The Cass County Memorial Hospital Foundation recently awarded the Louie and Elsie Hansen Scholarships. Kristen Schuler, Whitney Schafer and Claire Markham each received a $5000 award for the 2014-15 academic year. Foundation President Kent Gade said “This is the first year the board has awarded three scholarships.”  He noted that “Dick Howard, scholarship committee member, made a motion to give three $5,000 scholarships based on the exceptional quality of our applicants, and that motion was passed unanimously.” The awards are based on the applications received each year.

The Louie and Elsie Hansen Scholarship was established through the generosity and careful planning of these two life-long Cass County residents. The Hansen’s believed in higher education, so much so that over 70% of their estate was bequeathed for that purpose, including a gift to the CCMH Foundation.

Under the supervision and guidance of the CCMH Foundation, scholarship opportunities are provided yearly. As per the Hansens’ wishes, scholarship candidates must have graduated from a Cass County high school and be enrolled in and accepted to an accredited nursing or medical doctor school pursing a degree as LPN, RN or MD.

The Hansens lived and farmed in the Marne area until they retired and became residents of Atlantic.

The Cass County Community Foundation has announced the 2014 McCurdy scholars have been selected.
The Dustin McCurdy Endowed Scholarship provides one scholarship of $500 each to high school seniors from Cumberland Anita Massena (C-A-M) High School. This year’s scholars are Erin Daugherty and Michael Holste.

The Audubon County Community Foundation has announced that the 2014 Exira Lions Club/Harold & Beverly Ann Godwin scholar has been selected.  This year’s scholar is Claire Paulsen.

The Exira Lions Club/Harold & Beverly Ann Godwin Endowed Scholarship provides one scholarship of $1,000 and is available to any graduating Exira High School senior pursuing a two or four year degree, full-time, at any accredited vocational/technical or educational institution or a college or university who can demonstrate a successful high school academic career along with demonstrated community service spirit of volunteerism.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency reports one road has closed for repairs, while another has re-opened. Emergency Manager Bob Seivert says Hazel Road, which was closed in April for the replacement of a bridge with a culvert pipe, has re-opened to traffic. The bridge was located on a stretch of Level B road, over an unnamed tributary of Moser Creek.

And while that road has opened, Sievert reports 1200th Street is closed due to a similar project, where a bridge is being replaced by a culvert. The bridge is located just east of Road M-16 over an unnamed tributary of Keg Creek, and is between Lincoln Townships 5 and 8. Emergency responders and residents in the Panama and Westphalia areas will be most affected by the closure, which is expected to last 4-to 5 weeks.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Saturday of a man wanted on a Page County warrant. 34-year old Larry Eugene Kuster, of Shambaugh, was taken into custody at around 10:48-a.m. at his residence in Shambaugh. Kuster was brought to the Page County Jail and later released after posting $1,000 bond.

Officials with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the discovery of two bodies inside a Glidden home. According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call at around 9:50-p.m. Sunday, with regard to an unconscious individual at 129 Carroll Street, Lot #5, in Glidden.

Upon arrival and through further investigation, law enforcement officials discovered two deceased individuals at the residence, one adult male and one adult female. Autopsies on both bodies are tentatively scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday), at the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny.

After a long, cold winter and a wet, chilly spring, many Iowans are eagerly making plans for the first getaway of the summer season. Gail Weinholzer, at Triple-A-Iowa, says the motor club is forecasting an upturn in the number of Memorial Day travelers nationwide, compared to last year. She says almost nine out of ten vacationers will be on the road. “We expect an increase in personal automobiles as well as air travel,” Weinholzer says. “Eighty-eight percent of all travelers or about 31.8-million Americans will travel by personal automobile. In addition, air travel’s expected to increase 2.4% to about 2.6-million leisure travelers.”

With so many travelers driving over the upcoming holiday weekend, Weinholzer says they’ll be pleased to discover gasoline prices are down from last year. “In Iowa today, the average is $3.46,” Weinholzer says. “Not only is that 19-cents lower than the national average, which is $3.65, but it’s also 30-cents lower than a year ago on this date when Iowans were paying an average of $3.76.”

On the flip side, she says travelers this Memorial Day weekend will encounter slightly higher prices with airfares six-percent higher than last year, mid-range hotels are up two-percent and car rentals cost one-percent more.

(Radio Iowa)

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports three people were arrested last week. On Tuesday, 54-year old George Leo Fraissinet, Jr., of Hamburg, was arrested for: Possession with the intent to deliver, Methamphetamine; Possession of Marijuana/1st offense; Unlawful possession of Prescription drugs, and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

That same day, 33-year old Donovan Edward Hankins, of Tabor, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. And, last Wednesday, 26-year old Christopher James Wyland, of Hamburg, was arrested on a Fremont County warrant stemming from an original charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

The City of Elliott will host a ribbon cutting ceremony this Thursday afternoon (May 22nd), for the City’s Source Water Protection and Wetland Project, Outdoor Classroom/Shelter and Trails. According to former Mayor Steve Howell, the City of Elliott has, in the past recorded increasing levels of nitrates in its well water. Plans were developed to change reverse that trend after the Iowa DNR conducted a study of the City’s Well water.

Howell, Becky Ohrtman and Dan Cook with the IDNR, put together a Source Water Protection (SWP) Team, and held several meetings to discuss three options aimed at decreasing nitrates in thew water. The team presented its findings to the Elliott City Council, and recommended a shallow wetland and native grass buffer, which was the least expensive option.

The City Council approved the project and the SWP team applied for grants for: A outdoor classroom and teaching materials; a human sundial; and, walking trails. After receiving 10 grants, donations and in-kind services, the project, which cost $325,000, came at NO cost to the City of Elliott.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Oct. 2012. The ribbing cutting ceremony taking place this Thursday, will begin at 1-pm., north of the Elliott Elementary School.

In an update to our earlier story, the Iowa State Patrol says two motorcyclists were injured during an accident that happened late Sunday morning on Interstate 80, near the Shelby Exit. Officials say 67-year old Donald Dirks and 68-year old Sharon Dirks, both of Omaha, were transported to hospitals in Omaha and Council Bluffs following the crash, which happened at around 10-a.m, Sunday.

The Patrol says a 2013 Victory motorcycle driven by Sharon Dirks and a 2007 Harley Davidson cycle driven by Donald Dirks, were traveling eastbound on I-80 near the 36.1-mile marker, when for reasons unknown,  Donald Dirks’ cycle went out of control and entered the median before flipping end over end several times.

Sharon Dirks was following Donald’s cycle. The Patrol says she panicked and applied the brakes while attempting to stop on the north shoulder of the road. The quick action caused her cycle to go out of control and crash into the median, where it came to rest on its side. Sharon Dirks was transported by Avoca Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs. Donald Dirks was flown by LifeNet Helicopter to the UNMC in Omaha.

A report on their conditions is not available.