(Pottawattamie County, IA) –  This (Wednesday) morning, petition signatures to trigger a special election were submitted to the County Auditor by the Western Iowa Labor Federation (WILF AFL-CIO) and the Concerned Citizens of Pottawattamie County (CCPC) coalition. The petition will begin the process for an August 1st, 2023 vote where Pottawattamie County residents, for the first time, will be given the opportunity to decide how they want to elect their County Board of Supervisors.

In a statement issued following the petition submission, Jennifer Pellant, President of the Western Iowa Labor Federation, AFL-CIO said “In the last few months, we’ve talked to more than 4,000 Pottawattamie County residents about switching to Plan Three, and the overwhelming response to those conversations was ‘that makes sense. Today, we have given the voters of Pottawattamie County the chance to choose for themselves. We have given them a chance to choose a plan where they will get better representation from someone who understands, firsthand, the challenges in their part of the county. That Plan is Plan Three.”

Geri Frederiksen with Concerned Citizens of Pottawattamie County believes that a county [the size of Pott.County], the second largest in Iowa, makes it more difficult to compete as the population density growth of the county has been primarily the Council Bluffs metro – the furthest western edge. “A rural school teacher from Oakland who might want to run for office cannot currently compete with the political machine of Council Bluffs. Districting is an opportunity to let the citizens of rural communities believe it IS possible to run for office and win in a county as big as Pottawattamie County!,” Fredericksen said.

Doug Irwin, Business Consultant and Co-Chair of CCPC said of the petition, “The change that we are asking for is uncomfortable for certain people, primarily the current Board, and voters are asking for more input on how that Board is selected.” Officials say 2,919 total signatures (10% of the previous 2022 general election turnout) were required to activate the election, and the coalition ultimately turned in 3,993 signatures. Most of those signatures were collected through an aggressive canvassing campaign at the courthouse and community events across the entire county in the last three months.

“Plan Three makes the most sense to represent all voters of Pottawattamie County.  We all live here, and we all deserve representation, even rural residents like myself,” says Shawna Anderson, business owner, member of CCPC, and rural Pottawattamie County resident.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Community School District have announced the hiring of a new ACSD Middle School Principal. Current ACSD Elementary PE Teacher, Casey Pelzer applied for the position and met with representatives in the form of: a parent group, ACSD Administration, the ACSD School Board, the incoming superintendent, students, and AMS staff late last week. Pelzer was then offered the position and has accepted the role of ACSD Middle School Principal, effective July 1, 2023.

Pelzer assumes the role of ACSD Middle School Principal after current Principal Scot Aden announced his resignation earlier this spring. Casey Pelzer’s new appointment to ACSD Middle School Principal is expected to be formally approved at the June 14th School Board Meeting.

Casey Pelzer (right), and wife Haley (Twitter photo)

(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowa parents may now begin applying for 76-hundred dollars in state funding to cover private school tuition for their children today (Wednesday). The plan for state-funded Educational Savings Accounts was the number one legislative priority for Governor Kim Reynolds. She released a video message this (Wednesday) morning. “Today marks an important milestone for Iowa’s education system as universal school choice becomes a reality for Iowa families,” she said.

Not all parents are eligible this year, however, as only parents with an annual household income at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty line may apply. In year three, every parent of a private school student becomes eligible.  “I believe education is the great equalizer which is why it was so important to remove the boundaries that have existed between public and private schools for too long,” Reynolds says.

A New York company is managing the online portal where Iowans apply for the state funding and the company makes the tuition payments to private schools. If there’s money remaining, it may be used for other approved expenses, like tutoring or school books. “Today, we’re changing the face of education in Iowa and influencing what it looks like nationwide,” Reynolds said. “I believe that school choice will improve our overall education experience in Iowa. I believe it will create a system of schools, both public and private, that are driven by student centered missions.”

The application period for low-income parents who enroll their kids in private schools opened at 8 a.m. today (Wednesday) and closes June 30th. Some private schools have raised tuition by double digits. Bishop Heelan Catholic High School in Sioux City raised tuition by 24 percent.

(Fort Dodge, Iowa) – Police in Fort Dodge report that at around 5:09-a.m. today (Wednesday, May 31st), the Webster County Telecommunications Center received a call from a Fort Dodge resident reporting that someone was breaking into his garage at 1219 6th Ave S., and that he had shot the male. Officers with the Fort Dodge Police Department and medics with the Fort Dodge Fire Department responded.

When officers and medics arrived, they located an unresponsive male that was ultimately pronounced deceased. The Webster County Medical Examiner was called to the scene and members of the criminal investigation division were called in to assist in the investigation. Officers and investigators canvassed the neighborhood, conducted interviews, and gathered evidence.

At this time investigators are working to determine exactly what took place this morning, to include exploring all avenues as to how this incident unfolded. The deceased males name will not be released at this time until authorities are certain all next of kin have been properly notified.

Investigators with the Criminal Investigations Division are continuing to follow up on the incident. Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to contact the Fort Dodge Police.

The Fort Dodge Police Department was assisted by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, the Webster County Attorney’s Office, the Fort Dodge Fire Department, and the Webster County Medical Examiner’s Office.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning, heard from Iowa State University Extension representatives Kerry Aistrope and Carolyn Savage, with regard to Children’s Spring Break programs, and a reimbursement for $2,949.57 associated with the cost of one of the programs.

A grant covered a good chunk of the expenses.Most of the programs are STEM-related (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) kit. Pre-K through 5^th Grade students at Nodaway Valley and Kindergarten through 6^th Grade in Orient took the projects home.

Some of the projects involved the creation of paper airplanes using different types of materials and engineer. A couple of weeks later, the kids built, under the watchful eye of older students, model rockets that took to the sky last Friday.

The kids were taught how to load the fuel and pack the parachutes for the reusable rockets. High school students actually took care of the launch process, as a safety precaution. To relaunch the rockets next year, the program only has to pay for the engine load, according to Aistrope. An investment in a Blue Tooth launch controller next year will aid in the safety protocols.

ISU Extension staffers said the kids were excited about the projects, especially the rockets.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S House is expected to vote late today (Wednesday) on raising the nation’s debt ceiling and Iowa’s senior senator is still on the fence about the legislation. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says as important bills go, this one is at least relatively concise. “It’s a little over 100 pages, I believe, compared to sometimes you have a couple of thousand pages bill on your desk,” Grassley says, “and so consequently, I should have gone through it thoroughly but haven’t yet. I probably won’t make my announcement until the House passes the bill.”

Indications are, the House vote won’t come until tonight, after the markets have closed. Grassley says he has done some research on the bill and isn’t entirely thrilled with it. “There’s some good and some not-so-good in it,” Grassley says. “Another way of saying what I just said is, from the standpoint of cutting down on government expenditure, it could go a lot further.”

The measure was crafted by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy working with President Biden and it would suspend the debt ceiling until January 1st of 2025. Grassley says one of the keys to politics is the art of give-and-take.”We have a Republican House, a Democrat Senate, a Democrat president, and so out of this, you have to have compromise,” Grassley says, “and very seldom could anybody say that the compromise was 100% the way they wanted it to be. So you accept some good, you accept some bad, and you vote either yes or no.”

In addition to raising the debt ceiling, the measure also promises to set certain limits on federal spending. “This isn’t just about how much money to spend over the next two years,” Grassley says. “It’s also about the government not going into default. We never have defaulted and we won’t default and it’s very important to me that we don’t default.”

Grassley says he’ll make a decision on the legislation within 24 to 48 hours.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning, agreed to allow County Engineer Nick Kauffman to proceed with the purchase of additional security cameras for the County Shop. Kauffman said nine of their 12 current cameras are functioning. He wants to purchase additional cameras effective July 1^st, for a total of 18, to surveil specific areas around the County Shop.

In addition to the exterior cameras, others will be placed inside the shop office, and the wash bay.

He would also add an exterior light to north end of the shop to better illuminate that area. Kauffman said he budgeted roughly $46,000 for the cameras, so there is still $9,700 remaining in the budget for those expenditures.

In other business, the Adair County Supervisors approved a Longevity raise for 10-year Secondary Road Department employee Sawyer Hansen. And, the Board agreed to let Kauffman proceed with the sale of a crane.If a reasonable offer cannot be obtained locally, he’ll proceed to advertise it on the Purple Haze auction website.

Kauffman then updated the Board on current construction projects.

Kauffman said bridge inspections in Adair County are wrapping-up, and there are no significant issues to report. He mentioned also, Secondary Roads employee Ray Palmer is retiring effective July 7^th. The process of searching for his replacement will begin at first, in-house, before the position is advertised.

(Radio Iowa) – After a ten-day mission to the International Space Station, retired NASA astronaut and Iowa native Peggy Whitson is back on Earth after she and three crewmates splashed down last night off the Florida coast in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

Peggy Whitson in space suit (Axiom photo)

SpaceX Mission Control: “SpaceX, We see splashdown and mains (parachute cables) cut. Peggy, John, Ali, Rayyanah, on behalf of SpaceX, welcome home!”

Whitson, laughing: “SpaceX, we would like to tell you that was a phenomenal ride. We really enjoyed all of it!”

Whitson, who grew up in Beaconsfield, was commander of the mission, the first private space mission in history commanded by a woman.

ELDORA, Iowa — An Iowa homicide suspect was arrested Sunday, in Arizona. Eldora Police said Tuesday, 29-year-old Nathan Cole Bahr, of Iowa Falls, faces a charge of first-degree murder, police reported Tuesday morning. Police say he was brought in on May 29th, in Gilbert, Arizona. Authorities say Bahr allegedly shot and killed Desiree Folsom in Eldora. She was found dead on May 26 at a residence in the 1400 block of 17th Avenue. Eldora police Chief Nick Hassebrock said Bahr is Folsom’s ex-boyfriend. They had shared two children together.

Nathan Cole Bahr

Court documents show that on May 25, a Hardin County judge had approved a protective order for Folsom against Bahr. The order included a warning for law enforcement that noted Bahr may have a firearm.

Bahr remains in custody at a jail in Arizona.