(Radio Iowa) – Iowa hunters took more pheasants last fall than they have in the last 16 seasons D-N-R wildlife biologist, Todd Bogenschutz says there was a 62 percent increase in birds taken.

Bogenschutz estimates more than 83-thousand hunters took to the fields — which is up 32 percent — and is probably due to surveys that showed bird numbers up.

He says hunting seems to follow cycles.

The drought that had spread across Iowa the last couple of years actually benefited pheasant numbers.

Bogenschutz says the 2024 roadside survey concluded on August 15th and the results are expected to show a pheasant population slightly lower in some areas due to spring flooding.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman was arrested last Thursday for Willful Injury-Bodily Injury, and Child Endangerment. 41-year-old Rachel Christine Cruz-Davila, of Glenwood, was being held in the Mills County Jail on $7,000 bond.

Early Friday afternoon, Mills County Deputies arrested 35-year-old Krista Jo Lynn McKee, of Malvern, on a warrant for Failure To Appear. Her bond was set at $1,000.

Sunday afternoon, 40-year-old Colby Wayne Racine, of Essex, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, with bond set at $1,000.

And, Monday night, 74-year-old Terry Lee Stanley, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. His bond was also set at  $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – The state is accusing a southeast Iowa man of failing to check for underground utilities before hitting a natural gas line as he was digging a trench. Iowa’s so-called “One Call” law requires anyone planning an excavation to provide 48 hours advance notice, so underground utility lines can be marked.

The state’s lawsuit accuses Eric Fortune, Junior, of failing to make the call and using equipment that hit and damaged a one-inch natural gas line in Fort Madison that’s owned by MidAmerican Energy.According to the lawsuit, Fortune tried to repair the gas line himself rather than report the breach.

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has recently settled two other lawsuits with contractors who failed to follow Iowa’s “One Call” law.

(Radio Iowa) – The state auditor’s office has examined operations in the town of Zearing after the city’s former clerk missed two deadlines and the city was unable to collect property taxes for a year. Zearing City Clerk Karen Davis was fired in July of 2022 after she failed to file the city’s budget with the State. It was a 191-thousand dollar hit to the budget for the town of about 500 residents, because no property taxes could be collected. Residents of Zearing asked the State Auditor’s Office to review how their town’s finances are handled.

The general conclusion from the State Auditor’s report is that the Zearing City Council needs to exercise additional oversight of the city’s finances. The review found the city’s balance sheet was not kept up to date and one city employee was responsible for the city’s payroll, for handling cash and checks paid to the city and for paying all the city’s bills.

The State Auditor’s staff also reviewed when city funds were used to buy fuel and other items from a business owned by a member of the city council. The report concludes 72 charges were not properly supported with an invoice.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans are being warned to be very careful when posting videos of themselves on social media. Jim Temmer, with the Better Business Bureau, says criminals are using audio from online videos to fake people’s voices in scam calls.

Scammers are banking on people’s trust of you to trick them into other scams, he says, like sending money transfers or giving up personal information.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to only share your videos with your friends and family, and Temmer warns, keep a close eye on friend requests to make sure they’re not from phony accounts.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns today (Tuesday), released an updated list of candidates who have filed to run for county offices in Cass County. Sue Riggs has filed to run for one of four seats on the Cass County Ag Extension Council, in advance of the November 5th 2024 General Election.  The last day to file is Wednesday, Aug,, 21st.

County Office candidates (I= Incumbent, R= Republican, D= Democrat)

Supervisor – District 1

Stephen S. Green (I); R – from Atlantic

Supervisor – District 4

Steve Baier (I); R – Griswold

Supervisor – District 5

Bernard Pettinger (I); R – Anita

Phyllis Stakey (D) – Massena

County Auditor

Kathy Somers (I); R – Atlantic

County Sheriff (vote for 1)

John Westering (R) – Atlantic

Non-Party Political Organization (NPPO)

Cass County Ag Extension Council (Vote for 4)

Marcy J. Dorsey (R) – Atlantic

Sue Riggs

Soil & Water Conservation District (Vote for 3)

Terry Langan (R) – Griswold

Hospital Board (Vote for 3)

Leanne Pellet (I) (R) – Atlantic

Linda L. Pelzer (I) (R) – Griswold

Ned Brown (I) (R) – Atlantic

Union Township Trustee

Delmar South (R) – Cumberland

PUBLIC MEASURE A: EMS FUNDING via Local Option Income Surtax & Assessed property valuation tax

Shall the Cass County Board of Supervisors, upon recommendation by the Cass County EMS Advisory Council, for the purpose of funding emergency medical services in Cass County, including, but not limited to, ambulance service, personnel, and equipment, be authorized, for a period of 15 years, to 1) levy and impose a local option income surtax of one percent upon the state individual income tax of each individual taxpaper who is a resident of Cass County on December 31 for each calendar year commencing with the calendar year 2025, and 2) levy and impose an ad valorem tax not exceeding seventy-five cents per one thousand dollars of assessed valuation on all taxable property within Cass County commencing with the levy of property taxes for collection in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026?

PUBLIC MEASURE B: CAM CSD General Obligation Bond issuance

Shall the Board of Directors of the CAM Community School District in the Counties of Adair, Adams, Audubon, and Cass, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $22,500,000 to provide funds to construct, furnish and equip a classroom addition to the High School building; to remodel, repair, improve, furnish and equip exterior and interior portions of the existing High School building, including mechanical, electrical, and fire systems improvements, secure entry improvements, and technology and security improvements; and improve the site?

Due to recent legislation and House File 718 public notice is required for any question of issuing bonds or other indebtedness.  The Cass County Auditor’s office will be sending out these notices on Public Measure B to all registered voters in the CAM School District.  The notice will have the full text of the public measure and will be sent out in October (10-20 days before the election).

Both Public Measures need 60% to pass.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports 45-year-old William Jensen, of Glenwood, was arrested Monday on a charge of Theft in the  5th Degree, and Trespassing. His bond was set at $600.

Atlantic, Iowa – Cass Health is hosting “Glow & Grow: A Women’s Health Retreat” during the first week of September at Bluebird Hill Event Venue in Atlantic. The goal of the retreat is to empower women to prioritize their well-being, embrace self-care, and create healthy futures by connecting them to local professionals from Cass Health. Held over three days, each evening’s focus will be geared to a different age group.

Cass Health Director of Marketing and Communications Ann McCurdy says this is a first-ever event.

McCurdy says each of the evenings programs will be different and focus on different stages of life.

Each evening is scheduled from 5 pm to approximately 9 pm, and the agenda includes keynote speakers, dinner and dessert, vendor booths, information on skincare, nutrition, pelvic floor health, and postural strength training. Vendors include Homebody, Meadow & Charm, Revel Salon & Boutique, Nishna Valley YMCA, and Cass Health Med Spa.

Free childcare is available for Tuesday and Wednesday evening thanks to a partnership with the YMCA and the Ann W. Wickman Childcare Center. Attendees needing childcare must register by August 28th.

Tickets for each evening are only $15 and available online at casshealth.org/glowandgrow. Tickets can also be purchased at the Cass Health Gift Shop. A limited number of discounted tickets are available through Cass County Public Health; call 712-243-7546 for details. Questions about the event can be directed to the Marketing & Communications Department at 712-243-7405.

Four Women Managing Farmland Forums and Annie’s Project 20th Anniversary Celebrations will be offered across the state the first week of September. Cass County Extension will host the Southwest Iowa location on Sept. 3 in Atlantic. Other dates and locations include Sept. 4 in Iowa City, Sept. 5 in West Union and Sept. 6 in Storm Lake. All events are FREE to attend and feature a complimentary meal and full day of education. Pre-registration is required for meals and materials.

Targeted to any women involved in the agriculture industry, these one-day regional forums are a valuable opportunity to refresh your conservation, leasing and estate management skills while networking with other women in agriculture. Topics will include soil erosion and water management, landowner responsibilities and the economics of farmland, as well as trusts, taxes and succession planning.

Women of all ages make important decisions about land leasing, conservation practices and transition and estate plans. The forums are designed to help attendees meet their long-term farmland management goals. By combining strategies, women can create equitable farmland leasing, adoption of conservation practices and efficiencies in transitions to next generation farmers.

Well over 3,000 Iowa women have completed Annie’s Project or Annie’s Inspired multi-session farm management courses since 2004. Nearly 1,000 women participated in Women in Ag Leadership conferences since 2017. The changes these women made not only benefited their families, farms, and agribusinesses, but also contributed to a stronger Iowa agricultural system through financially stable businesses, improved conservation practices and closer community networks.

The forums are a thank-you to all those who made Annie’s Project a successful program in Iowa and a welcome to all those who haven’t yet participated. Over the noon hour, there will be a pictorial slide show celebrating and honoring the contributions and milestones of Iowa women in agriculture over the past twenty years.

Did you know …

• The number of Iowa women farmers counted in the USDA Census of Agriculture increased from 27,258 in 2002, to 50,263 in 2022?
• The percentage of women enrolled in Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences increased from 43% in Fall 2003, to 59% in Fall 2023?

Each regional forum will be slightly different. Doors for the Cass County event on September 3 open at 9:30 AM. We will start our morning with refreshments, time for networking, and resource tables for participants to visit while they connect. Over the lunch hour we will celebrate 20 years of Annie’s Project and Women in Ag programming in Iowa. Wrap up the day with fun door prize giveaways and leave refreshed with new information and new connections in ag!

Registration is free and required so that everyone has a chair and a lunch. Local agendas and online registration can be found at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/womeninag.  Sign up today and save your seat at this fun and informational event to celebrate and connect local women in ag!

This program is financially supported by a USDA NIFA Critical Agriculture Research and Education grant (2021-68008-34180) and a Farm Credit Services of America gift through the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Women in Ag program.