(Red Oak, Iowa) – An incident Wednesday night in Red Oak resulted in an arrest. According to Red Oak Police, 43-year-old Joshua Duane Mohn, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 11:15-p.m. in the 1200 block of E. Summit Street. Mohn was taken into custody on a Red Oak P-D warrant for Eluding, and Driving While Barred. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $7,000 cash-only bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council on Wednesday voted 6-1, with Gerald Brink voting “no,” to hire a Summer manager for Sunnyside pool, in Atlantic. City Administrator John Lund noted that on January 22, the City’s Personnel and Finance Committee reviewed the job description and compensation proposal for the position and recommended the council approve both. Lund said also, having an on-site Pool Manager will go a long way in helping the Park Director’s attention on the entire Park system while allowing Sunnyside to have the supervision needed to operate safely and effectively.

Atlantic Parks and Rec. Director Bryant Rasmussen described what responsibilities the pool manager is expected to handle.

The person hired will be paid $14 per hour, or a maximum of $4,200 per year for the Summer pool season, only. The job will not be full-time, year around. Ramussen said they have at least one person who is interested in the position. Whomever is hired, they must be at least 18-years of age. Atlantic City Councilman Gerald Brink said he doesn’t think $14per hour is enough compensation for the position.

Rasmussen said they’ve been working with the American Red Cross to set-up lifeguard training, with the idea being the pool manager can then oversee the hiring of lifeguards who are ready to go when the pool opens for the season.

(Radio Iowa) – Shenandoah residents are mourning the passing of another local music legend. William Robert “Wil” Leacox died this week at his home in Stockton, California at the age of 74. Leacox was the drummer for the group America for 41 years. A 1965 Shenandoah High School graduate, Leacox honed his music skills playing for many local music groups. Leacox spoke about his background in a 2012 interview when America was recognized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Leacox says he was influenced by family as his dad, his uncle and an older cousin all played the drums. “So I kind of started learning from them — and then I went through the school system in Shenandoah with Doc Creighton, who was an amazing guy. By that time, I had been playing in–oh, I can’t even count–probably 10 different bands through high school. Then, of course, I went to Washburn to music college, and that was that,” he says. “It was a good place to learn to play in Shenandoah. It’s a very musical town–that may have had some influence.”

Three years after graduating from Washburn University, Leacox got a break and replaced David Atwood as America’s drummer in 1973. “After college, I found my way to the west coast,” Leacox said, “and started freelancing around L.A., and playing the club circuit, and a bunch of recording sessions during the day–and sometimes, at night, as well. I met an actor, and played drums on his recording. He knew that America was looking for a drummer, so I set up and audition, and got lucky, and got the gig.”

Leacox remained with the group until his retirement in 2014. He was asked whether there was any secret to the band’s longevity. “I’m not sure that we know,” Leacox said. “But, we love what we do. We’re like a family, so we’re just going to keep on until we can’t.”

Leacox was inducted into Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and was added to Shenandoah’s Iowa Walk of Fame three years later. Hackett Livingston Funeral Home released a statement Wednesday indicating Leacox will be missed by his brother Jim Leacox, sister Janie Casteel, their spouses, plus his nieces and nephews, as well as his California friends and “his many friends and fans around the world.” Memorial services are pending at the Hackett Livingston Funeral Homes. Memorials can be sent to the Leacox Family Music Education Scholarship in care of the Washburn University Alumni Association and Foundation, and the Greater Shenandoah Historical Society.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The 2022 Republican Party Precinct Caucuses will be held Monday, Feb. 7th, beginning at 7-p.m.  During the precinct caucuses, the following will take place:

• 2 Republican residents of the precinct will be elected to serve on the County Central Committee.
• Delegates and alternate delegates to the March 12th Cass County Republican Convention, will be elected (with the number of delegates to be elected at each caucus to be shown below).
• Participants will propose and vote on platform planks, and send those proposals on to County Convention.

Voter registration forms will be available, to register or update your information.

In Cass County, here are the precinct locations:

(Radio Iowa) – Senate Republicans are proposing a two-and-a-quarter percent increase in general state support of public schools. It’s slightly less than the two-and-a-half percent increase Governor Kim Reynolds has proposed. Public school advocates say neither figure provides enough to deal with the impact of inflation on expenses and to keep wages competitive for teachers and other school staff. Republican Senator Chris Cournoyer of Le Claire says the Senate G-O-P number is responsible.

“You know, it might not be the number that people are asking for,” she said, “but it’s a number that you’re getting in the first 30 days that you can count on.” Lawmakers are required to make this school funding decision 30 days after the legislature convenes. Democrats have called for a five percent increase in general state support of public school operations. Governor Reynolds says her recommendation, which is half that much, is reasonable and she says Iowa schools received a huge amount of federal pandemic relief money that’s not yet been spent.

“As of the end of December, districts were still sitting on — they hadn’t used $793 million,” Reynolds says. “…so I don’t think it’s a lack of funding that we’re providing for our K-12 education.” That federal money — approved by congress during the Trump and Biden Administrations — is to be used to ensure schools are operating safely and to address the impact the pandemic has had on students.