(Fairfield, Iowa/KCCI) – One of the Fairfield teens charged in the Nov., 2021 murder of a Fairfield High School Teacher, has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, thereby eliminating the need for his trial Friday, in Council Bluffs.  KCCI reports 17-year-old Willard Miller entered a guilty plea Tuesday (today) in Jefferson County Court in Fairfield.Miller and Jeremy Goodale both stand accused in the death of 66-year-old Spanish Teacher Nohema Graber, whose body was found under a tarp, wheelbarrow and railroad ties on Nov. 3, 2021, in a Fairfield Park. Prosecutors say she had been beaten to death with a baseball bat. Graber was 66.

Both Miller and Jeremy Goodale were charged with first-degree murder. Each was 16 at the time. Both are 17 now. Prosecutors say both of the teens struck Graber with a baseball bat and destroyed evidence in the case. Miller’s lawyer states he denies hitting Graber with a bat.

In Iowa, the penalty for a first-degree murder conviction is life in prison. The judge said Miller will not receive mandatory life without the possibility of parole because he is a minor. He will be responsible for restitution and other costs.

(Griswold, Iowa) – Members of the Griswold Community School District’s Board of Education, Monday evening, held a public hearing on the District’s 2023-24 Budget, during which there was no public input. Superintendent Dave Henrichs said the Board later on in their meeting approved the Budget at presented, which has the lowest tax levy rate since 2019.

He spoke also about the property tax assessments which have residents all across Iowa riled-up. Henrichs says that will have no bearing on next year’s taxes or budget, because it doesn’t go into effect for another year.

Another budget highlight Henrichs mentioned, was, for the third-year in a row, the District is levying “An advanced payment,” or “Surplus”levy, which will result in a substantial savings for taxpayers.

In other business, the Board continued discussion, but no action for now, with regard to a Four-day School Week. A staff meeting was held April 5th to inform Griswold staff of what research into what a four-day school week may look like, in terms of scheduling, contracts and the school calendar. Staff has an opportunity to ask questions afterward, and fill-out a survey with options to the proposal.

Ultimately, the Griswold School Board, Henrichs says, decided to, during their May meeting, schedule a work session for June or July, to put ideas together in terms of answering some of their staff’s questions. If the District decides to implement a four-day school week, it wouldn’t even happen until the the 2024-25 school year, at the earliest. The Board, Monday, approved the list of graduates. The Class of 2023 has 28 students set to receive their diplomas, in May. The Griswold school board left ’23-’24 registration fees the same as last year. Book fees are $30 per student, with reduced lunch book fees $15, and those on free lunch have no book fees.

A snow day make-up plan was approved, that reduces the amount of days students and staff must attend beyond the end of the school year.

There were two closed sessions and a student expulsion closed session. In the latter session, the Griswold School Board to expel a student for the remainder of the school year. In another, they reviewed the performance of Board Secretary Hannah Bierbaum, who Henrichs says “does a great job,” and, they listened to the concerns of a staff member with regard to contract considerations, and the Board agreed to make adjustments to the contract as necessary.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Auditor of State Rob Sand today (Tuesday) released a report in a special investigation of the City of Stanwood Fire Department for the period December 1, 2020 through April 30, 2022. The special investigation was requested by City officials in the eastern Iowa town, as a result of concerns regarding how transactions from the Departments fundraising account were handled.

Sand reported the special investigation identified $4,403.84 of improper disbursements, $3,159.28 of unsupported disbursements and $188.50 of undeposited collections related to the fundraising account. The $4,403.84 of improper disbursements includes:
• $1,713.91 of personal purchases by Ryan Pierce,
• $2,141.43 of improper disbursements to other vendors,
• $786.00 of ATM Withdrawals,
• $450.00 of improper payments to fill a personal propane tank, and
• $407.80 of improper reimbursement checks to Mr. Pierce.

The $3,159.28 of unsupported disbursements included payments to Mr. Pierce, Tipton Family Foods, Walmart, and Dollar General. The $188.50 of undeposited collections includes collections received for the sale of t-shirts and tickets for a gun raffle. Sand also reported, it was not possible to determine if any additional improper disbursements were made or if all collections were properly deposited during the period of the investigation because adequate records were not available.

The report includes recommendations for the City to strengthen internal controls, such as improvements to segregation of duties, maintaining supporting documentation for all expenditures, and maintaining adequate financial records including ledgers, receipt books, and bank reconciliations. Copies of the report have been filed with the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office, the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Cedar County Attorney’s Office, and the Attorney General’s Office. A copy of the report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website at Special Interest Reports.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa crop report shows farmers were able to get some planting done last week. The week saw severe storms and snow flurries, but farmers also got some unseasonably warm weather and planted seven percent of the expected corn crop. That’s almost two weeks ahead of last year and six days ahead of the five-year average. The report says some farmers are still waiting for extended warm days to bring the soil temperature up — while others are hoping for some more rain before putting the planter into the fields.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has approved a bill that would extend the hours teenagers may work in Iowa and teens would be able to take some jobs they are not allowed to have today. Debate on the bill started Monday night and it passed with the support of 32 Republicans early today (Tuesday). Two Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the legislation. Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls spoke right after the vote.”It is almost five in the morning and as we approach the dawn of a new day it has been a dark night in the Iowa Senate,” Wahls says. ”

Wahls says the bill rolls back protections that have kept children from being exploited in the workplace. Senator Adrian Dickey, a Republican from Packwood, accused Democrats of being hypocrites. “If your outrage is because high school students are able to work until 11 p.m. in the summer, where’s your outrage all these years by not requiring high school students to be home and in bed by 11?”

The bill would allow 16 and 17 year olds to serve alcohol if they have written permission from a parent, but minors would still be barred from working in strip clubs. Fourteen year olds would be able to be paid to do things like detassel corn and use chemicals to clean kitchens or work momentarily in meat coolers. Senator Molly Donahue, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says the bill is designed to get more kids from low income households in the workforce.”How ’bout we ensure all kids have equal access to education and the opportunities to participate in their school activities, regardless of their backgrounds?” Donahue asked.

Senator Dickey says Republicans are updating the law so eager teenagers can save money for college or a car rather than back a bill from Senate Democrats that would legalize recreational marijuana.”That Democratic logic is why your party holds a 16-34 ‘super minority’ in this senate,” Dickey said.

The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Electronic, or E-books may be fine and convenient for some people, but for others, there’s nothing like sitting down with a good paper book. You can let your fingers turn the pages to a book you may, or may not have read, by finding it at the “Friends of the Atlantic Public Library” Book Sale. The sale takes place Wednesday, April 19 through Friday, April 21st, from 9-a.m. until 6-p.m., and on Saturday, April 22, from 9-a.m. to 2:00 pm.

Ken Moorman, with the Friends group, says they began preparing for the event by categorizing all the book donations they’ve received, days in advance.

Some of the books are from the Atlantic Public Library, that are being purged from the collection, due to age or lack of use. Moorman says most people come in and just browse the collection, while others have a specific title or author in mind. Hardback and paperback books and cookbooks, he said seem to be the most popular.

Hardback books are just One-dollar each. Paperbacks are 50-cents, and children’s books are 25-cents. Moorman says the first day of the sale is usually the busiest.

Saturday is a bargain day, and the last day of the sale. Bring your recyclable grocery bag to the library on that day, and fill it with books for just 5-dollars. Cash and checks will be accepted, but debit and credit cards will not. Ken Moorman says he often sees the same people coming back year after year for the book sale.

It’s too late to donate your books for the current event now, but you can save them for the next sale in October. Beginning September 1st, you can bring your books into the Atlantic Public Library, for the Fall event. And, Ken says he would love to have volunteers assist during event this Fall. Simply stop by this week and let the Friends of the Atlantic Public Library know you’ll be willing to help.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Iowa Western Community College’s Cass County Center in Atlantic will hold a Nursing Information Open House on Tuesday, May 2nd from 4:00pm until 6:00pm. Individuals considering a career in nursing are encouraged to stop in to learn about opportunities in the profession, what preparation is needed before enrolling in Iowa Western’s nursing program, as well as information about the LPN program that is offered at the Harlan Campus.

Get your prep-nursing classes at the Cass County Center in Atlantic. Stop by to find the answers to all your questions and meet the instructor! Call 712-243-5527 for more information.

(Rural Red Oak, Iowa) – A man from Red Oak was cited Monday afternoon for Violation of a Burn Ban – a simple misdemeanor. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports they were notified just before 5-p.m., Monday, of a fire in the 2200 block of 148th Street, northeast of Red Oak. Daniel Williams was subsequently cited into court and released at the scene. Red Oak Fire and the Montgomery County EMA assisted at the scene.

The Burn Ban in Montgomery County was placed into effect on April 5th and continues until further notice.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Red Oak Police Department reports a woman from Cass County (IA) was arrested late Monday night, following a traffic stop near Highway 48 and Ratliff Road, in Red Oak. Authorities say, upon further investigation, it was determined that 39-year-old Becky June Sulley, of Griswold, had a suspended license through Iowa. Sulley was taken into custody and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where her bond was set at $491.25.

(Radio Iowa) – Thirty-one Republicans in the Iowa Senate have given final legislative approval to a bill that provides new liability protection to the trucking industry.The bill does NOT impact coverage of medical bills after someone is killed or severely injured in Iowa by a semi or commercial vehicle, but five million dollars would be the limit in NON-economic pain and suffering damages.

Earlier this year a lower two million dollar limit cleared the Senate, but last month 58 House members voted to set five million dollars as the cap. Republican Senator Michael Bousselot of Ankeny says the changes made by the House aren’t ideal, but the bill is a step in the right direction.

“This is a bill that is intended to lower costs for Iowans,” Bousselot said. “…Predictability and stability for critical, critical components of our supply chain.” Three Republican Senators joined all Democrats in voting against the bill. Senator Nate Boulton, a Democrat from Des Moines, says juries should still be allowed to decide how much a victim is owed without any limits.

“While I still have objections to the bill’s overall impact,” Boulton said, “I do want to take this moment to acknowledge the work done by so many to get us to a much better piece of legislation here.” Governor Reynolds first proposed a new liability shield for the trucking industry last year and she put the issue on her list of legislative priorities for this year.