(Radio Iowa) – Two students have been accused of murdering a 66-year-old Fairfield high school teacher. On Tuesday, Nohema Graber was reported missing by family members. Her remains were discovered Wednesday in a local park. Authorities have charged Willard Miller, age 16, and Jeremy Goodale, age 16, with first degree homicide, a Class A felony. According to a news release from the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, the case against Miller and Goodale will be handled in adult court.

Graber was a Spanish teacher at Fairfield high school, where the two teenagers accused of her murder were students.

ATLANTIC- Cass County Public Health is holding a vaccination clinic on Wednesday, November 10th at the Cass County Community Center from 9 am to noon. This walk-in clinic will provide Moderna booster shots only to those who are eligible for a booster dose. Please note that vaccine availability is limited at this time; the boosters will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Patients need to bring their COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card with them to the event. If you have lost your card, please call 712-243-7443 and Public Health staff will assist you. The required consent forms can also be printed from casshealth.org/covidvaccine, saving patients time on the day of the clinic. Masks will be required during the clinic.

Booster Dose Eligibility:

You may have a preference, but you can receive get any booster shot. If it has been at least 6 months since you received your Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series, then you may be eligible for a booster. Those eligible include individuals:

• 65 years and older
• 18+ and live in a long-term care setting
• 18+ with underlying medical conditions
• 18+ who work or live in a high-risk setting

Patients are always encouraged to talk to their primary care provider about their questions and concerns regarding vaccines. More information about booster shots can be found at cdc.gov, vaccines.gov, or casshealth.org/covidvaccine.

(Glenwood) – Sheriff’s officials in Mills County today (Thursday) released information about a collision that had taken place at around 2:30-a.m Oct. 31st. The accident happened on the Wabash Trace Bicycle Trail somewhere south of Malvern, where a vehicle struck a bridge. Deputies located the unoccupied vehicle on the trail between 330th and 350th Streets near the bridge that crosses the Nishnabotna River. The vehicle sustained significant disabling damage. The wooden bridge sustained the same level of damage.

Photo courtesy Mills County Sheriff’s Office

The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was identified as 18-year-old Isaac Lopez, from Sidney, Iowa. He suffered minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital. Authorities cited Lopez for reckless driving and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Anyone with additional information about the incident is urged to contact the Mills County Sheriff’s Office.

[11/5 – slight edits throughout] (Atlantic, Iowa) – A jury in western Iowa, Thursday, was unable to come to an agreement in the first degree murder trial of a Cass County woman charged in the Oct. 7, 2019 death of an infant male in her care. Judge Amy Zacharius declared a mistrial and the jurors were released.

The Defense Attorney for Alison Dorsey, of Anita, DeShawne Bird-Sell announced the judge’s decision, and explained what happens next..

Dorsey remains free on bond until the case is tried again. Bird-Sell says it’s too early to say when and where that trial will be. Bird-Sell said she was disappointed by the outcome.

Bird-Sell could not speak to what parts of the evidence presented to the jury that they could not come to an agreement on. Bird-Sell was asked is she’s ready for another fight to prove Dorsey’s innocence.

The announcement, which came in the corridor outside of the courtroom, brought those who had attended the six-day trial, to tears. Alison Dorsey was 36-years-old when 11-week Luka Hodges presented labored breathing and showed signs of unresponsiveness at a home daycare she ran in Massena. The child and his brother had been dropped-off by their father, Nick Hodges, a little before 8-a.m., that day. About three hours later, Luka was gasping for air.

Dorsey called Hodges, who arrived moments later. Just as he walked through the door, Luka, who was being held by Dorsey, went limp and stopped breathing. Nick Hodges immediately began infant CPR. An on-duty Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived soon after and continued CPR. Additional EMS personnel quickly arrived on the scene.

Luka was transported to the Cass County Hospital in Atlantic, and then to Children’s Hospital in Omaha, where he died. His death was initially declared Shaken Baby Syndrome, but the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office report on the cause of death was inconclusive.

In addition to 1^st Degree Murder, Dorsey was charged with Child Endangerment with Bodily Injury resulting in death. Both are felonies. A guilty verdict on the murder charge would likely have resulted in life in prison, had she been convicted. The second charge carried a maximum of 25-years in prison.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Organizers with the “Festival of Trees,” report the longstanding tradition is returning to Cass County this holiday season. The multi-day event, sponsored by the Cass County Unit of the American Cancer Society, is set for December 2nd-5th of this year and will again be held at the Catholic Parish Center,105 West 5th Street in Atlantic. Cancelled last year due to the pandemic, co-chairs Deb Schuler and Vicki Nordskog say they are looking forward to welcoming back decorators and visitors alike when doors open on Thursday December 2nd at 10 AM. The last event, held in 2019, featured 52 trees, decorated in a variety of themes, as well as 10 other holiday themed displays such as a tribute to 100 years of Women’s Voting Rights, a sleigh collection in all sizes and varieties, and an operational Christmas train and village display.

In addition to helping spread holiday cheer, the festival serves as a fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society. Admission to the festival is a free will donation, and raffle tickets are also sold for attendees to win a chance at a variety of seasonal home and gift items. A special feature for this year’s raffle is a quilt hand-made by local youth Paige Baier, in addition to donated items such as wreaths, gift baskets and more!

New this year, a separate raffle is being held for a vintage, life-sized mechanical Santa. This Santa, most recently housed at the now-closed Coca-Cola museum in downtown Atlantic, has graced many downtown windows as early as the 1950s. This raffle kicked off at the 2021 Coca-Cola Days celebration in Atlantic, and Santa has been traveling to store-fronts around the downtown ever since. Tickets for this unique raffle can be purchased at any time prior to the drawing on December 5th- either at Santa’s current downtown location, the Atlantic Chamber, or at Festival of Trees where he will be on display.

Festival organizers are still accepting entries for display at the 2021 Festival of Trees. Any individual, group, business, or organization interested in contributing a tree or display for this year’s Festival of Trees should contact Schuler (debschuler4@gmail.com) or Nordskog (vjnbob@icloud.com) via email for more information. All displays must be pre-registered by November 12th so the committee can assign spaces in the floor plan. No ‘drop ins’ will be able to be accommodated.

The dates to set up a tree or display are Tuesday, November 30th, from 9 AM to 8 PM and Wednesday, December 1st, from 9 AM to 3 PM. Light refreshments will be provided during decorating. Trees and displays will be open to the public for viewing Thursday, December 2nd, through Sunday, December 5th, and tear down of displays will be on Sunday, December 5th, starting at 3 PM. Additional information about setup, teardown, and registering a display can be obtained by contacting organizers using the emails mentioned.

For those interested in attending the Festival of Trees, currently planned hours for visitors are Thursday, December 2nd from 10:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M., Friday, December 3rd from 10:00 A.M. to 6:30 P.M., Saturday, December 4th from 10:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M., and Sunday, December 5th from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

(Radio Iowa) – Organizations that helped rescue hundreds of dogs from a southern Iowa breeding operation cited for animal welfare abuses say it’s time for quicker and more aggressive action against what some call puppy mills. Tom Colvin of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa says animals at facilities connected to dog breeder Daniel Gingerich clearly were in distress for months.  “We will continue to push for Iowa lawmakers and federal lawmakers to do right by these animals,” Colvin says.

The evacuation of 514 dogs and puppies began October 13th. The rescue was completed November 3rd. “All dogs are now safe, are being brought to health and have been given a second chance at life,” Colvin says.

Seventy-five people with 18 transport vehicles rescued dogs and puppies from facilities near Seymour, Lamoni, Davis City, Promise City and Hazelton. U-S-D-A inspectors found 190 animal welfare violations at the facilities. Gingerich is now permanently banned from breeding and selling dogs. Many of the rescued dogs are at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, while others have been placed with agencies as far away as Tennesee and Milwaukee.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke reports a post-election audit of the November 2, 2021 City/School Election. The order comes from Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office. By random selection, Precinct 7 will be the precinct audited. The polling place location for Precinct 7 is the Villisca Community Room.

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office will conduct this audit on Monday, November 8, 2021, starting at 8:30 a.m. The audit will take place in the Board of Supervisor’s Meeting Room in the Courthouse, 105 E Coolbaugh Street, Red Oak. The proceedings will be open to the public.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Community Foundation has awarded $33,200 to Cass County nonprofit organizations and community projects during its Fall 2021 Grant Cycle. Including these most recent grants, the Cass County Community Foundation has distributed over $2.4 million in grants and scholarships over the last 23 years.

The following organizations are Fall 2021 Grant Recipients:

All grantees met the criteria as Cass County nonprofit agencies or organizations with charitable missions supporting community needs in the areas of civic engagement, culture, health, education, and social services. Only organizations providing services in Cass County were eligible to apply. These grant funds were made possible by the generosity of donors to the Cass County Community Foundation and the following charitable funds through the community foundation: Griswold Community Development Endowed Fund and Triumph Endowed Fund for Cass County.

The Cass County Community Foundation works with individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to create permanent and expendable funds that address changing, vital community needs and interests. To inquire about donating to the Cass County Community Foundation, please contact the Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa staff or any board member listed below. Gifts to permanently endowed funds through the Cass County Community Foundation may be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit.

The Cass County Advisory Board Members are Chair, Kristi Burg of Massena; Vice Chair, Mark D. Kyhnn, CPA of Atlantic; Secretary/Treasurer, Sue Hunt of Atlantic; Sandy Bierbaum of Griswold; and Gaylord Schelling of Atlantic. For information about donating or establishing an individual foundation/fund, please contact Stacey Goodman, Iowa Foundations Director, at 800-794-3458 or stacey@omahafoundation.org.

(Audubon, Iowa) – The Audubon County Community Foundation (ACCF) awarded $50,400 to Audubon County nonprofit organizations and community projects during its Fall 2021 Grant Cycle. Including these most recent grants, the Audubon County Community Foundation has distributed over $2.5 million in grants and scholarships over the last 24 years.

The following organizations are Fall 2021 Grant Recipients:

All grantees met the criteria as Audubon County nonprofit agencies or organizations with charitable missions supporting community needs in the areas of civic engagement, culture, health, education, and social services. Only organizations providing services in Audubon County were eligible to apply. These grant funds were made possible by the generosity of donors to the Audubon County Community Foundation and the following charitable funds allocated through the community foundation: Audubon Masonic Association Endowed Fund; Audubon State Bank/Stephen Garst Endowed Fund; Charles T. and Kathleen K. Manatt Endowed Fund; Leon and Iva Milliman Endowed Fund for Audubon County, Iowa; Fred and Evelyn Nissen Endowed Fund for Audubon; and Merle and Norma Petersen Endowed Fund.

The Audubon County Community Foundation works with individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to create permanent and expendable funds that address changing, vital community needs and interests. To inquire about donating to the Audubon County Community Foundation, please contact the Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa staff or any board member listed below. Gifts to permanently endowed funds through the Audubon County Community Foundation may be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit.

The Audubon County Community Foundation Advisory Board Members are Chair, Joel Hoegh of rural Brayton; Vice Chair, Steven B. Hansen of Audubon; Secretary/Treasurer, Megan Wagner of Audubon; Gina Benton of Exira, Bob Blomme of Audubon; Pat Kaiser of Audubon; and Donna Olson of Kimballton. For information about donating or establishing an individual foundation/fund, please contact Stacey Goodman, Iowa Foundations Director, at 800-794-3458 or stacey@omahafoundation.org.

DES MOINES – Gov. Reynolds released the following statement today (Thursday), in response to the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate rule:  “President Biden is taking dangerous and unprecedented steps to insert the federal government even further into our lives while dismissing the ability of Iowans and Americans to make health care decisions for themselves. Biden’s plan pits Americans against Americans, while forcing them to choose between making a living or standing up for their personal beliefs. Biden’s actions will only worsen the existing workforce shortages and supply chain issues that hinder our economic recovery.   

Reynolds adds, “I believe the vaccine is the best defense against COVID-19, but I also firmly believe in Iowans’ right to make healthcare decisions based on what’s best for themselves and their families, and I remain committed to protecting those freedoms. President Biden should do the same. We will take immediate legal action to challenge the Biden Administration’s rule on vaccine mandates for employees of companies employing 100 or more.”