(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, this (Tuesday) morning drew lots to determine staggered term limits for each member of the Compensation Board, and passed a resolution to establish a County Compensation Board. The first group with 4-year term limits include Treasurer, Sheriff, Auditor and Recorder, The second group with 2-year term limits include Board of Supervisors, Attorney and Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Donna Robinson…

The Compensation Board, which is typically comprised of representatives from each County department. The resolution is retroactive to July 1, 2024. The Compensation Board recommends salary levels or increases to the supervisors during each fiscal year’s budget process. This past July, those types of boards were eliminated under a bill approved by the Iowa Legislature and signed by Governor Kim Reynolds. County officials then had the option of whether to reinstate comp boards, or assume their responsibilities.

In other business, the Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County act to approve: a contract lease with Life Unposed, LLC, with regard to the Highland Annex. The agreement is similar to that the County has with Family Connections. The only difference is the square footage and price per footage; and, they approved abatement of taxes for certain, City of Elliott-owned properties/parcels, in the amount of $636.

The Board continued discussion with regard to a Public Comment Policy for their meetings. Supervisor Board Chair Mike Olsen said the proposed (DRAFT) policy calls for speakers to talk on an agenda matter for no more than three-minutes at the beginning, and no more than 30-minutes, at the end.

There would be no more than two speakers allowed on each agenda topic. The proposed policy is based on one Pottawattamie County has had for about 2 ½ -years, and would call for a recording of the proceedings be “Paused,” during the public comment period. Auditor Jill Ozuna…

Ozuna said for those who appear on Zoom and wish to speak, that they be asked at the beginning of the meeting if they wish to be added to the agenda so they can be included on the sign-in sheet. Supervisor Donna Robinson…

Supervisors Mark Peterson and Randy Cooper agreed with keeping the comments civil, but were not supportive of comments included at the end of the meeting. Cooper also agreed with Donna Robinson, that what they have now is not broken. Supervisor Olson said he feels “A more structured policy on public comments.” He said he would entertain members of the Board making changes to the draft policy, and bring it back in January for a vote.

And, Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert provided the Board with the weekly, Secondary Roads Department report.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – In an update to our report Monday about a two-vehicle accident north of Atlantic, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday) said no serious injuries were reported. The accident happened at around 8:51-a.m., near 54051 Olive St., where two-vehicles collided and initial reports said there were injuries and the road was blocked. Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived on scene to find a 2018 Nissan Armada operated by Chad Begley, of Atlantic, in the ditch of the roadway facing South.  The second vehicle, a 2007 GMC Acadia operated by Brian Fager, of Atlantic, was facing North within the roadway and blocking traffic.  Both drivers were receiving basic medical attention at the scene.

Once they had received medical attention, both parties were interviewed regarding the incident.  It was found that both vehicles were traveling North on Olive St.  Begley had slowed down / stopped waiting for oncoming traffic to pass so he could turn into a driveway.  Fager was traveling North as well and was the car immediately behind Begley.  Fager looked down for a moment and when he looked back up, it was too late to stop in time.  Fager’s front end collided with the rear end of Begley’s vehicle, causing totaling damage to both vehicles.  Both vehicles were towed from the roadway and ditch.

Both drivers received medical attention at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) – A pilot program aims to increase the overall health of residents in the town of Manchester and in Van Buren County. Experts are collecting extensive data on the two eastern Iowa communities. That’s so they eventually know how to make the most strategic investments in public health. Jason Henderson, vice president of Iowa State University’s Extension and Outreach, says they hope the program has very long-lasting effects. “We’re going to need to step back into the communities and look at them five years from now, 10 years from now, how did this one ripple of us dropping the stone in the brook,” Henderson says, “and how has it rippled over time?”

Edith Parker, dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, says setting up the plan will take several years as it needs to be carefully plotted out.  “Sometimes you don’t consider that as a community of, if I build a trail, then that’s money I maybe could have put into the school system,” Parker says, “and at the end of the day, which lever is really going to kind of be more impactful?”

The program is led by the Iowa Rural Vitality Coalition, which is made up of experts from Iowa’s three Regents universities, Wellmark and the Iowa Rural Development Council. It was launched in April.

(Omaha, NE) – A fund (<<GoFundMe account link highlighted) is available for persons wishing to help the family of a former Cass County (IA) man who died in a shooting last week in Omaha. 24-year-old Cameron Watkins died Sunday at a hospital, following the shooting Sept. 16th. He had been on life support until Sunday. Watkins moved to Omaha a couple years ago. He graduated from the Atlantic High School in 2018, and is the son of Zach Watkins.

Omaha police said Cameron Watkins in his vehicle at around 1:30-p.m., when he was caught in cross-fire the erupted during an attempted robbery. Organizers of the fund benefiting his family, say Watkins was an organ donor and gave the gift of life to others. Now his family needs support for his upcoming funeral and/or memorial expenses.

Cameron Watkins

All funds will go toward celebration of life service and expenses for Cameron to be held at a date to be determined. Any and all donations are greatly appreciated by his family and friends. Cameron Watkins was the father of two-children, ages one-year and three-months old. He leaves behind his loving girlfriend and mother of his children.

Authorities say three males, one 20-years old, the second 19-years-old, and a 15-year-old were arrested. Two of the suspects have appeared in court.

(Jasper County, Iowa) – A head-on crash late Monday night in northwest Jasper County claimed the lives of two women. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2018 Hyundai Elantra driven by 21-year-old Blonca Saint-Louis, of Des Moines, was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Highway 330 near mile-marker 3.55, when the vehicle collided with a 2012 Infinity G-37, driven by 19-year-old Mackenzie Elizabeth Guilliams, of Clinton.

Both women died upon impact. The Patrol says they were wearing their seat belts.  The crash happened at around 10:40-p.m., Monday.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Jasper and Marshall County Sheriff’s Offices.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa averages between 20 and 40 inches of snowfall every year, and whether the winter ahead will be warmer than normal or cold and brutal, the winter operations administrator of the Iowa Department of Transportation vows his crews will be ready. Craig Bargfrede says shortly after -last- winter was over, he started stockpiling the essentials, including 265-thousand tons of salt at the 100 D-O-T garages, along with mountains of sand and stacks of new snowplow blades.

The D-O-T has about a thousand full-time employees and also hires on some 500 to 600 seasonal workers every winter to tackle the challenges that lie ahead. Bargfrede says the hiring process is now underway (iowadot.gov/careers).

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A crop report released Monday, says farmers were able to harvest five percent of the corn in the last week. That is five days behind last year but equal to the five-year average.

The report found nine percent of the beans were out of the fields and into the bins at the end of the week. The harvest rate is equal to last year and one day ahead of the five-year average.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Atlantic School Board will hold a Special Session, followed by a Work Session, Wednesday evening in the Achievement Center Conference Room. The Special Meeting begins at 5:30-p.m., and includes action on:

• Radio bids from three different vendors (Electronic Engineering, NishnaNet, and Wireless Universe).
• An EFR Employee & Family Resources Agreement.
• Review and approval of a Superintendent Search Firm (McPherson & Jacobsen, Ray & Associates, or HYA).

During the Board’s Work Session, they will discuss the 2023-24 Annual Review. The Board’s next REGULAR meeting is on Oct. 9th at the H.S. Media Center, beginning at 5:30-p.m.

The meeting will be viewable via YouTube.

(Radio Iowa) – Five Iowa schools, including the Nodaway Valley Middle School in Adair County,  are on the U-S Department of Education 2024 list of Blue Ribbon Schools. The schools on that list are Alta-Aurelia Middle School, Decorah High School, Nodaway Valley Middle School, Rock Run Elementary School in Iowa Falls , and the Rock Valley Elementary School.

The five Iowa schools were honored as “Exemplary High-Performing Schools”, which is measured by state assessments or national tests.

Each of the schools performed in the top 15 percent of all Iowa public schools based on overall performance on school accountability indicators that include student proficiency, growth, and graduation rates.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest Monday night, of 35-year-old Bryceton Lee Flathers (No city of residence given). Flathers was taken into custody following a traffic stop at around 10:15-p.m., Monday, in the 700 block of Grimes Street. He was charged with Driving While Barred and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where his cash-only bond was set at $2,000.