(Atlantic, Iowa) – If you’re like most people in Iowa, when you opened your mail last week, you were socked with shock and perhaps some anger, when you found out how much your property assessments had gone up. Assessments mailed out March 31st indicated valuations for most property classes increased substantially this year for not only in Cass County, but the entire state.

Cass County Assessor Mary Anstey says that shock and anger can be attributed to the Iowa Tax System that is very confusing, even to assessors around the State.

She says software in her office helps with the equation.

Anstey says when people ask about their current assessment, which she acknowledged was most likely “shocking,”the first thing the Assessor does is to make sure all their information is correct. She says keep in mind that what your assessment shows are based on 2024 property values, so the property taxes aren’t effective until the Fall 2022 property tax payments.

According to Iowa Code, there cannot be more than a three-percent increase in taxes, Statewide. The property values increased in Cass County anywhere from 20-to as much as 50-percent or more. According to Anstey, the reason is because of the market value of homes being sold.

Cass County, she says, was at 79-percent of market value as of December 31st.

There are things that will factor-in to your property tax bill in the Fall of 2024,including a State roll-back, and another round of local entities putting together their budgets, including schools, cities, counties and hospitals, that will impact what your property taxes will be.

Persons wanting to appeal their assessment have until April 25th to petition for an informal review from the Assessor of your property & assessment. Completed forms with supportive data can be emailed to assessors@casscoia.us  or mailed to 5 W 7th, Atlantic, Iowa  50022. If the Board of Review needs additional information, a representative from the Assessor’s office will contact you.The formal appeal period has been extended and will now end April 30th. Afterward, if you are not satisfied with the review, you can appeal to the Board of Review, beginning May with their meeting May 2nd. The next recourse is an appeal to the State Board of Review, or, as a last resort, District Court.

For more information, listen to our April 12, 2023 podcast with Jim Field and Mary Anstey. You can find under the “Podcast” tab on the kjan.com homepage.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 1:30-this (Wednesday) morning, of 22-year-old Kendrick Daggett Alan, of Omaha. Alan was taken into custody following a traffic stop on I-29 at mile marker 41. He was charged with OWI/1st offense, and held on a $1,000 bond. And, at around 8:10-p.m., Tuesday, 46-year-old Clinton Keith Glasgo, of Essex, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bond was also set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – South Carolina Tim Scott has formed a presidential campaign exploratory committee — the last step before declaring he’s a candidate for the White House. He’ll be in Cedar Rapids later today (Wednesday). Scott, the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, was in Iowa earlier this year, on what he called a listening tour. Scott released a video this (Wednesday) morning and it begins by noting this is the day the first shots were fired in the Civil War.

Senator Tim (Rep.) from South Carolina.

“Today our country is once again being tested, once again our divisions run deep and the threat to our future is real,” Scott says. In the video, Scott says Democrats are pursing a liberal agenda and promoting a culture of grievance in America. Scott has made frequent visits to Iowa, dating back to 2014, shortly after he was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Nikki Haley, who was South Carolina’s governor at the time. Haley kicked off her own bid for president early this year and is campaigning in Des Moines this (Wednesday) morning.

She spoke at events in western Iowa on Monday and Tuesday.

(Pisgah, Iowa) –  The Harrison County Emergency Management Agency, Tuesday, asked residents and businesses in town, to continue to conserve water, following a fire at the pumping station in Pisgah. A limited amount of drinking water available at the fire hall today (Wednesday), at 8-a.m.

(Creston, Iowa) – Three people were arrested on separate charges Tuesday, in Creston. According to Creston Police, 40-year-old David Michael Brandt, of Creston, was arrested at around 1:10-p.m., on two counts of a Violation of a No Contact Protective Order. Brandt was being held in the Union County Jail on a $600 bond.

Tuesday evening, 35-year-old Jeffrey Michael Donald Drake, of Creston, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order. Drake was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, pending his appearance before a Judge.

And, At around 7:45-p.m. Tuesday, 44-year-old Brady Gale Richert, of Creston, was arrested for Public Intoxication. His bond was set at $300.

Creston Police said also, a man residing in the 400 block of S. Oak Street reported Tuesday night, that someone in a passing vehicle threw a water balloon at his vehicle, causing $75 damage to the man’s left side-view mirror.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A cyber attack has exposed personal data for thousands of Iowans who receive Medicaid. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday the breach was part of an attack on a contractor’s computer systems last summer. The Iowa Medicaid system itself was not hacked.

The department says approximately 20,800 Iowans may have had their names, Medicaid details and other sensitive information exposed. Those who have been impacted will be notified by a letter in the mail this week. The letter will say what was exposed and what steps one should take to stay safe.

The Iowa HHS said that Medicaid members with questions can reach out to Iowa Medicaid Member Services toll-free at 833-257-1764 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT.

Additional details:

Iowa Medicaid, a division of HHS, works with private contractors to help deliver health care in Iowa. One of those contractors is Telligen, Inc. which performs annual assessments for Medicaid members to ensure they are receiving the correct level of care. Telligen subcontracted part of that work to Independent Living Systems (ILS).

Between June 30 and July 5, 2022, ILS suffered a data breach that resulted in the exposure of personal information belonging to more than four million individuals across several states. Data for approximately 20,800 Iowa Medicaid members was involved in this breach. The breach led to the compromising of information, such as full names, Medicaid details, and other sensitive information.

ILS detected the network intrusion on July 5, 2022, and reported the incident to the FBI and other authorities. An investigation was launched to determine what data was compromised. As the investigation was concluding, ILS informed Telligen of the breach on February 14, 2023. Telligen notified Iowa HHS and Medicaid on February 17, 2023.

ILS has taken steps to mitigate the risk of this happening again by improving their network security environment and providing enhanced training to employees on dealing with sensitive information.

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Iowa plans to ask for emergency authorization from the Board of Regents next week to make repairs to a facility damaged by the March 31st tornado. The U-I says the authorization is needed to make repairs to the Hydroscience and Engineering buildings along Highway 6 in Coralville without going through the normal bidding process.

The university says the facility is one of their major federally funded research centers — and they need to replace a metal building, research equipment and complex river modeling systems. There is not a cost estimate, but the university says any disaster relief or insurance funds would help pay the repair costs.

Hydroscience damage-(UI-photo)

The Regents meet next Wednesday and Thursday at Iowa State University in Ames.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has voted to forbid cities and counties from having ordinances that ban certain breeds of dogs, like pit bulls. Representative Jacob Bossman, a Republican from Sioux City, says the bill will hopefully turn the focus to responsible dog ownership. “It’s kind of a cop out for communities to say: ‘We’re just going to ban this breed or this breed,’ and it makes you feel good, but studies have shown it doesn’t get to the issue,” Bossman says.

The American Veterinary Medical Association says breed specific bans can give communities a false sense of security. The group says any dog can become aggressive and bite if they are unsupervised or not trained in how to interact with other dogs and humans.  “This bill will allow Iowans to responsibly own the dogs of their choice, live where they choose and will instead turn the focus on dogs that have problems rather than specific breeds,” he says. Bossman is from Sioux City, where an ordinance banned pit bulls from city limits for 11 years. The ordinance was repealed in 2019.

“There was a breed ban in Sioux City — don’t need to get into all the specifics — but I think it was generally accepted that it kind of failed,” Bossman says. The bill passed the House on an 82-to-16 vote. One opponent said it dilutes the authority of local officials to respond to local concerns. Dozens of Iowa cities have ordinances that either ban certain breeds of dogs or label specific breeds as dangerous or vicious.

(Radio Iowa) – A hearing will be held today (Wednesday) at the Iowa Capitol on a bill that would prohibit mail-in voting in next year’s Iowa Caucuses. The move would scuttle the Iowa Democratic Party’s plan to offer an early voting alternative for those who will not be attending a precinct level meeting on Caucus night. Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton, says requiring in-person participation on Caucus night ensures New Hampshire doesn’t move its presidential primary ahead of the Iowa Caucuses.

“When you have a system that strongly resembles a primary and the new New Hampshire secretary state of says: ‘We’re the first primary state, that’s long held tradition, and we’re going to jump over you if you do that,’ I’m going to take that seriously,” Kaufmann says, “so that’s why I’m doing it.” Kaufmann, who is the son of Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann, says this is a must-do bill for the 2023 legislature.

“The protection of the Caucuses’ first-in-the-nation status is critical,” Kaufmann says. “If we do mail in, it will not happen anymore.” Kaufmann’s bill has another feature to prevent people from trying to vote in both the Democratic AND the Republican Party Caucuses. It would require Caucus participants to have registered to vote as a Republican or a Democrat at least 70 days before Caucus Night.

“If you want to Caucus with a particular party, make a plan and register accordingly,” Kaufmann says. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says these proposals from Republicans are a surprise, made without any input from Democrats. Hart says Democrats will do what’s best for Iowa and that means moving forward with what she describes as an inclusive Caucus process.

The Republican National Committee has voted to keep the Iowa G-O-P’s Caucuses first in the nation. However, national Democratic Party leaders have selected five other states to go first as their party selects a 2024 presidential nominee.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office report 22-year-old Kali Veronica Logan, of Omaha, NE, was arrested Monday at the Sheriff’s Office, on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original Violation of Probation charge, and for Possession of Controlled Substance. Her bond was set at $5,000.