(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic School Board held their regular monthly meeting Wednesday evening in the High School Media Center. Board President Laura McLean thanked voters in the Atlantic Community School District for approving the $22.5-million General Obligation bond, during the Nov. 4^th City/School elections, and she noted the significance of that approval as compared to other districts in the State with G.O. Bond referendums.

The Atlantic School Board approved the Consent Agenda as presented, including the resignation of Benjamin Cordova, ELL Paraeducator; And Contract Recommendations to hire:

• Aidan Wendt, Industrial Arts Teacher (Starting with the 2nd Semester, and replacing Dexter Dodson).
• Emma Webb, ELL Para (Replacing Benjamin Cordova).
• Anna Wieser, Junior Class and Prom Sponsor.
• Skyler Handlos, 9th Grade Basketball Coach.

The Board discussed the 2022-23 Audit, with an overview conducted by School Finance Director Lisa Jones. They also reviewed Staff BEDS (Basic Education Data Survey) report results; and they discussed the unofficial results of the General Obligation Bond vote from Nov. 4th.

A Special, Organizational Meeting of the Atlantic School Board will be held 6:30-p.m. Nov. 18th, and will include the selection of Board President/Vice President, SBO/Treasurer, and the swearing-in of new At-Large Board Member Chet Meneely, as well as re-elected At-Large Board Member Josh McLaren.

(Atlantic, IA) – Officials with the Cass County Extension office are once again hosting continuing instructional courses (CICs) for local commercial pesticide applicators, but they want to remind anyone who has yet to attend the training, that all CIC training must be completed by the end of December to keep a license current. To avoid conflicts with year-end scheduling, Cass County Extension is requiring that all training dates be scheduled by Wednesday, December 17^th.

Cass County Extension Director Kate Olson says ‘Year end is a busy time for all, but we don’t want anyone to miss the opportunity to attend their annual required training, as time to meet those annual requirements is getting short. We do offer trainings on a first-come, first-serve basis, and our hours will be slightly different during the holidays, so we’d like to remind folks to call and get their classes scheduled before our year-end calendar fills up.”

According to Olson, reshow dates can occur after December 17^th, as scheduling allows, but they must be on the calendar before then to be honored. To ensure a spot on the training schedule, applicators needing to complete CIC for the year are asked to call as soon as possible if they have a preferred training date, but no later than Wednesday, December 17^th at 4:30 PM. Applicators calling after this date will NOT be placed on the training schedule.

Training dates can be scheduled locally by calling the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or by emailing Olson at keolson@iastate.edu. For more information on the Commercial Pesticide Applicator program or the CIC classes, please visit www.extension.iastate.edu/psep/.

(Malvern, IA) – Officials with the City of Malvern, this (Wednesday) evening, said that the City received a call this morning, from a farmer stating that they had standing water in their field, in proximity to the City’s force main which carries wastewater to the lagoons.

Upon investigation, the City discovered that an air relief valve on the force main had ruptured and was allowing wastewater to flow out of the force main. A repair has been made and the situation has been contained. During the bypass, wastewater flowed into a nearby unnamed tributary, eventually making its way to Silver Creek between Lytle Avenue and 310th Street.

The City has been in contact with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources regarding the incident. No dead fish have been observed in Silver Creek and residents are advised to avoid the area temporarily.

If you have any questions regarding this incident, please contact Joe George at (712) 624-8282.

(Radio Iowa) -The state is asking the Iowa Supreme Court to end a lawsuit by the wife of correctional officer killed in 2021 at the Anamosa State Penitentiary. Sara Montague filed a wrongful death lawsuit against 26 state employees alleging they knew about inadequate training and policies that led to the murder of her husband Robert McFarland. Patrick Valencia with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office told the Iowa Supreme Court that Montague didn’t follow the rules for filing claims against all 26 employees.

“And the compliance with the rules is key, because that’s what the legislature has said you must do to take advantage of the limited waiver of sovereign immunity,” Valencia says. Montague’s lawyer, Robert Rehkemper, says the state withheld information that would’ve allowed them to name defendants earlier in the process.

“I think there’s a distinction too when we’re dealing with a death. I can’t ask Mr. McFarland, who messed up in the situation that got you hurt? I can’t ask him. I have to look at the investigative files,” he says. “But in this situation the investigative files are completely within the possession of the employer.”

Robert McFarland and a nurse at the prison were both killed in an attack by two inmates.

(Radio  Iowa) – A mayor has been chosen for a small northwest Iowa town after a tie in last week’s election. Incumbent Willard McFarland and challenger Michael Bohlke tied for mayor of Westfield during last Tuesday’s elections, with 22 votes each.

Per procedure, the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors had to draw lots to determine the new mayor of the westernmost town in the state. And during their meeting today, supervisor Doug Manley had the honor of picking one of two pieces of paper out of fellow supervisor Craig Anderson’s cowboy hat.

Manley pulled Bohlke’s name out of the hat. He will be the next mayor of Westfield.

(Radio Iowa) – Renewable Fuels Association C-E-O Geoff Cooper says the E-P-A in the past week has given more small oil refineries a pass when it comes to adding ethanol to gasoline. “Adding another 14 small refinery exemptions to what is already a massive pile of exemptions that have been granted in the last couple of months,” Cooper says. The Trump Administration has reviewed a backlog of requests dating back to the Biden Administration and so far this year has granted exemptions to 160 small refineries.

“Essentially what this decision does is it just adds more uncertainty, more confusion in the renewable fuel and agricultural and agricultural markets,” Cooper said, “and that’s certainly not something we need to see today.” The Renewable Fuel Standard requires that billions of gallons of ethanol and other biofuels be blended into fuel each year. Small refiners may seek exemptions, however, if they show the blending requirement would be a big financial hit the operation.

The E-P-A has another 15 requests under review. Iowa is the nation’s top ethanol-producing state, with 42 plants that use corn to make ethanol and two that use plant material to make ethanol.

AMES, Iowa – Nov. 12, 2025 – Today, the Iowa Transportation Commission approved $3,127,377 for nine State Recreational Trails Program projects. Among the projects and approved funding, was $285,000 for the Wabash Trace/Rapp Park Connector Trail (in Page County), and $500,000 for the Great American Rail Trail: Weston to Underwood (Pottawattamie County Conservation Board).

The State Recreational Trails Program was created in 1988 with the purpose of developing and maintaining recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both motorized and non-motorized trail users. This funding is available to cities, counties, state agencies, local governments, and nonprofit organizations through an annual application-based program.

The other projects and approved funding amounts are listed below.

• Clay County Connection Phase 3 (Dickinson County) : $295,000
• Grant Wood Trail Connection to Cedar Valley Nature Trail
  (Cedar Rapids) : $200,000
• Great Western Trail Rehabilitation Phase 2 (Warren County Conservation Board) : $543,200
• Heritage Trail Bridge 30 Replacement (Dubuque County Conservation Board) : $170,250
• Neal Smith Trail Reconstruction and Birdland Park Connection
  (Des Moines) : $200,000
• Prairie Restoration Trail (Laurens) : $433,927
• Waukee Regional Trail Connection and Safety Improvements Project (Waukee) : $500,000.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors met Wednesday, Nov. 12th and acted on several matters. First-up, the Board discussed and then approved a $500 contribution to ISAC (The Iowa State Association of Counties), to cover the legal costs of an Amicus Brief presentation to the U-S Supreme Court, and with regard to a case over local control of carbon pipeline projects. Numerous other counties across the State, including (locally) Montgomery, Page and Adair, have also agreed to contribute the same amount, while others were in the process of discussing and acting on the request for funds.

Supervisor Wendy Richter clarified ISAC’s role in the process.

In October, Shelby and Story County officials filed a petition in their case against Summit Carbon Solutions, seeking to appeal the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in June that upheld a lower court’s ruling barring counties from implementing ordinances regulating carbon sequestration projects–such as the proposed Midwest Express CO2 pipeline.

In other business, the Cass County Supervisors acknowledged the receipt of recommendations from the Cass County Zoning Commission, and the setting of Public Hearings, with regard to: An application for a zoning change by Robert and Karen Davis, from Suburban Rural- to Agricultural. Cass County Zoning Administrator Mike Kennon explained the reason for the request.

A public hearing on the request will take place December 2nd at 9:05-a.m. In the Supervisor’s Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse in Atlantic. The Board set Dec. 2nd at 9:10-a.m., as the date & time for a Public hearing on a requested zoning change from Kelly Wise, from Agricultural- to Business. The request pertains to a property near Wiota on the north side of Highway 6 for the purpose of building a light commercial storage unit with a fence and gates.

The Board approved a Fiscal Year 2024-25 Urban Renewal Report. And, they discussed, but took no action on a lease request by the Iowa Department of Corrections 4th Judicial District for office space at 601 Walnut, Suite 1. The Supervisors discussed a request from Cass County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall, to approve promotions and pay raises for County Treasurer’s Clerks Stacie Linfor and Amanda Darrow. Supervisor Mark O’Brien was opposed to the raises at this time.

Board Chair Steve Baier said he was not in favor of mid-year raises. The Board’s consensus was there was no interest in approving the raises at this time, and that it would be more appropriate to do so when it is time to consider the Budget next year. In other business, the Supervisors received a quarterly report from Cass County Veterans Affairs Executive Director Mitch Holmes.

Their final order of business was to pass a resolution certifying the results of the Nov. 4th City/School elections in Cass County. According to the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office 33.84-percent of the registered voters in Cass County went to their polling places to cast ballots. Board Chair Steve Baier thanked the volunteer poll workers for their service to the County during the election.