KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) – Voters have ousted two Knoxville council members who voted to remove a veterans memorial from a city park. Carolyn Formanek won roughly 15.3 percent of Tuesday’s votes and April Verwers won about 14.3 percent. Their opponents won more than 20 percent each. The Des Moines Register reports that Formanek and Verwers voted with the council majority on Monday to move the wooden silhouette of a soldier kneeling before a cross out of Young’s Park and onto private property. A new bronze memorial would be erected instead.

The plan was offered as a way to stave off any lawsuit by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which wants the cross removed. But the council action prompted calls from supporters of the silhouette to oust incumbents Formanek and Verwers.

Voters in Atlantic, Tuesday, overwhelming rejected a proposed bond issue which would have allowed the second floor of City Hall to be renovated into a multi-purpose facility. The $875,000 bond, which would have been paid for through the Local Option Sales Tax, was defeated by a vote of 517 (64.71%) to 282 (35.29%). A majority was required for the measure to pass. All of the incumbent councilpersons in Atlantic were re-elected, in most cases with few or no write-in votes to challenge them.

Elsewhere in Cass County: Voters in Anita re-elected Mayor Timothy Miller to a 4-year term. Miller garnered 160 votes. His challenger, Ben Daughenbaugh received 57 votes. Both incumbent councilmen in Anita, Jeff Bohnsack and Thomas R. Harris, were unchallenged and re-elected to their seats.

In Cumberland, Mayor Nancy Virginia Coughlin, was unopposed in her bid for re-election. She received 25 votes, with 5 write-in’s recorded. There were two seats open on the City Council in Cumberland. Sandra K. Eversole, who was re-elected, received 21 votes. Joining her is Scott W. Becker, who received 19 votes. Write-In candidates Mike Hill and Darrin Hardisty each received 10 votes. And, Catherine Landstreet-Howard squeaked out a one-vote win over Darrin Hardisty for a vacancy on the City Council. Landstreet-Howard had 8 votes, while Hardisty had 7.

In Griswold, Jeb Peck, a write-in, was elected Mayor. Peck received 106 votes. There were 29 other, scattered write-in votes. And, Incumbents Ryan Askeland and Lisa Cook were re-elected to the Griswold City Council. Askeland garnered 131 votes, Cook 112, and Carmen Sorensen 102. Public Measure C in Griswold, which calls for the Mayor’s term to be extended from two-years, to four, was approved by a vote of 86 to 57.

In Lewis, Jon Mosier was unopposed in his bid for Mayor and received 80 votes. Three people were elected to the City Council. The winners include incumbent Duane Scott Anderson, Kristy Bassett and Marvin Bradfield. Bradfield had the most votes, at 74. Anderson and Basset each received a little over 50 votes, while Nona Erickson had 50 votes, and Leroy Easter 29. Public Measure D in Lewis, calling for a levy of up to 27-cents per thousand dollars of assessed valuation for the Public Library, failed by a vote of 48-to 41. (53.93% to 46.07%).

In Marne, Randy Baxter, who was unopposed, was re-elected Mayor. Incumbents Alan Cranston, Lori Holste and Angela Redler, were re-elected to the City Council, along with Kyle Frederiksen and Michael Jensen. And, Public Measure E, asking voters to approve a levy of up to $1.50/$1,000 valuation for additional monies directed to the Unified Law Enforcement District, was approved by a vote of 21-to 12. In Massena, Mayor Linda Reineke was re-elected Mayor, with no challengers. Micah Lee, Adam and Kevin McCunn, all incumbents, were re-elected to the City Council. None were opposed.

And finally, in Wiota, incumbent Ford Lillard was re-elected as Mayor, with no challengers. But in the city council race, incumbent Jon Schwarte was beaten out by Jim Fisher and Steven R. Havens for two seats on the Wiota City Council. Fischer and Havens each had 23 votes, while Schwarte had just 6.

Police in Red Oak arrested a Mills County woman early this (Wed.) morning, following a traffic stop near the intersection of Highways 34 and 48, in Red Oak. 32-year old Dawn Lorren Frink-McFarland, of Hastings, was taken into custody a few minutes after midnight. The woman was charged with OWI/1st offense, and cited for Open Container. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond.

Police in Council Bluffs say they’ve exhausted their leads in a search for three juveniles missing from a group home for children in need of mental, physical and social support.

Cassandra Gomez-Watson

Malakai Cayton

Leah Carpenter

Authorities say 15-year old Leah Carpenter and 11-year old Malakai Cayton, of Council Bluffs, and 9-year old Cassandra Gomez-Watson, of Carroll, were last seen leaving Children’s Square in Council Bluffs heading west on Avenue D, at around 9:15-p.m., Tuesday.

Carpenter was last seen wearing yellow fleece pants, a black Batman shirt, and black jacket. Her hair was in a pony tail. Cayton was last known to be wearing a dark blue, short sleeve shirt, and blue jogger pants. He was not wearing shoes or socks. And, Gomez-Watson was last seen wearing a black shirt and shorts.

Authorities said they do not believe the youth are in any immediate danger at this time. If you have seen them, please call your local law enforcement agency.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Democratic effort to delay privatization of Medicaid in Iowa has failed in a legislative oversight hearing. Democratic lawmakers on the bipartisan Health Policy Oversight Committee proposed a motion Tuesday asking Governor Terry Branstad to hold off on implementing the privatization plan by six months. Republicans opposed it and the proposal did not move forward.

NEW YORK (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he’s finally putting some money on the line as he seeks to fend off challengers. The billionaire businessman says his campaign will begin paid advertising soon in early-voting states. Trump tells the network his campaign is planning to air ads in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton says she wants to make gun control an issue voters think about when they cast ballots on Election Day. The former secretary of state was in Iowa Tuesday. Clinton says she realizes curbing gun violence is a “tough battle.” But she says she’s determined to push measures that would expand background checks and close loopholes to prevent guns from getting in the wrong hands.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — A team of veterinary researchers at Iowa State University has discovered the cause of a disease that makes baby pigs involuntary shake. Researchers from the university teamed up with scientists from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica to use new DNA sequencing techniques to trace the piglet tremors to a virus. Infected piglets can die from starvation if the tremors are severe enough.