. He faces charges that include Attempted Burglary 2nd Degree-Weapon or Explosive, Animal Torture, and Going Armed with Intent. A little over an hour later, Perry was  also assessed an additional charge, of Theft 3rd. He was being held in the Union County Jail on $19,000 cash or surety bond.

And, a man residing in the 400 block of S. Vine Street, in Creston, reported Monday afternoon, that sometime between 2-a.m. and 2-p.m., Monday, someone stole an Invidia Gemini Exhaust from his yard. The loss was estimated at $2,000.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Officials with the Audubon County Engineer’s Office/Secondary Roads Department, said Monday, 270^th Street between Goldfinch Avenue and Heron Avenue, is currently closed for bridge repairs. The road will remain closed, until further notice.

(Radio Iowa) – The number of insects flying around has picked up as we head into summer. Iowa State University insect specialist, Zach Schumm, says he’s heard reports of one in particular. “Small black flies that actually bite. You can call them buffalo gnats, you can call them biting midges, there’s different names for them as well so they tend to be an annoying one too that has been seemingly particularly bad in some parts of Iowa this year,” Schumm says.

Some areas got much needed weekend rain — but the trade off will be more mosquitoes. “For mosquitoes in particular they really need standing water to reproduce,” he says. “So if we have a lot of standing water around or if you know if rain is replenishing puddles of water that are on the side of the street or replenishing water in ponds and there’s more standing water there then that’s going to allow for more reproduction of mosquitoes.”

Schumm says you should take a look around your yard and empty any of the water sources that might provide a place for the mosquitoes to breed.

(Radio Iowa) – Over the upcoming holiday weekend, tens of thousands of Iowans will be declaring their independence from their houses and heading off on road trips. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A Iowa, says travel records are being forecast for the four-day weekend, both for the Midwest and for the nation. “Looking at our region, AAA is forecasting more than 3.7-million travelers are going to be taking a trip of at least 50 miles or more between this Friday and Tuesday, July 4th,” Ortner says. “That’s 140,000 more holiday travelers than the previous high that was set last year, which tied the record that was originally set in 2019, our pre-pandemic numbers.”

For the nation, Triple-A predicts 50-point-seven million Americans will be traveling over the long weekend, which is over two-million more than over the 4th of July last year. As far as the travel industry is concerned, the pandemic is a distant memory now, as all travel numbers are back to where they were before COVID-19 disrupted the world. “This year is really going to be the benchmark for that, because we were looking back at pre-pandemic numbers,” Ortner says, “and if we look at where we were for holiday travel during Christmas and Thanksgiving last year, we were edging up on those pre-pandemic numbers, and then Memorial Day we broke pre-pandemic numbers.”

Since the majority of travelers will be in cars, trucks, SUVs and other motor vehicles, gasoline prices are key, and Ortner says compared to a year ago, they’re down considerably. “Last year, between July 1st and July 6th across the state of Iowa, the average price per gallon for gas was $4.57 to $4.61 a gallon, so definitely, we were over that $4 mark last year,” Ortner says. “If we look at gas prices today in Iowa, the average is $3.36, so a dollar-plus more in savings.”

The financial news isn’t all good for vacationers, though, as Triple-A also says airfares and hotel rates are more expensive than last year.

(Radio Iowa) – A southwest Iowa couple who are the parents of twins born prematurely at 22 weeks say taking their son home from a Des Moines hospital five and a half months later is exciting. Cristal Alvarez of Lenox went into labor on January 11th. “I didn’t think they were going to make it,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. “…Seeing them here and alive is a miracle and it was really scary for us because you know you never really see babies this early make it…so seeing them now, you know, it’s overwhelming.”

Jacob was one pound, six ounces when he was born 167 days ago. His twin sister, Luna, was three ounces smaller. Luna remains in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines. She’s in stable condition and will be released when she starts getting her food from a bottle. She was the vocal twin, chiming in, as her parents spoke at a news conference Monday afternoon at the hospital.

“It’s exciting to start this adventure with them at home,” Alvarez said. “I know Luna will eventually come home soon, but just seeing them do good is exciting for us, to take them home and be a family.” Dr. Samir Alabsi is medical director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Blank Children’s Hospital. Dr. Alabsi says the hospital had not been providing active treatment for babies born before 24 weeks, but that changed January 1st. On January 11th, he got a call about Crystal’s early labor and the twins.

“I said: ‘We are ready and we prepared to provide the best care for those babies,'” Alabsi says. “And they came and we did it.” The twins are the first babies born at 22 weeks at the hospital to survive.  “They are not only alive, they are alive with good condition,” Alabsi said, “and that’s a big achievement for the team here.” Dr. Alabsi says the survival rate for 22 week old babies in U-S hospitals is between 30 to 50 percent and for twins that age, the survival rate is even lower.

Junior Mendez, the father of the twins, spoke through an interpreter at the news conference. He says after visiting the babies in the hospital for 166 days, it was a happy day to be able to leave the hospital with Jacob.

(Radio Iowa) – A settlement with the governor in an open records lawsuit is now final. A-C-L-U of Iowa attorney, Thomas Story, says there will be some oversight along with the payment in case. “We have now settled this case by an agreement that the court has approved and adopted We are pleased that the governor’s office has agreed to a one year term of judicial oversight of its compliance with the open records law,” Story says.

Clark Kauffman and The Iowa Capital Dispatch, Randy Evans and the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, and Laura Belin and the Bleeding Heartland blog sued after the governor failed to turn over records requests during the pandemic. An Iowa Supreme Court ruling against the governor led to the settlement. “We look forward to working closely with the governor’s office to ensure our clients can access public records in a timely manner and report on state government so that we the people can understand oversee and engage with our elected officials,” Story says.

Iowa Freedom of Information Council executive director, Randy Evans, says the settlement will hopefully send a message to others. “The governor’s failure to comply with the law would cost Iowa taxpayers 135-thousand dollars. Those are 135-thousand reasons why state and local government officials and employees should understand they cannot ignore their duty to comply in a timely manner with records requests,” Evans says.

Story and Evans made their comments in a news conference on the finalized settlement.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of 21-year-old Drake Leslie Brown of Red Oak at 7:11 a.m. on Sunday, June 25th for OWI, 1st Offense. Brown was arrested in the 300 block of West Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak and taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 5:20-a.m. Saturday, of 26-year-old Edy Geovani Baltazar-Franciso, of Omaha. Baltazar-Franciso was arrested following a traffic stop on Interstate 29, and charged with OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

The Sheriff’s Office said also, a man from Malvern reported Sunday afternoon, an incident of Theft in the 2nd Degree. The only other information provided was that the incident occurred at a location on Rains Avenue.