(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Child Abuse Prevention Council is partnering with the Healthy Cass County Coalition and other community organizations to host a Family Fun Day at the Cass County Fair. Next Saturday, July 27th, 2024, from 12- until 4 p.m., there will be activities set up around the fairgrounds for families to find and participate in, including water fights, a duck pond, a garden story walk, hands-on S.T.E.M. activities, a tractor cab simulator, yard games and more! Depending on the activity, some may have a different starting or ending time.

Participants can pick up a map at any of the stations. The map will list the activities that will be going on all over the fairgrounds. Once a location is visited, participants will receive a stamp to indicate their participation at that location. When the map is returned to the Healthy Cass booth in the commercial building, with at least 6 stamps, a voucher will be given to the participant to redeem for food at the Chuckwagon food stand.

Organizations participating in the Family Fun Day at the Fair include: Atlantic Fire Department, Atlantic Parks & Rec, Atlantic Public Library, Cass County Child Abuse Prevention Council, Cass County Tourism, Cass County 4-H. Cass County 4-H Youth Council, Cass County Fair, Cass County Farm Bureau, Cass County Master Gardeners, Community For Kids, Healthy Cass County, Iowa Corn, Iowa Learning Farms, ISU Extension, Molina Health Care, Nishna Valley Trails, Parents as Teachers – Public Health, SHIFT ATL – Sunnyside Range. Zion Integrated Behavioral Health, and more!

When visiting the Healthy Cass County booth, fairgoers are also invited to learn and share ideas for healthy ways to take care of themselves, friends and families. There are many aspects to wellness, and taking care of ourselves allows us to better care for others.

The Cass County Child Abuse Prevention Council and Healthy Cass County encourage families to enjoy some time together at the Cass County Fair while gathering ideas for activities that can be done at home, at school and out in the community as a family. The council also reminds people that child abuse is preventable, and everyone can play a part in creating safe, healthy and nurturing environments for kids in our local communities.

For more information and updates on the Family Fun Day visit @CassCountyChildAbusePreventionCouncil on Facebook.

For a full schedule of fair activities, visit www.casscountyfairia.com!   The Cass County Fair takes place July 26th through July 30th, in Atlantic.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office report a man from Atlantic has died after drowning while swimming at Lake Anita, Wednesday evening. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was notified just before 6:30-p.m., of a possible drowning at the lake. Deputies and several area first responders were called to the scene. First responders arriving at the Lake Anita Beach, learned 53-year old Ysota Rekis, of Atlantic, had been under water for a significant amount of time before surfacing, face down.

Family and other bystanders were able to place him on a raft and swim him to the shore.  It was determined that he was not breathing at the time and CPR was initiated.  Anita Rescue transported the patient to Cass Health E.R. where he was pronounced deceased.

There is no foul play suspected and no formal investigation ongoing at this time.

(Washington, D.C.) – According to Federal Election Commission reports, Democratic challengers Christina Bohannan and Lanon Baccam, in Iowa, outraised U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn during the past three months in their congressional races to unseat the incumbents. The most recent FEC reports, released July 15, covered the period from April 1 through June 30. That timeframe included the June 4 primary election, when Baccam defeated Melissa Vine to become the Democratic nominee for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. In this period, Baccam raised $1.3 million — more than Nunn, who ran uncontested in the primary, at more than $1 million.

Nunn ended the reporting period with more cash on hand with $2.4 million to Baccam’s $1.5 million. Democratc Congressional Campaign Committee Mallory Paine, however, say Baccam has earned more in fundraising than his incumbent opponent for three FEC periods in a row. In a statement provided to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Payne said “Lanon’s momentum proves that Iowans are ready to send new, effective leadership to Congress and they know Lanon will always put them first. While Lanon has spent his life giving back to his communities, Zach Nunn’s anti-abortion record has brought one of the most dangerous abortion bans in the country to Iowa.”

Earlier in July, Nunn’s campaign manager Kendyl Parker criticized Baccam in a statement for “raking in hundreds of thousands from the Clinton-Biden money machine while dodging questions about his time as a paid political activist for Joe Biden.” Baccam worked on Biden’s Iowa campaign, as well as with the U.S. Department of Agriculture under former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. Parker said that Nunn is dedicated to fighting for Iowans in the lead-up to the 2024 general election.

In the 1st District race, Bohannan also outraised Miller-Meeks in both the most recent period, as well as in the prior three quarters. According to the July FEC filings, Bohannan raised more than $1.2 million while Miller-Meeks raised $846,883. The Democrat, who did not face a primary challenge, also has more in reserve funds than Miller-Meeks with $2.42 million cash on hand to the incumbent’s $2.27 million. Miller-Meeks faced a primary challenge from David Pautsch in June, who argued that Iowa’s all-GOP congressional delegation was not sufficiently conservative. She won the primary race with 55.4% to Pautsch’s 44.6%.

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra also faced a challenge for becoming the 4th Congressional District Republican nominee. He defeated primary opponent Kevin Virgil of Sutherland with 60% of the vote. Feenstra will face Democrat Ryan Melton, whom he defeated in the 2022 general election. In the July FEC report, Feenstra raised $635,115 in the most recent quarter, and has $1.2 million in reserve funding. Melton raised $22,480 in the same period and ended with $20,031 cash on hand.

In Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson raised $719,581 in the most recent reporting period, significantly more than Democratic challenger Sarah Corkery’s $98,166. Both candidates ran uncontested in the June primary election. Hinson ended the period with $1.9 million cash on hand to Corkery’s $69,428. Corkery, as well as Bohannan, have called for President Joe Biden to step away from his bid to become the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. In a statement to reporters, Corkery called for Biden to “pass the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Biden is expected to face former President Donald Trump in the November general election.

(rural Cedar Falls, Iowa) – One person was transported to a hospital following a collision Wednesday afternoon in eastern Iowa’s Grundy County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a pickup driven by 37-year-old Timothy Joseph Haugh, of Waterloo, was traveling north on X Avenue at the intersection with Iowa Highway 57 in rural Cedar Falls, when he failed to stop at the posted intersection stop sign.

An SUV driven by 37-year-old Martha Jean Weber, of Aplington, was traveling east on Highway 57, and struck the pickup on its left side rear quarter panel. Both vehicles came to rest in the northeast ditch. The accident happened at around 4:15-p.m.

Weber was transported to UnityPoint/Allen Hospital by New Hartford EMS. Haugh was not injured. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts.

The crash remains under investigation. The Iowa State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office, and New Hartford Fire/EMS.

Updated 9:55-a.m.:

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office report a man from Atlantic has died after drowning while swimming at Lake Anita, Wednesday evening. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office was notified just before 6:30-p.m., of a possible drowning at the lake. Deputies and several area first responders were called to the scene. First responders arriving at the Lake Anita Beach, learned 53-year old Ysota Rekis, of Atlantic, had been under water for a significant amount of time before surfacing, face down.

Family and other bystanders were able to place him on a raft and swim him to the shore.  It was determined that he was not breathing at the time and CPR was initiated.  Anita Rescue transported the patient to Cass Health E.R. where he was pronounced deceased.

There is no foul play suspected and no formal investigation ongoing at this time.

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(Anita, Iowa) – Rescue crews from Anita were called to a reported, possible drowning Wednesday evening, at Lake Anita. According to dispatch reports, persons on the scene pulled an adult male out of the lake and transported him by raft to the beach. CPR was being performed prior to Anita Fire and Rescue’s arrival. The incident was reported to have occurred at around 6:30-p.m.  Additional information is currently not available.

(This report will be updated – please check back)

(Denison, Iowa) – One person was transported to the Crawford County Hospital, Wednesday, after their vehicle struck the high school building, in Denison. Our sister station KDSN reports authorities suspect the driver suffered a medical emergency before the accident occurred. The incident remains under investigation. Additional details are currently unavailable.