(Radio Iowa) – Several people turned out to speak at Monday’s Pocahontas Area School Board meeting on a petition that calls for the removal of Superintendent Joe Kramer. The board received the petition last month, which cites concerns about the amount of staff turnover, declining enrollment, alleged retaliation, spending issues, and a possible hostile working environment.

Pocahontas Area School Board President Paul Berte told those attending, that the Department of Education and district attorney say a petition is not a vehicle to challenge board employment decisions or work assignments. “The board will allow comment on the petition but will not respond to the comments and will not take any action on the superintendent’s contract today and that’s under the guidance of the district attorney,” he says.

Pocahontas Area High School/Middle School building. (photo from school website)

Irene Carlson was a Pocahontas Area school board member for six years under a previous superintendent. “Up until the last few years PSC was known to be one of the finest schools in Iowa more and more issues have arisen extra school from janitors, bus drivers, and educators having concerns that the current administration is out of touch with these employees as the school board has lost touch with the citizens of the school district. We need to get this problem resolved before it’s too late. We have lost good teachers bus drivers, cooks, parents and staff. I believe it’s time to clean house starting at the top.”

Others voiced their displeasure about a lack of communication with several of the board members. There were some who spoke in defense of Kramer, including former school board member Dan Duitscher. “All the years that I was on when we did our annual reviews of Mr. Kramer, they’re all very positive with all the members of the board at that time. Never once was I ever contacted about Mr. Kramer about things in a negative way,” he says. “When you’re superintendent, you have to make decisions that will not make everyone happy. The accomplishments that Mr. Kramer has been here having been made where we’re sitting right down this high school, which was for him and with his advice. Also the upgrades of elementary school.”

Another speaker said, “either the school board fixes the mess the district is in, or voters will fix it in November of 2023.”
The petition was signed by more than 230 Pocahontas Area residents.

(Radio Iowa) – The Department of Transportation is recommending several awards for rail projects to be voted on for approval by the Transportation Commission next month. Rail director, Amanda Martin, says one recommendation is for a Buena Vista County business.  “Platinum crush is building a new soybean crush plant that will procure soybeans and process them into livestock feed and vegetable oil. The 37 million dollar plan includes a private loop track that can accommodate five unit trains.”

She says the recommendation is for a loan and a grant. “This will create 51 jobs at an average of over 22 dollars per hour. And the total project costs for this rail improvement is over 14 million dollars,” she says. “We’re recommending a loan award of a two million dollars and a grant for 612-thousand dollars.” A Woodbury County project is also recommended for state help. “The Floyd Valley transload. They’re building a transload for shipping to and from the Sioux City area. The proposed project will add the needed rail infrastructure, so including a switch and a track to create to translate and connect to the B-N-S-F railroad,” Martin says.

The recommendation is also for a loan and grant. “This project is anticipated to create 20 jobs at an average of wage of 25 dollars per hour. And the total project cost is 981-thousand dollars. We’re recommending a loan in the amount of 664-thousand-800 dollars and a grant of 120-thousand dollars.” Ice Cap Cold Storage in Council Bluffs would also get funding. “So phase two of this cold storage project includes 14-hundred-58 feet of rail track in spurs that will provide access to the newly under construction Ice Cap cold storage facility, and then future expansion,” according to Martin.

This project is anticipated to create 48 jobs and the recommendation is for a loan at 503-thousand-315 dollars and a grant of 576-thousand dollars. A project in Clayton County will help Pattison Sand.” The project will continue construction of rail to add an additional 400 feet of track for three rail spurs. The total project cost is two-pint-seven million dollars — and we’re recommending a loan of one-milliond-650-thosuand dollars,” Martin says. Two rail feasibility studies are also part of the recommendations.

“The Mills County Economic Development Foundation seeks to develop approximately 217 acres of land located south Pacific Junction into a railport transload facility,” she says. Funding is also recommended for the Boonville North load transit transload facility study.

The state Transportation Commission will vote on approval of the recommendations at its next meeting.

(Radio Iowa) – A teenage girl from Des Moines has been sentenced to five years of probation and deferred judgment for killing a 37-year-old man who allegedly raped her multiple times. Pieper Lewis was 15 when she fatally stabbed Zachary Brooks after she says he assaulted her again. She pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury. Lewis is now 17, and addressed the court today (Tuesday) and said she is accountable for what happened, but that it came out of betrayal and trauma.

” I repeat, I wish the events that took place on June 1, 2020 never occurred. But to say there’s only one victim in this case is absurd,” Lewis says. Because Lewis was convicted of a felony she was also ordered to pay 150,000 dollars in restitution to Brooks’ family. Her attorney protested forcing her to pay the family of her alleged rapist. But Judge David Porter said state law makes no exceptions.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has issued a report on arrests dating from Sept. 3rd through the 12th.

On Monday (Sept. 12), Deputies arrested 45-year-old Terry Squibbs, of Anita, for Simple Assault. He was being held in the Cass County Jail pending his later release.

Last Friday (Sept. 9), 62-year-old Todd Kermoade, of Anita, was arrested for Harassment 3rd Degree. He was being held pending his later release on bond.

On September 8th, 2022, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 32-year-old Jessica Williams, of Atlantic, on a warrant for Failure to Appear. Williams turned herself in and was taken to the Cass County Jail. She was being held pending her later release on bond.

On September 7th, 51-year-old Stanley Rossell, of Lewis, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order. Rossell was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held. And, 49-year-old Amy Springer, of Omaha, NE, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation. She was also booked into the jail and held.

On September 6th, Cass County Deputies arrested 53-year-old Edward Davenport, of Atlantic, on charges of Burglary 1st Degree, Assault While Participating in a Felony Causing Serious Injury, Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury, Going Armed with Intent and Intimidation with a Dangerous Weapon. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office worked in conjunction with the Atlantic Police Department to make the arrest. Davenport was booked into and held in the Cass County Jail.

And, on September 3rd, 40-year-old Meagan Chambers, of Griswold, was arrested for OWI 1st Offense. Chambers was transported to the Cass County Jail where she was booked and held pending her later release on her own recognizance.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday), provided an update for our earlier reports on a crane accident that took place last week. Officials say at around 3-p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8th, emergency responders were called to the area about one-quarter of a mile east of the intersection of Pella Road and 765th Street, on Pella Road, for a bridge collapsing under the load of a crane.

At the scene, a 2020 Tadano GX100 crane being operated by Rod Rogers, of Sergeant Bluff, was traveling West on Pella Road and began crossing County Bridge #123. As the 114,000 pound crane was crossing this bridge without a permit, the bridge suffered a partial structural collapse under the weight. The crane tipped to the North as the bridge collapsed, causing the crane to fall downward and to it’s side. Rogers suffered minor injuries. Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken said the crane is owned by Mammoet Crane Company, which was working with MidAmerican Energy to remove aged-out wind turbine blades. The Iowa DOT and Iowa DNR are both investigating different aspects of this accident. Pella Road remains closed between 765th St. and 780th St. until the bridge can be rebuilt.

Photos courtesy the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports also, a woman from Adair County was injured during a collision that occurred in Cass County on Sept. 3^rd. The crash happened at around 10:37-a.m., at the intersection of 780^th and 260^th Streets. Officials say a 2022 Chevy Equinox SUV driven by Lisa Henkenius, of Bridgewater, was traveling south on 780^th, and approaching 260^th, when her vehicle was struck on a driver’s side by a 2020 Dodge RAM pickup. Authorities say the driver of the pickup, Patrick Fisher, of Pearland, TX, had leftt a field entrance to travel westbound when its front passenger corner struck the SUV, causing the Equinox to leave the roadway and enter the West ditch.

Cumberland Rescue transported Henkenius to the hospital for medical attention. Her vehicle sustained approximately $10,000 worth of damage. Damage to the pickup was estimated to be $5,000. Fisher was cited for Failure to Yield.

(Radio Iowa) – With food costs and inflation remaining sky high, donations to one of the state’s largest food pantries are falling as restaurants and corporate clients cut back — at the same time food demand is peaking. Michelle Book, C-E-O of the Des Moines-based Food Bank of Iowa, says they set yet another record in July. “We served 136,000 individuals and 50,000 households across our 55-county region and that is a record breaker,” Book says. “Food Bank of Iowa is just now recognizing our 40th year of service and this is the biggest month that Food Bank of Iowa has experienced in 40 years.”

That follows two other record-setting months this year, including in June when the food bank reached 135,300 people. Book says there’s a dire need for meat and other protein products. “Our protein inventory includes canned meat, eggs and peanut butter and we’re working to get more meat in the door by working with local processors and producers,” Book says, “spending our budget, our tight meat budget on meat that is raised here in Iowa.” Book says there are pockets of poverty all over the state, while it may be the worst in the Iowa’s southeast corner.

“It’s amazing to me where there is a county that has good employment opportunities, good factory opportunities, the poverty rate seems to be lower, more people are working,” she says, “but there are many counties where there’s not good employment opportunity and that seems to be where we see the greatest need.”

The latest surveys show roughly 300,000 Iowans are food insecure. To make a monetary donation, visit foodbankiowa.org.