A jury in Atlantic, Tuesday, awarded Cass County nearly $12,000 in a case filed by the County against the driver of a vehicle which collided with a County Conservation vehicle on June 14^th, 2010. Cass County Attorney Dan Feistner told the Board of Supervisors the decision against 26-year old Sean M. Bloomfield, of Atlantic, was handed down in Cass County District Court, and awards the County $11,791.80 in damages. Costs to handle the case in court will also be assessed to Bloomfield.

The accident happened as Bloomfield drove a vehicle around a parked semi as he was exiting a driveway, and collided with a car driven by Lora Schwendinger, of Lewis. Neither driver was seriously injured. Damage from the crash was estimated at the time, at around $9,000. Bloomfield was cited for failure to have insurance, and in July 2010 negotiated a voluntary plea of guilty to a charge of Violation of Financial Liability-Accident related.

Feistner said the County went after Bloomfield, because he didn’t have insurance at the time, and was unwilling or unable to pay for the damage to the County vehicle. He says even if the man currently doesn’t have any assets from which to pay for the judgment, there are other ways the funds can be recovered, including his future tax returns, or leans on his property.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources was called-in to handle the clean-up of a liquid nitrogen spill Tuesday afternoon, following an accident at 550^th Street and Newton Road.

Liquid Nitrogen spill (photo courtest Mike Kennon, Cass Co. Emergency Management Agy.)

 The accident happened at around Noon. Officials say a 2006 Chevy 2500 pickup driven by 26-year old Kirk Albert Schwarte, of Atlantic, was traveling north on 550^th and was in the process of making a left turn onto Newton Road, when the two-axle trailer being pulled by the pickup, began to jackknife against the driver’s side of the truck. Both the pickup and trailer entered the ditch, where the trailer tipped over. No injuries were reported. Damage to the pickup was estimated at $4,000. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says Schwarte was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a Griswold man was arrested Monday on a drug-related charge. 20-year old Devin Allen Foote was taken into custody on a Cass County felony warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Deliver. Foote was being held in the Cass County Jail on $50,000 bond. 

Sheriff’s officials report also, 46-year old Michael Patrick Carr, of Des Moines, was arrested Monday on a District Court Warrant for Failure to Appear (Child Support). Carr was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was being held on $5000 bond. 

That same day, 32-year old Travis Lynn Sickels, of Red Oak,  was arrested on a District Court Warrant for Failure to Appear (Child Support). Sickels was taken to the Cass County Jail, where he was being held on $2000 bond.

The Cass County Illegal Dumping Task Force wants to educate the public about their options when it comes to disposing of trash. Cass County Landfill Operations Manager Wendy Wittrock said at Wednesday’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting, that the county doesn’t have a large problem with illegal dumping, but a resident who lives on Great River Road, north of Atlantic (who did not want to be identified by the media), showed pictures as evidence the act is still going on in the County. The pictures were taken near Great River Road and 635^th Street. He presented 20 pictures of dumping that have taken place over the past couple of weeks. The trash included tires with steel rims, furniture and basic garbage. He says the person or persons who are dumping the trash may think they’re saving money by not taking it to the landfill, but the taxpayers end-up footing the bill, since the County crews have to pick up the trash and take it to the landfill and pay for its disposal. If the person who’s dumping that trash lives in Cass County, he says they’ll still end up paying for it, as a taxpayer.

Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren said Chief Deputy John Westering has investigated incidents of dumping at that location several times, digging through the trash and trying to determine who is doing it, but it appears it’s not just one person or resident responsible. The resident who spoke said the dumping takes place at night, and out of sight from any nearby residences. Supervisor Frank Waters said the County’s Task Force had talked about placing cameras at specific locations to catch illegal dumping in the act, and the area the resident described he said, “might be a good spot.”

Wittrock said the cameras are available from “Keep Iowa Beautiful” (www.keepiowabeautiful.com), free of charge to the County. They’re paid for through tax dollars and other funds. The organization will place the cameras independently when a call is received. She said the Task Force is working on a media campaign to try and make the public understand the importance of proper waste disposal, and the alternatives that are available. Wittrock says the task force wants the public to keep an eye out for illegal dumping, and to report it to authorities when you see that type of suspicious activity.

No injuries were reported following an accident Tuesday afternoon, in Atlantic. According to the Atlantic Police Department, vehicles driven by Phyllis Anderson and Amber Bishop, both of Atlantic,  collided at the intersection of 9th and Hazel Streets, when Anderson’s car was hit from behind by Bishop’s vehicle. The accident happened at around 2:45-pm, and the vehicles were headed west on 9th Street, and Anderson slowed down to talk to a someone. Police issued a warning to Anderson for operating on the wrong side of the street, and slowing or stopping on the roadway. Bishop was issued a warning for following too close. Damage from the collision amounted to $2,400.

The price garbage haulers and persons who dispose of large amounts of trash pay to the Cass County Landfill may be going up. Wendy Wittrock, Operations Manager of the Cass County Landfill, said at today’s (Wednesday’s) Board of Supervisor’s meeting, the Cass County Environmental Control Agency is noticing a shortfall in funds based on the tip fee. The landfill is funded 100-percent by tipping fees, instead of fees charged on a Per Capita basis. Those are funds paid through taxes that subsidize landfills and related programs. Wittrock says Cass County has not had a per capita fee charged since the early 1990’s. Wittrock says they gave those fees back to communities in the County, because the landfill wanted to be “self sufficient.” She says one of the options the Environmental Control Board is considering to meet their budget, is to increase the fee at the landfill.

The only other county in our area that does not charge a per capita fee, is Page County. The current tip fee in Cass County is $80 per ton. The ECB is proposing a $10 increase, or $90 per ton. Wittrock says their operating budget includes the recycling programs, hazardous waste disposal, debt repayment, 30-years post closure – for which money is set aside each year, and DNR fees every quarter. Those costs are reflected in their expenses. She says it’s been six-years since there’s been an increase in the tipping fees. Wittrock says there aren’t many actual Sub Title “D” landfills left in southwest Iowa, because many counties have chosen to ship their waste to transfer stations many miles, or counties away. The reason for the current, projected budget shortfall at the Cass County landfill, according to Wittrock, is because of a decrease in the amount of actual waste coming in, and new regulations put in place by the DNR, pertaining to landfill use and waste containment.

The Cass County E-C-B is reviewing their budget options and alternatives, and no decision has been made on increasing the tipping fee at this time. If the tipping fee is increased $10, private garbage collection agencies will pass the cost along to their customers. Those same agencies are also facing increased fuel costs, which will likely add to the rate customers pay for their weekly trash removal.

For more information on the Cass County Landfill, go to http://www.casscountylandfill.com/

w/ Ric Hanson

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One person was transported to the hospital following a two-vehicle collision Tuesday, in Harlan. According to Harlan Police, a vehicle driven by Kacie Esparza, of Kirkman, rear-ended a car driven by Stephen Mages, of Panama, as Mages was slowing to turn west onto 900th Street, from southbound Highway 59. Esparza was transported to Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan by Medivac Ambulance. She told authorities she had looked down for just a second prior to the accident. Officials cited her for driving with an expired license, following too closely, and failure to have insurance. Damage from the accident amounted to $9,000.

The Red Oak Police Department reports two people were arrested overnight. At around 3:45-a.m. today (Wednesday), 38-year old Tanya Michelle Danick, of Red Oak, was arrested on a charge of OWI/1st Offense. She also received a warning for faailure to display her vehicle’s registration tag. Danick was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

And, just before 11-p.m. Tuesday, Red Oak Police arrested 31-year old Joshua Edward Mastin, of Stanton, on a charge of Driving while Suspended. Mastin was subsequently released on a citation.