The first of two public hearings pertaining to an amendment to the Cass County Zoning Ordinance, will take place Wednesday morning, in Atlantic. The hearing is with regard to a change in the zoning district or districts’ Permitted Principal Uses, and will take place during the regularly scheduled meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors. The hearing will be followed by the first vote on approving the amended ordinance. A second hearing and vote on the amendment will be held January 16th.

In other business, the Supervisors will receive a quarterly report from County Conservation Department Director, Micah Lee. And, they’re  expected to act on approving a new hire for the Secondary Roads Department. The meeting begins at 9-a.m. in the Supervisor’s Board Room, at the Cass County Courthouse.

A man who once served as the City of Denison’s first paid fire chief, has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of 1st-degree theft, in association with the misspending tens-of-thousands of dollars of city and county money. According to the Omaha World Herald, the plea by Mike McKinnon was made in exchange for a second charge of felonious misconduct in office, being dropped. McKinnon is scheduled to be sentenced on February 11th. He faces up to 10-years in prison, and a $10,000 fine.

State Auditor David Vaudt reviewed records dating from July of 2005 through March of 2010. The records showed about $96,000 of improper and unsupported disbursements from the Denison Fire Department. Vaudt said about $73,000 of that was from the City of Denison and another $23,000 was from the Crawford County EMS Association. The report shows nearly $40,000 was improperly paid to businesses owned by McKinnon. Vaudt said McKinnon also made thousands of dollars worth of personal purchases with the city’s credit card.

McKinnon has reportedly made a partial restitution, and has agreed to repay the City of Denison the more than $9,260 it paid for the special audit, along with nearly $1,000 the City was not reimbursed by its insurance carrier and, restitution to the Crawford County EMS, the amount of which has not yet been determined.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – More and more Iowa flu cases have been reported, and officials say the seasonal outbreak could get even worse now that children are back in school.  The Des Moines Register reports that at least 151 people were hospitalized for flu complications in Iowa during the last week of December. The Iowa Department of Public Health says that during the last week of December 2011, public health officials didn’t record any flu hospitalizations.

Department medical director Patricia Quinlisk said Monday that she doubts the tide of illnesses will ebb soon. Quinlisk says the flu incidences show “all the hallmarks of a relatively bad and prolonged flu season.”   She says people who traveled during the holidays were exposed to viruses that quickly could be spread by children who have resumed classes.