(Lewis, IA) – The Cass County Conservation Board has announced a Bat House Workshop will take place this coming Saturday, Nov. 22nd, at Outdoor Educational Classroom near Massena. The workshop begins at 11-a.m.  The Board suggests a donation of $15 per bat house. All ages are welcome to attend and participate, but children must be accompanied by an adult. During the Bat House Workshop, you”ll learn all about Iowa’s bats, and build a small bat house or purchase a kit. Please pre-register by Monday, November 17th, by calling 712-769-2372 or email lkanning@casscoia.us !

A constructed bat house (Cass County Conservation Dept. photo)

The Cass County Conservation Board is also holding a Nature Journaling Workshop next Saturday, at the Outdoor Educational Classroom in Massena. The Journaling Workshop begins at 1-p.m., and is free of charge. All ages are welcome, and again children must be accompanied by an adult. Learn all about nature journaling and techniques we can use. You will also make and take a journal home with you!

Find the Outdoor Educational Classroom by taking Highway 148 south of Massena, Turn Left on Tucson Road and follow it East for about two miles before turning right into the parking lot.

Please pre-register for one or both programs by November 17th. The CCCB hopes you will join Conservation Staff for the educational activities.

(Council Bluffs, IA) – Pottawattamie County attorney Matt Wilber, FrIday, filed a petition to remove Scott Belt from his position as county supervisor. KETV reports, in the petition, Wilber alleges that Belt went to a bar before a Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors meeting and was drinking. The petition alleges, Belt had a beer and part of a mixed drink. He took the rest with him after the bartender put it in a plastic cup.

The court documents said patrons at the bar said it was “very quickly apparent” that Belt was already intoxicated for coming into the establishment. According to the petition, one person at the bar told him he should not go to the meeting, but Belt responded, saying he was “fine.” The documents indicated also, that there was no audio of the happenings, but it was captured on surveillance cameras.

At the meeting, according to the petition, Belt was having problems speaking when it came to things like leading the Pledge of Allegiance, and he was clumsy, even tripping over a chair leg. The petition said once the word got out about the Nov. 5 meeting, people started coming forward with similar experiences with Belt. It also alleged that Belt had been intoxicated while acting in his official capacity at least seven times in the past 13 months.

According to a Facebook post from the county, Belt resigned from his position as board chairperson effective on Nov. 10th. Matt Wilber says a judge suspended Belt on Friday, Nov. 14th, which leaves the position legally vacant pending a hearing. A committee will appoint a temporary board member until the court rules on the petition to remove Belt. If the petition is dismissed, Belt will be reinstated, and if the court accepts the petition, the committee will appoint a successor for the remainder of the term, which may involve a special election.

(Louisa County, IA) – A four-year-old child was flown to the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Saturday, after being struck by a car in the southeast Iowa town of Wapello. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a car driven by 29-year-old Kateline Marie Lilly, of Wapello, turned into an alley in the 400 block of Jefferson Street at around 6:25-p.m., and struck the unidentified female child who was in the alley, before her vehicle backed-up and stopped in the alley.

The child was flown by AirCare to the hospital. Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office and Wapello Police.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — Influential central Iowa developer, businessman and philanthropist William C. “Bill” Knapp died Saturday morning. He was 99. Knapp Properties, which he founded in the early 1990s, announced his death in a news release.

The company called Knapp a “self-made entrepreneur, visionary developer, and extraordinary philanthropist, (who) leaves behind a legacy that helped shape the future of Iowa and elevated the civic life of generations.”

(Photo: Bill Knapp (from KnappProperties.com)

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds released a statement Saturday morning following Knapp’s death:

“The city of Des Moines is what it is today thanks to the vision of Bill Knapp, but his impact extends far beyond,” Reynolds said. “A generous philanthropist, WWII veteran, devoted family man, and friend to many, Bill lived his life in service to his country, his community, and his fellow Iowans. Kevin and I offer our prayers and condolences to his wife, Susan, and their family, and our gratitude for Bill’s legacy which will endure for generations.”

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (KCCI-TV) — A Knoxville school associate fired for a post about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk is now suing the district. KCCI repots Stacey Sumpter says the school violated her first amendment rights. Following Kirk’s death in September, Sumpter posted a comment on her personal Facebook page: “Normally I would say Auf wider sehen; but since that technically means ’til I see you again’ … So since I never wish to see you again, to you; I say goodbye,” the comment reads.

Court records show she was fired days later. Sumpter is asking the court for reinstatement and damages. In a court filing, Sumpter claims she was never given a hearing or other opportunity to present her side of the story. Court documents say “Since her termination, there has been no administrative review that would afford Ms. Sumpter the very due process promised to her by District policy.”

The district says it does not comment on pending litigation.

(Des Moines, Iowa; KCCI-TV]) – Officials with the Iowa National Guard say their mission to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement is being extended. A spokesperson confirmed to us the added assistance will continue to Sept. 30, 2026. The mission has not changed since Gov. Kim Reynolds first directed the Iowa National Guard to assist ICE. At that point, Reynolds said:

“Just as we supported Texas when the Biden Administration left them to defend the border, Iowa will continue to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws — this time, by working with the Trump Administration to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in our state,” Reynolds said in a news release announcing the mission. “By providing administrative and logistical support, the Iowa National Guard will free up local ICE officials to continue their work outside the office to enforce the law and keep our state safe.”

The National Guard is providing clerical, administrative and logistical support to Iowa-based ICE officials. They will not engage in law enforcement.

(A report by the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – An Iowa Department of Natural Resources study on food waste in the state found that Iowans on average, throw away 200 pounds of food each year.  The study identified a number of ways that households and businesses can reduce their food waste and in turn, help food insecure households, the environment and the economy.  Preventing food waste by producing, buying and serving only what is needed is the best way, according to the study, to reduce food waste.  Other methods it identified include donating or upcycling food before it goes bad, feeding it to animals and livestock, composting food scraps or putting them through an anaerobic digestion system and applying the product to the land.  Some of these solutions, according to the report, can be implemented in the near future while others have a longer start-up time, or require changes in state and local policies.

DNR determined in a 2022 study of landfill materials that food waste, comprising unsold food from stores, table scraps, uneaten prepared food, kitchen trimmings and byproducts from food and beverage processing facilities, was the number one material in Iowa landfills. The same study found that 19% of landfill material in Iowa is loose or packaged food waste. Of the average 200 pounds of food per year per person that Iowans dispose of at home, 25% is still packaged. When including commercial food waste into the calculation, Iowans dispose of 300 pounds of food waste, per person, per year. The Iowa rate is lower than the average rate for the U.S., which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates is between 492 to 1,032 pounds per person per year.

EPA also estimates the average family throws away about $3,000 worth of food, or 11% of household food expenditures, annually.  Further, the study said food waste emits air pollutants as it sits in solid waste landfills. The best way to reduce food waste that ends up in landfills is to manage the amount of waste in homes and businesses, according to the study, which suggests also, that at home, residents: eat their leftovers, keep track of the items in their refrigerators and pantries, plan meals, be creative with meals to use what is about to spoil, store food properly and purchase in quantities that can be consumed before they spoil. Restaurants can audit their waste streams and adjust their menus, wholesale orders and portion sizes to reduce food waste.

The study points out that while households and commercial businesses throw out food, 1 in 8 Iowans face food insecurity. Food banks and food pantries often receive donations from grocery stores or wholesalers of food that is about to pass its expiration date, which can be one way of  reducing food waste. The study surveyed six food-rescue organizations in Iowa, including Food Bank of Iowa, which accepted more 26 million pounds of rescue food in 2023 to be distributed across its 55-county region. The surveyed organizations identified that the majority of this food is able to be used and given out at food pantries, though the process presents some barriers. It’s difficult to always provide culturally relevant foods and some stores are reluctant to donate their food for fear of being held liable for accidentally donating spoiled food.

Based on the information gleaned from the study, DNR recommends the state improve education and training strategies around food donation, establish requirements for certain businesses to donate food and increase tax credits available for donating food.  Composting is another strategy for reducing food waste. The study found that in 2024, approximately 2,925 tons of food waste were managed with composting in Iowa.  This means, per the study, that most facilities are operating “well below” permitted limits and that the state’s composting capacity is “not being fully utilized.”  Surveyed facilities cited permitting, contamination due to the inclusion of non-compostable items like glass or plastic, and cost as the major limiting factors to increasing compost capacity.

Solutions presented by the study include: legislative requirements to compost food for certain businesses, partnerships to purchase or rent composting equipment, grants and incentives to pre-process food waste. Once food scraps are composted, the study found that waste facilities generally do not have a hard time selling the compost to homeowners, businesses and farmers that want to apply the nutrient-rich product to their fields and gardens. Similar to composting, anaerobic digestion also breaks down food scraps into a usable product: biogas. According to the study, some Water Resource Recovery Facilities in Iowa pull organic material from wastewater streams and process it via anaerobic digestion. Of the nine sites surveyed by the study, four use the produced biogas onsite for things like heating boilers and electricity generation, while others sold the biogas.

The study suggests greater development, marketing and procurement of the practice at facilities in the state to help manage food waste. The study points out that composting facilities and wastewater facilities with anaerobic digestion are concentrated to areas of higher population in the state, which means some regions don’t have access to these processes. There are only five composting facilities in Iowa and three water resource recovery facilities that accept food waste.DNR noted that residents and businesses can add smaller compost or anaerobic digestion infrastructure on site or in their backyards to help reduce food waste that ends up in a landfill.

Another solution the study suggested is the implementation of a “sharing table” at schools. This practice has been implemented in other states and allows students to put their un-opened packaged food on a table in the cafeteria to be donated, rather than tossing it in the garbage. The study also called for greater education in schools around food waste, and incentives to businesses that implement food reduction efforts.  DNR said it plans to continue to measure food waste in Iowa to “to assess effectiveness of the State’s efforts to reduce food waste.”

The study was funded through an EPA Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grant.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors held a very brief Special Meeting this (Friday) afternoon with regard to a request to Order a recount of the Atlantic School District Director At-Large race from the November 4, 2025 City/School Election.

In attendance in the Supervisor’s Board Room were Supervisors Steve Green and Wendy Richter, along with Cass County Auditor/Election Commissioner Kathy Somers. Supervisors Mark O’Brien and Bernard Pettinger joined electronically. O’Brien made the motion to act on the Order as requested.

(The qualifying request was made by from candidate Justin Williams, who received less than 1% difference of the votes cast than the winner.)

Cass County Board of Supervisors Special meeting, 11-14-25

The Board’s approval allows the recount to take place beginning at 9-a.m. Monday, Nov. 17th. Because there were no other, additional qualifying requests for a recount, no action was taken on that part of the special agenda, Friday.