A meeting held Wednesday evening in Atlantic was the last step prior to a vote over a reorganization of the Exira and Elk Horn Kimballton School Districts. The public session took place at the Atlantic High School, and included patrons of both districts, as well as the Board of Directors for both the Heartland and Green Hills Area Education Agencies (AEA).

The boards received written notices from property owners, some of whom objected to having their land included in the proposed reorganized district, but the AEA Boards rejected most of the objections. They also heard from a few persons who sought to dismiss the petition for the new school district. Exira-EHK Superintendent Dean Schnoes said there were many, varied reasons for the objections that had been received, such as those from families whose students had already open-enrolled out to another district.

Schnoes said some people thought the administrations in other districts were “more dependable and reliable,” but when attorneys for the districts demonstrated before the AEA Boards how the two districts have shown constant growth as far as financial stability, and the leadership has students heading in the right direction, that served to convince the Boards the decision to reorganize was correct and the best one for the students. Schnoes said he was very pleased with the turnout at the meeting and the level of support the proposed reorganization has received, especially when presented before the AEA Board members.

A vote on the reorganization take place June 25th.

A Clearmont woman learned a hard lesson early this (Thursday) morning, when she went to bail an allegedly intoxicated friend out of the Montgomery County Jail. Officials say 33-year-old Clothilda Dawn Cales was arrested after a receptionist at the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from the woman. Cales had come to the jail to bail out another woman, but the jailer can only release an intoxicated prisoner to a sober adult. Cales blew a .093 on the breathalyzer test, which is above the state legal limit.

Both woman were being held in the Montgomery County Jail pending an appearance before the magistrate.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa man who served 17 years of a 50-year murder sentence has left prison on parole.  Iowa Department of Corrections spokesman Fred Scaletta says Brian Davis was released on Wednesday. Under the terms of Davis’ parole, he must stay with relatives in Olathe, Kan., obey all laws and get a job. His parole will be supervised by Kansas officials.

Davis was convicted of second-degree murder for killing Julie Baack. The 23-year-old Baack disappeared from her Le Mars apartment in 1992. Her remains were found east of Onawa three years later. Davis and Baack were dating at the time of her death.

Davis originally was scheduled to be released on parole in 2018, but in January the Iowa Parole Board granted Davis an early release.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Woodbury County officials in northwest Iowa have decided to settle lawsuits filed over strip searches at the county jail.   The Sioux City Journal reports that Woodbury County Board Chairman Larry Clausen says the board settled rather than risk trial and possibly pay more to complainants and their attorneys. Three women arrested on misdemeanor charges say they were forced to take off their clothes in view of male jailers during incidents in 2006 and 2007.

In the settlement, Maureen Rattray, of South Sioux City, Neb., was paid $335,000. Lori Mathes received $40,000 and Lisa Lambert $10,000. Dismissal papers were filed Tuesday.  In 2011 a U.S. District Court jury awarded Rattray more than $250,000, but that verdict was overturned and a retrial ordered because of inconsistencies in the verdict form.