The Dallas County Board of Supervisors have unanimously approved a location for a proposed administration and public safety facility on the east side of Adel, taking the next step in a seven-year process to provide necessary services for residents in one of the nation’s fastest-growing counties. Board Chair Mark Hansen said today’s (Tuesday’s) decision means the Supervisors will have to act by June 21st to set the date for a countywide referendum on the issue. The referendum will likely be held sometime this summer.

Hanson said the three-member board and other elected officials have worked closely together to determine how to best serve Dallas County residents with the most efficient services. A previous board had commissioned a master plan survey in 2006 to review how to meet current and future needs for the range of services the county delivers. The supervisors approved a formal study of department needs and a space assessment in July 2001, which was completed two months later. With the combined research in hand, county officials spent the rest of that year analyzing and ranking potential sites for the proposed administration and public safety facility.

Hanson said early discussions yielded several potential locations, but attention focused on a site in east Adel on the north side of Highway 6 that the county already owns. He said the county will maintain offices in buildings that it owns at 902 Court St., 121 Ninth St. and 201 N. Nile Kinnick Drive. Additional information about the study process and the proposed administration and public safety facility will be available at www.dallascountyfuture.com.

According to Hanson, Dallas County was the seventh fastest-growing county in the nation in 2011 and the 14th fastest-growing county last year, and as county officials, they “Have a responsibility to see that services keep up with the needs,”  of their residents.

Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Department were involved in pursuit late this morning south of Atlantic. Cass County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Westering told KJAN News there no injuries were reported, but the lives of the public were in jeopardy. He said the incident began sometime after 11-a.m., when the Cass County Communications Center reported a resident at Willow Heights Residential Care Facility had taken off in a vehicle and was traveling south from facility on a gravel road. Cass County Deputy Corey Larsen was able to locate and follow the subject and made several attempts to get him to stop. Westering said chase became a “Huge public safety concern,” when the subject of the pursuit allegedly began to try and run other motorists off the road. He says the subject was stopped at one point when contact was made between a squad car and the stolen vehicle, but the chase didn’t end until the subject lost control of the vehicle on Highway 71, just south of Newport Road, where the vehicle went into a ditch. He was then taken into custody. No injuries were reported, and the vehicles involved sustained only minor damage. Westering said the incident ended “About as good as it could for the way it was looking there for a while.”)

Westering’s cruiser sustained some minor front end damage during the pursuit. He said the suspect had spun-out, and Westering tried to box him in, but didn’t want to disable his cruiser. The subject managed to get the vehicle he was driving going again, but lost control on Highway 71 and spun out on the road. Westering moved his vehicle into position to pin the driver’s side door shut to keep the subject from getting away, and to keep the vehicle from taking off again, because speeds during the chase were in excess of 80 miles per hour into oncoming traffic. The subject lost control when Westering placed his cruiser in front of the other vehicle and the subject attempted to make evasive maneuvers.

(12-p.m. News)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors have approved a three-percent increase in wages and benefits for Sheriff’s Deputies, Jailors and Sheriff’s Office Assistants as part of the bargaining unit agreement for FY2014, FY 2015 and FY2016. The action came during their meeting this (Tuesday) morning, in Atlantic.  

In other business, the Board approved the first amendment to the “Cooperative Reimbursement Agreement” between the Cass County (host) Political Subdivision and the Department of Human Services/Bureau of Collections, with regard to the incorporation of a Program Budget for State Fiscal Year 2014. 

They also approved a request for tax abatement of taxes collectible for Fiscal Year 2013-2014, on property used as a church by Glory Christian Fellowship at 511 Main Street in Griswold.

The search continues today (Tuesday) in Sioux City for a man who shot a police officer during a routine traffic stop Monday. The injured officer was shot in the head, but is listed in stable condition at a local hospital. While police continue searching for the shooting suspect, 22-year-old Jamal Dean, they arrested his brother, Levon Dean on past warrants for first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary. Police public information officer, Chad Sheehan says it has been years — possibly decades — since a Sioux City officer was shot in the line of duty.

“You know, it’s a reminder to us that it’s a dangerous world we live in and you never know what you’re getting out on when you get out on any kind of traffic stop or any calls, or anything,” Sheehan says. “And hopefully we can rely on the public’s help here to help us catch this guy.”

Sheehan says it’s important to let police know any information. “Somebody knows where this guy is at. Somebody knows where he’s hiding. We need you to call, call 9-1-1,” Sheehan says.

Sheehan says Jamal Dean is a black male, six-foot-one, 230 pounds and has a tattoo that says “Outlaw” on the right side of his neck. Anyone with information on Dean is asked to call the Crimestoppers Hotline at 712-258-TIPS (8477).

(Radio Iowa)

Eight area fire departments were called for a grass fire about 2 miles southwest of Manning Sunday afternoon. Lynn Gaskill, Irwin Fire Chief, said a nearby resident in the area started a fire on Saturday. He said somebody had been burning on Saturday and evidently there was a log or something still burning and the wind kicked up on Sunday afternoon.

The fire continued down the big river and went all the way up within a half mile of Highway 141 so it probably traveled for a mile. The eight fire departments including Dedham, Halbur, Manning, Manilla, Westside, Irwin, Defiance and one unknown, were called around 3:30pm Sunday. Gaskill says a few campers, who were staying at the Great Western Park south of Manning had to be evacuated.

The departments worked for 2 hours extinguishing the fire. No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)