Officials with the Shenandoah Police Department announced earlier this week, that no criminal charges will be filed against a Shenandoah Elementary school teacher, who allegedly encouraged other students to spit on another student. According to a statement issued by Police Chief Kris Grebert, authorities reviewed the relevant facts in the case and the Page County Attorney’s Office determined the teacher did not have the requisite criminal intent necessary to prove any criminal charges.

Grebert said also, the investigation included interviews with students who were present in the classroom on October 8th, a day in which the music teacher at Shenandoah Elementary allegedly encouraged students to spit on Jaxon Kindopp. The boy was allegedly sticking his tongue out and blubbering to a classmate. The teacher allegedly encouraged other students to spit on the boy as way of teaching him a lesson.

Chief Grebert said Monday, that their investigation into the incident is closed.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The annual survey from Iowa State University shows farmland values increased almost 24-percent over last year to a new record high of an average cost of eight-thousand-296 dollars an acre. I-S-U economist, Mike Duffy compiles the numbers from the survey. “Basically what we found was higher-quality ground moving at a pretty good level, and lower quality ground not increasing so much,” Duffy says. “For example northwest Iowa was up almost 34-percent, where southeast Iowa was up only nine percent.” Duffy says record corn and bean prices are part of the reason for the increase.

“The commodity prices were a primary driver, another driver was the very low interest rates that we have. People also said lack of alternative investments was another reason,” according to Duffy. The faster increase in the price of the better quality ground goes hand-in-hand with the amount of money to be made with the higher commodity prices.  “I think the higher quality ground is going to be less susceptible to weather problems for the most part, it’s a more stable return if you will than some of the lower quality ground. And people are perceiving it to be a better buy than the lower quality,” Duffy says.

O’Brien County had an estimated 12-thousand-862 dollar average value, the highest average county value. O’Brien County also had the highest percentage increase and highest dollar increase in value, 35-point-two percent and three-thousand-348, respectively. The 23-point-seven-percent increase marks the third straight year the land values have increased by 15-percent or more. Duffy doesn’t agree with those who say the high price bubble of ag land is going to eventually burst. “I don’t think that it’s going to be a bubble pop. I think it would either be be more akin to a tire getting a nail in it, where we’ll gradually adjust down. Or it may even be that we don’t adjust down much, but the rate of increase will either slow or slightly go down,” Duffy says.

He does think the double-digit increases in land prices may not last much longer. “I don’t see any way that we can maintain the rate that we’ve had,” Duffy explains. “The last three years we’ve increased almost 64-percent, and that’s just not sustainable.” He says the supply and amount of corn and soybeans that are grown will make an impact on the land prices moving ahead.”The world is already responding by planting more, so we’re going to see adjustments,” Duffy says. “Now all that said though, the drought that we’re experiencing right now is very serious. And what it portends for next year is kind of anybody’s guess right now. But if we don’t get rain, we’re not going to have a crop. So it doesn’t matter how high prices are.”

In Cass County, the value of Ag land increased $1,426 over last year, to $7,984 per acre. In Audubon County, land increased just $25 shy of $2,000 per acre, to $9,215. In Adair County, land prices increased a little more than $1,100, to $6,425. In Adams County, the value of land went up a little more than $800, to $5,094. In Pottawattamie County, the price of land went up $1,600 from last year, to $9,142 per acre. Land went up nearly $1,800 in Shelby County to $9,262. In Guthrie County, the price went up just over $1,600 to $8,220. And, Montgomery County realized a $1,058 dollar price increase, to just over $6,710 per acre.

This is the highest state land value recorded by the survey and the first time county averages have reached levels over 10-thousand dollars an acre.

(Radio Iowa) (more info. at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/article/farmland-value-reaches-historic-8296-statewide-average)

The United States Postal Inspection Service said Tuesday, it is offering a reward of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the theft of mail in Adair County, which occurred on December 6th, 2012. As we mentioned last weekend, Adair County Sheriff Brad Newton stated about 40 mailboxes were hit between Greenfield and Stuart, to the northeast late last week.

Investigators believe the thief or thieves are taking all the contents from mailboxes, rifling through them for the items they want, then dumping the rest. Newton says he believes the thieves are looking for Christmas cards with cash in them.  The sheriff said they don’t have a lot to go on, but they’re looking for two white males driving a mid-sized white vehicle.

If you have any information concerning this crime please contact the U. S. Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455 or the Adair County Sheriff’s Department at 641-743-2148.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday) reported three arrests over the past week. On Tue., Dec. 4th, 54-year old Timothy Dayle Meyer,  of Massena, was arrested on a Probation Violation charge. Meyer was taken to the Cass County Jail where he is being held on $5000 bond.

On Wed., Dec. 5th, 28-year old Laura Lynn Madden, of Atlantic, turned herself in at the Cass County Jail on a Sheriff’s Office warrant for Aiding and Abetting regarding violation of a no contact order. Madden pled guilty and was released the following day.

And, on Saturday, Dec. 8th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 22-year old Clayton Varel Schmidt,  of Massena, on a charge of OWI 1^st Offense. Schmidt was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released on his own recognizance later that day.

(12-p.m. News 12/11/12)

The Shelby County Board of Supervisors approved to increase Public Health dollars to Myrtue Medical Center. In a board of Supervisors meeting this (Tuesday) morning, CEO of Myrtue Medical Barry Jacobsen approached the board to discuss the recently requested increase by Public Health Director Jennifer Muff. Jacobsen said for the past 18 years, the County has been contracted with the hospital to provide public health services. He told the board the contract amount beginning in 1994 hasn’t matched the expenses for the program.

“The fee we have received for the services started at $35,000 in 1994 and increased to $45,000. Two years ago, it went to $57,000. The contract amount hasn’t really come anywhere close to keeping up with the cost to run the program. In fact, the hospital lost $180,000 in 2011 and in 2012 $125,000. That is after we have received the subsidy from the county supervisors.”

Jacobsen went on to say the past increases were inadequate.

“We think it needs to go up significantly from where we are right now. We don’t think the increase in the past have been adequate. Basically, we are offering to continue this service until 2013-2014 year for the $100,000 that was requested at the previous meeting.”

After more discussion, supervisor Burmeister made the motion for a 3 year $100,000 annual base going to Myrtue Hospital for Public Health Services. With the new agreement, Myrtue will still have to pay a substantial amount in subsidized money to pay for the services. Jacobsen said the Myrtue Board of Trustees will review the actions at their next meeting. If the hospital and supervisors were unable to make some sort of an agreement, the County would have had to provide the services to the 10,000 people receiving public health services in the county.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday (Dec. 12th), will hear a report on area tourism. The report, during their meeting at 9-a.m., comes from Kenner Baxter, with the Western Iowa Tourism Council, Region 1. In other business, the Board will hold the first of two hearings on removing parcels from the Amaizing Energy TIF District. The second hearing will take place on Dec. 19th.

They’ll also act on approving an Amendment to Ordinance 28 (Division of Taxes Levied on Taxable Property in the Amaizing Energy Urban Renewal Area), after the first public hearing is held, and prior to the announcement regarding the second public hearing.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors meeting takes place at the Courthouse, in Atlantic.

The leader of the Iowa National Guard says fewer Iowa soldiers and airmen are being deployed overseas at this time, and that trend should continue for at least the next two years. Major General Timothy Orr updated Governor Branstad and his advisors on the status of the guard at a budget hearing at the statehouse. General Orr said some 218 guard members are currently deployed, most of them in the Middle East.

This is the lowest since the beginning of the war. We don’t see it getting much higher than that. This is a trend nationally tied to the president’s strategy to come out of Afghanistan and coming out of Iraq,” Orr said. He expects a slight bump up in the number of soldiers deployed to over 300 next year to support the U-S withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“As you look at that chart, you will see there engineers, transportation, aviation and what you’re seeing is really a movement piece,” Orr explained.”It’s typical of what we saw in Iraq in downsizing as we move people and equipment out of Afghanistan. General Orr is asking for a minimal increase in state funding next year, including money to fully fund tuition assistance for returning soldiers. He also wants to hire a deputy adjutant general, a position that’s been left unfilled during tight budget times.

(Radio Iowa)