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REV. DON BRUCK, 80, of Harlan (Mass of Christian Burial 2/18/23)

Obituaries

February 14th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

REV. DON BRUCK, 80, of Harlan, died Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at home. A Mass of Christian Burial for REV. DON BRUCK will be held 11-a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church, in Harlan. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.

Visitation will take place at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Harlan, on Friday, Feb. 17th, from 5-until 8-p.m., with a Wake service at 7-p.m.

Burial is in the St. Mary’s Cemetery at Panama.

REV. DON BRUCK is survived by:

His Brothers – Allen (Bev) Bruck, of Panama, & Marvin (Jan) Bruck, of Des Moines.

3 nephews and 2 nieces.

Property tax ideas percolating at Iowa Capitol

News

February 14th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the legislature are proposing a variety of ideas to simplify and reduce property taxes. Republican Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs is chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, the panel that drafts tax policy. “We didn’t get here overnight and we’re not going to be able to change this overnight, but at least we are going to start us on the process,” Dawson says. Dawson has introduced a bill that would double a property tax credit homeowners may claim for the house they occupy. “We double the homestead benefit to $10,000,” Dawson says. “We double the military benefit to $4000. We increase the senior property tax freeze that we did two years ago up to 300% of poverty level.”

Increasing those property tax credits reduces revenue for local governments, so Dawson also is proposing a change in the one percent local option sales taxes being collected around the state. It would become a statewide tax and his bill then would send one-and-a-quarter percent of all state sales tax revenue to cities and counties. “We have to diversify local government spending away from property taxes,” Dawson says. Dawson has another bill that gradually consolidates property tax levies that fund local government operations. He says the goal is to get rid of most special levies. Then all city and county governments would operate under the general levy rate on property tax assessments set in 1975. However, Dawson says there would be some exceptions, plus a yearly growth rate would be allowed to account for inflation.

“Here’s what it means for the average property owner out there: better restrictions on how their local entities spend those monies,” Dawson says. “…They should be able to see long term wise at least some stabilization of their property taxes, if not relief, potentially.” A senate subcommittee is scheduled for late this (Tuesday) afternoon to review part of Dawson’s property tax relief plans. House Republicans have proposed different ways to reduce property taxes. Governor Kim Reynolds has made a very specific proposal, to reduce taxes for child care centers by taxing them as residential rather than commercial property. The governor says she’s anxious to sign a wider property tax reduction plan from the Republican led legislature.

“I’m a heck yes. I’m just kind of letting them take the lead and then we’ll see where it goes and then that would be probably part of my package next year if we don’t go far enough or we’re not able to get done what we need to get done,” Reynolds says. “It is the most hated tax.” Governor Reynolds has been saying getting rid of the state income tax is a priority, but she says reducing how much local governments collect in property taxes is also a goal. “We have to figure out something different. The hard part is people want the services. We have a lot of government across the state when you think about city, county, school, state — so we’ve got to figure that out and just figure out how we can still provide services, but we have to streamline the way we do it and we’ve got to reduce the property tax burden, especially on our seniors,” Reynolds says. “It’s just too much.”

Reynolds made her comments during a recent interview with Radio Iowa.

Clarinda Police Officer arrested in Florida

News

February 14th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Clarinda, Iowa) – Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports one of his officers, 40-year-old Charles Leroy Dailey, was arrested on Monday, February 13, 2023,  in Monroe County, Florida on two, misdemeanor counts of domestic battery causing bodily harm. Authorities say he allegedly punched his girlfriend outside of a bar. Dailey is currently being held in the Key West, Florida jail facility.

Chief Brothers said Dailey has been an officer with the Clarinda Police Department since November 2020. He will be placed on administrative leave when he returns to Iowa and that there will also be an internal investigation.

Cass County Supervisors discuss Compensation Board recommendations

News

February 14th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, authorized a participation agreement to receive additional National Opiod Settlement funds in the amount of $1,800. Board Chair Steve Baier explained..

By signing the agreement, the County continues to be eligible for any future, Opiod Settlement funds that are released. The Board also approved a Class-C Retail Alcohol License for the Griswold Golf and Country Club, and, they heard from County Engineer Trent Wolken, who mentioned they are trying to keep up with the changing road conditions.

He said right now they’re just trying to repair the “bad spots.” In the Spring they will conduct a more concentrated effort to lay down heavy rock where needed. In other Secondary Roads Department news…

The Supervisors spent a considerable amount of time discussing the Compensation Board’s recommendation for a 10-percent increase in salary for County Employees, but they took no action, while awaiting additional details and/or options to the recommendations. The Board will continue with discussion on the matter during their meeting next week.

2023 Best Burger contest underway

News

February 14th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The annual contest is now underway to find the best hamburger in the state. Iowa Beef Industry Council spokesperson, Kylie Peterson, says the criteria for the 2023 contestants remains the same. “A 100 percent real beef patty served on a bun or bread product from a restaurant here in the state of Iowa,” Peterson says. “So, any spices can be added to the patty. And the burger can include any combination of condiments, toppings, you name it.” Peterson says the various eateries find a lot of different ways to add to the base layer of beef and bun.

“People get super creative with the toppings. I mean, there’s different types of burgers now — smash burgers, stuffed patties, you name it — people get really creative. And I think that’s one of the most kind of exciting thing about burgers, or one of the most unique things about burgers is there’s so many different ways to prepare burger and serve a burger that provides different tasting and eating experiences,” she says.

Flying Elbow Burger (IBIC photo)

The Beef Industry Council holds the contest with the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and they are asking you to help nominate the best burger at iab.org. “On the home page, we have a link to the best burger voting link. If you’re a restaurant owner, and you want to participate, there are promotional materials for you on there to print out and use in your restaurant or on your social media platform,” Peterson says, “And then you’ll also find contest rules there as well as the link to vote.”  Past winners have come from all over the state and sometimes the joints that serve the burgers may be one of the few businesses in a town.

“It’s a great way to kind of highlight those rural communities that might have a hidden gem. I like to call them restaurants that locals know about that have great tasting foods, but maybe not the rest of the state,” she says. Winning the contest helps boost the burger business of the eatery — and she cites the central Iowa winner’s experience from 2022 as an example. “I know the Flying Elbow in Marshalltown was reported preparing 750 pounds of beef for well over two-thousand patties during an average week in July after they won in May of last year, Peterson says. “So it really increases their sales and draws attention not only in the state but outside of the state people are paying attention to Iowa’s best contest. They are going to make a trip to Iowa to try our beef.”

The contest will go on until March when the winner will be chosen from ten finalists and announced in May are part of the Beef Month festivities.

2 arrested on Eluding charges in Mills County

News

February 14th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two men were arrested on separate Eluding charges over the past couple of days. At around 2:37-a.m. Sunday, Feb. 12th, 18-year-old Logan Patrick Hastings, of Red Oak, was arrested for Eluding and Theft in the 2nd Degree. Bond was set at $5,000.

And, Monday afternoon, 30-year-old Mathew Jacques Black, of Wilmington, DE., was arrested on Eluding and Reckless Driving charges. His bond was set at $2,300.

In other news, 34-year-old Steven Wayne Wurteles, Jr., of Omaha, was arrested at around 12-a.m. Tuesday (Today), for Violation of a No Contact Order. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

Ankeny woman suffers severe injuries during a collision in Guthrie County

News

February 14th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Ankeny suffered severe/incapacitating lower extremity injuries, during a collision that occurred at around 1-p.m. on February 8th, near Panora. Officials say a Fed Ex delivery van driven by 45-year-old Joel Brink, of Ames, was traveling south on Highway 25 and had stopped at the intersection with 120th Street, while waiting for cross traffic to pass. A 2005 Chevy pickup truck driven by 22-year-old Meghan McBride, of Ankeny, was also southbound on Highway 25. When she looked down at her watch to view a message, she failed to notice the van stopped ahead of her.

The pickup struck the van from behind, causing the van to be propelled into the southeast ditch, where it rolled onto its side. The pickup continued southwest past the point of impact, and into the southwest corner of the intersection, before impacting a ditch. McBride was not wearing her seat belt. Brink was properly belted into the van.

Both drivers were transported by Panora EMS, with McBride being taken to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, and Brink transported to the Guthrie County Hospital in Guthrie Center.

Grassley: Public deserves to know more about recent UFO downings

News

February 14th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’ll be attending a briefing today (Tuesday) as military and intelligence officials update members of Congress about the recent rash of unidentified flying objects being shot down by American warplanes. Grassley says he isn’t optimistic about the update, the second involving U-F-Os in two weeks. Grassley says, “Sometimes I walk away from a lot of briefings and think, ‘Well, I didn’t learn anything more than I read in The Washington Post or heard on television.'” Government officials say a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the South Carolina coast ten days ago, after it overflew much of the U-S. Three more objects have been shot down in the past four days, two near Alaska and a third over Lake Huron. Grassley says we’re all in the dark and deserve answers.

“There’s too much classified as secret, and in the end, the public ought to know more than they know right now,” Grassley says. “The briefing is part of congressional oversight to see whether or not the administration is doing what the Constitution requires them to do, to have a top priority on national security.” Officials are saying very little about the three latest U-F-Os and it’s unclear if they’re also intelligence-gathering platforms like the first Chinese balloon. Grassley questions how many other devices have been overhead that we’ve missed — or that we weren’t told about.

Grassley says, “I think the most important thing is to assess what holes there are in our surveillance system that we don’t know about all these intrusions on our sovereignty and threats to our national security.” Chinese officials have issued statements saying the first object was a weather balloon that veered off course, but U-S officials say they’ve recovered most of the craft’s antenna array which they say was certainly used for surveillance.

CAM School Board approves two contracts and receives facilities closure recommendation

News

February 14th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM School District’s Board of Directors met in a regular session Monday evening at the High School in Anita. Superintendent Paul Croghan said there were no resignations to come before the Board, but they did approve contracts for: Brian Foglemen, Co-Head Golf Coach; and, Jeni Follman, Assistant Softball Coach. The Board also approved Ericka Stender as Softball Coach.

The CAM School Board approved 200 series policies, and a Budget Guarantee for 2023-24.

They also approved the sale of Excess Property, including buses and excess parts, which will be sold online.

And, with regard to District Facilities discussion, Paul Croghan said the Facilities Committee has met twice already, and will have their third meeting in Massena on Wednesday, Feb. 15th, beginning at 6-p.m. The meeting will be held in the South Elementary Media Center.

No action was taken on the Committee’s recommendations during Monday’s CAM School Board session. The Board will likely act on a decision within the next couple of months, according to Mr. Croghan.

Heartbeat Today 02-14-2023

Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

February 14th, 2023 by Lori Murphy

KJAN News Director Ric Hanson catches up with Iowa State Patrol Trooper and Public Information Officer Ryan DeVault about their “High 3” enforcement project this year.

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