(Adair, Iowa) – The Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center School Board, Wednesday, accepted a bid for the replacement of the bleachers at the Junior High School. AC/GC Superintendent Josh Rasmussen said a Public Hearing was held on the bleacher project during the Board’s meeting.

The Board also approved the resignation of Denice Crawley, Food Service & Transportation, and contract recommendations for: Christina Wilson – High School Board Secretary; Ron Lower  and Bill Messinger – Part-time Industrial Tech Teachers; Sarah McKibben – Elementary Kitchen & Preschool 1:1 Associate, and, Kayla Froehle – Preschool Associate.

They also acted on approving their IASB Legislative Priorities, which include Teacher Recruitment and Licensure.

Sharing and Reorganization was another of the Board’s priorities.

In other business, the AC/GC School Board approved the existing 28-E (cost sharing) agreements between the districts.

And, the Board agreed to tweak their regular board meeting times and places.

Mr. Rasmussen said they’re getting ready for the next school year. That includes getting the buildings cleaned-up. All classroom teachers are hired, and the online registration portal is available now for parents to enroll their kids.

(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 29th, 2023, 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 cake walk, 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 Public Library, Cass County Child Abuse Prevention Council, Cass County Master Gardeners, Cass County 4-H, Cass County Farm Bureau, Family Crisis Support Network, Healthy Cass County, Iowa Corn, Iowa Learning Forums, SHIFT ATL 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 27th through August 1st, in Atlantic.

(Radio Iowa)  – A report finds states that ban or severely restrict abortion are less likely to attract medical school graduates for hospital residency slots. The study from the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute found a drop in applications across all residency slots in states that restrict abortion. Atul Grover, the institute’s executive director, says the drop was much more drastic for med school graduates looking to be O-B/G-Y-Ns. Grover says, “But in OB/GYN, what we found was that you were about twice as likely to have US MD graduates trying to avoid those states where abortion was banned, or drastically limited.”

Iowa has one of the lowest rates of O-B/G-Y-Ns per capita in the country. A new Iowa law that bans abortions at about six weeks of pregnancy was temporarily blocked this week by a district judge while it faces legal challenges. Grover says he’s concerned abortion restrictions could increasingly deter other kinds of residents, not just O-B/G-Y-Ns. “Also, if you think about a specialty, like family medicine, that does a lot of obstetrical care, particularly in rural areas,” he says, “we believe that they will also be disincentivized to go practice in states like Iowa.”

Grover made his comments on the Iowa Public Radio program, River to River.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – No injuries were reported following an accident Thursday afternoon, in Red Oak. Authorities say 79-year-old Carolyn Dee Marsden, of Red Oak, was traveling south on Highland Avenue at around 1:10-p.m., and turned east onto Forest Avenue, directly into the path of a 2023 Chevy Equinox (SUV) traveling westbound on Forest. The 2016 Buick Encalve Marsden was driving collided head-on with the Chevy, driven by 51-year-old Angela Marie Sheely-Gurwell, of Ames.

Red Oak Police say Marsden failed to yield half the roadway. Both vehicles sustained an estimated $1,500 damage. No citations or warnings were issued.

DAVENPORT, IA – A Davenport woman was sentenced Thursday to six months in federal prison for providing false statements during federal grand jury testimony. According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, 30-year LaRhonda Dawnielle Jenkins, was present at a shooting at the Dam View Inn in Davenport on March 9, 2021, where an individual was shot multiple times. When Jenkins was called to testify at federal grand jury proceedings, Jenkins lied about her knowledge of the identified shooter.

After completing her term of imprisonment, Jenkins will be required to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak say no injuries were reported following a collision between a 2006 Freightliner semi pulling a hopper-style trailer, and a 1992 Ford Tempo. Authorities report the car, driven by 92-year-old Wallace Keith Jones, of Red Oak, was traveling west on W. Market Street at around 5:45-p.m. He stopped at the intersection with S. Broadway Street, and then pulled away from the stop sign, before his car was hit on the front by the right front passenger side of the semi. Jones told police he didn’t see the semi before pulling out into the intersection.

Jones, and the driver of the semi, 48-year-old David Lee Rydberg, of Essex, were checked-out by medics, but refused transport to the hospital. The car was a total loss. Damage to the semi was estimated at $2,000. Red Oak Police issued Wallace Jones a written warning for Failure to Yield to a Passing Vehicle.