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(Radio Iowa) – A 38-year-old former state employee and therapist who worked at the State Training School for Boys in Eldora has been arrested and charged with sexual misconduct. Sarah Jean Perry was charged with sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist, sexual exploitation by a counselor or therapist within one year of service and for sexual misconduct with an offender.
The Eldora Police Department was made aware of sexual misconduct allegations against Perry at the end of last month. The investigation began after a resident was found with a vape pen at the school. The resident told staff it came from a therapist at the school who was also providing the contraband to as many as seven residents she was engaging in sexual acts with.
Perry was placed on administrative leave after the student made the accusation and she was later fired. The Boys State Training School is a residential facility for teenage boys. It provides a variety of services, including psychiatric counseling.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa football tackle Noah Shannon will serve as honorary captain when the Hawkeyes host Illinois in their home finale Saturday on Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:35 p.m. (CT) and the game will be televised on FS1.
Shannon played 42 games over the past four seasons, including starting all 27 contests for the Hawkeyes in 2021 and 2022. He totaled 107 tackles, 11 for loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 pass break-ups and a forced fumble. Shannon also played in the last two Hawkeye bowl games (2022 Citrus Bowl; 2022 Music City Bowl).
The Aurora, Illinois, native was a two-time honorable mention all-conference selection. He earned the team’s Hustle Award (defense) and Hayden Fry Award (defense) as a junior and senior, respectively.
A two-time Player Council representative, Shannon will accompany the Iowa captains to midfield for Saturday’s pregame coin toss.
(Clive, Iowa) November 16, 2023 – Six teams of Iowa youth won scholarships while participating in the Senior Division of the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) Youth Swine Judging Contest. The event, which invites students from across the state, took place at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines last week. There were 120 teams represented in the Senior Division of the competition. The top teams came from Grinnell High School, Alburnett High School, Gladbrook-Reinbeck High School, the Winfield-Mt. Union Community School District, and Woodbury County in northwest Iowa. A total of 517 students participated in both the Senior and Junior divisions.
Cory Van Gilst, IPPA’s producer outreach director, says “We enjoy welcoming students who are really into judging livestock, as well as those who don’t get a ton of exposure to agriculture. This is a day out of the classroom—a chance to see pigs in person and learn about the pork industry.”
Top Senior Teams:
Tying for fifth place were Winfield-Mt. Union FFA 1 and Woodbury County 4-H 1, both with 717 points. All of those team members also receive $125 scholarships. Representing Winfield-Mt. Union were Eli Miller and Katie Miller, both of Winfield; and Kurt Beard and Quinlyn Smith of Morning Sun. Students on the Woodbury team included Grace Flannigan, Salix; Jacob Mitchell, Oto; and Kara Nelson, Pierson.
Top Junior Teams:
The top five junior teams are Buena Vista County 4-H 1 — first place; Greene County 4-H 2 — second; Carroll County 4-H — third; Creston 2 — fourth; and Greene County 4-H 1 — fifth. Each of the junior teams wins a plaque.
Points were awarded for each of the following activities: tests on meat quality and knowledge of commercial pork production; as well as judging four classes of hogs that required students to test their commercial gilt selection and market hog evaluation skills; score a keep-cull gilt class; and do a live carcass evaluation, which involved examining 10 pigs individually to determine each animal’s weight, loin eye size, and back fat, then comparing and ranking them on carcass value.
The day also included a demonstration of pork carcass fabrication and a seminar about careers in the pork industry. This is the 15th year for the event. Eldon C. Stutsman Inc., Iowa State University, the Pork Checkoff, Producers Livestock, and Smithfield Foods all partnered with IPPA for this year’s contest.
(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Board of Supervisors met in a regular session Tuesday morning, in Harlan. Shelby County Auditor/Board Secretary Mark Maxwell presented the Supervisors with the Certification (Canvass) of the Shelby County election results that were cast in Shelby County on November 7th, 2023. The results are shown below:
CANDIDATES ELECTED BY THE VOTERS OF THE RESPECTIVE CITIES LOCATED WHOLLY WITHIN SHELBY COUNTY:
Shelby County EMS Public Measure – Approved
City of Defiance Mayor – Mary Jo Schaben
City of Defiance City Council At-Large – Max Powers and Brian Kloewer
City of Defiance City Council At-Large To Fill a Vacancy – Bruce Feser
City of Earling Mayor – Janice A. Gaul
City of Earling City Council At-Large – Brandon Boger and Jill Schiltz
City of Elk Horn Mayor – Stan Jens
City of Elk Horn City Council At-Large – Danny L. Petersen and Kayla Creek and Kendall Petersen
City of Harlan Mayor – Jay Christensen
City of Harlan City Council Lincoln Ward – Troy Schaben
City of Harlan City Council Ward 2 – Richard Petersen
City of Harlan City Council Ward 4 – Jenny Kelly
City of Harlan City Council Ward 1 To Fill a Vacancy – Kyle Lindberg
City of Irwin Mayor – James Borcher
City of Irwin City Council At-Large – Richard Wiig and Jonna Willadsen
City of Kirkman Mayor – Matt Nielsen
City of Kirkman City Council At-Large – Dennis Baldwin and Terry Fiscus and John Doonan
City of Panama Mayor – Larry Keane
City of Panama City Council At-Large – Kathleen Ann Schafer and Linda Cogdill
City of Portsmouth Mayor – Donald Kenkel
City of Portsmouth City Council At-Large – Darci Paxton and Teri Dunn
City of Tennant Mayor – James Brantner
City of Tennant City Council – Mark Tearney and Paula Campbell and Tom Ewoldt
City of Westphalia Mayor – Christopher G. von Ahsen
City of Westphalia City Council – Brandon Eck and Bruce Goeser
The meeting then had comments by Chairman Steve Kenkel, and Chris Nelson of the financial auditing firm that performs auditing services for Shelby County. New Iowa Code involving budgets were discussed and reviewed. Mr. Nelson gave his initial thoughts on the financial report submitted by Shelby County for the year ended June 30th, 2023.
Mark Maxwell noted increasing carryovers and Capital reserves was discussed and the example referred to frequently was the air conditioning at the Courthouse next spring. New budget director Taryn Knapp was present to ask questions and receive information about budget preparation. The recently passed EMS public measure and implementation was discussed. Auditor Maxwell will create the needed accounts to get the financial details in order when the financial accounts are needed.
(Radio Iowa) – Iowans are being encouraged to put down the cigarettes today (Thursday) and take part in the 48th annual Great American Smokeout. Emily Myatt, at the American Cancer Society, says it’s a push to get people to kick the habit. “This is a day for people who use commercial tobacco to create a plan to quit,” Myatt says. “We know quitting tobacco is so hard. So it’s a red-circle day on the calendar to say, ‘You know what, I’m going to quit today or I’m going to think about it or I’m going to make a plan to quit.'”
State health officials say about 17-percent of Iowa adults smoke and 10-percent of high school students. Surveys also find about five-percent of Iowa adults use e-cigarettes, while up to 22-percent of Iowa 11th graders vape.
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Board of Education is advancing a set of rules that give schools and teachers some clarification on a law to requires schools to remove books with sexually explicit content or illustrations. Enforcement of the law is set to take effect in January. Iowa Department of Education attorney Thomas Mayes says the proposed rules give officials the ability to end an investigation when a district responds to a complaint. “If a district voluntarily comes into alignment and permanently comes into alignment, there’s really no need for a citation,” Mayes says. “The problem’s been solved.”
State officials will not be releasing a list of books which are not to be in classrooms or school libraries. Another part of the new law forbids classroom instruction about gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through sixth grade. The Board of Education’s proposed rules say a neutral mention of those topics does not violate the law. Mayes says that would include something like reading a book that happens to have L-G-B-T-Q characters. “So that is sort of a…safe harbor for classroom teachers,” Mayes says, “that a neutral mention is not a promotion.”
The law, which went into effect July 1st, requires schools to notify parents when students ask to use a name that’s different from what’s on school registration forms. The proposed rules clarify that does not apply to a nickname, but only when a student asks to use a name or pronoun at school as part of a gender transition. The department is taking comments on the rules. Public hearings are scheduled to take place in Des Moines on January 3rd and 4th.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, presented reports on various committee meetings they attended as liasions to the Council. Councilperson Elaine Otte sat in on the United First Aid meeting, pertaining to a grant Cass County received for volunteer emergency responders and AED/Overdose/stop the bleed “Go bag” kits. AmeriCorps volunteer Erik Johnson, who is also a paramedic with Cass EMS, is overseeing the local program. Cass County is one of three counties in the State that were recipients of the grants to facilitate the program.
You can read more about that program in a November 1st story on the News page at kjan.com. Councilman Jim Behrens said he attended a fire department meeting.
Councilman Pat McCurdy said he and Councilman Dana Halder attended a recent Landfill Commission meeting.
It was noted also, the new lift station is working well for the transfer station. Councilman Halder noted the Cass County Landfill Winter Hours will start on December 1st. From December through February, the landfill will be open on the first Saturday of each month through February. The hours are the same as they currently are: 8-a.m. until Noon on Saturdays. McCurdy said he also attend a November 13th meeting of the Personnel and Finance Committee, which was held at Snyder and Associates Engineers, in Atlantic. Dave Sturm is the City’s Engineer.
Councilperson Linda Hartkopf said the Airport Commission held a very brief meeting recently. She said they approved the second pay application for the runway lighting project. Engineer Dave Sturm provided an update on that project.
Sturm said a grant application will be submitted to the FAA in December for a taxiway extension and a new T-Hangar as well as a new Corporate Hangar a client wants to see built. Sturm said space for the Hangar was prepared years ago.
The Atlantic City Council recaps the various committee meetings attended each time the Council meets, as a regular part of their agenda.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic hosted a Legislative Round-table Monday evening for newly elected members of city councils in Cass County. Senator Tom Shipley, of Nodway, and Representative Thomas Moore, of Griswold were invited to attend, but City Clerk Barb Barrick said during Wednesday’s Atlantic City Council meeting, Moore didn’t appear at the meeting, and he gave no explanation of why he skipped it.
Barrick said that she, along with the three newly elected Atlantic City Council members – Emily Kennedy, Mike McDermott and Shawn Sarsfield – attended the meeting. Also in attendance was Atlantic Mayor Grace Garrett, Councilpersons Otte, Sisco and Behrens, as well as Police Chief Devin Hogue.
Among some of the topics discussed during the forum, was childcare, housing, and a House File dealing with property taxes. Barrick said Tom Shipley didn’t want to talk too much about the latter topic, because there’s still much to be worked out.
Councilman Lee Sisco mentioned discussion was also held with regard to cities making incentives to bring new businesses to town. Shipley suggested leaders shouldn’t be afraid to be aggressive.
The forum was moderated by Dan Stalder, with the Iowa League of Cities.
Jim Field visits with Kate Olson about the Harvest Market on Monday, November 20, 2023 from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic.
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