Three people from Kansas City, Kansas, were arrested Tuesday night on drug charges, in Mills County. The arrests followed a traffic stop at around 9:10-p.m. on Interstate 29, near mile marker 28, or about 4-miles north of the Fremont County line. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says 51-year-old Michael Grieger, 28-year-old Angel Bustillos Esparza, and 26-year-old Breanna Cheree Roberts, were each charged with two counts possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

And, 55-year-old Troy Jospeh Belt, of Carter Lake, was arrested at around 5:45-p.m. Tuesday on Highway 34 in Mills County. He was arrested for Driving Under Suspension.

(Exira, Iowa) – There are no changes to the protocol for dealing with COVID-19 in the Exira-Elk Horn Kimballton School District. Superintendent Trevor Miller says the Exira-EHK’s decision, Monday, followed a review of the District’s health data.

The Board left open the option to revisit the policy if they start to see a spike in local cases.

In other business, Trevor Miller says the board approved submitting the District’s request for $41,153.50 in Modified Allowable Growth for Special Education to the School Budget Review Committee (SBRC).

Mr. Miller said also, this is a big week for the Exira-EHK Spartans.

(Des Moines, IA) – The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced today (Wednesday), that Dr. Caitlin Pedati, State Medical Director and Epidemiologist, plans to leave the  agency effective late October. Dr. Pedati has served in the role since June 2018 and worked as medical epidemiologist for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services prior to joining IDPH. Dr. Pedati plans to pursue new career opportunities.

Governor Reynolds, in a written statement, thanked Pedati for her outstanding service throughout the pandemic. Reynolds gave Pedati a significant pay boost last year, for an annual salary of 265-thousand dollars. Kelly Garcia, the interim director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, says the work of the last 18 months has been difficult at best and Pedati’s personal sacrifice is to be commended.

Pedati was in the public spotlight at the beginning of the pandemic and spoke at many of the governor’s news conferences. However, it was Pedati’s boss who spoke for the agency during the governor’s most recent pandemic-related news conference.

Dr. Caitlin Pedati (File photo)

The IDPH says it will work quickly to fill the position.

(Radio Iowa) – A Fort Dodge-based farmers association took its systems offline after being hit by a ransomware attack, and officials with New Cooperative now says the hack was “successfully contained.” Iowa State University electrical and computer engineering professor Doug Jacobson says an attack like this can shake farmers’ sense of security. “Any organization that’s in possession of data, potentially the farmer data, if that data is lost or there’s a potential for that data to get leaked, the farmers or the people who use that data may lose confidence in that organization’s ability to keep their data safe.”

Jacobson says though the food system is fairly well distributed, it’s still vulnerable to attacks. He says the lasting reach of the hack remains unknown.”There’s always a potential impact,” he says. “Some of it’s confidence. A place like a cooperative holds a lot of farmer data. It’s unclear how much of that data may have been compromised.”

Jacobson says the food system is not highly interconnected like the power grid, and a co-op can move more easily to pen and paper, unlike a hospital. In May, the world’s largest meat processor, J-B-S, was hacked and had to temporarily shut down.

(Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

(Audubon, Iowa) – There’s no change in how the Audubon School District will mitigate efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. That the decision the Audubon School Board made during their regular monthly meeting, Monday evening. Superintendent Eric Trager says that means there will not be a mask mandate.

He says the District currently has a very low COVOD case count. Trager says Guthrie County Public Health Epidemiologist Jotham Arber advised the board that even though variant is more contagious than last year, it is no more severe in terms of illness in children, so while there may be more cases in children, there is less likely to be any increases in severity.

Several other, large school districts – the latest being Ankeny and Johnston – have decided to implement a mask mandate. Mr. Trager said the lack of leadership puts Superintendents in a “really tough situation.”

Eric Trager wished districts that enacted a mask mandate, well, and expects that they know what’s best for their district. In other news, Mr. Trager said the Middle School/High School Renovation project is currently out to bid. Those bids will be opened on October 20th. Trager said they’re hopeful they’ll get some competitive bids and a reasonable price tag, so the project can move forward.

Enrollment numbers for the District look to be up by 20 students, according to the Superintendent. The Audubon School Board, Monday, approved a bus bid from Hoglund for a new 65 passenger diesel bus. A grant from Volkswagen pays for 30% of the vehicle. The School Board also approved a sidewalk project easement.

(Trager said the City of Audubon received a grant from the Department of Transportation to put in a sidewalk from the High School Building down to the Audubon Rec. Center and as part of that the City needed an easement for the property the sidewalk will sit on and the Board approved that easement to support that project.)

An accident near Shannon City, in Union County, was being blamed on the sun and trees obstructing the vision of two drivers. According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, a 2015 Chevy Equinox driven by 47-year-old Darla M. Parker, of Shannon City, was traveling west on 260th Street at around 6:50-p.m., Tuesday. She told authorities the sun was in her face, and trees were blocking her view of a farm entrance to the south. A 2000 John Deere 741 tractor with a bale of hay attached to a bale stabber, was pulling out of the farm drive in an attempt to turn left onto 260th. The tractor was driven by 56-year-old Ken E. Peppmeier, of Shannon City.

The hay bale struck the windshield of the SUV and front side of the vehicle, causing damage estimated at $2,500. Peppmeier told authorities his vision was also blocked by the sun and trees. Both drivers tried to avoid the collision, with the Parker slowing down and pulling off to the side of the road as far as she could. Peppmeier tried raising the bale to avoid striking the SUV.

There were no injuries reported, and no citations issued.