LaVon talks about planning for this year’s “Produce in the Park.”
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LaVon talks about planning for this year’s “Produce in the Park.”
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GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) – A former Pacific Junction city clerk accused by state auditors of giving herself unauthorized Christmas bonuses and vacation and sick pay has been given probation and must pay a civil penalty of $625. Forty-three-year-old Kari Williams, of Glenwood, pleaded guilty to tampering with records and was sentenced Monday to a year of probation. Williams was granted a deferred judgment, which means that if she successfully completes probation, the conviction will be wiped from her record. Mills County prosecutors dropped charges of theft and felonious misconduct in office.
Williams resigned in March before the results of the auditor’s investigation were announced in April. The charges were filed in August following an investigation by the Mills County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation found Williams took nearly $32,000 in improper payments.
The National Weather Service (NWS) and local county emergency managers are once again hosting storm spotter training classes across Iowa. There are a combination of “in-person” spotter training classes scattered across the state and webinar-based distance learning classes. In-person spotter training classes are offered primarily in larger cities and towns, but also in several rural counties and smaller towns.
Spotter talks are open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. No prior registration is required. Scheduling usually takes place in January and February, but not every county will have a talk.
In the KJAN listening area, here is the schedule for Storm Spotter classes:
Webinar Storm Spotter Training is being offered on Tue., April 12th and Tue., April 19th, from 7-until 8:30-p.m. at https://join.me/nws-desmoines. Also please call 1-866-231-8384. The webinars are open to all spotters. One “advanced” spotter class is offered and built on what was taught in the regular class. It is intended for those who wish to do mobile spotting and desire a deeper understanding of mesoscale and storm-scale meteorology as it relates to storm spotting. Spotters interested in attending this class should have attended either a regular in-person or webinar-based spotter class.
WANTED: Thickness planer – it’s a wood working tool. 249-5290.
Two central Iowans have created a coffee table book detailing stories of the county courthouses in all 99 Iowa counties. The 207-page book, “Prairie Jewels,” features color panoramic images and narratives about each of the stately structures. Freelance writer Michael Adams, of Des Moines, says David Richmond, who teaches photography at Simpson College in Indianola, started the project five years ago and it evolved into the book.
“Some of the stories are kind of long on history, others I might focus more on the architecture, and then some might have a little personal observation,” Adams says. “I approached this as a celebration of Iowa’s county courthouse heritage.” During their many journeys across the state to visit each building, Adams says they encountered other “courthouse groupies” who were making similar treks to every courthouse. He’s confident the book will have a wide audience.
“There’s folks that are going to be interested in Iowa history, there’s folks that are going to be interested in architecture, there’s going to be folks that just revel in looking at beautiful buildings,” Adams says. “These are stories of the host communities of these buildings as well.” In addition to the many unusual and sometimes-spectacular features of the buildings themselves, he says there were always tales of community pride, intrigue and whimsy.
“You just walk through these places and you’re incredibly aware of the history,” Adams says. “There were places I visited, like in Leon, I heard about this attempt by two thieves to blow up the treasurer’s office and they ended up blowing up half the courthouse.” While Iowa has 99 counties, there are actually 100 county courthouses in the state. “Lee County has two courthouses,” Adams says. “There’s one in Fort Madison, which happens to be the oldest courthouse in Iowa, and then there’s one in Keokuk that used to be a post office in its early life.”
Pottawattamie County also has two courthouses: the main one in Council Bluffs and the original structure in Avoca, which was built in 1885, though it’s now considered a sub-courthouse. “Prairie Jewels” was the focus of a successful crowd-funded Kickstarter campaign in the spring of 2015. It’s available at independent booksellers and online at: http://prairiejewels.com
(Radio Iowa)
The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning, are expected to act on approving a Resolution to adopt an Indigent Disposition (Burial and cremation) Policy. The matter was tabled during their meeting Jan. 29th, after it was determined the Resolution, as originally proposed, needed an amendment.
During their session on January 29th, the Board met with representatives of county funeral service providers, the Veteran Affairs and General Assistance Directors, as well as the Cass County Attorney. Their discussion covered the type(s) of disposition, what dollar amount(s) should be paid for the service and whether or not to pay additional funds for grave opening/closing.
In other business, the Supervisors this Wednesday, will hear from Department of Human Services representatives Matt Madsen and Mary Jo Rehm, with regard to the DHS’ Fiscal Year 2017 Budget and Reimbursement arrangement. And, the Board will act on awarding contracts for two bridge replacement projects: A replacement bridge on the Audubon County line or Akron Road, project # BROS-C015(58)-8J-15; and a reinforced concrete box culvert on 690th Street, project #BROS-C015(59)-60-15.
The Board will also award a contract or contracts for dump truck boxes and snow removal equipment for two new dump trucks. Their meeting in the Supervisor’s Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse, gets underway at 8:30-a.m.
More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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Filling:
Cinnamon-sugar:
(Delores Baeten, Downers Grove, IL)
AMES, Iowa – Feb 9, 2016 – The Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa State Patrol have reopened north and southbound Interstate 35 from Ames to Clear Lake and Mason City. The road was previously closed due to blowing snow which created extremely hazardous driving conditions.
While the roadway is open, winds will continue to be gusty throughout the day causing blowing snow. Travelers should expect areas of low visibility and patches of snow covered roadways making driving potentially dangerous. Motorists are urged to monitor weather and road conditions before traveling and evaluate the necessity of trips. Often, the safest option is to skip the trip all together.