The Griswold School District’s Board of Education met Thursday evening to discuss and move forward on, filling the Superintendent’s position. The Board discussed three options. The one that gained the most favor, was sharing a Superintendent with two other districts in a 40-40-20 time split, with Griswold and the other, larger district having the Superintendent 40-percent (or two days) per week, and a smaller district sharing that person one-day per week. It would also involve a one-third cost-sharing contract. The arrangement would be for one-year, to start, with an evaluation taking place between late this fall and March 1^st, 2017.

Griswold School Board meeting 4-7-16 (Ric Hanson/photo)

Board member Steve Baier said since December, he’s been contacted by, or made contact with, over dozen different school districts to discuss options, but some of the ones he thought were “pretty obvious,” didn’t work out. One of the districts wanted a 50-50 split. Baier said he and Board member Rob Peterson said two, unidentified districts, wanted to talk about an arrangement.

Baier said he met and Peterson met with representatives of the two boards and the potential Superintendent candidate, Tuesday night. Those two boards will hold separate meetings this Sunday night and next Monday. Baier said the other districts seemed to be on-board with the proposal. He said also, “The candidate in question, I would characterize, as being enthusiastic about taking on this challenge.” Peterson spoke about the candidate via conference call during Thursday evening’s meeting, and said that candidate (who was not identified), demonstrated Tuesday that he’s very well prepared for change, if it’s approved.

One of the districts the candidate currently oversees, has 130 students. The other is a little better off, and not facing a financial squeeze. Baier acknowledged, the Griswold Board’s original line of thinking was having a traditional, 50-50 sharing arrangement with another school district, but the financials just don’t work out for the better with that option.

The arrangement would save the Griswold District $127,000 per year, in a time when they’re looking at cutting $500,000 from the budget. More information on the possible three-way Superintendent sharing will be released after the other boards have met.

Police in Creston cited two teens, following an accident in Creston Thursday afternoon. 16-year old Sydney Martin, of Creston, was cited after she stopped at the intersection of W. Howard and N. Elm Streets in Creston at around 4:40-p.m., but then pulled into the intersection. The 2003 Chevy she was driving hit a 2003 Saturn broadside, causing $4,600 damage. Neither Martin, nor the driver of the Saturn, 17-year old Aly Hudgens, of Creston, were injured. Hudgens was cited for Failure to have a valid driver’s license.

Sheriff’s deputies in Adams County, Thursday night, arrested a man wanted on a warrant for Failure to Appear in court. 26-year old Adam John Cross, of Corning, was arrested at around 8:10-p.m.  Cross was brought to the Adams County Jail and held on $5,000 bond.

Red Oak Police report one person was arrested this (Friday) morning, on a drug charge. 18-year old Hallam Peter Russell, of Corpus Christi, TX, was arrested at around 12:50-a.m. at the Red Oak Rehabilitation and Care Center, for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine. Russell was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond.

And, three people, including a teen from Atlantic, were arrested Thursday night on charges of Trespassing. Taken into custody at around 9:50-p.m. at the Hardware Hank Store (300 block of E. Reed Street), was 17-year old Tanner Dennis-Joseph Jones, of Red Oak, 17-year old Drew Henry Miller, of Atlantic, and 18-year old Skylar Lee Bingham, of Red Oak.  All three were transported to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center. Jones and Miller were issued a Juvenile Referral citation, and released to their parents. Bingham was being held in the jail on a $300 cash bond.

(Sheriff’s Officials corrected Miller’s residence as Atlantic, instead of Red Oak)

You can now replace a lost or stolen Social Security card online, through a program being rolled out in Iowa and a half-dozen other states. B-J Jarrett, a spokesman for the administration, says if you can’t find your card and need it to show a prospective employer or the bank, log on to www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

“You need to create an account in order to take advantage of the Social Security Replacement Card service,” Jarrett says. “It just takes a few minutes to log on. We authenticate you, make sure you are who you say you are, we create that account and then we put in the request to order a replacement card. It takes about two weeks (in the mail), about the same amount of time it would take if you trek to an office to do it.” The online service is not available to people who need to make a correction to a card, change a name or apply for a child’s card. Once the account is set up, Jarrett says there are all sorts of tools available to help plan for retirement, including seeing your personalized earnings statement.

“It’s really one of the best things we do, here at Social Security, providing that opportunity for folks to help plan their future,” Jarrett says. “It’s not just for folks approaching retirement age. I’m 40 years old. I have a statement and I check it every year. I encourage folks even younger to log on, create an account and check their statement and see what Social Security means for them.” While Social Security benefits are a big plus, Jarrett says they’re only one piece of the retirement pie. On average, Social Security will replace about 40-percent of your annual pre-retirement earnings.

“That’s why that statement is so important for younger individuals,” Jarrett says. “It’s important that they see a picture of exactly what they’re due or what they’ll be eligible for so they can begin having the conversation and begin looking at other savings vehicles to help supplement what they would get from Social Security.” According to the latest projection, the trust fund that enables Social Security to exist is only solvent for another 19 years.

“We can still pay full benefits to beneficiaries up through 2034 and at that point, changes would need to be made,” Jarrett says. “Social Security’s been around 80 years and we certainly expect to be around 80 more years and beyond. We’re confident that Congress will make the necessary changes to ensure future generations will benefit from such a key program.” More than 600-thousand Iowans are now collecting Social Security benefits, either as retirees, survivors or for having a disability. Of that 600-thousand, about 430-thousand are retired.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — House Republicans have announced a new proposal for state oversight of Iowa’s privatized Medicaid program that they say emphasizes transparency. The plan released Thursday would require three private companies to provide information for quarterly and annual reports to lawmakers that would show progress under the new system. Data would also be posted online. Medicaid provides health care to poor and disabled residents in Iowa. It was switched to private management on April 1st.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A fire official says 22 people have been displaced after a fire at a triplex in Dubuque. Assistant Fire Marshal Mike McMahon said that firefighters were dispatched to the triplex Wednesday night. The Telegraph Herald reports that 22 people, including 16 children, as well as two dogs evacuated safely. McMahon said that it seems there was an electrical fire in the attic.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — City crews in Muscatine are spending days remounting dozens of headstones that were toppled at a cemetery. The Muscatine Journal reports workers this week are fixing up to 30 headstones that were pushed off their pedestals at Greenwood Cemetery last weekend. Muscatine police are investigating the vandalism.

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Allegations of mistreatment against women preceded the resignation of a newly hired Kalamazoo County administrator from Iowa. The Kalamazoo Gazette says Terrence Neuzil vigorously denies the allegations. Neuzil’s resignation was accepted Tuesday. He had moved to Kalamazoo from Iowa’s Johnson County, where he was one of five elected supervisors.