(Audubon, Iowa) – Members of the Audubon School Board, Monday night, received an update from Superintendent Eric Trager, with regard to actions/inaction by the Iowa Legislature, the District’s Building Project, and other matters. Like many other Superintendents, Eric Trager is frustrated by a lack of definitive action from the Legislature, with regard to teacher pay and School Supplemental Aid (SSA).

He said their March meetings are typically pretty big, because they approve salaries and talked through the budget, but “Unfortunately, our legislature has not done what they need to do so that we can do what we need to do.”

He said they’re also waiting on establishing the school calendar.

Trager says a much of the delays seem to be tied up with the AEA reform bill, which the Senate passed Monday night. A different version resides with the Iowa House.

He says the good news is that the Governor’s proposal on the AEA’s got a lot of public attention, and the legislature appears to be willing to find a compromise with the governor. Still, it’s frustrating for school officials. In other business, the Audubon School Board, Monday night, approved the purchase of a Suburban.

They also approved the repair of a school roof where they HVAC units were removed.

And, because they are currently fully staffed, there was no action on personnel matters during the meeting.

Their final order of business was to approve the transfer of funds from the General-to Activity Account for Safety Equipment, and from the Management to General Fund, in order to repay a loan.

(Update 9:40-a.m.) – The Iowa Department of Transportation’s 511ia.org website reports eastbound Interstate 80 between Adair and Casey (Exit 76: County Road N54 and Exit 83: Antique Country Drive), is blocked in the right lane, due to a crash. The accident involved a semi tractor-trailer. Additional details are not available.

(Griswold, Iowa) – The Griswold School District’s Board of Education has set April 3rd (2024) at 5:30-p.m., as the date & time for a Public Hearing on a proposed Fiscal year 2025 Property Tax dollar levy compared to the final FY24 Levy, with regard to the District’s Fiscal Year 2025 Budget. The hearing takes place in the Conference Room at the school. No action is expected, just public input.

(Griswold, Iowa) – The Griswold School Board met in a regular monthly session Monday evening. Superintendent Dave Henrichs told KJAN News the Board acted on approving a few resignations and transfers.

They also approved the hiring of certain personnel.

In other business, the Griswold School Board approved bids for Chemical Application and Mowing.

They also received a presentation from some staff members, with regard to a four-day school week.

The Board then acted on approving the Summer Driver’s Education Program and fees.

In his report to the Griswold School Board, Superintendent Henrichs mentioned there are some teaching positions that remain to be filled for the next school year.

The Griswold School Board discussed a Snow Make-Up Day Plan, which Henrichs said offers some forgiveness and a reasonable last day of school scenario.

As for school staff…

And finally, Superintendent Henrichs discussed with the Board the possibility of using a Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy on a part-time basis, as a School Resource Officer (SRO).

Henrichs says they’re waiting to see if the Iowa Legislature includes funding for an SRO program in the School Safety Bill before proceeding with further discussion/action on the matter.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports 41-year-old Jacob Jeffrey Fry – who has  no known address – was arrested Monday night at the Creston/Union County Law Enforcement Center. Fry was taken into custody at around 7:35-p.m., on a warrant for Violation of Parole.

Fry was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, while waiting extradition to Polk County.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie Center Community School District’s Board of Education will meet 7-p.m. Wednesday, March 20th, in the AC/GC Junior High Media Center, in Guthrie Center. Among the action items on their agenda, is:

• A Public Hearing on the 2024-25 School Master Calendar, followed later by possible approval of the calendar and adjusted 2023-24 calendars, as presented.
• Action on approving the resignations of Zach Brandt, HS Teacher & Coach (effective end of the 2023-24 school year), and Brandy Clark, Special Education Paraeducator.
• Contract recommendations/approval of contracts for Bethany McCool, Marketing & Communication Specialist, & Ki Fleming, HS Night Custodian.
• Setting April 17th at 7-p.m. as the date/time for a Public Hearing on the 2024-25 Certified Budget.

The Board will also discuss equipment for the Weight Room.  The full agenda can be seen below:

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University criminologist is the author of a new book that examines more than 100 cold cases that were resolved using D-N-A evidence. Matt DeLisi says he collected information on the cold cases as part of his overall work and then decided to zero in on them.”One of the things I noticed over the years as I gathered more and more of these cases is that they really started to review a lot of what criminologist know about serious criminal offenders in terms of their behavioral tendencies and characteristics,” he says. DeLisi says it breaks down the individual issues with each case.

“I believe there’s about 120 of them in the book. And each chapter profiles a specific feature or scientific feature about serious criminal offenders,” DeLisi says. “And so it’s a book that’s sort of brings together the worlds of academic criminology or cold case criminology, and what the D-N-A evidence and the testing of it can reveal about the perpetrators.” DeLisi says one of the subjects that is mentioned for the book is Richard Cottington. who was convicted of multiple murders and was known as the “Torso Killer.” Cottington’s case was featured in a series on Netflix as prosecutors used what’s called “clearing a case by exceptional means” to get him to reveal more of his victims.

“They just simply have the offender provide the information and effectively acknowledge responsibility for it without receiving any additional legal punishment. And the value of this is it allows the justice system to resolve unsolved cases and that can be very meaningful and important to the family to give them some legal closure,” he says.

DeLisi’s book is available through Innovativelink Publishers in Dubuque or through Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites.

(Radio Iowa) – One county in northeast Iowa reports a large increase in tuberculosis cases, a boost well above state and national averages. According to the Black Hawk County Public Health Department, the number of T-B cases roughly tripled in the past three years. Kaitlin Emrich, the county’s public health director, says the increase stems in part from native Pacific Islanders living in the county who didn’t have access to preventative care in their home countries. Black Hawk County is averaging about 12 T-B cases per 100-thousand people, while the national average is about two-point-five cases per 100-thousand, and the rest of the state averages almost two cases. The county averaged about four cases in 2021.

(Radio Iowa)- A University of Iowa men’s basketball student manager agrees to a plea deal in a sports gambling case, that involved betting on his own team. Evan Schuster was originally charged with tampering with records involving sports betting. That included betting on his own team. But according to a court filing, Schuster plead down the original charge to gambling under the age of 21. That’s the difference between a serious misdemeanor and and a simple misdemeanor. The charges originated from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s probe into sports wagering at two state universities, which found that Schuster placed nine bets on the Iowa team using his father’s name. Schuster will pay a fine of 645 dollar fine.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Red Oak was arrested Monday night on drug charges, following a traffic stop in Red Oak. Authorities say 34-year-old Cesar Miguel Ruiz Velasco-Cruz was arrested at around 7:25-p.m. at Broadway Street and 3rd Avenue, on charges that include: Possession of Methamphetamine with the intent to deliver – a Class B Felony; Poss. of Marijuana/1st offense – a Serious Misdemeanor; Person ineligible to carry a dangerous weapon – a Serious Misdemeanor, and Keeping a vehicle or premises for Controlled Substances, an Aggravated Misdemeanor.

Velasco-Cruz was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted by Red Oak Police in handling the incident.