The top middle school mock trial participants in the state will gather at the Iowa Events Center on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6^th through the 8^th, to compete in the Twenty-ninth Annual Iowa Middle School Mock Trial State Tournament. The Iowa Mock Trial Program is presented by The Iowa State Bar Association Center for Law & Civic Education with the support of the ISBA Young Lawyer’s Division and the Iowa State Bar Foundation. This year more than 1,700 middle school students from throughout Iowa participated in the competition, the largest middle school mock trial program in the nation. Among them are students from the: Carroll, Harlan and Kuemper Catholic School Districts.

In a mock trial, students play the roles of attorneys and witnesses as they prepare and present both sides of a hypothetical legal problem. Practicing attorneys serve as judges who decide the case on the legal merits and who also assess student performances as attorneys and as witnesses. Participants are given a hands-on opportunity to examine the legal process and current legal issues. Mock trials also help students develop important critical thinking skills and aid in the development of fundamental research, preparation and presentation skills. This year’s Middle School problem deals with the issues of negligence and defamation.

The 34 teams of students advanced to the state competition based upon their performances at regional tournaments throughout the state earlier this month. The students will compete in three rounds of competition on Thursday and Friday, with the top four teams advancing to a semi-final round on Saturday morning, at the Iowa Judicial Branch Building.

The championship round features the semi-final winners presenting the final case starting at 1:30 p.m. in the Supreme Court Chambers of the Iowa Judicial Branch. A special awards program honoring all 34 teams, naming the top ten teams and recognizing individual “outstanding attorneys” and “outstanding witnesses” will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7 at the Veteran’s Memorial Convention Center in downtown Des Moines.

Christmas is coming early to the Pottawattamie County town of Carson. The community is celebrating its 19th annual Christmas Celebration this (Wednesday) evening. The city is decked out in duct tape for this year’s event. Wilma McLaughlin, member of the Carson Christmas Committee, says the fun starts with a soup supper. She says the soup supper is hosted by the Carson Park board, with the proceeds for park improvements. The supper runs from 4-until 7-pm in the Carson Community Building. There will also be kids’ activities and art events at the Community Building this evening.

She says another great activity is the Reindeer run. It’s kind of like a “Poker Run,” and costs just five-dollars. Participants will pick up cards at local businesses. The person with the best hand will win a prize. The Carson Community Center and the Carson Fire Station will host the craft and vendor show for the Carson Christmas Celebration. McLaughlin says the number of vendors and crafts continue to grow. The vendors and crafts will show their merchandise from 4 to 8pm. The main event for the 19th annual Carson Christmas Celebration is “The Red Green Show” at the Dreamland Theatre.

Doors open at 5:45 and the first show starts at 6-p.m.. Santa Claus will arrive at 7-p.m., in between the two shows. Pictures can be taken with the Jolly Old Elf at the Photography studio. Doors open for the second show at 7:15 with the performance at 7:30.” A Duct Tape Fashion Show will kick off the show and tickets can be purchased for $4 at several businesses.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors set Dec. 12^th and 19^th as the dates for public hearings on an amendment to the Division of Taxes ordinance pertaining to the Amaizing Energy “Urban Renewal Area/TIF District. The amendment calls for the removal of certain parcels of land from the URA/TIF District, which Auditor Dale Sunderman says would be advantageous to the county, since they have already decreased in value. Another benefit would be to conserve what economic development incentives are available. The Board is currently waiting on legal advice before the amendment is redrafted and presented at the public hearings.

In other business, the board was asked by a member of the public about current efforts at reaching an agreement with County Employees in the Public, Professional and Maintenance Employee’s Union (PPME), which represents the County’s Secondary Roads Department. In October, the Board received the Union’s initial bargaining proposal, which was rejected. The following week, the County presented its initial proposal, and the two sides went into closed door session later to try and hash things out.

Efforts to reach an agreement are currently in Mediation. The board was asked if it goes into arbitration, how much “Power” does the Supervisor hold to try and reign in the Union’s request for a seven-percent rate increase for the first-year of the contract. They also called for a 4-percent increase across the board the second-year of the contract, and a 3-percent increase for the third-year, effective July, 2013, for a total increase of  14-percent increase over a three-year period. Supervisor’s Gaylord Schelling and Mark Wedemeyer are in on the negotiations, representing the County. Schelling said the next meeting is on the 17^th of December. The next step he says would be binding arbitration.

Wedemeyer said if the County is forced by the arbitrator to meet the demands of the Union, and not reach a compromise, there would likely be job reductions. He said the only thing they could do is to fund a certain portion to the department, until it comes to budget time. Schelling said the arbitrator will likely take into consideration what the level of pay is in other Counties the size of Cass, and what both sides are offering for those wages, when making a determination as to what the percentages should be.