(Logan, Iowa) – The Harrison County Emergency Management Agency, today (Wednesday), said the City of Logan has lifted the boil order that was previously in place for resident affected by the water main break on November 28, 2022. Residents may resume using the tap water for drinking, cooking and other, normal purposes.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is among 21 Republican governors who’re asking congress to repeal the COVID vaccine mandate for America’s soldiers. Governor Reynolds, in a written statement, said the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for the military creates a national security risk. Reynolds said it affects national guard units at the state level as well and restricts governors’ ability to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. About eight-thousand active-duty soldiers who’ve refused to get a COVID shot have been discharged. A Pentagon official told a Washington, D.C. radio station in September that about nine-thousand National Guard soldiers around the country who haven’t been vaccinated may be discharged this year.

As of today (Nov. 30), 93 percent of Iowa National Guard soldiers have complied with COVID-19 vaccination requirements according to a spokeswoman for the Guard. Neighboring governors from Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota are among the Republicans who’ve joined Iowa’s governor in sending a letter to congressional leaders asking for the COVID vaccine mandate for the military to be eliminated.

(Radio Iowa) – A former state employee admits she manipulated her husband’s timesheets to inflate his pay by tens of thousands of dollars. Renae Rapp was an administrative assistant at the state unit in Cherokee where sexually violent predators are committed once their prison terms have expired. Her husband, Adam Rapp, was working as a part-time security specialist at the unit. Renae Rapp has pleaded guilty to second degree theft, a class D felony. She will not serve time in prison.

She’s been ordered to pay the state more than 57-thousand dollars in restitution. That’s equal to the amount of excess pay she got for her husband by recording he’d worked more hours than he had over an 18-month period. She must also serve two years of probation and reimburse the state for court costs and attorney’s fees.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors met this (Wednesday) morning, and acted on approving a Memorandum of Agreement between the Iowa Department of Transportation and Cass County, with regard to the issuance of Driver’s Licenses. In layman’s terms, it simply incorporates more legal language from the State, than before.

The Board received a report from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken. He said they were out Tuesday applying a mix of sand and calcium chloride to treat the roads. Their new applicator equipment arrived and was installed and calibrated by an expert, he said, just in the nick of time. In the future, Wolken said, they might trying using beet juice as part of a treatment against ice formation and de-icer, on the roads.

And, with regard to construction projects…

Wolken said also, the Secondary Roads Department finally received the two, new dump trucks they ordered, and put two others up for auction. The auction was held Tuesday, and netted $110,000 altogether. He said it was more than what they hoped to receive. The Supervisors discussed and acted to approve a Federal Aid Agreement for a County Highway Bridge Program Project (BRS-CO15(46)-60-15, Bridge 319 Highland Road [G30] over Indian Creek). And, they acted to approve a Resolution awarding contracts for two projects (BROS-CO15(68) and BROS-SWP-CO15(74)-SE-15).

The first bridge is number 302 on 680th Street, The second is bridge number 380, located south of White Pole Road, west of Anita. A.M. Cohron & Son, Inc., in Atlantic, was awarded a contract for the first bridge project, while the second contract went to Murphy Heavy Contracting, of Anita.

In other, regular business, the Cass County Supervisors received a monthly report from General Assistance and Mental Health Coordinator Debbie Schuler.

(Radio Iowa) – A small jet that took off from eastern Iowa last night crash-landed in Arkansas. Multiple media outlets say the private Learjet 45 flew out of Waterloo around 6 P-M and a little over an hour later, made an emergency landing at the airport in Batesville, Arkansas. Reports say the pilot reported a problem with the landing gear and it skidded in, stopping just short of a highway.

Of the seven people onboard, two were reported hurt, though the extent of their injuries wasn’t released, and it’s unclear if any of them are Iowans. It’s reported the jet is owned by Michigan Cat Aviation and it had also recently landed at the airport in Dubuque.

8-a.m. NEWS (Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop at around 12:40-a.m. today (Wednesday) in Montgomery County, resulted in a pursuit and the arrest of three juveniles, along with another person. The incident began when Deputies tried to stop a vehicle at Highway 34 and E Avenue. The Sheriff’s Office says when the vehicle’s driver refused to yield, the vehicle sped off and attained speeds of up to 105 mph.

Officers with the Red Oak Police Department placed stop sticks at Highway 34 and G Avenue, just outside of Red Oak. The suspect vehicle struck the stop sticks and went down into the ditch. Multiple individuals began to flee on foot. Three juveniles were placed into custody:

• One is being charged with Theft in the 2nd Degree/Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Felony Eluding, and under a warrant out of Polk County for Theft in the 4th Degree.
• A second juvenile was charged with Interference with Officials Acts, Providing False Identification to Law Enforcement, and under the authority of a warrant from Polk County for Assault causing bodily injury, and Eluding.
• The third juvenile was charged with Interference with Official Acts. They were also listed as a missing juvenile.

Authorities say Gray Donmor, of Des Moines, had a Dallas County warrant for Conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, and was placed under arrest. The three juveniles were sent to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs. Gray Donmor was being held in the Montgomery County Jail while awaiting extradition to Dallas County. Officials say the Mills County Sheriff’s Office assisted during the incident, as well.

Des Moines, Iowa –  Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau say a Cedar Rapids man, 57-year-old Joseph Drahozal, was charged with one count of Forgery (Class D Felony), two counts of Fraudulent Sales Practice under $10,000 (Class D Felony), and one count of Theft in the third degree (Aggravated Misdemeanor) following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.

The charges against Drahozal stem from an investigation that began in August of 2022.  According to the criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, while Drahozal was working as an insurance producer, he intentionally took possession of funds intended for the accounts of his insurance clients and put those funds into his personal account for his own use.  He also forged his information onto checks belonging to clients to steal funds.

Joseph Drahozal (Linn County Sheriff’s Office photo)

Drahozal was placed under arrest and taken to the Linn County Jail on November 28, 2022. He was released after posting a $10,000 bond. No additional information will be provided at this time. Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Army Corps of Engineers is agreeing to consider changes to levees along the Missouri River in an effort to avoid a repeat of recent major floods. State officials in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska worked together to suggest changes to reduce the risks following the 2019 flood. Colonel Travis Rayfield, commander of the Corps’ Kansas City District, says federal law restricts what they can do when rebuilding levees that were broken by floodwaters.

“When you do a study, that will allow us to, in our verbiage, we do a study, which is really an informal plan, will give us a chance to relook how we’ve aligned levees and structural solutions,” Rayfield says. “So what does that mean? It gives us our first chance to maybe move levees or other physical structures to let the water go through in a better manner.” Two southwestern Iowa towns, Hamburg and Pacific Junction, were heavily damaged in the 2019 flood, with Hamburg alone losing more than 70 homes. Rayfield says the new agreement comes in two parts, and the first will study the river’s flow from South Dakota all the way to St. Louis.

“We’re looking systematically at the lower 730 miles of the Missouri River,” he says. “That’s to see how much water is moving through, where it comes from and how it goes. That’s the system plan.” Rayfield says the Corps will also work to find spots where the water is not moving adequately downstream, like in Holt County in northwest Missouri. Rayfield says floods start and end locally, but this new arrangement is about coming up with solutions all the way up to the federal level.

“We need solutions for how we want that water to move through in a flood that the local government can support, the state government can support and the federal government can support,” Rayfield says. “Really, that’s what this partnership is about, is understanding what will work in this specific footprint informed by the new data and science we got from the most recent floods.” The Corps of Engineers will factor major floods in 1993, 2011 and 2019 into the study. Under current federal law, the Corps is only allowed to rebuild levees.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Market Manager Brigham Hoegh reports the upcoming Christmas Market 2022 (Thurs., Dec. 22) has a fantastic vendor lineup, and offers both in-person shopping as well as pre-ordering. Christmas Market 2022 will be held from 3-until 7-p.m. Dec. 22nd, at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, and, thanks to the hosts, the Christmas Market will offer activities for kids. Plus, you can grab pizza from food truck Zipp’s Pizzaria!

This holiday farmers market is held just days before Christmas. You’ll find lots of local produce and meats, farm-fresh eggs, delicious baked goods, seasonal candles, bath and body products, jewelry, art, decorations, and gifts.

Christmas Market 2022 offers both in-person shopping and pre-ordering. Pre-ordering will be available through www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com from Dec. 10-20. Some vendors, such as Miss NiNi’s Fine Desserts, will only be offering pre-ordered products.

Christmas Market accepts SNAP/EBT/Food Stamps and Double Up Food Bucks.

Christmas Market: Delicious. Cozy. Fresh. Local.

(Radio Iowa) – A group of national Democrats may soon recommend that another state vote first as Democrats select their presidential nominee in 2024. Former Iowa Democratic Party chairman Scott Brennan is the only Iowan on the panel that starts meeting Thursday to recommend a schedule of state primaries and caucuses for 2024.  “There’s been a real move away from Caucuses by the Democratic National Committee. They view them as inherently undemocratic…and they complain that Iowa is just not as diverse as our Democratic Party writ large,” Brennan says, “so those things combined put us in a bit of a pickle.”

The Iowa Democratic Party’s CAUCUSES have been the first presidential voting event since 1972. The first PRIMARY has been held in New Hampshire. Ray Buckley, chairman of New Hampshire’s Democratic Party, has taken a shot at another strike against Iowa — the days long delay in results from the 2020 Caucuses.  “We have held presidential primaries for over 100 years and not once have we had any reporting issues,” Buckley says.

Party leaders have said voting should begin in states that reflect the diversity of the Democratic Party and be key toss up states for winning the presidency. Judith Whitmer, chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party, says Nevada fits those goals. “As a diverse, accessible and union strong battleground state, Nevada represents the bright future of the Democratic Party,” she said. Minnesota is another state applying to take over Iowa’s lead-off spot. Ken Martin, chairman of Democratic-Farmer-Laborer Party, dismisses the idea his state’s weather in January would be too harsh for campaigning.

“March 1st, which is when our primary is now, there’s still a lot of snow on the ground and it’s still cold,” he says. “It’s not much different if you move it up a month or two.” Michigan Democrats say the Democratic sweep in this year’s elections in Michigan shows their state should kick-off the presidential campaign.