(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Master Gardeners kicked of their 2022 year with a new slate of officers, new members and a regional award for their outgoing president. At their meeting in late January, the group welcomed new members Lori Anderson and Kolton Hewlett as new members. Both recently completed the Master Gardener training course, consisting of 40 hours of online education delivered in September-November of 2021. After successfully completing the course post-test, Anderson and Hewlett begin their year as Master Gardener interns, who will complete 40 hours of community service activity to become full Master Gardeners.

The Master Gardener class is offered annually through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Cass County is planning to host another session of the course beginning in August of 2022. Also recognized at the meeting was immediate past-president Cathy Booth, who received the Southwest Iowa Exceptional Volunteer Service Award. The award is given to one Extension volunteer in Southwest Iowa; and is a new award in 2022. Cathy was recognized for two terms as president of the Cass County Master Gardeners, including leadership during the pandemic to keep group members active and connected.

In addition, over the last 12 years, Cathy has averaged 95 hours of service reported each year, well exceeding the required 20 hours to maintain her active status. She is also an integral part of the food donation work the Master Gardeners are involved in across the county- growing, transporting and collaborating to connect fresh produce to those who need it.

The Cass County Master Gardeners are also planning many activities for the upcoming spring and summer. The Spring Garden Seminar returns in 2022, with a theme of “Gardening from the Ground Up!” This event will be held on Saturday, March 19th and registration is now open. The date for their annual spring plant sale has been set for Saturday May 14th, and their summer bus tour will take place on Wednesday June 8th. Additional activities to support garden education, food access and community improvement are also in the works for 2022.

The group uses funds from their plant sales and other activities to fund many projects including scholarships and community grants. Applications are now open for the horticulture scholarships, available to high-school seniors or older students who are completing post-secondary studies in a horticulture related field. Applications for the scholarships are due April 1.

For more information on any of the upcoming events, scholarships or grants, including information on becoming a Master Gardener, contact the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or visit them online at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. Questions can also be directed to Extension Director Kate Olson by email at keolson@iastate.edu.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors visited with owners of Atlas Atlantic Cinema, Rylea & Devon Anderson, on Thursday, March 10th, 2022, to view the updated theater seating and learn about upcoming projects and events. Rylea & Devon Anderson purchased the Fridley Theater in November of 2019 and in March of 2020 were forced to close due to the pandemic. That did not stop the couple from investing in new seating and brainstorming ideas for the future.

Since re-opening, full time, in May of 2021, Atlas Atlantic Cinema has launched some great additions to keep movie-goers engaged in the happenings at the theater. Earlier this year, the theater launched an app with current show times and events. Also available on the app, is a monthly newsletter Rylea introduced to keep community members informed about upcoming movies, events details, and possible premier setbacks.

Rylea and Devin did not anticipate the wild success of their gourmet popcorn fundraiser when they started taking orders in December 2020. Since then, the couple has successfully completed two “Popcorn Christmas Box” programs and are now working to get the beloved popcorn into the community’s hands on a year- round basis. Atlas Atlantic Cinema’s gourmet popcorn can be found in CoffeeGirl, located at 422 Chestnut Street. The couple hopes to partner with more businesses throughout Cass County to carry the many flavors of popcorn.

“Dinner at the Movies” Night have had some great success in the first three events. Attendees pay $25 to see a new movie the night before it is officially released into theater. Along with admission, attendees are served a home-cooked meal, beverage (soda, Icee, 1/2 bottle of wine, or up to 3 beers), and intermission cookies. The next “Dinner at the Movies” is scheduled for Thursday April 14th, 2022, at 7pm, showing Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

For more information about showtimes or events visit www.atlasatlanticcinema.com, download the app in the App Store or Google Play.

(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.