(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is among 21 Republican governors who’re asking congress to repeal the COVID vaccine mandate for America’s soldiers. Governor Reynolds, in a written statement, said the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for the military creates a national security risk. Reynolds said it affects national guard units at the state level as well and restricts governors’ ability to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. About eight-thousand active-duty soldiers who’ve refused to get a COVID shot have been discharged. A Pentagon official told a Washington, D.C. radio station in September that about nine-thousand National Guard soldiers around the country who haven’t been vaccinated may be discharged this year.

As of today (Nov. 30), 93 percent of Iowa National Guard soldiers have complied with COVID-19 vaccination requirements according to a spokeswoman for the Guard. Neighboring governors from Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota are among the Republicans who’ve joined Iowa’s governor in sending a letter to congressional leaders asking for the COVID vaccine mandate for the military to be eliminated.

(Radio Iowa) – A former state employee admits she manipulated her husband’s timesheets to inflate his pay by tens of thousands of dollars. Renae Rapp was an administrative assistant at the state unit in Cherokee where sexually violent predators are committed once their prison terms have expired. Her husband, Adam Rapp, was working as a part-time security specialist at the unit. Renae Rapp has pleaded guilty to second degree theft, a class D felony. She will not serve time in prison.

She’s been ordered to pay the state more than 57-thousand dollars in restitution. That’s equal to the amount of excess pay she got for her husband by recording he’d worked more hours than he had over an 18-month period. She must also serve two years of probation and reimburse the state for court costs and attorney’s fees.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors met this (Wednesday) morning, and acted on approving a Memorandum of Agreement between the Iowa Department of Transportation and Cass County, with regard to the issuance of Driver’s Licenses. In layman’s terms, it simply incorporates more legal language from the State, than before.

The Board received a report from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken. He said they were out Tuesday applying a mix of sand and calcium chloride to treat the roads. Their new applicator equipment arrived and was installed and calibrated by an expert, he said, just in the nick of time. In the future, Wolken said, they might trying using beet juice as part of a treatment against ice formation and de-icer, on the roads.

And, with regard to construction projects…

Wolken said also, the Secondary Roads Department finally received the two, new dump trucks they ordered, and put two others up for auction. The auction was held Tuesday, and netted $110,000 altogether. He said it was more than what they hoped to receive. The Supervisors discussed and acted to approve a Federal Aid Agreement for a County Highway Bridge Program Project (BRS-CO15(46)-60-15, Bridge 319 Highland Road [G30] over Indian Creek). And, they acted to approve a Resolution awarding contracts for two projects (BROS-CO15(68) and BROS-SWP-CO15(74)-SE-15).

The first bridge is number 302 on 680th Street, The second is bridge number 380, located south of White Pole Road, west of Anita. A.M. Cohron & Son, Inc., in Atlantic, was awarded a contract for the first bridge project, while the second contract went to Murphy Heavy Contracting, of Anita.

In other, regular business, the Cass County Supervisors received a monthly report from General Assistance and Mental Health Coordinator Debbie Schuler.

(Radio Iowa) – A small jet that took off from eastern Iowa last night crash-landed in Arkansas. Multiple media outlets say the private Learjet 45 flew out of Waterloo around 6 P-M and a little over an hour later, made an emergency landing at the airport in Batesville, Arkansas. Reports say the pilot reported a problem with the landing gear and it skidded in, stopping just short of a highway.

Of the seven people onboard, two were reported hurt, though the extent of their injuries wasn’t released, and it’s unclear if any of them are Iowans. It’s reported the jet is owned by Michigan Cat Aviation and it had also recently landed at the airport in Dubuque.

8-a.m. NEWS (Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop at around 12:40-a.m. today (Wednesday) in Montgomery County, resulted in a pursuit and the arrest of three juveniles, along with another person. The incident began when Deputies tried to stop a vehicle at Highway 34 and E Avenue. The Sheriff’s Office says when the vehicle’s driver refused to yield, the vehicle sped off and attained speeds of up to 105 mph.

Officers with the Red Oak Police Department placed stop sticks at Highway 34 and G Avenue, just outside of Red Oak. The suspect vehicle struck the stop sticks and went down into the ditch. Multiple individuals began to flee on foot. Three juveniles were placed into custody:

• One is being charged with Theft in the 2nd Degree/Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Felony Eluding, and under a warrant out of Polk County for Theft in the 4th Degree.
• A second juvenile was charged with Interference with Officials Acts, Providing False Identification to Law Enforcement, and under the authority of a warrant from Polk County for Assault causing bodily injury, and Eluding.
• The third juvenile was charged with Interference with Official Acts. They were also listed as a missing juvenile.

Authorities say Gray Donmor, of Des Moines, had a Dallas County warrant for Conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, and was placed under arrest. The three juveniles were sent to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs. Gray Donmor was being held in the Montgomery County Jail while awaiting extradition to Dallas County. Officials say the Mills County Sheriff’s Office assisted during the incident, as well.