At least three area school district Boards of Education will hold their regular, separate monthly meetings this evening. The Griswold School Board meeting gets underway at 5:30-p.m. in the Central Office at the Middle School/High School Building. On their agenda is the second reading of series 403, 410, and 705 Board Policies, and information with regard to the Facilities Committee, followed by approval of the 2016-17 School Improvement Committee and other, administrative matters.

In Anita, the CAM School Board meeting begins at 6:30-p.m. in the CAM High School Media Center, and includes the annual election of School Board officers and other administrative matters for the 2016-17 school year. The CAM Board will also discuss Anita Parking lot improvements for Henningsen Construction, the Massena Bus lane for PCS Contractors, and act on contracts for Lexi Winther (para-educator), as well as Nicholas Hodges (Middle School A.D.).

And in Audubon, the School Board will meet at 7-p.m. in their Board Room at the High School. On their agenda, is the election of officers and related administrative matters, approval of a Building and Grounds Equipment request, admittance of a Foreign Exchange Student, and a review of preliminary enrollment numbers as well as the preliminary PPEL/SAVE plan.

U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is scheduled to meet with egg producers and industry leaders this Wednesday (9/21) to discuss issues with raising cage free eggs. The demand for cage free eggs is rising, but Vilsack questions whether consumers realize what it takes to make that possible. United Egg Producers President Chad Gregory says around 90 percent of egg farms currently produce eggs through conventional methods. “To switch that 90 percent over to cage free, we’re looking at $45 per bird. So, a one million bird egg farm – which is about average these days – would cost $45 million dollars,” Gregory says.

Around 160 companies have committed to selling cage free eggs, according to Gregory. Given what they need to meet demand, he says it’s a significant investment. “The food companies and retailers who have made these announcements so far, they have collectively buy around 200 million birds on an annual basis. So you take those 200 million birds, times $45.00 per bird, and you get somewhere around 8 to 10 billion dollars,” Gregory says.

Switching to cage free doesn’t happen overnight, Gregory adds, and companies will need to make huge investments in time and resources to meet the goal of supplying only cage free eggs. Iowa is the nation’s top egg producer, with roughly 60 million laying hens producing nearly 15 billion eggs per year.

(Radio Iowa/Brownfield Ag News)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:10 a.m. CDT

GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) — Glenwood Police arrest a 27-year-old Ohio man as a suspect in shooting death of an 18-year-old woman in western Iowa. Police say the woman was shot outside the assisted living center where she worked. The victim and the suspect knew each other.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The space used to treat patients at a now-closed state mental health institute in southwest Iowa is reopening under new management. The Iowa Department of Corrections is expected to sign a contract this month with a company to lease four wards at the facility once known as Clarinda Mental Health Institute. Zion Recovery Services offers substance abuse treatment. The three-year contract could complicate any effort to reopen the space as a state-run mental health facility.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Cedar Falls Police Department raises $30,000 in donations to buy body cameras for the rest of its officers. The donations will help the department equip all its officers with the cameras instead of trying to share 15 cameras between shifts and officers.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities arrest man after he hit two men with his truck and crashed into a concession stand at a baseball complex near Des Moines. One victim was in hospitalized in critical condition afterward.

Authorities in Mills County say one person is dead and another was taken into custody following a shooting Saturday night, in Glenwood. During a press conference Sunday afternoon, officials said 18-year old Kathryn Weber was found shot outside of the Linwood Estates assisted living center, where she worked, when police were called at around 6:30-p.m. Saturday. The Mills County Attorney’s office says officers found Weber bleeding and lying on the ground when they arrived. She wasn’t responsive and died before she could be taken to a hospital.

Following an investigation, 27-year old Mark Alan Troutman, of Sylvania, OH, was arrested at the Western Inn in Glenwood, just before 8-p.m.  Troutman faces a  felony 1st degree murder charge in connection with the incident. He was being held in the Mills County Jail on $5 million bond.

Investigators say anyone with further information about the incident should call the Glenwood Police Department at 712-527-4844.  Glenwood Police, officials with the Iowa DCI and Mills County Attorney’s Office assisted in the death investigation.

Shooting suspect Mark Troutman

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The space used to treat patients at a now-closed state mental health institute in southwest Iowa is reopening under new management. The Iowa Department of Corrections is expected to sign a contract this month with a company to lease four wards at the facility once known as Clarinda Mental Health Institute. Zion Recovery Services, which offers substance abuse treatment, wants to expand its residential services.

The three-year contract could complicate any effort to reopen the space as a state-run mental health facility. The Iowa Supreme Court is in the midst of reviewing a lawsuit that challenges Gov. Terry Branstad’s decision last year to close the institute along with a facility in Mount Pleasant. Attorneys for plaintiffs in the lawsuit want the closed centers to reopen.

Authorities in Glenwood say one person was taken into custody as a result of the investigation into the shooting on the night of September 17th, 2016. In  a press release, Police Chief Eric Johansen said the investigation is ongoing and they will be releasing additional information at a press conference later today (1-p.m.), along with representatives from the Mills County Attorney’s Office and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Investigators request that anyone with further information about the incident to contact the Glenwood Police Department at 712-527-484

At least 320 people are needed to participate in a week-long Bible Reading Marathon that begins Monday, in Atlantic. Sheryl Iekel, event organizer, says the bible will be read on the east lawn of the Cass County Courthouse from 7-a.m. until 7-p.m. each day, Monday through next Sunday. Persons wanting to partake in reading a segment of the bible will do so in 15-minute blocks of time, beginning with Genesis and ending in Revelation.

Time may be shared or anyone may sign-up for more than one segment. In addition to readers, 80 assistants are needed for two-hour shifts, to help with registration and other matters. To participate, call or text message Sheryl Iekel at 712-249-6120, or e-mail cassbiblereading@gmail.com. Include your name, the number of people in your group who are participating, contact information and how you would like to help and/or time preference to read.

The Cass County event was approved by the Board of Supervisors earlier this month. It’s part of a 99-County Bible Reading Marathon that began with an April 26th proclamation by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad that encouraged Iowans to read the bible in front of all the courthouses in the State. The first sessions took place June 30th through July 3rd at some 50 courthouses around the State. Branstad, in his proclamation, also encouraged “Individuals and families in Iowa to read the Bible on a daily basis each year, until the Lord comes.”

The Cass County Democratic Party is sponsoring a Food Drive to help stock the shelves of county food banks. County Chair Sherry Toelle (Tell-ee) said “While we generally have done this drive in the weeks preceding the holidays, this year—due to the elections—we are holding the drive earlier than usual. People can drop non-perishable food items, household supplies, paper products, and personal care products at our Atlantic Headquarters at 511 Chestnut during regular working hours through October 15th.”

Toelle said also, “We will then distribute the items to food banks across the county. Like our school supply drive, this is a non-partisan activity that we choose to sponsor to help the needy throughout the county. We welcome donations from any citizen or group.”

Questions can be directed to Sherry Toelle at 243-4861 or the Cass County Democratic Headquarters at 243-7771.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:15 a.m. CDT

SANDUSKY, Iowa (AP) — At least 15 people have been arrested during a protest intended to block the construction of a major oil pipeline through southeast Iowa. More than 150 protesters gathered at the work site entrance of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline in Sandusky, a Mississippi River town across the river from Illinois and five miles north of Missouri

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Officials in Council Bluffs say they aren’t worried that a proposed new casino in Cedar Rapids will divert business away from their city’s three casinos. The Daily Nonpareil reports that local gaming officials say the casino would likely have a limited impact if it gets built.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A former eastern Iowa jail clerk has admitted to misappropriating at least $169,000 from the Scott County sheriff’s office. The Quad-City Times reports that Jennifer Wierson, a former senior account clerk, pleaded guilty Friday to a federal charge of theft from a government receiving federal program funds. Wierson was fired in 2015.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A late-night fire in Waterloo has destroyed a mobile home. KWWL-TV reports that the fire started around 11 p.m. Friday. The flames spread quickly and destroyed the home. Neighbors say a woman inside the house was able to get out safely on her own. Two men helped a dog get out of the home.

Iowa Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta said late Saturday evening, that a prisoner who failed to report back to the Ft. Des Moines Work Release Facility (WRF) Friday, and was listed as escaped, has been apprehended.

39-year old Ronnie Lamare Johnson was listed as escaped when he didn’t return to the facility after completing his assignment at his employer.

Ronnie L. Johnson

He was transferred to Work Release on Aug.18th, 2016. Johnson was serving a 10-year sentence for two counts of 2nd Degree Robbery out of Polk County.