(Atlantic, Iowa) – A regular meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors will be held 8:30-a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1st, at the courthouse in Atlantic. On their agenda [Agenda, Amended – 2024.10.01 for Publication] is a public hearing to consider an application by the Farmer’s Electric Cooperative for a zoning change in Lincoln Township, from General Agricultural to Light Industrial (as approved by the Cass County Zoning Commission), with regard to the construction of an electric substation. Following the hearing, the Board will vote on approving the zoning change.

The Supervisors will also discuss and act on approving a commercial lease to the Fourth Judicial District/Dept. of Corrections Services, for county-owned property at 601 Walnut Street, Suite 1, in Atlantic.  In addition, they are expected to act on: Federal-Aid Agreements for two Cass County bridge projects (Bridges 168 & 269); Approving a tax abatement on certain parcels owned by the City of Massena (as requested by the Cass County Treasurer and allowed under the Code of Iowa); Approval of a County-held Tax Sale Certificate for the sale of a parcel in Lewis, to Colton Erickson, who will pay a;; taxes, interest and penalties owed.

The Board is expected to receive a presentation by County Recorder Mary Ward, with regard to the Recorder’s Fee Modernization Project that will be introduced in the upcoming legislative session. And, they will receive a monthly report for Cass County Community Services Director/Mental Health Advocate, Debbie Schuler, as well as a regular report from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken.

************

You may listen to and/or join the meeting electronically or over the phone:

Join Electronically https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2899195216?pwd=R0hSa2FOOTh0NUdra1ZSdVhVWHpMUT09
Meeting ID: 289 919 5216
Passcode: 012064

Call In 312-626-6799, press *9 to indicate you wish to speak.

The massive hurricane that blew into Florida and the southern U-S won’t be felt directly in Iowa, but it will have an indirect impact. Iowa D-N-R hydrologist Tim Hall says the forecast shows the weather system will keep things dry here.

Hall says the impact could keep rain away for up to seven days. The storm could have a positive impact as it brings rain to southeast Ohio.

The Mississippi River carries barges full of Iowa grain and the lower Mississippi River water levels have been down due to drought in the Ohio River valley.

Hall says we won’t get the rain, but can be glad it is going to fall somewhere that will benefit Iowa farmers.

The Iowa D-O-T keeps track of barge traffic on the Mississippi and has recently said barges would have to carry less grain with lower water levels, and that can increase grain transportation costs.

A study by the Better Business Bureau shows the number of complaints about bogus investment schemes has overtaken complaints about online shopping scams. Bureau spokeswoman Lisa Schiller (SHILL-er) says these financial con artists have done their psychological homework and know how to push people’s buttons.

Schiller says anyone trying to offer you a fantastic chance to get in on a new business venture or a “sure thing” for your portfolio is likely trying to rip you off,
even if it seems legit.

Unlike the online shopping scams, Schiller says an increasing number of investment scams are being carried out in person.

Examples of scams include new cryptocurrencies, business loans or startups, or foreign currency. As always, Schiller says to do your research before writing anyone a check, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Also, if someone is demanding money right away, or won’t let you think about the investment, walk away.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A Little League Field fence at the Atlantic Sports Complex was damaged over the weekend by a vehicle. A video posted to Facebook by Parks and Rec Coordinator Jeff Christensen, Sunday, showed tracks left in the gravel by an unknown vehicle that was apparently doing “donuts,” when it crashed into a fence, causing the fence to be bent over and broke in some spots. https://fb.watch/uVifR8Agra/

(Christensen said in the video “This is gonna take a little money to fix, people. We need to stop doing this to our stuff.” He urged anyone with information about who may have perpetrated the damage to call the Atlantic Police Department.)

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police, early Saturday morning, arrested a man on an Assault charge. 31-year-old Kyle Robert Danick, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 1:50-a.m., in the 100 block of East Reed Street. Danick was charged with Simple Assault. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – After authorities searched for about 10-hours, a body was recovered, Friday, from a pickup truck that entered the Missouri River early Friday morning, in Sioux City. KTIV in Sioux City reports a pickup traveling south on Interstate 29 went into the river at around 6:35-a.m., Friday, near the railroad bridge.

A passenger who was in the vehicle during the crash told authorities that the driver had a medical episode. Sioux City Police believe that caused the pickup to go off I-29, through a fence, over a walking trail and into the river. The passenger was able to get out of the pickup and was sent to a Sioux City hospital. Authorities have not identified the driver or passenger.

Sioux City Fire Rescue led the recovery efforts along the Iowa side of the river. The area they were searching in the water was 17 feet deep, and the water was moving at nearly 10 mph in the spot where the pickup was located.

STANTON, Iowa, Sept. 27, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today announced the completion of a new facility to help meet the childcare needs of families in the rural southwest Iowa community of Stanton. The Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of Stanton is expected to help promote economic development and enable residents of this rural area of Montgomery County to seek more employment opportunities.

“Access to childcare is a critical need for many rural Iowa families,” said Director Greenfield. “Every day, USDA is championing rural America, listening to communities’ needs, fostering job growth through financing for small businesses, and generating outcomes that make rural Iowa a great place to live, work, and raise children.”

The childcare center held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening event to celebrate the project’s completion.

Theresa Greenfield, U.S. Department of Agriculture State Director in Iowa, and USDA staff approach the Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of Stanton to participate in the ribbon cutting for the facility also known as the Stanton Child Resource Center in the town of Stanton, Iowa, on September 27, 2024.

Background

The grant funding was made through the USDA Rural Development Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant program and was congressionally directed spending.

In November of 2022, USDA Rural Development invested $1 million in a grant to help the Stanton Child Resource Center Inc., a non-profit organization located in Stanton, Iowa, build a new facility. The building was designed and constructed to be over 11,000 square feet in size. It houses a sick room, a storm shelter, age-appropriate equipment, a covered drop-off and pick-up area, and larger classrooms than the old building. The new facility has a capacity for over 130 children and outdoor playgrounds. The center will help meet the needs of families and will promote economic development in rural Montgomery County.

PACIFIC JUNCTION, Iowa – Omaha Crime Stoppers are partnering with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation in offering a $25,000 reward for an anonymous tip leading to the arrest of the suspect or suspects involved in the August I-29 Speedway double homicide the night of August 10, 2024, in Mills County. 

At approximately 9-p.m. that night, the Mills County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting at the I-29 Speedway in Pacific Junction. An outdoor concert was about to begin when the shooting occurred in the parking lot. Two men, 28-year-old Marcus L. Johnson, and 27-year-old Charles A. Williams Jr., both from Omaha, Nebraska, died as a result of the shooting.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI)  and the Omaha Police Department are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying and locating the suspects involved.   Anyone with information can contact the Omaha Police Department at 402.444.5610, Omaha Crime Stoppers at 402.444.STOP, or submit a tip on the P3 Tips mobile app.

Anonymous tips leading to an arrest in a homicide are eligible for up to a $25,000 reward from the Omaha Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – The 10th Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Davenport has been ordained and installed this (Friday) afternoon at a ceremony in Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport. Bishop Dennis Walsh is an Ohio native who has served parishes in Puerto Rico, Baltimore, New York City and — for the past 24 years — in his home state of Ohio.

Cardinal Christoph Pierre, the Vatican’s top envoy to the United States, spoke directly to the new bishop.

The Most Reverend Thomas Zinkula, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, said it was heartwarming to see so many familiar people in the cathedral.

The archbishop also took a moment to recognize the new bishop’s mother, Marilyn.

Over 83-thousand Catholics attend the 74 parishes in the Davenport Diocese, including the cities of Bloomfield, Ottumwa, Oskaloosa and Iowa City and the Mississippi River cities of Clinton, Burlington and Fort Madison.