(Radio Iowa) – Iowans are griping about the cost of gasoline as prices approach four dollars a gallon, but imagine having to keep a fleet of semis fueled with diesel for routine cross-country jaunts. Jeff Arens is general manager of the Le Mars-based Schuster Trucking Company, which has 450 trucks on the roads across the U-S and Canada. “With fuel prices making 15- to 20-cent jumps per day, some of these weeks, you end up pretty upside-down on your cost per mile on things,” Arens says, “especially with a company like Schuster purchasing roughly 125- to 150,000 gallons a week, it can make a big impact at the end of the day.”

All of the company’s routes are under contract and estimating the cost to deliver products to far-away destinations is becoming exceptionally challenging. “Looking at the West Coast where prices today reached over $6.50 a gallon for diesel, if you’re running from Le Mars to California, that’s a three-day run and with the prices changing almost hourly, you eat the difference on what you’re not able to recoup right now.”

Higher fuel prices mean higher prices for the products the company hauls — including with two of its major contracts at Wells Blue Bunny ice cream, or hardware tools for Bomgaars. Plus, it’s more than the diesel. “It effects trucking not just in fuel, but the amount of pieces on our equipment that are based from oil,” Arens says. “There’s the tires, the belts on the engine, the oil the engine’s running on, any of the plastic that is on the equipment, even brake pads and brake shoes are all oil-based products.”

Arens says Schuster is trying to make certain each truck and trailer is aerodynamic to help reduce the amount of fuel needed to run on the highways. “Well-maintained equipment, clean air filters, proper tire inflation, things of that nature, whether it’s a car or a truck, will help your fuel economy,” Arens says. “We’re looking all the time to make sure we’re doing maintenance as best as possible.”

Orville Schuster started Schuster Grain in 1956 with one truck hauling grain in and around Sioux City, eventually expanding to include refrigerated and dry van services. After 60 years, the company now hauls a wide range of products, from frozen Bomb Pops to ball-peen hammers, across much of North America.

Adair County, Iowa — The severe storms that passed through southern Adair County last Saturday (March 5^th), caused extensive damage in Orient, where school officials with the Orient-Macksburg School District had to cancel classes, due to severe damage from hail ranging in size from tennis- to baseball-size.Video after the event showed the street and grass in Orient completely covered with hail.

On Sunday, the District said 9^th through 12th grade students could still attend classes at Nodaway Valley Monday, but there was no transportation provided by O-M. Monday night, district officials said on social media, “ After extensive evaluations have been completed… it has been determined that we will not have school until we are sure that the building is safe and all alarm systems are in working order. “

Tuesday, they reported on the same media platforms, that they were “…still unable to enter the building safely. There will be no school until after Spring break.” Spring Break for the District began today (March 11th), and concludes on Wednesday, March 16th.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department, Friday (today), issued a report on arrests that took place from Feb. 25th through March 6th.

• On March 6th, 40-year-old Christina Burnsworth, of Atlantic, turned herself in on a Cass County Warrant for Theft in the 5th Degree.
• On the 5th, 21-year-old Kyle Gehling, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Violation of Probation on an OWI/1st offense charge. He was released from the Cass County Jail March 7th.
• On March 4th, 38-year-old Mark Thomas Shaver, of Anderson, California, was arrested the Atlantic for Assault on Person in Certain Occupations (two counts), and Interference with Official Acts. He remains in the Cass County Jail.
• On the 3rd, Officers with A-PD arrested 29-year-old Renson Berdon, of Atlantic, for Domestic Abuse Assault. He remains in the Cass County Jail.  35-year-old Christopher Castillo, of Atlantic, was arrested for Driving While Barred. Castillo was cited into court and released.
• The Police Department says on March 2nd, 32-year-old Brandon Pahl, of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance (marijuana), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and on a Cass County Warrant for Theft 2nd Degree (bad checks). He remains in the jail.
• And, on March 1st, 31-year-old AshelyFuentes, and 31-year-old Derrick Behlers, both of Atlantic, were arrested for Theft 5th (shoplifting).

On February 25th, AP-D Officers arrested 26-year-old MJ Williams, of Atlantic, for OWI/1st offense. Unless otherwise mentioned, each of the defendants were booked into the Cass County Jail and later released.

(Pottawattamie Co.) The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office Friday (today), reported on three arrests that took place, Thursday:

• Sheriff’s Deputies in Pott. County took custody of 32-year-old Joshua Steven Kercheval, of Omaha. He was transferred from Douglas County, Nebraska, Corrections to the Pottawattamie County Jail, on a warrant for Violation of Probation.
• 57-year-old Jeffrey Dale Ketzeback, of Council Bluffs, was transferred Thursday from Douglas County Corrections to the Pottawattamie County Jail, where he was being held on a warrant for Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender. Bond was set at $2,000.
• Thursday evening, 30-year-old Macaulay Cy Brock turned himself to the Sheriff’s Office. Brock was wanted on a warrant for Criminal Mischief 3^rd Degree.

Whether you just drove your new vehicle off the lot or your car has been in the family for a long time, regularly checking for recalls can keep you safer behind the wheel.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration makes checking for recalls quick and easy. Simply go to https://www.nhtsa.gov/recalls and type in your vehicle identification number (VIN). To find the VIN, look on the lower left of your car’s windshield or inside the driver’s door frame for a 17-character combination of numbers and letters. Your VIN is also located on your car’s registration card, and it may be shown on your insurance card. Here’s a video to help you find your VIN.

When you type in your VIN number, the site searches a database for recalls issued in the past 15 years for major automakers, motorcycle manufacturers, and some medium/heavy duty truck producers. If your vehicle has a recall, the site will give you information on how to get repairs completed at no cost to you. The site also allows you to download apps for your phone that will alert you of recalls to vehicles you have entered into the recall system.

A recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle, equipment, car seat, or tire creates an unreasonable safety risk or fails to meet minimum safety standards. Most decisions to conduct a recall and remedy a safety defect are made voluntarily by manufacturers prior to any involvement by NHTSA, but most recalls are registered on the NHTSA site.

So far in 2022, there have been 41 deaths in traffic crashes. That’s an increase of four since last Friday. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf

(Radio Iowa) – The Des Moines Register has obtained the draft of a proposal that could mean Iowa’s Democratic Party Caucuses would not qualify to be first-in-the-nation. According to The Des Moines Register, the proposal declares the party’s preference for primaries over caucuses. The plan would set up a system where state’s apply to the Democratic National Committee to be among the earliest contests in a presidential election year. And it makes diversity among eligible voters a consideration when deciding which states hold the first contests in the Democratic Party’s presidential nominating process.

The document will be reviewed tonight (Friday) by the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee. National party leaders had been encouraging states to switch to primaries before the calamity of delayed results from the 2020 Iowa Caucuses. The chairman of the Iowa G-O-P says there’s no move among leaders of the Republican National Committee to dislodge Iowa’s Republican Party Caucuses from the first-in-the-nation spot in 2024.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa restaurants and bars were closed on St. Patrick’s Day 2020 due to the pandemic and Iowa State Trooper Kevin Krull says crowds were sparse a year ago, but with St. Patrick’s Day next Thursday, he expects the celebrating to start this weekend.  “I expect to see big travel,” Krull says. “I expect to see better crowds than we’ve had because people are able to get out.”

Nationwide records show that in 2019, more than three out of five traffic fatalities during the St. Patrick’s Day period involved a drunk driver.  “We just ask people to watch the amount of consumption that they do and, if they are going to consume, get that ride in advance or if you see somebody who needs a ride, offer them a ride and make sure they take it,” Krull says.

St. Patrick’s Parades are being held tomorrow (Saturday) in a few Iowa cities, including Dyersville, Cedar Rapids and Denison.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Shelby County Board of Supervisors met in a regular session Monday in the Supervisors Chamber at the Shelby County Courthouse, two members present plus Clerk Mark Maxwell. Supervisor Haake was absent. According to their meeting minutes, the Board passed a Resolution for the proposed FY2023 Maximum Property Tax Dollars. (See the resolution below):

“WHEREAS, the Shelby County Board of Supervisors have considered the proposed FY2023 county maximum property tax dollars for both General County Services and Rural County Services, and WHEREAS, a notice concerning the proposed county maximum property tax dollars was published as required and posted on county web site and or social media accounts if applicable, WHEREAS a public hearing concerning the proposed county maximum property tax dollars was held on March 7th, 2022. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Supervisors of Shelby County that the maximum property tax dollars for General County Services and Rural County Services for FY2023 shall not exceed the following: General County Services $ 4,852,999.00 Rural County Services $2,400,000.00.

The Maximum Property Tax dollars requested in either General County Services will be limited to an increase of 107.94% and Rural County Services for FY2023 represents a maximum increase
of 105.3% from the Property Tax dollars requested for FY2022.”

The Board then set March 29th at 9-a.m., as the date and time for the final budget hearing, fixing the budget for FY 2023.  Discussion of setting the actual property tax dollars followed, with County LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) revenue dollars declared from the ARPA fund, to be used to fund granular rural road surfacing. This will allow the Rural Basic tax dollars to remain at the same amount collected in fiscal year 2023 as the current fiscal year. Fiscal year 2024 will see the Capital contribution for granular road surfacing being returned to the Rural Basic taxpayers.