DES MOINES, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections report 27-year-old Ariante Ladon Williams, who was convicted of Robbery 2nd Degree in Polk County, failed to report back to the Fort Des Moines Correctional Facility as required yesterday (Sunday).

Williams is a black male, height 5’9″, and weighs 258 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on February 16, 2024.

Persons with information on Williams’ whereabouts should contact local police.

Ariante Ladon Williams (I-DOC photo)

(Radio Iowa) – Cedar Falls leaders are setting up an affordable housing trust fund which would allow the city to access some 200-thousand dollars in state aid. Brian Schoon, executive director of the Iowa Northland Regional Council of Governments, says a housing assessment that was done in Cedar Falls late last year spurred the city to act.  “People knew the need was there, but it just didn’t rise to the level of bringing people to the table,” Schoon says. “Now the City of Cedar Falls knows from that study where some of the needs are.”

Cedar Falls was one of the last communities in the state -without- such a fund. He says the city hopes the new nonprofit organization will be fully up and running by January of next year.

“They’re going to have to look at projects that would be categorized as the affordability side of things,” Schoon says. “That was one of the things that jumped up in the housing needs assessment was the cost of housing, the cost of land, the cost of development.” Schoon says the nonprofit will mainly focus on driving living costs down.

REDFIELD, Iowa — The community of Redfield and others who care about a local business that was devastated by a fire last month, have come to together to support the owners as they plan to rebuild. Steve Roberts and his wife Kristy own the Dexfield Diner and Pub. The establishment sustained extensive fire damage February 26^th. The cause remains under investigation.

An adjacent boutique owned by Kristy Roberts was also damaged. Since the blaze, the Roberts’ have received permission to begin demolishing and removing items out of the boutique part of their building.

In the nearly two weeks since the fire, Roberts said people have continuously reached out to help: whether it be by phone or on social media. There is a Facebook page focused on the rebuilding efforts, where Roberts updates people on what’s going and people volunteer to help.

In addition to physical labor, people have also been either donating via a GoFundMe page or through fundraisers people are putting on. Roberts and his family say they are very grateful.

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM School District’s Board of Education will meet tonight (March 11, 2024) at the CAM High School Media Center, in Anita. Their session begins at 6:30-p.m. The agenda for tonight’s meeting is shown below:

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic is expected to hold – what City Administrator John Lund, last week as a – “Gavel-in, gavel-out,” quick meeting. The 5-p.m. session in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall, is for the passage of a Resolution “Endorsing the Use of TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program) Funds for the West 22nd Street Trail Construction Project in Atlantic, Iowa.” Passage of the Resolution is necessary in order for the City to submit (Through SWIPCO), an application for the TAP grant. The deadline is Friday, March 15th.

The Resolution before the Council can be seen below.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – As part of National Civic Learning Week (March 11-15), Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate has launched a new series of videos designed to give Iowa voters an in-depth look at Iowa’s voting process. The video series will cover a variety of topics about Iowa’s elections process, including voter registration, registration management, absentee voting, and more.

The launch of the video series is part of an ongoing effort to ensure Iowans turn to the Iowa Secretary of State as the trusted source of all things elections. Over the past few years, Pate’s office says there has been a rise of mis-, dis- and mal- information spread among social media and news sources. It is vitally important that Iowans understand Iowa’s elections process and to stay alert for cases of false claims.

At the time of its launch, the video series includes 18 separate videos about Iowa’s voting process. Additional videos covering topics like Election Day and the Tabulation Process will be released in the coming months. The videos can be accessed at VotingProcess.Iowa.Gov.

Civic Learning Week is a nationwide celebration of civic learning that unites students, educators, policymakers, and private sector leaders. Learn more about Civic Learning Week at CivicLearningWeek.Org.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports a woman was arrested Sunday evening, for Driving while Suspended. 40-year-old Alicia Ellen Lovell, of Creston, was arrested at the Iowa State Savings Bank at around 5:35-p.m., Sunday. Lovell was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on a $300 cash or surety bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Democrats are hosting their County Convention at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce meeting room on Saturday, March 23rd, from 10-a.m. until Noon. Registered Democrats residing in Cass County are invited to attend. Individuals eligible to vote may register as Democrats at the event. Youth age 13+ who will not be 18 by Election Day 2024 may participate as Youth Delegates and also have the opportunity to participate in the Youth District and State Conventions. Press and observers are welcome, as long as they do not
interrupt or interfere with the Convention.

At the county convention, Cass County Democrats will finalize their county platform, and elect delegates to represent the county at the Democrats’ district and state conventions, on
May 4 and June 15, respectively. Cass County’s delegates to the state and district conventions will represent Cass County in two areas: developing Iowa’s state democratic platform, and representing the county’s presidential candidate preferences.

A political platform is a set of goals, strategies, and principles designed to address current political issues. The Cass County Democrats began developing this year’s county platform during the caucuses held on January 15. Platform resolutions developed at the caucus covered topics including affordable childcare, food access, senior housing, gun control, reproductive freedom, environmental sustainability, and more. Delegates elected at the county convention will represent Cass County’s values and platform while assisting with the development of the Iowa Democrats’ state platform.

In addition to platform development, delegates to the state and district conventions also represent Cass County’s presidential candidate preferences. Starting this year, instead of selecting presidential candidates at the caucus, Iowa Democrats indicated their preferred presidential candidate via presidential preference cards sent through the mail. Presidential preference cards were mailed to those who requested them (via mail or internet form) by February 19, 2024. The cards were required to be returned by March 5, 2024. All 50 votes cast in Cass County were for President Biden.

For more information about the county convention or the Cass County Democrats, contact County Chair Denise O’Brien at 712-249-3197 or casscountyiadems@gmail.com or follow
the Cass County Democrats on Facebook @CassCountyIADems.