(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors are expected to draw lots, Tuesday, to determine staggered term limits for each member of the Compensation Board, and pass a resolution to establish a County Compensation Board. During their meeting last week, the Supervisors passed a resolution to reinstate the Compensation Board, which is typically comprised of representatives from each County department.

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 will act on approving: a contract lease with Life Unposed, LLC, with regard to the Highland Annex; and, the abatement of taxes for certain, City of Elliott-owned properties/parcels, in the amount of $636.

The Board will once again discuss, and possibly pass, a Public Comment Policy. Last week, the Supervisors took no action on a proposed policy regulating public comment periods. Provisions included moving the comment period to the end of the meeting, and limiting speakers to three minutes. Supervisors Chair Mike Olson also proposed limiting the number of people speaking on a particular topic, and prohibiting personal attacks against board members.

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisor’s meeting begins at 8:30-a.m. Tuesday (Sept. 24), in their Red Oak courthouse Board Room.

OMAHA, Neb. — Two planes were diverted to Omaha Saturday evening, in separate incidents. According to KETV in Omaha, the first incident happened around 8:20-p.m., when a Southwest flight traveling from Phoenix to Chicago landed in Omaha for a medical emergency. Omaha police said that person was taken to the hospital in extremely critical condition.

The second airplane was diverted to Omaha around 8:40-p.m. It was a United flight traveling from Denver to Grand Rapids. The Omaha Airport Authority said the pilots reported a hydraulic issue. That plane landed safely at 9-p.m.

(Mitchellville, Iowa) — A man from central Iowa has unofficially broken the Guinness World Record for the fastest motorized wheelbarrow. WHO-TV in Des Moines reports John Loghry from Saylorville, Iowa retired a few years ago and since then has been trying to find ways to fill his time. Around a year ago John came across the record for fastest motorized wheelbarrow and decided it was something he wanted to do. He made the machine with idea of hopefully beating the record.

On Saturday, he enlisted the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to help set up the record-breaking event. A smooth and safe street in Mitchellville was picked out and blocked- off, and at 2-p.m. Loghry finally saw his dream come to fruition. When he began working on his wheelbarrow the Guinness World record was 47 kph (Kilometers per hour; 29 mph), Loghry set the new record at 57 kph (a little more than 35 mph).

In addition to going for the World Record, Loghry used the opportunity to bring attention to one of his favorite charities, Wounded Warriors. A veteran himself, John began volunteering at the VA hospital twice a week after he retired. All the donations gathered at the event will be donated to Wounded Warriors and those who donated had the unique opportunity to get a specialized Guinness World Record poker chip.

Loghry said once he has the official police report, he’ll gather all of his evidence and send it to Guinness to be verified as the new World Record Motorized Wheelbarrow Champion.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office took to social media, Saturday to confirm a creature normally seen in Mexico and Texas have made their way into the County. The Sheriff’s Department said “We have had multiple armadillos hit on the highways in Cass County. The DNR has been tracking armadillo migrations as they continue to move north. If you see one these armored up guys leave them alone but feel free to snap a picture for the DNR with the location you saw it.” (Cass County Sheriff’s Office photos via Facebook)

In July, we reported that for 100 years, Armadillos have been expanding northward across the United States from Mexico. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says it’s not known how many are actually living in Iowa, but at the time of their report, said two recent sightings in central Iowa were part of a growing trend, according to DNR data.

(Northern & Eastern Iowa) – Two people died in separate Iowa accidents Saturday night. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a collision in Humboldt County between a Suzuki motorcycle and a Toyota Corolla claimed the life of the female motorcyclist. Authorities say the car was northbound on Highway 169 north of Humboldt at around 8:12-p.m., when it pulled into the left lane to make a left-hand turn at 1731 Lincoln Avenue (Hwy 169), when the vehicle struck the motorcycle head-on, as it was traveling southbound on the highway.  The operator of the motorcycle, 40-year-old Angela Zeigler, of Humboldt, died at the scene. The driver of the car, 56-year-old Reggie Clark, of Humboldt, was not injured.

The second accident happened at around 8:05-p.m. Saturday, in Jones County. The Patrol says a 2020 Polaris ATV was traveling north on the Old Dubuque Road near Davidson Road, north of Anamosa, when the machine went out of control. The ATV rolled onto its driver’s side into the east ditch, causing fatal injuries to the operator of the machine. Their name was being withheld, pending notification of family.

The crash remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) -A 42-year-old Marshalltown man has been charged with voter fraud for registering to vote and casting a ballot in a special election in July. According to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, 42-year-old Jorge Oscar Sanchez-Vasquez is a legal resident of the U-S, but not a citizen and he’s been charged with two counts of election misconduct. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate — the state’s top election official — says the law says very clearly you have to be a U-S citizen to vote.

“We have voted ID, so we are establishing a baseline. You have to prove who you are,” Pate says. “We also are working with our partners. We work with the court system. There are various folks who help us identify those folks who are here legally, but not U.S. citizens.” Pate says the role of election workers is to make sure only eligible voters vote.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (RI file photo)

“Even one, two, five, 100 — whatever the number is not acceptable, so we’ll keep trying to make sure we’re protecting and keeping that away,” Pate says. “I don’t believe in Iowa we have any of those types of massive voter fraud. I think the bad boys and girls, the really serious illegals are not looking to be recognized for anything. They’re here just to stay under the radar, so I don’t think we’ll see a lot of it at this time in Iowa.”

Pate made his comments during taping of the Iowa P-B-S program “Iowa Press” — a few hours before the charges against the Marshalltown man were announced.

(Statewide) – The Iowa State Patrol reports one person died and seven others were injured in four separate crashes around the state, Friday.

The Patrol says 35-year-old Dustin B. West, of Hedrick died when his motorcycle struck a pickup truck just before 2-p.m. Friday, in Wapello County. The accident happened when the pickup truck, driven by 75-year-old Billy L. Skinner, of Ottumwa, turned in front of the motorcycle near Ottumwa. West died at the scene. Skinner was injured in the crash and transported to the hospital in Ottumwa.

Two men were injured in a crash that occurred at around 1:20-p.m. Friday, in Wayne County. The Patrol reports 79-year-old’s Roger Stroud and Danny Stubbs, both of Clio, were transported to the hospital in Corydon, after their SUV’s collided and rolled over into a ditch. The accident happened on a curve, when Stroud failed to yield half of the roadway.

A man from Manchester was injured at around 5-p.m. Friday in Delaware County, when his motorcycle failed to negotiate a curve near Hopkinton, and drove off the road and into a ditch. 51-year-old Lonnie Gene Deitrick was flown by helicopter from the scene to the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics.

And, at around 6:20-p.m., Friday, a man on a motorcycle and his passenger were injured in Warren County, when a car turned in front of the motorcycle on Highway G-58/Hwy 65 at 160th Avenue. The operator of the motorcycle, 34-year-old Levi Woldt, and his passenger, 29-year-old Shelby Wambold, both of Lacona, were ejected from the cycle and flown by helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. The driver of the car, 22-year-old Finnegan Ritchie, of Traverse City, Michigan, was transported by Milo EMS to Mercy Hospital.

All four crashes remain under investigation.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – Officials with a precision ball bearing manufacturer based in Japan, have announced their facility in Clarinda will be closing at the end of March, 2025. Thursday’s news about the closing of the NSK–AKS plant means the loss of 54 jobs associated with the plant, according to the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, website.

Clarinda’s AKS plant primarily manufactures ball bearing components for the automotive and industrial markets. Company officials say many of the markets served by AKS have moved offshore, thereby reducing the manufacturing demand for domestically-produced products.

Clarinda NKS plant (Photo from the company’s website)