(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood report two arrests. 57-year-old Sherry Harvey, of Glenwood, was arrested today (Tuesday), for Theft. Her bond was set at $300, but Harvey was released on her Own Recognizance.

And, 31-year-old Antonia Hudson,  of Red Oak, was arrested in Glenwood on Sunday, for criminal mischief 4th degree. Hudson was released after posting a $1,000 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak have arrested a man on a felony, Theft, charge. 29-year-old Tylor Daniel Fine, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at a residence in the 100 block of E. Nuckols Street at around 9:45-a.m. today (Tuesday). He was charged with Theft in the 2nd Degree [>$1,500 but < $10,000] (a Class-D Felony). Fine was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Libraries in Kossuth County are facing nearly $200,000 in budget cuts. Kossuth County Library Association president Lany Mitchell said that cut in county funding means each of the county’s 12 libraries will get about $7000 in county support during the next fiscal year. “A $7000 per year funding is literally a death knell for at least four of the libraries here,” Mitchell said. The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors met with area residents for nearly two hours Monday afternoon to hear their concerns. Library officials learned just last week that the county would be reducing their funding. Mitchell is director of the public library in the small community of Wesley.

“I believe (the library director in) Fenton said that even if she worked for free, that $7000 wouldn’t make the library operational for Fenton,” Mitchell said. “Seven grand doesn’t even keep the lights on and the internet paid for. I can’t stress enough how that’s going to be ugly for a lot of libraries.”

In the current fiscal year, Kossuth County provided over $270,000 for libraries in 12 communities. For several facilities, that county funding is the vast majority of the library’s budget. Cutting library hours is not an option for many, as state funding gets cut if a library isn’t open for at least 20 hours a week. The Kossuth County Supervisors made the decision to cut library funding at a budget workshop two months ago, but didn’t inform the county libraries. Supervisor Carter Nath said that decision was a mistake. “I will take as a portion of that responsibility making that decision on February 22 in a budget workshop that you were never notified,” Nath said, “and that was wrong.”

Photo courtesy of Public Library in Wesley, population 383.

Board Chairman Kyle Stecker said budget cuts would have to be made to restore funding for the county’s libraries. “I would personally support restoring library funding to the levels in the current budget in the form of a budget amendment after the fiscal year starts if we as a board can come up with an agreement in reductions to the secondary road budget to the tune of $200,000 plus for Fiscal Year ’25,” he said.

Kossuth County library leaders say that leaves them in limbo, not knowing whether the budget cut will be rescinded and they’ll be able to stay open.

(Radio Iowa) – Nominations are now being taken to recognize Iowa farmers who go above and beyond to conserve resources and the environment. The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is in its 73rd year of awarding the Iowa Conservation Farmer of the Year, which honors Iowa farmers committed to environmental stewardship and conservation. Farm Bureau president Brent Johnson says while Iowa is well known for its production capabilities, the award is a chance to highlight the conservation work. “We actually lead the nation in so many different conservation practices, and a lot of that is born on the farm directly, through innovation provided by farmers to implement new ways of conserving their resources and the environment around them,” said Johnson. “They’re doing a fantastic job, and there are so many good stories to tell.”

One nominee is selected from all 99 counties and will be considered for nine regional awards. Those nine individuals would then vie for “Conservation Farmer of the Year.” Johnson notes they are also looking for individuals who have continued innovating their conservation practices. “Those folks who have been involved in conservation practices for a long time, trying some new things and figuring out what works and what doesn’t work — making those tweaks and advancing in those areas,” Johnson says. “Those are the types of people whose stories we are looking to share with other farmers — those who have that ‘lead-by-example’ kind of mentality.”

The winner of this year’s award — announced at the Iowa State Fair in August — will also receive free use of a John Deere 5-M Series utility tractor for up to 12 months or 200 hours. Over the years, Johnson says he has heard of various ways farmers go about preserving the land and their resources. “I’ve heard of farmers using CREP water lands where they’ll use tile to fill up a pond and then rewater those acres so there’s water circulation,” he said. “There’s various different types of structures being put onto farms to help with water flow or soil erosion and then you can talk about buffer strips, bio-reactors, and terraces. There are so many good stories that are being implemented out there.”

Nominations are due May 10th, and forms are available at cdiowa.org/awards. The prize, valued at over $12,000, was donated by Van Well Equipment of Perry and John Deere.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Master Gardeners have a busy month planned in May! On Saturday May 11, the group will host their annual Spring Plant Sale on the Cass County Fairgrounds. A few weeks later, on Wednesday May 22, the annual Master Gardener Bus Trip will leave from the fairgrounds for a day of education, garden exploration and plant nursery shopping. Any interested member of the public is invited to both events to help kick off the start of the gardening season!

The Plant Sale begins at 8 AM on May 11 , and will be held in the front parking lot of the Cass County Community Center on the fairgrounds at 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic. The event promises to have a wide variety of perennials available for gardeners to add to their landscape this year, as well as lawn tools, décor, and gardening books. Interested gardeners are encouraged to arrive early for best selection. All items will be sold for a free will offering, with all proceeds used to support Master Gardener community grants, scholarships, and other projects around the county. A resource table with information on gardening topics and local projects will also be available.

For the annual spring sale, Cass County Master Gardeners offer a variety of perennial and annual plants from their own gardens, as well as plants dug from gardens in the local area. The Atlantic FFA chapter and horticulture students will again be set up at the plant sale, offering food plants and flowering annuals for sale. All FFA plants will be sold at a separate booth and individually priced. Information will also be available on student plant sales from other Cass County schools. Community members are welcome to donate plants to this event, and members may even help you dig! If you are dividing perennials in your yard this spring and have extra plants to donate, please call in advance and make arrangements to drop off donated plants before the date of the plant sale.

The annual Bus Trip on May 22 features a full day of garden visits, educational activities, and a chance to explore and shop specialty plant nurseries. The trip heads north this year, and includes stops near Wall Lake, Odebolt, Auburn and Lake View. The bus departs the fairgrounds in Atlantic at 8 AM and returns around 6:30 PM. The trip is coordinated by the Cass County Master Gardeners but is open to everyone.  Registrations are taken on a first-come basis, so register soon and be sure to reserve your spot on the bus! The cost is $65 for the day, which includes transportation, a meal and snacks. Registration forms are available at the Cass County Extension office and can also be found on the Cass County Extension website at www.exension.iastate.edu/cass. A full itinerary is on each registration form.

The goal of the Master Gardener program is to provide community service and education in horticulture.  The Cass County Master Gardeners utilize funds raised from their annual spring and fall plant sales for local community projects, include maintaining community garden spaces around the county, providing education programs to youth and adults, and providing financial support to local horticulture projects. Other upcoming events from the Master Gardeners include a local garden walk at the end of June and the fall plant sale on September 14. Master Gardeners will also be providing education to community members at events throughout the summer and offering the opportunity to train as a new Master Gardener beginning later this summer.

For more information about the plant sale, bus trip, and other Master Gardener activities in Cass County, please call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132, or email Cass County Extension Director and Master Gardener Coordinator Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu.  In addition, you are invited to follow the Cass County Master Gardeners at their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CassCoMG or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/master-gardener-program to keep up with local events and tips for gardening and learn more about becoming a Master Gardener in Iowa!

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports five arrests. Three people were arrested on separate charges last Friday:

• 45-year-old Arron Lee Kroner, of Kansas City, MO, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance (Bond $1,000).
• 19-year-old Jonathan Michael Young, of Glenwood, was arrested for Public Intoxication (Bond $300).
• Matthew Dakota Kerbo, of Malvern, was arrested April 19th at the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office, on a Mills County warrant for Failure To Appear. (Bond $5,000)

On April 21st, 35-year-old Deaneglo Octobobius Riley, of Red Oak, was arrested April 19th, for OWI/1st offense; Driving While Revoked/Denied; Assault on a Law Officer w/out injury; and Reckless Driving. (Bond $3,300).

And, on April 17th, 34-year-old Sandra Marie Martin, of Malvern, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order and Harassment in the 3rd Degree. She was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors have passed resolutions pertaining to a FY23-24 Budget Amendment and FY24-25 County Budget. (A link to the Budget Presentation can be found HERE.

Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert presented to the Board a 10-year, 28-E Agreement with Mills County, for the sharing of Portable Temporary Traffic Signals, which Mills County will pay for through a $60,000 Iowa Department of Transportation TSIP (Transportation Safety Improvement Program) grant.

Engineer Albert also updated the Board on current projects, including the L Avenue and 250^th Street Bridge projects.

She spoke also about the Highway 34 project that is currently underway. Construction crews, she said, have closed the southern half of the intersection of 34 and 4th Street, to prepare for the widening of Highway 34.

In other business, the Montgomery County Supervisors approved a merit increase of 63-cents per hour for Maintenance Director Dan Wright, and they set May 7^th at 8:45-a.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on vacating an unimproved alley in the unincorporated town of Stennett, between East Depot and Wayne Streets.

They also passed a resolution regarding elected officials compensation, with a 15% decrease in the Compensation Board recommendations as follows, effective July 1, 2024. Vice Chair Charla Schmid…

The Board’s next regular meeting is April 30^th at 8:30-a.m.

(Griswold, Iowa) – [UPDATED] Five people were overcome by the effects of natural gas this morning, in Griswold. A construction crew hit a gas line near the Griswold Care Center at around 8:45-a.m., prompting a call to MidAmerican Energy to shut the line off.  Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon told KJAN News, the patients affected were treated at the scene for light-headedness and nausea. None of the patients required transport to the hospital.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, by a vote of 4-to 1, passed a Resolution setting the Compensation Schedule for Elected Officials, as recommended by the Cass County Compensation Board. Supervisor Richter was the lone No vote. Their action followed a Public Hearing (during which there were no comments) on the proposed Fiscal year 2024-2025 Cass County Budget.

Board Chair Steve Baier read the resolution as passed:

The final salary adjustments for elected officials approved by the Supervisors, therefore, is as follows:

The Board then passed a Resolution Adopting the FY2025 County Budget and Certification of Taxes, and, following a Public Hearing, passed – by a vote of 4-to 1, a Resolution vacating a portion of Chicago Road west of 770^th Street, south of I-80 & north of Anita. Supervisor Mark O’Brien was the lone No vote.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports four people were arrested on separate charges, Monday. Late Monday morning, 48-year-old Timothy Linn Williams, of Creston, was arrested at his residence on a Union County Warrant for Maintaining a Drug House/and-or-Vehicle, Failure to affix Drug Tax Stamp, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Intent to Deliver Marijuana, and Possession of a Controlled Substance-Marijuana 1st Offense. Williams was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on $13,300 cash or surety bond.

Monday afternoon, 27-year-old Starla Murray, of Creston, was arrested on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Murray was cited and released on Promise to Appear. And, 44-year-old Brenda Ellen Williams, of Creston, was arrested at her residence on a Union County Warrant for Keeping a premises or Vehicle for Controlled Substance, Failure to affix Drug Tax Stamp, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and 2 counts Possession of a Controlled Substance-Marijuana/2nd Offense. Williams was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on $14,300 cash or surety bond.

Monday evening, 45-year-old Brady Gale Richert, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County Warrant for Violation of No Contact/Protective Order-Contempt. Richert was taken to the Union County Jail and held without bond.