Cass County Auditor/Election Commissioner Dale Sunderman reports Monday, Aug. 8^th, is the first day for non-party organizations and candidates nominated by petition, to file nomination papers for county or township offices. The petitions may be filed with the County Auditor’s Office. The last day to file, is Aug. 31^st. Nomination petitions and other election forms are available at the office of the Cass County Auditor, as well as from the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office at sos.iowa.gov.

Non-partisan positions scheduled to appear on the Nov. 8^th General Election ballot in Cass County, include:

1. Cass County Soil and Water Conservation District commissioner (3 positions)
2. Cass County Agricultural Extension Council (4 positions)
3. Township Trustees – 1 full-term trustee each in the Edna and Union Townships; and, 1 vacancy term trustee in Edna and Union Townships. (you must be a resident of the respective township, which includes the cities).
4. Cass County Hospital Trustee – 2 full-term positions: 1 for the Northwest District, and 1 for the Southeast District. To be eligible for the Northwest District, you must reside in the Brighton, Pymosa, Washington or Grove Townships (Including the cities of Marne and Atlantic); To be eligible for the Southeast District position, you must live in the Edna, Massena, Union or Victoria Townships (including the cities of Cumberland and Massena).

Nomination petitions must include the following number of signatures: 25 each for the Ag Extension and Soil and Water Conservation seats and 50 for Hospital Trustee. Township Trustees candidates do not need nomination papers. You only need to file an Affidavit of Candidacy. Only Edna and Union Townships will fill their positions by election. The other 14 townships’ officers are appointed by the Cass County Board of Supervisors.

Incumbents for the aforementioned positions set to appear on the ballot include:

Cass Co. Hospital Trustee/NW District: John Molgaard

Cass Co. Hospital Trustee/SE District: Phyllis Stakey

S&W Conservation District Commissioner: Curt Behrends; Chase Wheatley & Norbert Ray Wilson.

Co. Ag. Extension Council: Julie Aupperle; Darrin Petty; Marcy Jo Dorsey & Malena Sothman.

Incumbents Township Officers: Edna – Trustee: Keith Nelson; Trustee (Vacancy Term) Kevin Stender; Union Township – Trustee: Delmar South; Trustee (Vacancy term) Richard Hoffman. For additional information, call Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman at 712-243-4570, or e-mail auditor@casscoia.us.

When parents separate and fathers move out, children often experience long term negative effects. But what happens when mom and dad get back together? A new Iowa State University study finds parents reconciling benefits a daughter’s mental health. I-S-U human development researcher Cassandra Dorius is part of a team that studied a national sample of 3,700 children.

The group looked at the implications of “boomerang” dads — fathers who separate and then reunite with their child’s mother. Dorius says while sons don’t seem to benefit from the reconciliation, daughters do. “Girls are much more likely to be depressed. And so they might be more responsive to this because one of the reasons they’re more depressed is because they tend to internalize a lot of the emotions from the relationships that they’re in,” Dorius said.

A boomerang dad’s additional time and financial resources may also play a role. Dorius believes dads who reconcile with their child’s mother tend to be more invested in their children. “And they’re actually kind of blocking other men from coming into the home, which may also be associated with some negative things. And I think that the fact the dad is present, investing more money…and then also there is not another father figure in the home, we are hypothesizing that those are some of the reasons these children are able to maintain higher levels of mental health,” Dorius said.

The national study is published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say only minor injuries were reported following a collision Wednesday afternoon on the southwest side of Villisca. Authorities say 37-year old Heather Posten, of Villisca, was traveling west on 265th Street at around 12:45-p.m., and had stopped at the intersection with Highway 71, but then proceeded into the intersection, where her 2015 Chevy Cruze was struck on the passenger side, by a 2006 Ford Escape, driven by 45-year old William Robertson, of Clarinda.

Both vehicles entered the ditch on the southwest side of the intersection. Damage was estimated at $15,000 altogether. Deputies issued Posten a citation for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department was assisted at the scenew by Villisca Fire, Villisca Rescue, and Red Oak Rescue.

Two people were arrested on assault charges Wednesday evening, in Red Oak. According to Red Oak Police, 38-year old Anthony Thomas Anderson, and 35-year old Stacy Lynn Anderson, both of Red Oak, were taken into custody at around 8-p.m. in the 600 block of E. Joy Street. The couple were charged with Domestic Abuse Assault, a simple misdemeanor. They were being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail, until making an appearance before a magistrate.