The Chair of the Cass County Community Foundation(CCCF), Nicholas Hunt, has announced a total of $27,800 was awarded Tuesday, to 11 non-profit agencies in Cass County. The non-profit groups and organizations submitted their applications to the CCCF by the Sept. 1st deadline in order to be considered for this latest round of grant awards, which brings the total CCCF distribution of funds in the form of grants and scholarships over the last 18-years, to more than $1.4-million.

Nonprofit representatives receiving grant awards 1st row, left to right: Sue Petersen, Griswold Public Library; Dianna Williams, Ann W. Wickman Child Development Center; Kristi Burg, Anita Child Care Center; Dan Haynes, Nishna Valley Family YMCA. 2nd row: Angie Johnson, Lewis Public Library; Sara Maas, Friends of Lake Anita State Park; Anieta Gregory, Cass County Historical Society; William Baylor, Anita Health & Wellness Center. 3rd row: Al Cranston and Randy Baxter, City of Marne; Cass County Community Foundation board members Beulah Follmann and Roland K. Landsness, Esq. (Secretary/Treasurer). [photo submitted]

• Anita Child Care Center – $1,500 to update payroll software & computer.
• Anita Health & Wellness Center – $2,000 to provide a workout area for 8-to 14-year old members, in their fight against obesity.
• Anita Public Library/City of Anita – $1,000 to install security cameras in hopes of preventing thefts that have been taking place.
• Ann W. Wickman Child Development Center – $4,000 for remodeling to accommodate parent/staff meetings, conferences, and file storage.
• Atlantic Youth Sports – $2,500 to update a scoreboard, and add new scoreboards to all 8 fields.
• Cass County Historical Society – $3,000 for improved lighting and permanent window items in Annex #1.
• City of Marne – $2,000 to repair or replace playground equipment at the City Park.
• Friends of lake Anita State Park – $1,500 for a projector and audio receiver equipment.
• Friends of the Griswold Public Library – $3,500 for the purchase of two Early Literacy Stations for ages 2-to 8.
• Lewis Public Library – $1,500 for activity kits, each with a book, puppet and craft supplies.
• Nishna Valley Family YMCA – $5,300 to replace cardio/fitness equipment.

The funding amount available included $2,500 from the Griswold Community Development Endowed Fun, and $500 from the Triumph Endowed Fund for Cass County. All grantees met the criteria as Cass County non-profit organizations or agencies, with charitable missions in the areas of civic, cultural, health, education, and social services. Only organizations providing those services in Cass County were eligible for the CCCF grants.

For more information about donating or establishing and individual foundation or fund, call any Cass County Community Foundation Board member, or Dennis Nissen, Iowa Foundation Director, at 1-800-794-3458.

When the Iowa legislature gavels into session in January, one of the newly-elected members from northwest Iowa will also be the youngest lawmaker. Twenty-three-year-old Skyler Wheeler of Orange City will represent District Four in the Iowa House. Wheeler, a Republican, faced a write-in candidate and won by a big margin. He says he was surprised by some of the results last Tuesday.

“I did have a very good feeling we were going to win but I did not see the Iowa Senate flipping that way,” Wheeler says. “Some people said it might be 25-24 with Johnson as the independent, I heard all sorts of different things, but they took six seats. That was stunning to me and obviously, Donald Trump’s win.” Wheeler says there are a number of issues that are important to him where he’d like to see the legislature take action.

“I want a Religious Freedom Restoration Act. I also am looking to push for things like Constitutional Carry and Stand Your Ground as well as defunding Planned Parenthood and fighting the Common Core state standards. We can look into the transgender bathroom type of deal, too, and obviously, trying to cut taxes across the board for businesses and just individuals.”

Wheeler is an account representative for Staples Promotional Products in Orange City and is a graduate of Northwestern College. Wheeler says he would like to see more investment in the state’s community college system and will also push for a balanced budget.

(Radio Iowa)

More than 11-hundred school board members and superintendents from across the state will gather in Des Moines this week for the 71st annual convention of the Iowa Association of School Boards. Lou Ann Gvist is helping to organize the three-day event, which opens today (Wednesday).

Gvist says, “We serve the school board members from around the state and this is their opportunity to come together under one roof to learn together to improve their governance and leadership skills for the students that they serve.” Three top-notch keynote speakers are lined up, one for each day of the conference, while attendees will be able to seek out a list of helpful workshops.

“We have 10 in-depth workshops on Wednesday and we have our board president workshop on Friday,” Gvist says. “On Wednesday, we’ll focus on school finance and things like what rural schools can do to collaborate for success and how board teams can positively impact school district culture.” Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds will also be speaking to the group, which is gathering at the Iowa Events Center. Learn more at: www.ia-sb.org.

(Radio Iowa)

Drivers of the high-dollar all-electric vehicle known as Tesla may be making their way across Iowa more often, now that some super-fast charging stations are available. Hy-Vee stores in West Des Moines, Coralville, and Davenport have installed the new Superchargers in their parking lots to benefit Tesla drivers only. Tesla spokesman Will Nicholas says it will speed up long-distance Midwestern travel.

“So our cars can come in here at no cost…and charge up to 170 miles in 20 minutes, which depletes the amount of wait time you’d have to incur when charging on a road trip,” Nicholas said. More superchargers will soon be available along Interstate-80 across the border in Illinois and Nebraska. Nicholas says it will make owning one of the $70,000 vehicles more practical.

“When people make a significant purchase like this they want to be able to use their car 12 months a year, for all purposes, and this enables that long-distance travel Midwestern customers expect and now can enjoy,” Nicholas said. He estimates, currently, there may be as many as a couple of hundred Tesla owners in Iowa. Nicholas added, by the end of next year, the company hopes to sell a 35-thousand dollar ($35,000) model of the car.

(Radio Iowa/Joyce Russell, IA Public Radio)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:10 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ” A Republican Iowa lawmaker plans to introduce what he calls the “suck it up, buttercup bill” to cut budgets at public universities that spend extra money on students upset about the presidential election. Rep. Bobby Kaufmann tells the Des Moines Register that the bill targets schools using taxpayer dollars to fund election-related sit-ins and grief counseling above what is normally available to students. Iowa’s public four-year universities say no such money has been spent.

AMES, Iowa (AP) €” Authorities say a 72-year-old woman has died from her injuries received in a house fire in Ames. The city issued a news release Tuesday saying that Joanna Alexander died in the house fire reported around 10 a.m. Monday. Fire investigators say the fire was accidental and was believed to have started near a chair in the living room. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

CANNON BALL, N.D. (AP) €” The company building the $3.8 billion Dakota Access oil pipeline is seeking a federal judge’s permission to circumvent President Barack Obama’s administration and move ahead with a disputed section of the project in North Dakota. Opponents held protests across the country on Tuesday urging it be rejected. More than two dozen people were arrested after putting a truck and tree branches on BNSF Railway tracks near a pipeline work staging area in North Dakota.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) €” The bookkeeper for an Iowa credit union who admitted to embezzling nearly $2.5 million from her employer over 37 years has been sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison. Federal court records in Des Moines say 68-year-old Linda Lee Clark of Corydon also has been ordered to repay the money.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a bank robbery took place this (Tuesday) morning, in Crescent. The Pott. County Communications Center received an alarm at around 9:41-a.m. from the American National Bank at 515 Old Lincoln Highway in Crescent.  Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area. At approximately 9:42-a.m.,  the Pottawattamie County Communications Center received a 911 call from the Bank confirming that a robbery had occurred.

At approximately 9:50-a.m., deputies arrived in the area and began investigating the incident.  They determined that two subjects entered the business with masks on and demanded money.  The subjects left the bank in a silver Chevrolet Tahoe.

At approximately 10:13-a.m., the unoccupied vehicle was located by the Omaha Police Department.  The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are continuing to investigate the incident.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Western Iowa authorities say a 39-year-old mother of three used meth before taking her kids to Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant.  The Daily Nonpareil reports Christine Hall is now facing child neglect and endangerment charges after she tested positive for drug use, and meth was found in her 3-year-old’s hair.

The case was initially investigated by the Iowa Department of Human Services before it was referred to Council Bluffs Police. Hall’s kids are ages 1, 3 and 16. Hall told investigators that she and her children’s father stopped at a gas station to smoke meth in a bathroom before going to Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant and arcade.

Hall’s attorney, Amy Garreans, declined to comment on the case.  Hall is free on a $10,000 bond and scheduled to return to court for arraignment on Dec. 12.