(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, authorized a participation agreement to receive additional National Opiod Settlement funds in the amount of $1,800. Board Chair Steve Baier explained..

By signing the agreement, the County continues to be eligible for any future, Opiod Settlement funds that are released. The Board also approved a Class-C Retail Alcohol License for the Griswold Golf and Country Club, and, they heard from County Engineer Trent Wolken, who mentioned they are trying to keep up with the changing road conditions.

He said right now they’re just trying to repair the “bad spots.” In the Spring they will conduct a more concentrated effort to lay down heavy rock where needed. In other Secondary Roads Department news…

The Supervisors spent a considerable amount of time discussing the Compensation Board’s recommendation for a 10-percent increase in salary for County Employees, but they took no action, while awaiting additional details and/or options to the recommendations. The Board will continue with discussion on the matter during their meeting next week.

(Radio Iowa) – The annual contest is now underway to find the best hamburger in the state. Iowa Beef Industry Council spokesperson, Kylie Peterson, says the criteria for the 2023 contestants remains the same. “A 100 percent real beef patty served on a bun or bread product from a restaurant here in the state of Iowa,” Peterson says. “So, any spices can be added to the patty. And the burger can include any combination of condiments, toppings, you name it.” Peterson says the various eateries find a lot of different ways to add to the base layer of beef and bun.

“People get super creative with the toppings. I mean, there’s different types of burgers now — smash burgers, stuffed patties, you name it — people get really creative. And I think that’s one of the most kind of exciting thing about burgers, or one of the most unique things about burgers is there’s so many different ways to prepare burger and serve a burger that provides different tasting and eating experiences,” she says.

Flying Elbow Burger (IBIC photo)

The Beef Industry Council holds the contest with the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and they are asking you to help nominate the best burger at iab.org. “On the home page, we have a link to the best burger voting link. If you’re a restaurant owner, and you want to participate, there are promotional materials for you on there to print out and use in your restaurant or on your social media platform,” Peterson says, “And then you’ll also find contest rules there as well as the link to vote.”  Past winners have come from all over the state and sometimes the joints that serve the burgers may be one of the few businesses in a town.

“It’s a great way to kind of highlight those rural communities that might have a hidden gem. I like to call them restaurants that locals know about that have great tasting foods, but maybe not the rest of the state,” she says. Winning the contest helps boost the burger business of the eatery — and she cites the central Iowa winner’s experience from 2022 as an example. “I know the Flying Elbow in Marshalltown was reported preparing 750 pounds of beef for well over two-thousand patties during an average week in July after they won in May of last year, Peterson says. “So it really increases their sales and draws attention not only in the state but outside of the state people are paying attention to Iowa’s best contest. They are going to make a trip to Iowa to try our beef.”

The contest will go on until March when the winner will be chosen from ten finalists and announced in May are part of the Beef Month festivities.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two men were arrested on separate Eluding charges over the past couple of days. At around 2:37-a.m. Sunday, Feb. 12th, 18-year-old Logan Patrick Hastings, of Red Oak, was arrested for Eluding and Theft in the 2nd Degree. Bond was set at $5,000.

And, Monday afternoon, 30-year-old Mathew Jacques Black, of Wilmington, DE., was arrested on Eluding and Reckless Driving charges. His bond was set at $2,300.

In other news, 34-year-old Steven Wayne Wurteles, Jr., of Omaha, was arrested at around 12-a.m. Tuesday (Today), for Violation of a No Contact Order. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Ankeny suffered severe/incapacitating lower extremity injuries, during a collision that occurred at around 1-p.m. on February 8th, near Panora. Officials say a Fed Ex delivery van driven by 45-year-old Joel Brink, of Ames, was traveling south on Highway 25 and had stopped at the intersection with 120th Street, while waiting for cross traffic to pass. A 2005 Chevy pickup truck driven by 22-year-old Meghan McBride, of Ankeny, was also southbound on Highway 25. When she looked down at her watch to view a message, she failed to notice the van stopped ahead of her.

The pickup struck the van from behind, causing the van to be propelled into the southeast ditch, where it rolled onto its side. The pickup continued southwest past the point of impact, and into the southwest corner of the intersection, before impacting a ditch. McBride was not wearing her seat belt. Brink was properly belted into the van.

Both drivers were transported by Panora EMS, with McBride being taken to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, and Brink transported to the Guthrie County Hospital in Guthrie Center.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’ll be attending a briefing today (Tuesday) as military and intelligence officials update members of Congress about the recent rash of unidentified flying objects being shot down by American warplanes. Grassley says he isn’t optimistic about the update, the second involving U-F-Os in two weeks. Grassley says, “Sometimes I walk away from a lot of briefings and think, ‘Well, I didn’t learn anything more than I read in The Washington Post or heard on television.'” Government officials say a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the South Carolina coast ten days ago, after it overflew much of the U-S. Three more objects have been shot down in the past four days, two near Alaska and a third over Lake Huron. Grassley says we’re all in the dark and deserve answers.

“There’s too much classified as secret, and in the end, the public ought to know more than they know right now,” Grassley says. “The briefing is part of congressional oversight to see whether or not the administration is doing what the Constitution requires them to do, to have a top priority on national security.” Officials are saying very little about the three latest U-F-Os and it’s unclear if they’re also intelligence-gathering platforms like the first Chinese balloon. Grassley questions how many other devices have been overhead that we’ve missed — or that we weren’t told about.

Grassley says, “I think the most important thing is to assess what holes there are in our surveillance system that we don’t know about all these intrusions on our sovereignty and threats to our national security.” Chinese officials have issued statements saying the first object was a weather balloon that veered off course, but U-S officials say they’ve recovered most of the craft’s antenna array which they say was certainly used for surveillance.

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM School District’s Board of Directors met in a regular session Monday evening at the High School in Anita. Superintendent Paul Croghan said there were no resignations to come before the Board, but they did approve contracts for: Brian Foglemen, Co-Head Golf Coach; and, Jeni Follman, Assistant Softball Coach. The Board also approved Ericka Stender as Softball Coach.

The CAM School Board approved 200 series policies, and a Budget Guarantee for 2023-24.

They also approved the sale of Excess Property, including buses and excess parts, which will be sold online.

And, with regard to District Facilities discussion, Paul Croghan said the Facilities Committee has met twice already, and will have their third meeting in Massena on Wednesday, Feb. 15th, beginning at 6-p.m. The meeting will be held in the South Elementary Media Center.

No action was taken on the Committee’s recommendations during Monday’s CAM School Board session. The Board will likely act on a decision within the next couple of months, according to Mr. Croghan.

(Creston, Iowa) – Two people were arrested on separate charges at a restaurant in Creston, Monday evening. According to Creston Police, at around 5:07-p.m., 30-year-old Shanqunek Shirlena Fleming, of South Carolina, was arrested at 802 W Taylor Street. She was charged with Possession of Controlled Substance, Marijuana 1st Offense. Fleming was released on Promise to Appear.

And, 19-year-old Jadon Ahmed Penn, of Maryland, was arrested for Carry a Weapon-Loaded Gun in City Limits, and Possession of Controlled Substance, Marijuana 1st Offense. Penn was taken to the Union County Jail where he was later released on a $3,000 cash or surety bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa flower shops will be exceptionally busy places to patronize on this Valentine’s Day and if you’re hoping to buy flowers for someone special, you may have to stand in line for what will likely end up being a limited selection. Kelsey Thompson, the owner of Bloom Algona, says customers are always better served if they placed an order well in advance. “We always encourage people to pre-order as soon as they can because we start designing usually three to four days ahead,” Thompson says, “so that way, when the big day is here, we have flowers ready and waiting.” Anticipating high demand, florists across the state are hiring on extra help both in-store and for deliveries, especially with Valentine’s Day falling on a Tuesday this year.

“It really fluctuates depending on the day of the week,” Thompson says, “Tuesday’s generally busy because people come to work Monday morning and go, ‘Oh, shoot,’ and then they call us, so I’m anticipating a little bit busier than last year.” Between ballooning inflation rates and prolonged supply chain issues, Thompson says the price for roses is rising. “Pretty similar to last year, maybe a bit higher,” Thompson says, “Like everything else in the world, you know, you go to the grocery store and prices are higher, you go to any store and prices are higher, so we’re seeing a little bit of a price increase.”

She says the average price for a dozen roses this year is roughly 80-dollars at Iowa floral shops.

(Radio Iowa)- Blind and deaf Iowans are urging lawmakers to reject some of the changes proposed in the governor’s state government reorganization plan. A spokesperson for Governor Reynolds say there are no plans to close the Iowa School for the Deaf in Council Bluffs, but some advocates point to a part of the governor’s bill that would repeal the Iowa law that says the legislature has to approve a move to close the school. Speaking through an American Sign Language interpreter, Sarah Young Bear-Brown says her six-year-old daughter is thriving at the school.

“It’s like our second home,” Young Bear-Brown says. “I don’t want to see another school close. I do not want to see that. We need to keep the Iowa School for the Deaf open.” Young Bear-Brown, a graduate of the Iowa School for the Deaf, tried to share her views during a Senate subcommittee meeting yesterday (Monday), but there was no sign language interpreter on the online platform.

The government reorganization bill also calls for Governor Kim Reynolds to start appointing the director of the Iowa Department for the Blind. For nearly 100 years, the Iowa Commission for the Blind has selected the agency’s director. Cindy Ray of Urbandale is an officer with the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa. “I have seen that blind people running the agency understand and know blind people,” Ray said.

Mary McGee of Des Moines, who has been blind all her life, says the agency’s training gives blind Iowans the confidence to work and contribute to society. “And we’re going to lose that if friends of the governor or good political supporters or optometrists get on that board and consumers have no input like they do now,” McGee said.

Molly Severn, an aide to Governor Reynolds, says Iowans have the perception that state government officials are accountable to the governor, so governors should be appointing the agency’s director.