The PRIMARY ELECTION is June 5, 2018. Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman says a person may vote early (cast an ABSENTEE ballot) at the Cass County Auditor’s office during office hours up thru 5 p.m. on June 4. The Cass County Auditor’s office is open until 5 p.m. on Friday, June 1 and also open from 8 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 2.

On Tuesday, June 5, 2018 between 7:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. a PRIMARY ELECTION will be held for all qualified electors of Cass County to select certain candidates to appear on the General Election ballot, November 6, 2018.

Iowa Law states that in order to vote in a PRIMARY ELECTION you must choose either a REPUBLICAN, LIBERTARIAN or a DEMOCRATIC PARTY Ballot. (Sec. 43.38, Code of Iowa) A voter may change party affiliation at the polls on the day of the election.

Persons must be registered in Cass County and at their current residence address to be eligible to vote.

Every VOTER IS REQUIRED TO PROVIDE IDENTIFICATION at the polling place before that voter may receive and cast a ballot.

Iowa permits Election Day Registration. Residents of Cass County who are not currently registered in Cass County may register at the polls and vote on the day they vote (absentee or at the polls). The voter must present proof of identity and proof of residence address.

Residents of Cass County who have changed their name/address since registering in Cass County will be required to re-register at the voting site before being permitted to vote.

Persons attempting to vote in the wrong precinct will be directed to the correct precinct. Persons must register in Cass County to be eligible to vote in Cass County.

THE VOTING CENTERS ON JUNE 5 FOR THIS ELECTION WILL BE AS FOLLOWS:

• Atlantic 1st Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zion Lutheran Church (811 Oak St)
• Atlantic 2nd Ward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Atlantic Public Library (507 Poplar)
• Atlantic 3rd Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cass County Community Center (805 W 10th)
• Atlantic 4th Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . United Church of Christ (1607 Hazel)
• Atlantic 5th Ward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heritage House (1200 Brookridge Circle)
• Bear Grove, Cass Twp/Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lewis Public Library (412 W Main St, Lewis)
• Benton, Franklin Twp/Wiota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wiota City Hall (311 Center St)
• Brighton, Grove, Pymosa, Washington Twp/Marne . . . . Cass County Community Center (805 W 10th)
• Edna, Victoria Twp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Massena Public Library (122 Main St, Massena)
• Grant, Lincoln Twp /Anita. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anita Community Center (805 Main St)
• Noble, Pleasant Twp/Griswold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Griswold Community Bldg. (601 2nd St)
• Massena Twp/City of Massena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Massena Public Library (122 Main St, Massena)
• Union Twp/City of Cumberland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cumberland Community Bldg. (200 W 2nd)

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman is now charged in the 1992 beating death of an engaged man with whom she allegedly had a sexual relationship. Annette Dee Cahill made a brief court appearance Friday from the Muscatine County Jail. She’s being held on a $1 million bond. The 55-year-old woman is charged with first-degree murder in the October 1992 slaying of Corey Lee Wieneke. He was found dead on his bedroom floor in rural West Liberty by his fiancée. Investigators say he was beaten with an aluminum baseball bat.

Cahill didn’t enter a plea Friday. An attorney says he’s talking with Cahill’s family about representing her. Investigators say a new witness came forward last year claiming Cahill confessed to the killing. Cahill and Wieneke allegedly argued about “his involvement with another woman” the day he died.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge agreed Friday (today) to temporarily block the most restrictive abortion law in the country from taking effect in Iowa next month under an agreement between lawyers for the state and abortion rights groups. Attorneys for the state and Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said during a court hearing that they agreed to prevent the law from taking effect on July 1 after discussions with the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, Planned Parenthood Federation of American and the Emma Goldman Clinic. The advocacy groups argue the law is unconstitutional and have filed a lawsuit to block the law, which bans most abortions if a fetal heartbeat can be detected. An attorney representing the state said the goal now is to quickly get the case before a judge so the state can argue the law is constitutional.
Judge Michael Huppert said he would formally issue a temporary injunction later in the day.

Reynolds signed the law May 2, two days after lawmakers approved it. If the law is eventually allowed to take effect, the fetal heartbeat requirement would ban abortions around the sixth week of pregnancy — a time when, abortion-rights groups say, many women don’t even know they’re pregnant. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has refused to defend the law, so the Thomas More Society, a conservative Chicago-based law firm, has agreed to handle the defense for free.

The law’s approval marked a dramatic change in abortion policy in Iowa. Until the 2016 election, the state had little to no role in the broad Republican effort to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy until a fetus is viable. But the election flipped control of the Iowa Senate, putting Republicans in charge of the Legislature and the governor’s office for the first time in two decades. Up to that point, Democrats had maintained enough political power to curtail most Republican anti-abortion attempts. Lawmakers adopted several abortion restrictions in 2017, including a 20-week abortion ban and a requirement that women wait three days before ending a pregnancy. The waiting provision, one of the longest in the country, is on hold because of a different lawsuit.

Separately, a new Iowa-based coalition of anti-abortion organizations was formed last year to renew efforts toward an abortion ban. The Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders, which includes Family Leader, put aside years of disagreement among the groups to help win passage of the 20-week ban and the six-week ban. Iowa Republicans last year also gave up millions in federal dollars to create a state-funded family planning program that prohibits participation from abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood.

A county-wide resource directory that was sponsored and compiled by the Cass County Democratic party is now available. Democratic Party Chair Sherry Toelle said today (Friday), that the 30-page booklet lists resources from abuse reporting to volunteering.  The Cass County Resource Directory is being distributed in Atlantic with plans to make it available to agencies and people across the county. In addition to the booklet, there is also a PDF version available for those who want an electronic copy of the directory.

Toelle says the booklet began as a simple idea for a community project, but quickly “Grew into a massive undertaking.” She says two people—Rolene Britson and Jan Lunde—eagerly took on the project as their own,” but it wasn’t long before everyone realized just how big of a project it really was. According to Toelle, “Jan and Rolene contacted all the agencies listed to ensure that our information was correct. Without them, who knows if this project would ever have gotten off the ground.”

Toelle says “We have already distributed 100 copies of the booklet. If an agency or person would like one of the directories, they can contact [her] at 243-4861 or by email at stoelle@mchsi.com.”

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Davenport officials have closed a bridge that carries thousands of vehicles daily after finding the span’s surface showed “widespread deterioration.” The Quad-City Times reports that city officials announced Wednesday that Elm Street bridge would be closed to vehicles and pedestrians. Assistant City Administrator Brandon Wright says city workers first discovered holes in the bridge’s deck on Monday. He says they immediately closed off the bridge, though some people continued to use the span.

Wright says an inspector told the city midweek that the bridge should remain off limits. He says the city is waiting for a final inspection report and that it’s unclear when the bridge will reopen. Wright says the city received an estimate last year that says replacing the bridge would cost about $3.4 million.