The Cass County Master Gardeners and Cass County Extension are helping local gardeners gear up for warmer weather, with the 15^th Annual Atlantic Spring Garden Seminar, set for Saturday March 16th. The day-long event, to be held at the Atlantic High School, features garden experts from across the Midwest sharing the latest information on gardening methods and plant varieties. The seminar is open to all interested gardeners no matter the level of experience. Participants are not required to have completed Master Gardener training to attend, but Master Gardeners who attend the full day will be given 5 credit hours toward their continuing education requirements.

The day starts with registration and refreshments at 8:30 AM, then Sandy Wentworth of Proven Winners will share the newest tested and trialed plant varieties for 2013. The first of two breakout sessions for the day is next, and attendees will have 11 different topics to choose from, covering everything from container gardening to rain barrels, and fairy gardens to shade planting. Before lunch, attendees will gather back in the auditorium to hear about weather-hardy plants for Iowa from Justin Hancock of Better Homes and Gardens.

Over the lunch break, participants are welcome to browse the vendor/exhibitor booths in the high school gym, sit in on a Q & A session with some of our expert presenters, or simply enjoy the sandwich and salad luncheon while chatting with friends or making new acquaintances.

Our final group session for the day features Deb Groth of Groth Gardens discussing ways to keep your garden colorful year round by picking the right mix of plants. Before attendees head home, they will split up for one more breakout session where they can again pick from a list of 11 different topics to round out their day. The final session will wrap up by 3:20 PM.

The cost for the fun-filled day of learning is $35, including all meals and general session materials. Some breakout sessions involving hands-on activities may have an additional fee. A full list of all breakout sessions, a schedule for the day and printable registration form are all available online at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass or can be picked up at the Cass County Extension Office. Brochures are also available at many local businesses with the schedule and registration form.

The early registration deadline, to be eligible for door prizes, is postmarked by Friday March 8. Cass County Master Gardeners will also have a booth at the Home and Garden Expo on March 8 and 9 at the Cass County Community Center, where attendees will be able to register and pick up more information on the Garden Seminar and other upcoming Master Gardener events. Registrations are welcome up to the day of the Garden Seminar, including walk-in registrations at the door.

For more information on the Spring Garden Seminar or the Cass County Master Gardener Program, call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132, email keolson@iastate.edu, or stop by the Extension Office at 805 W. 10^th St in Atlantic.

w/ Ric Hanson

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A Villisca man was arrested Tuesday night on an assault charge. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 42-year old Keith Allan Currin faces a charge of Simple Domestic Assault. Currin was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond, pending a court appearance.

The Board of Supervisors in Adair County will hold a public hearing this (Wednesday) morning, over the proposed Fiscal Year 2014 County Budget. The hearing, which takes place at 9:30-a.m at the courthouse in Greenfield, and will be followed by approval of a Resolution adopting the budget, and other related matters.

At 9:45, the Board will discuss and possibly act on Township Clerk Wages, and the Auditor of State bill. At 10-a.m., the Board will hear from Randy Caviness, Director of the Adair County Soil and Water Conservation District, with regard to correspondence pertaining to Taxation for the maintenance of conservation watershed structures. And, a little after 10 o’clock, the Board will act on a Resolution setting the dates for a consultation and public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Northwest Sind Farm Urban Renewal Plan.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors meeting begins at 9-a.m.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing during the meeting Wednesday morning here in Atlantic, with regard to the county’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget. Following the public hearing, which is slated for 9:05-a.m., the board will review a recommendation by the County Compensation Board for a three-percent increase in the salary of all elected officials. The Board also recommended an additional $1,000 for the chairman of the Board of supervisors.

Action will then be taken during the Supervisor’s meeting on adopting the FY 2014 Secondary Roads Budget and FY 2014 Cass County Budget. Other action items on their agenda include authorizing Supervisor Chuck Rieken to sign a 28-E Juvenile Detention agreement, and the amending of  the Cass County Disposition (Of deceased remains) Policy, with an addition to indicate who may apply.

The Cass County Supervisors’ meeting begins at 9-a.m.

Two Sioux City men have reached plea agreements on child pornography charges. Court information shows 27-year-old Chad Carver pled guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography. Carver admitted that distributed child porn on the internet between September 2010 and September 2011. Carver has agreed to be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison with a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Forty-seven-year-old Jeffrey Huygens pled guilty to one count of distributing and one count of receiving child pornography between September and December of 2011. Huygens faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 80 years. Sentencing dates are still pending for both men. Both men were prosecuted under the national Project Safe Child Initiative where federal officials work with state and local law officers to crack down on child exploitation and abuse.

(Radio Iowa)

A coalition of Iowa environmental groups, elected leaders and outdoor enthusiasts is sending a letter to President Obama, urging him to fully fund a program to preserve Iowa’s two biggest patches of prairie. The president will announce his budget recommendations for the next fiscal year this week. Amelia Schoeneman, of Environment Iowa, says the Land and Water Conservation Fund helps states buy private land to create parks.

Over the years, we’ve actually seen a decrease in funding which has put places like Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge and the Loess Hills in western Iowa at risk of development and the conversion to farmland,” Schoeneman says. “There’s slowly a decrease in funds that could go towards acquiring more land and expanding these natural areas in Iowa.” The Iowa groups want to see 900-million dollars recommended for the fund. She says Iowa was originally more than 80-percent prairie, but through development and farmland over the decades, there’s now less than one-percent prairie in the state.

“Neal Smith is a unique area because it’s a restored prairie and it’s one of the largest attempts at a prairie restoration in the nation,” Schoeneman says. “The Loess Hills is very unique because it contains the largest preserved prairie, or original prairie, in the state of Iowa.” She says those two key areas, and dozens of other beloved parks in Iowa, have been providing our state’s residents with lifelong memories for decades. “Neal Smith is located just 20 miles east of Des Moines, so it’s threatened by development and most of the lands surrounding the preserve are farmlands which are also encroaching upon the reserve,” Schoeneman says. “You have the same issues with the Loess Hills with Sioux City and Council Bluffs in development as well as a conversion to farmland threatening these places.”

Groups and individuals signing the letter to the president include: Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Iowa Audubon Society, Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Wildlife Federation, Active Endeavors in Des Moines, Iowa City and Davenport, the Iowa Farmers Union, State Representative Dan Kelley and
State Senator Nancy Boettger, from Harlan.

(Radio Iowa)

The Shelby County Supervisors have approved the Fiscal Year 2012 audit. During a regular meeting this (Tuesday) morning, Chris Nelson from Gronewold and Company, told the supervisors the county is in a good financial situation. He said “Overall you are in a good position. You have very little debt and good infrastructure. You always have projects that needed to be done and find financing for those. But overall the county is in good financial health.”

In other business, Shelby County Treasurer Carolyn Blum told the Board her office needs a new counter door, and the board approved a new crank counter door for $4,282. Shelby County Auditor Marsha Carter mentioned also, the county needs a real estate program update. The County has been budgeting for the update for the past few years. The board approved an estimate of $56,216, which will come out of the FY 2014 budget. The estimate includes training and travel for county workers.

The Shelby County Board received some good news during their meeting, from Supervisor Roger Schmitz, who reported that as of June 1st, the County will be debt free after paying off the 2007 Douglas Road bond. Schmitz said “When we had the bond we couldn’t pay it off for 5 years. Our 5 years will be up on June 1st. We will owe $605,000. We never spent all the money we bonded and we will have $422,162. So anyway, if we pay it off the first of June, we will save $72,425.04”

The Board approved a resolution authorizing the payment.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)