(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday), approved (by a vote of 4-to 1) an amended resolution for the one-time use of $95,000 from accrued Valley Business Park fund interest, for use by CADCO’s Revolving Loan Fund, to support local economic development. The funds were originally expected to be $60,000. CADCO Executive Director Jennifer McEntaffer….

Supervisor Wendy Richter – who was opposed to the amended resolution – questioned the expenditure of most of the interest from the fund for one entity, such as CADCO.

Board Chair Steve Baier explained…

Cass County BOS 8-6-24

Richter then asked if the funds would specifically be used for Atlantic, or spread-out among the communities in Cass County. McEnfaffer responded…

In other business, the Board approved the EMS Advisory Council’s recommendation that a Public Measure on the November 5^th General Election Ballot. Board Chair Steve Baier…

Supervisor Steve Green wanted to make sure Cass County residents understand that if the measure is approved by the election, the funds raised by the levy and Iowa Income Surtax, will not be used for anything other than EMS purposes.

The Board discussed remaining ARPA request priorities during their meeting, Tuesday (today). Steve Baier said there is about $70,000 left in the fund. No action was taken at this time. A resolution will be prepared for the Board’s meeting on August 20^th.

They approved a bid for, and awarded a contract to Gus Construction in the amount of $646,492, for a RCB (Reinforced Concrete Box) culvert project on 620^th Street, in Cass County. The project will be south of Atlantic and east of Lewis, about one-quarter of a mile south of Newport Road.

The Board received a regular report on the county’s secondary roads department maintenance and activities from Engineer Trent Wolken, a monthly report from County Community Services Director & Mental Health Advocate Debbie Schuler. A report from County Conservation Director Micah Lee was not available at this time.

(Radio Iowa) – A high-speed police pursuit ended in a crash in eastern Iowa on Monday afternoon. A person who had their car stolen in Davenport called police to say they’d found the car and tried to get it back, but the man who stole it showed them a handgun, then tried to run them over and sped away. Officers quickly caught up with car which refused to pull over. The chase led to Interstate 280 where police say the suspect lost control and crashed in the median, where he was taken into custody.

The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Steven Bolio of Davenport, faces a long list of charges, including felony eluding, assault, intimidation, and for allegedly pointing a gun at police repeatedly during the chase — though it later turned out to be a B-B gun.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest at around 4-p.m. Monday, of 43-year-old Tracey Lerea Mylan, of Afton. Mylan was arrested at Highway 34 and Vine Street on charges that include OWI/1st Offense, as well as Child Endangerment. She was taken to the Union County Jail and was released after later posting a $3,000 bond.

Late Monday night, 41-year-old Micheal Ryan Meek, of Creston, was arrested for Driving Suspended. Meek was cited and released from the scene of his traffic stop, on a promise to appear in court.

(Creston, Iowa) – A man from Creston was injured during a collision just north of Creston, Monday afternoon. The Iowa State Patrol says a 2005 Hyundai Sonata, driven by 48-year-old Phillip Ronald Williams, Jr., of Creston, was traveling south on Union County Road P-33 south of 110th Street, at around 1-p.m., at the same time a 2009 Chevy Impala driven by 19-year-old Holton Alan McCutchan, of Prescott, was traveling northbound.

When the Chevy went on to the shoulder of the road, McCutchan over-corrected, sending the car into the path of Williams’ car. After the vehicles collided, the Hyundai rolled-over and came to rest on its wheels in the west ditch. The Chevy also ended-up in the west ditch, coming to rest on its wheels.

Creston Fire Dept. Facebook page photos

Williams – who was wearing his seat belt – was injured and transported from the scene by LifeFlight to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. A report on his condition was not immediately available. The crash remains under investigation. The Union County Sheriff’s Office and Creston Police assisted at the scene.

(Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – A new partnership between Kirkwood Community College and the University of Iowa will allow students to use programs at both institutions to earn their degree in medical laboratory science. The Iowa Capital Dispatch says the four-year degree program will launch this fall, according to a news release, and will be available to students starting their education at either college.

Kirkwood students will spend two years in the community college’s medical laboratory technology program before transferring to the UI for the remainder of the program. UI students will enter into the medical laboratory technology program, housed at the Kirkwood Regional Center at the UI Coralville campus, after finishing two years at the university.

No matter where they started, all students in the program will participate in clinical rotations in different lab departments at the UI or other affiliated hospital labs, according to the UI’s medical laboratory science program website. Upon completion, graduates will receive their medical laboratory science degree from the UI Carver College of Medicine and be eligible to take the medical laboratory science certification exam, the news release stated.

Kirkwood Community College and the University of Iowa are partnering to offer a new medical laboratory sciences degree for students. (Photo courtesy of Kirkwood Community College)

Once they’ve graduated out of the program, students will have the skills to work in various lab departments, according to the release, including immunology, clinical chemistry and clinical microbiology, among other areas.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 24,000 job openings for medical laboratory scientists are expected to come from a predicted 5% increase in demand.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa — The Mahaska County 911 Communications Center says the City of Oskaloosa owes them a lot of money for their services. The county’s 911 director told KCCI-TV that the city owes them over $860,000. Records provided by the director show the same. The records also show invoices and checks exchanged between the two entities. The city’s most recent payment was submitted in April for just under $238,000. The city council approved a voluntary payment of more than $275,000 to the EMA 911 Monday night. Mayor David Krutzfeldt said the payment is voluntary because their agreement with the Mahaska County Emergency Management Commission ended in 2022. The city received a bill for more than $513,000 for fiscal year 2024-25, on July 1st.

City manager Amal Eltahir said those are speculative numbers and that the city would deal with that amount in six months. Some residents are  worried that if the city doesn’t foot the bill, 911 services could disappear in Oskaloosa. The mayor said emergency services are a priority and that they wouldn’t be going anywhere.

It wasn’t immediately clear what would happen if the City doesn’t pay the most recent invoice.

(Des Moines, Iowa [KCCI]) – The City of Des Moines is making strides in addressing homelessness by intensifying efforts to clear homeless camps while also providing supportive measures to help individuals find stable housing. KCCI-TV reports on Monday night, the City Council passed the second reading of a homeless camping ordinance, with a date for the third reading to be determined.

The new ordinance reduces the notification period for clearing homeless camps from 10 days to 24 hours and introduces a potential $50 fine for violators, though the city emphasizes compliance over penalties. The ordinance also includes initiatives like temporary storage for personal belongings, pet shelters, improved transportation, and efforts to increase affordable housing.

A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has facilitated the removal of homeless camps and people sleeping in public spaces for cities like Des Moines.A study shows that 50,000 additional affordable housing units are needed in the next 20 years.

(Radio Iowa) – A teenager has been arrested in connection with the stabbing death of a 23 year old yesterday (Monday) a Des Moines suburb. Waukee Police say they were called to a residential neighborhood shortly before noon Monday and found 23-year-old Brian McGee of Waukee had been stabbed during a family dispute. McGee was taken to a Des Moines hospital, but died of his injuries.

Police have a 16-year-old in custody, but are not releasing his name.

August 5, 2024 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) — Thyme & Spice Co. in Burlington topped four competitors in a statewide pitch contest in Cedar Rapids on Monday evening. Five small businesses from Main Street Iowa districts received $50,000 in state grants after successfully pitching their expansion ideas before a panel of judges, part of the final round of Main Street Iowa’s Open 4 Business contest. The awards were presented by Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and Iowa Finance Authority.

Travis and Ashlyn Long, who opened Thyme & Spice Co. in 2021, won a $20,000 grant to expand their modern version of a spice and tea shop. They plan to use the money to introduce a refill program for their line of olive oils and vinegars. Customers can sample products before they buy, and empty bottles can be exchanged at the store for a discount on their next purchase.

Other winners and their awards include:

• First runner-up, Goldfinch Tap + Eatery, Marion, $10,000.
• First runner-up, Holtz Service & Small Engine, Avoca, $10,000.
• Second runner-up, BlueMoon Holistic Wellness, Nevada, $5,000.
• Second runner-up, Corning Family Chiropractic, Corning, $5,000.

Read more about the five finalists. Thyme & Spice Co. earned another $1,000 for People’s Choice, selected by audience vote. The additional category, sponsored by the event’s host city of Cedar Rapids and The District: Czech Village & New Bohemia, was introduced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Open 4 Business. This year’s contest drew 20 applicants. Of those, 12 were invited to interview virtually with a panel of judges, who then selected five finalists.

The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs.

(Radio Iowa) – It’s a chore many Iowans tackle every week without a second thought, but mowing the lawn can be hazardous, especially for a teenager who’s just taken over the job. Kelly Hilsabeck, the trauma injury prevention coordinator at Gundersen Health System, says there are 85-thousand lawn mower injuries every year nationwide. “They can range from very minor, like a small burn or a cut, to very major like an amputation, broken bones,” Hilsabeck says. “A lot of that can result from blade contact, so we really want to take some safety precautions to avoid that. First of all, we should know how to operate our lawn mower before using it.”

You also need to dress for the job, including long pants, eye and hearing protection, and good shoes — no flip-flops. One of the biggest risks with lawn mowing is accidentally coming into contact with the spinning blade. “The big thing with blade contact is if we need to clear out any debris, any grass under the mower, make sure it’s off, but go ahead and take that extra step and disconnect that spark plug,” Hilsabeck says. “That’s just going to prevent that blade from spinning quickly around in a rare event that once you do clear that debris, that it would do that and cause a serious injury.”

The mower blade is also a hazard, in that it could launch — at a high rate of speed — anything you run over. “We really want to be aware of projectile hazards when going to mow,” Hilsabeck says. “Look over your lawn before mowing. Remove any rocks, twigs, toys that might be outside, because in the event that you do run it over, a lawnmower can spit it out at over 100 miles per hour and cause an injury to yourself or anybody close by.” Add gas to the mower before starting it up, and she suggests if you need to refill the tank during the job, let it cool off first so there’s no risk of spilling fuel on any hot parts.

Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.