The United States Postal Inspection Service said Tuesday, it is offering a reward of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the theft of mail in Adair County, which occurred on December 6th, 2012. As we mentioned last weekend, Adair County Sheriff Brad Newton stated about 40 mailboxes were hit between Greenfield and Stuart, to the northeast late last week.

Investigators believe the thief or thieves are taking all the contents from mailboxes, rifling through them for the items they want, then dumping the rest. Newton says he believes the thieves are looking for Christmas cards with cash in them.  The sheriff said they don’t have a lot to go on, but they’re looking for two white males driving a mid-sized white vehicle.

If you have any information concerning this crime please contact the U. S. Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455 or the Adair County Sheriff’s Department at 641-743-2148.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday) reported three arrests over the past week. On Tue., Dec. 4th, 54-year old Timothy Dayle Meyer,  of Massena, was arrested on a Probation Violation charge. Meyer was taken to the Cass County Jail where he is being held on $5000 bond.

On Wed., Dec. 5th, 28-year old Laura Lynn Madden, of Atlantic, turned herself in at the Cass County Jail on a Sheriff’s Office warrant for Aiding and Abetting regarding violation of a no contact order. Madden pled guilty and was released the following day.

And, on Saturday, Dec. 8th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 22-year old Clayton Varel Schmidt,  of Massena, on a charge of OWI 1^st Offense. Schmidt was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released on his own recognizance later that day.

(12-p.m. News 12/11/12)

The Shelby County Board of Supervisors approved to increase Public Health dollars to Myrtue Medical Center. In a board of Supervisors meeting this (Tuesday) morning, CEO of Myrtue Medical Barry Jacobsen approached the board to discuss the recently requested increase by Public Health Director Jennifer Muff. Jacobsen said for the past 18 years, the County has been contracted with the hospital to provide public health services. He told the board the contract amount beginning in 1994 hasn’t matched the expenses for the program.

“The fee we have received for the services started at $35,000 in 1994 and increased to $45,000. Two years ago, it went to $57,000. The contract amount hasn’t really come anywhere close to keeping up with the cost to run the program. In fact, the hospital lost $180,000 in 2011 and in 2012 $125,000. That is after we have received the subsidy from the county supervisors.”

Jacobsen went on to say the past increases were inadequate.

“We think it needs to go up significantly from where we are right now. We don’t think the increase in the past have been adequate. Basically, we are offering to continue this service until 2013-2014 year for the $100,000 that was requested at the previous meeting.”

After more discussion, supervisor Burmeister made the motion for a 3 year $100,000 annual base going to Myrtue Hospital for Public Health Services. With the new agreement, Myrtue will still have to pay a substantial amount in subsidized money to pay for the services. Jacobsen said the Myrtue Board of Trustees will review the actions at their next meeting. If the hospital and supervisors were unable to make some sort of an agreement, the County would have had to provide the services to the 10,000 people receiving public health services in the county.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday (Dec. 12th), will hear a report on area tourism. The report, during their meeting at 9-a.m., comes from Kenner Baxter, with the Western Iowa Tourism Council, Region 1. In other business, the Board will hold the first of two hearings on removing parcels from the Amaizing Energy TIF District. The second hearing will take place on Dec. 19th.

They’ll also act on approving an Amendment to Ordinance 28 (Division of Taxes Levied on Taxable Property in the Amaizing Energy Urban Renewal Area), after the first public hearing is held, and prior to the announcement regarding the second public hearing.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors meeting takes place at the Courthouse, in Atlantic.

The leader of the Iowa National Guard says fewer Iowa soldiers and airmen are being deployed overseas at this time, and that trend should continue for at least the next two years. Major General Timothy Orr updated Governor Branstad and his advisors on the status of the guard at a budget hearing at the statehouse. General Orr said some 218 guard members are currently deployed, most of them in the Middle East.

This is the lowest since the beginning of the war. We don’t see it getting much higher than that. This is a trend nationally tied to the president’s strategy to come out of Afghanistan and coming out of Iraq,” Orr said. He expects a slight bump up in the number of soldiers deployed to over 300 next year to support the U-S withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“As you look at that chart, you will see there engineers, transportation, aviation and what you’re seeing is really a movement piece,” Orr explained.”It’s typical of what we saw in Iraq in downsizing as we move people and equipment out of Afghanistan. General Orr is asking for a minimal increase in state funding next year, including money to fully fund tuition assistance for returning soldiers. He also wants to hire a deputy adjutant general, a position that’s been left unfilled during tight budget times.

(Radio Iowa)