An Atlantic man was arrested Monday on a charge of OWI/1st offense. The Atlantic P-D reports 22-year old Nigel Newberry was transported to the Cass County Jail and held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

(12-p.m. News)

Officials with the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce say a policy change has gone into effect regarding Chamber Gift Certificates. According to Chamber Director Dawn Cundiff, chamber gift certificates issued today, (October 1st) or later, will now only be redeemable at Chamber Member businesses only. A list of participating businesses will accompany the gift certificates.

The Chamber press release states the decision was made to enhance chamber businesses as they are responsible for making the gift certificate program possible. Chamber President Julie Harryman stated, “This change is honoring the request of our members as it is one of the benefits of their chamber membership.” All gift certificates issued prior to October 1st, will still be redeemable at any business in Shelby County.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

Officials in Shelby County today (Tuesday) discussed a levy error that inconvenienced the county’s treasurer’s office. In a board of Supervisors meeting, Shelby County Treasurer Carolyn Blum said the IKM-Manning School District levy rate error added an additional 110 hours of work load along with making 3,600 copies of tax payments to citizens, $500 to send out the statements and $200 in supplies. The tax levy occurred when the district submitted the wrong levy rate to four counties, Audubon, Carroll, Crawford and Shelby.

The good news was all four counties use the same software system and was not charged by the company. Shelby County Auditor Marsha Carter said that would have been an additional $10,000. Blum was asking for guidance from the board of supervisors on what to charge the district in terms of an hourly rate. The county handbook states certain circumstances but never to this degree. The board agreed to charge the research fee to the school district. A final billing statement will be reviewed by the Supervisors at their next meeting.

Marsha Carter also noted the county and city are working on a joint project to replace flags around the square in downtown Harlan. Carter said she’s had conversations with Harlan City Administrator Terry Cox to create a plan to replace the flags. She noted eventually the current flags will be removed. A timetable has not been established and the item will be brought up at a future supervisor’s meeting. Towards the end of the meeting, the Shelby County Supervisors approved two representatives to the compensation board along with 1 rural Shelby County resident to the Hotel/Motel Tax Committee.

Current representatives Ron Goodside and Ron Roseman were approved for the compensation board while Becky Miller of Portsmouth was approved to the Hotel/Motel Tax Committee. Supervisor Roger Schmitz reported the Supervisors are looking for another Shelby County resident for the Hotel/Motel Tax Committee. He said preferably the board would like a resident in the Irwin area so both sides of the county were represented. If you are a citizen in Shelby County interested in being a rural resident representative for the Hotel/Motel Tax Committee, contact the Shelby County Auditor’s office.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

A public hearing is set to take place Wednesday morning in Greenfield, with regard to a Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Amendment. The hearing will be held at 9:30-a.m. as part of Adair County Board of Supervisor’s meeting which begins at 9-a.m., and will be followed by action on a resolution approving the amendment, as well as a resolution on appropriations.

In other business, the Board will hear from County Engineer Nick Kauffman, with regard to box culvert extension bids; discuss a Geographic Information System (GIS) proposal, with Sidwell’s Mel Obbink; they’ll also hear from Speer Financial’s Larry Burger, with regard to General Obligation and Tax Increment Financing Bonds.

The Walnut City Council is expected to discuss and act on approving, Thursday, the first reading of an ordinance amending the speed limit on Highway 83, within the Walnut City limits. City Clerk Terri Abel says the Iowa Department of Transportation conducted a Speed Study. The study resulted in a recommendation of reducing the speed along Highway 83, and the Council has agreed with the recommendation. Following the first reading of the amended ordinance, the Council may decide to waive the second and third- readings of it, and move to adopt the recommendation.

In other business, the Council is expected to adopt a resolution pertaining to an updated Walnut Municipal Utilities’ Identity Theft Prevention Program, which Abel says must be reviewed and updated every year, in order to prove social security numbers and other vital information is secure. They’re also expected to set Halloween as the date for Trick or Treating, in Walnut.

The meeting at the Walnut City Hall begins at 5-p.m., Thursday.

Five Iowa schools are among 286 nationwide named 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools. The designation is based on a district’s overall academic excellence or their progress in improving student academic achievement. The schools named to the list includes: The Harlan Community High School, Meeker Elementary School in Ames, Hoover Elementary in Bettendorf, Taft Elementary in Humboldt and Okoboji Elementary.

Harlan Community superintendent Justin Wagner says the award is quite the honor. “A great honor for the staff, you know those are the folks in the trenches making the difference. I am really happy for them,” Wagner says. He says the process for being a blue ribbon school is complicated. “You have the Federal and State Government involved. Each state is allowed to nominate a certain amount of schools. They have a rigorous process that they have to go through; they call indicators of excellence they see in certain school districts before you get nominated,” Wagner says.

The superintendent says a lot of the process deals with the school’s academic achievement in regards to the Iowa assessment scores, and in Iowa, you have to be in the top 15 percent. All the National Blue Ribbon Schools will be honored at a recognition ceremony on November 18th and 19th in Washington, D-C. A few members of the Harlan staff will be going to the ceremony including a high school teacher, high school principal, a board member and the superintendent. Wagner said this is a proud moment for the district.

“It truly is an elite award. Again, we are just extremely excited and proud of the high school staff and the high school principal,” Wagner says. “But I will tell you this is a reflection of kids and staff as a whole.” Read more about the 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools at :www2.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/index.html.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report three, recent arrests. On Monday, 34-year old Brooke Eileen Pilcher, of Omaha, was arrested in Douglas County, NE, on a warrant for Failure to Appear on an OWI charge. Her bond was set at $5,000. That same day, 49-year old Timothy Albert Kruse, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension, No Insurance and for fraudulent use of registration. His bond was set at $900.

And, on Saturday, 21-year old Matthew James Maly, a homeless man, was arrested in Mills County for Driving While Barred, following a traffic stop near the intersection of Highwayts 59 and 34. His bond was set at $2,000.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (9.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS

ROCKWELL CITY, Iowa (AP) – A December trial has been scheduled for a 32-year-old Iowa man accused of killing a Rockwell City police officer. Corey Trott pleaded not guilty on Monday to a charge of first-degree murder. He’s suspected of shooting 37-year-old Jamie Buenting on Sept. 13, during an hours-long standoff with police at Trott’s house.

Trott’s trial is scheduled to begin Dec. 3. He’s being held in Webster County Jail.  Buenting was married and had two children.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS