The Audubon School Board, Monday evening, was notified of a change in classification of their football program from Class A to an 8-player team. Superintendent Brett Gibbs told KJAN News “We will be small enough to play 8-player football, starting next year.” He said “There’s been some talk around town about whether we were or we weren’t so we just wanted to make sure the Board was well aware of where we were at. Our coaches came [to the meeting], and their recommendation is that we do 8-player football. ”

Audubon School District Superintendent Brett Gibbs

Gibbs said “It looks to me like that at least for sure the next two-years we’ll be small enough. The next time they count [enrollment] the number’s 115…we’ll be right around that number in grades nine through 11. Things might change, but it looks like we could be an 8-player school now, going forward.”  He said also the Board approved a change in a cooperative sharing agreement for swimming, from Carroll to Atlantic, beginning with the 2016-17 school year. The move really only affects one or two students.

And, Gibbs said the Audubon School Board discussed a preliminary three-year building and grounds plan. The District he says, just wrapped-up its current 3-year building and grounds plan, which involved remodeling the elementary school, upgraded the football and track facilities. The Building and Grounds Committee met and drafted a list of priorities for future projects and presented that to the Board, which will act on finalizing the plans during their meeting in December, depending on [legislative] funding.

Gibbs said hopefully the legislature can stop handling the issue of Supplemental Aid like a political football and set the rate and get that information to school districts as quickly as possible, so school boards can set their budget.

An Underwood man was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison on sexual abuse and gun charges. The Daily NonPareil reports as part of a plea agreement, 50-year old Michael Weiss pleaded guilty to two amended counts of third-degree sexual abuse.

A third charge of second-degree sexual abuse was dismissed by Fourth Judicial District Chief Judge Jeffrey Larson. Weiss was also facing charges of owning a firearm as a felon. Larson sentenced Weiss to five years in prison for the gun charge, but it will run concurrent with the sexual abuse sentence, so Weiss will not receive additional time behind bars.

Weiss was arrested July 6th on a weapons charge, after he allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired three rounds, none of which struck a 37-year-old man, during a dispute over the storage of property. Weiss also pleaded guilty to weapon charges in 2006.  Weiss had been out on bond when he was arrested Aug. 13th on the sex abuse charges.

When he’s released from prison, Weiss will remain on parole for the rest of his life and will have to register as sex offender for the rest of his life.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A Council Bluffs woman has been given 20 years in prison for aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of her daughter. The Daily Nonpareil reports that 37-year old Catherine Provancha also had pleaded guilty to lascivious acts. Prosecutors modified one of the charges and dropped two other counts in exchange for her pleas.  The woman’s former boyfriend has been charged with several felony sex abuse counts.

Police say Provancha told investigators that she saw the boyfriend sexually abuse her daughter over several years, starting when the girl was younger than 10. The woman told police she witnessed the abuse as many as seven times and never reported it or protected her daughter.

A regular meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors is set to take place 8:30-a.m. Wednesday, at the courthouse in Atlantic. During the session, the Board will discuss and/or take action on: Amending the Cass County Investment Policy; How a telephone-based emergency paging system in the courthouse works – representatives of Access Systems will be on hand to answer the Board’s questions; and, the Board will act on a Resolution determining the depositories for public funds belong to the County.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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SAC CITY, Iowa (AP) – An 18-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced next month for the crash deaths of two teenage girls in northwest Iowa. The Sioux City Journal reports that Trevor Feauto, of Clarksville, pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of felony vehicular homicide. His sentencing is set for Dec. 14.

Sac County authorities say Feauto was driving drunk on Aug. 23, 2014, when his pickup crashed into a car near the town of Breda. Sixteen-year-olds Bailey Jacobsen and Lindsey Quirk were killed. Both were Wall Lake residents.

A traffic stop early this (Tuesday) morning, in Fremont County, resulted in the driver of the vehicle being arrested on numerous drug charges. The Sheriff’s Office reports Trenton Levi Jordan, of Riverton, faces charges that include Delivery of Methamphetamine, Possession of numerous pieces of drug paraphernalia, Possession of prescription medication, and additional methamphetamine.

He was stopped in the 2500 block of Highway 275 and after an investigation, placed under arrest. Jordan was transported to the Fremont County Law Enforcement Center and held on a $100,000 cash bond.

The area’s top news at 7:07-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Governor Terry Branstad says some health care providers are trying to scare the public about the state’s transition to a privately managed Medicaid system. Branstad was asked Monday about the concerns some providers have expressed that they won’t get paid as much under the new system, and some smaller providers might have to go out of business. “Well, that’s just not true. Actually if they become providers under the new system, they’ll get paid at the same level,” Branstad says.

He says the new fees may be based more on outcomes than procedures performed, which could mean lower profits for some providers. “There’s a lot of misinformation being put out by some people who are trying to scare people. You know, I don’t like these scare tactics, I think we need to give people accurate information,” Branstad says. “What we’re doing is what 26 states have already done, including big states like New York and California. Some of the same providers — three of the four we’re looking at — are already providers, providing Medicaid services in the state of New York.”

Branstad says the new system is being phased in. “I understand some providers kind of like the current system, because the more procedures you do, the more you get paid,” according to Branstad. The governor was asked again if some providers might go out of business. “No, no, this is all a scare tactic. Now listen, the providers all they have to do is sign a contract and they will get reimbursed at the same level,” Branstad replied. The privately managed plan is set to go into effect on January 1st.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller took part in a news conference in Washington, D.C., Monday, as federal Department of Justice and Education officials announced a $95.5 million dollar “false claims” settlement with a for-profit education company. Education Management Corporation (EDMC), based in Pennsylvania, operates 110 schools in 32 states. Miller said EDMC was accused of deceptive marketing and recruitment practices and making false claims about job placement.

“There are broad prohibitions about unfair, deceptive, and misleading claims made in the recruitment process…and abusive recruitment methods,” Miller said. Brown Mackie College in Bettendorf is among the colleges owned and operated by EDMC. More than 600 former Iowa students will have roughly a half million dollars in loans forgiven under the settlement.

“There are provisions for forgiveness of loans in this agreement with EDMC…$102.8 million in loans owed to EDMC. That’s about 80,000 students and $1,370 on average,” Miller said. EDMC is the second largest for-profit education company in the country. About 90 percent of its revenue comes from taxpayers in the form of federal education funding.

(Radio Iowa)