You can’t sign-up just yet, but soon, you’ll be able to receive Emergency Notification messages about storms, Amber Alerts, Boil Orders and more, in Cass County. Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon, Wednesday (Today), told the Board of Supervisors the County has agreed to become part of the state-wide “Alert Iowa” system. The system is expected to become active in Cass County sometime within the next month.

Cass County Emergency Mgmt. Coordinator Mike Kennon talks about Alert IA.

The system can be used by state and local authorities to quickly disseminate emergency information to residents in counties that utilize the system. Persons with landlines are already on a data base for notification, but when the online registration form is active, persons with cell phones can register those numbers and their landline for notifications.

The system is available, free of charge, to all counties. Approximately three out of every four Iowa counties have now signed up to use the Alert Iowa system. In southwest Iowa, there are only six counties (Audubon, Adams, Fremont, Page, Taylor and Union), who have not jumped on the Alert Iowa bandwagon. Kennon says before it can be rolled out in Cass County, he, along with Sheriff Darby McLaren and 9-1-1 Coordinator Rob Koppert need to go through necessary training to prepare for the system’s activation.

When active in Cass County, Alert Iowa will allow citizens to sign up for the types of alerts they would like to receive. Messages can be issued via landline or wireless phone, text messaging, email, FAX, TDD/TYY, and social media. Messages may contain photo, video and audio attachments to help subscribers better understand the situation at hand, or where to find additional information. And, you can choose which city or cities you want to receive notifications for.

(Sample) Online registration form for Cass County/Alert IA,

The media will release more information on the system when the roll-out date grows closer. For more, general information, go to http://homelandsecurity.iowa.gov/about_HSEMD/alert_iowa.html

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Officials say the Powerball jackpot has risen to an estimated $500 million, which would make it the fifth largest lottery prize in U.S. history. The lottery raised its jackpot estimate hours before Wednesday night’s drawing and has raised it twice since Saturday’s drawing by a total of about $105 million.  No one has won the Powerball jackpot for more than two months, so the prize has been growing gradually from its $40 million starting point.

It’s been nearly a year since a Powerball prize topped $400 million. Powerball is sold in 44 states as well as Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The chance of winning a Powerball jackpot is about 1 in 175 million.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – July 4th celebrations could get colorful in Iowa under proposed legislation that would legalize more fireworks sales in the state. The bill got subcommittee-level approval in the Senate Wednesday. Under the proposal, retailers could sell firecrackers, roman candles and other fireworks. Currently, the state only allows sales of certain “novelty fireworks” like sparklers.

Bill sponsor Sen. Jeff Danielson, a Democrat from Cedar Falls, said that Iowa residents are already going to border states to buy fireworks. He said the current restrictions are not working and that a more permissive law could promote better safety education. Representatives from the fireworks industry offered support for the bill, while health care groups questioned the plan, saying it could lead to more injuries.

The measure now moves to a Senate committee for review.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A House panel has declined to approve a bill that would have prohibited most people in Iowa from killing mountain lions. Members of a natural resources subcommittee discussed the bill Wednesday. It will not advance in the legislature this session.

There is no current law that prevents a person from killing a mountain lion, also known as a cougar. The bill would have increased protection for the animals by specifying that a person accused of trapping, wounding or killing a mountain lion could be charged with a simple misdemeanor. That may lead to jail time or a fine.

The bill had exemptions, including for a person who spotted a mountain lion and feared for their safety. Lawmakers expressed concern about who would determine when a person was in danger.

Members of the Atlantic City Council will gather this (Wednesday) evening in their chambers at City Hall, to review the proposed Fiscal Year 2016 budget. The 5:30-p.m. work session also allows the Council to ask questions and make any necessary changes, but no action will be taken on approving the budget. City Administrator John Lund has set aside about 90-minutes for the session, as a fair percentage of the budget deals with personnel, supplies and contracted services that are in the budget every year. Lund says a second session can be scheduled or the meeting extended, if the Council desires.

In a follow-up to his report two-weeks ago on Cass County’s 5-year bridge replacement/repair plan, County Engineer Charles Marker today (Wednesday), told the Board of Supervisors out of 226 bridges in the County, 45 are “Structurally Deficient.” He says a bridge is deemed “Structurally deficient,” when the components of the bridge…the deck, the support beams, etc., cannot support a legal load limit. When a bridge cannot support the legal minimum load, it must be marked with a sign indicating the maximum weight limit.

To that end, Marker presented the Board with a Resolution – which they unanimously approved – setting the posted weight limits on bridges in the County. In making the announcement with regard to the 45 bridges in Cass County that are “Structurally deficient,” Marker noted a report in the Washington Post that said 21-percent of all bridges in Iowa are deemed structurally deficient, or second in the nation for problem bridges. Cass County is right along the lines of the State average, at 20-percent. He said that “Isn’t anything to brag about, but it’s good to know we’re the same as they are.”

Five-percent of the bridges in the State are also “Functionally Obsolete.”

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), approved the signing of an agreement to combine the County’s website with the City of Atlantic, CADCO (the Cass-Atlantic Development Corporation), and Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

Atlantic Chamber Director Ouida Wymer said the Atlantic Community Promotion Commission (CPC) has approved $7,500 for the discovery process in creating a combined website, toward the shared cost of the website’s development, which will decrease the combined entities’ cost of $14,500…or $3,625 each. There’s also an approximate $2,000 expense for “technical configuration,’ depending on what the County elects to have on its page. Wymer said there are several benefits to combining the County’s website with the other three entities.

All the information for the communities and County are in one place, making for a more unified presence on the web, and possibly drawing more young professionals as well as entrepreneurs. Wymer said it will also be more efficient and reduce duplication of information. County Deputy Auditor Sherri  Karns said cost-wise, it will be less to run the site over the next five-years than it currently is, aside from the one-time set-up and development fees. The page would be developed and hosted by 5Q Communications, in Atlantic.  5Q’s Chad Williams will meet next with each of the four entities to determine their individual needs.

The hosting charge would be $50 per month for each entity. Chad Williams said maintenance would be charged by the hour. The hosting covers physical location of the website, security updates and related features, such as measures to protect against hacking. They will also provide training on updating and accessing the website.

The County is served by Solutions, Inc., out of Spencer. The Supervisors are expected to meet with Solutions’ Vice President of Operations, Max Elg, next week. Until the new, combined website comes online and is functioning later this fall, the County will continue to utilize Solutions’ system and services on a month-by-month basis.