(Elliott, Iowa) – Two people were injured during an ATV rollover accident Sunday afternoon, west of Elliott. The incident happened near 2166 110th Street, at around 4:20-p.m. A medical helicopter was requested at the scene. Additional information is currently available.

[Updated 12/13/21) (Elliott, Iowa) – Firefighters from Elliott and Red Oak were dispatched to a residential structure fire at approximately 1:40-p.m., Sunday.  The flames were reported at 600 Elm Street, the residence of Steve & Jessica DeLage and their son, Dax.  Griswold and Grant Fire Departments were called to offer mutual aid in the form of water tankers and additional fire fighters.

According to Griswold Fire Chief J.C. Wyman, the family had safely evacuated the structure prior to firefighters’ arrival. The house was a total loss. Strong winds fanned the flames through the two-story house. Crews were on the scene for about three-hours. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

Elliott house fire 12/12/21. (Photo submitted)

Other agencies assisting at the scene included the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and the Red Cross, along with the Cass and Montgomery County Emergency management agencies.

Police in Red Oak say a man from Mills County was arrested early this (Sunday) morning. Officials report 22-year-old Mason Dean White, of Hastings, was taken into custody at around 1:30-a.m., for OWI/1st offense. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 cash bond.

(Sioux City, Iowa) – Officials with the U-S Department of Justice/Northern District of Iowa, Friday, reported that a man from Carroll County who conspired to distribute meth while possessing guns, was sentenced on December 7th to more than 11 years in federal prison. In their statement, authorities said 43-year-old Christopher O’Tool, of Arcadia, pled guilty June 15, 2021, to two counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

At the hearings, evidence showed that O’Tool was involved in two conspiracies, one from about January 2016 through June 2016 and another from March 2019 through July 2019, in which he and others distributed more than 4 pounds of methamphetamine. In May and June 2016, O’Tool distributed over 50 grams of methamphetamine to individuals cooperating with law enforcement. On June 2, 2016, law enforcement stopped O’Tool, searched his vehicle and seized one pound of methamphetamine and a .45 caliber handgun, with ammunition. O’Tool admitted to his involvement in the distribution of methamphetamine in and around the Carroll, Iowa area, which he acquired from a source in Omaha, Nebraska. On July 11, 2019, law enforcement agents met with O’Tool and seized two 9mm pistols from O’Tool’s truck. O’Tool again admitted distributing meth in the Carroll, Iowa area.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. O’Tool was sentenced to 136 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 4-year term of supervised release following any imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. O’Tool remains in custody pending transport to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Denison Police Department, Carroll Police Department, and Iowa DCI.

(Anita, Iowa) – Some members of the current CAM Education Department’s Board of Directors will hold their last meeting together Monday night at the High School, at the Superintendent’s Office, in Anita. At 6:30-p.m., the retiring Board will conduct regular business that includes going over Administrative reports, accepting the election Abstract and Treasurer’s report. They will then adjourn. Afterward, the annual CAM School Board Organizational Meeting will take place.

That includes the Oath of Office to new Board Members Cara Murphy and Todd McKee, who has previously served with the Board. Other administrative duties, Monday, include:

• Election of Board President & Vice President (& Oath of Office)
• Appointment of Board Secretary/Treasurer (& Oath of Office)
• Establishing Board meeting date, time & location
• Acting on a Resolution naming depositories/deposit limits & authorized signatures, and,
• Designating Legal Counsel.

In other business, the Board will act on any resignations and contracts to come before them, and then discuss and/or act on the following:

• SBRC requests for Modified Supplemental Amount ($23,963) – for Open Enrollment Out, and $67, 073 – for At Risk/DropOut Prevention.
• Approval of a bus lease.
• Approval of a locker room repair bid.
• Approval of an amendment to the MSW (Master Social Worker) Service Agreement with GHAEA (Green Hills Area Education Agency)

Their final order of business before the monthly Board reports, is discussion with regard to district facilities, and the Bond Referendum results from Nov. 2nd. You may recall, the $30-million bond referendum was defeated by a vote of 825 No to 389 Yes. The measure would’ve funded the construction, furnish, remodel repair, improve, provide and equip the existing South Elementary/Middle School building and Senior High building. The proposal would’ve also enhanced the sites, transitioned to a single elementary site in Massena, a single Junior/Senior High site in Anita, and enhanced athletic complexes and areas.

Superintendent Paul Croghan said after the Nov. 2nd election, that the new Board will have to think about how to move forward in the District, but the issue with the facilities is still there.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council will meet in a regular session 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, at City Hall. The meeting will be the last for current Mayor Dave Jones and Councilman Dick Casady. Jones did not run for re-election in advance of the Nov. 2nd race, and Casady lost his 5th Ward seat to former Councilman Dana Halder, on Nov. 2nd. At Large Councilmember Grace Garrett, who won the Nov. 30th run-off election against Tim Teig, will be sworn-in as Mayor toward the end of Wednesday’s session, and be presented with the gavel by Mayor Jones.

Grace Garrett (2021 file photo)

Before Halder and Garrett are administered with their respective Oath’s of Office, the Atlantic City Council has some other business to attend to, including a Public Hearing with regard to a CDBG-CV application to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), for a $100,000 grant to help the Atlantic Food Pantry buy food in 2022 and the first part of 2023 (CV stands for Covid-related relief). The City would serve as the application for the grant.

As part of the application process, a matching grant of $23,000 is required. Those funds have already been obtained through the recent “Scrooge” contest in Atlantic. Several points will be covered during the public hearing and addressed through citizen participation. Afterward, the Council will act on an Order to approve the Atlantic Food Pantry’s application for the CDBG-CV program.

In other business, the Council will act on an Order approving a Change Order for the Atlantic Downtown Revitalization Project, with regard to replacing broken glass at 511 Chestnut Street, and providing for additional repairs at 413 Chestnut. The cost of the change order ($1,838.05 total) will not be shouldered by the City alone. For every additional dollar of cost the property owner commits to the project, the City matches that with a dollar, and the federal government matches with two dollars.

Another part of the Council’s  meeting Wednesday evening, is an Order filling the vacant At-Large Council seat, by appointment. With Grace Garrett assuming the role as Mayor, her seat is left open. The Council has the option to fill the seat by appointment, but must first publish a notice of intent to do so not less than four and not more than 20 days before the date they consider the appointment. The appointment to fill the vacancy must be made within 60-days of the date of the vacancy. If the Council chooses to appoint, the public can petition for a special election to fill the vacancy. The petition must be filed within 14 days after the appointment is made or notice is published, whichever is later. It must also contain the required number of signatures, but no less than 10.

A person appointed by the Council will serve until the next city election. If a Special Election is called for, it will cost the City anywhere from $4,000 to $5,000. In other business, the Council will act on Orders to appoint to the Atlantic Airport Commission, Bill Garrett and Brad Henningsen. Garrett will replace Dr. Carrol Trewet, with the appointment lasting until Nov. 1, 2022. Henningsen will replace Mike Henningsen until Nov. 1, 2024.

Both Dr. Trewet and Mike Henningsen have tendered their resignations from the Commission.

(Omaha, NE./KETV – Police in Omaha have made an arrest in connection with the vandalism that took place recently at the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge crossing the Missouri River from Council Bluffs to Omaha. According to KETV, officers booked 42-year-old David Orlawski on a felony criminal mischief charge, Friday evening. They say he has an outstanding felony warrant out of Council Bluffs for a similar charge.

OPD released surveillance camera footage of the vandalism earlier this week. Police say during the early morning hours of Dec. 6, the suspect caused “significant” damage to the bridge’s lighting system. The damage is estimated at $90,000.

David Orlawski

Omaha Parks and Recreation says the destruction knocked out the LED system “for the foreseeable future,” but access to the bridge will continue.

(Lenox, Iowa) — The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports a man was arrested Thursday after he failed to appear in court on a felony drug charge.Authorities say 36-year-old Samuel Chaney, of Lenox, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for failure to appear on an original Class C felony charge of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. The warrant was the result of an ongoing investigation into narcotics distribution in Taylor County.

(Shenandoah, Iowa) – Authorities in Shenandoah report a woman from Aurora, Illinois faces numerous charges after leading authorities on a high-speed chase Friday that ended in Essex. The driver of the vehicle, 53-year-old Christine Farese Agostinelli is charged with fifth-degree theft, reckless driving, first-degree robbery, identity theft, forgery, second-degree theft, assault on a peace officer, second-degree criminal mischief, interference with official acts, assault while participating in a felony and felony eluding. She was also cited for multiple traffic violations.

Her arrest followed an incident that began with Shenandoah Police officers responding to Great Western Bank at around noon, Friday, for a report of a woman attempting to cash fraudulent checks. The woman – who was later identified as Agostinelli – fled in her vehicle, striking a Shenandoah Police vehicle in the process.

Her vehicle went east on West Thomas Avenue and north on Center Street before continuing onto Highway 48, reaching speeds of 120 miles per hour. Page County Sheriff’s Deputies deployed spike strips in Essex, disabling a tire. A short time later, the vehicle was disable by a Shenandoah Police vehicle in the 1300 block of Highway 48.

Agostinelli was being held in the Page County Jail on $65,600 bond. Deputies from the Page and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Offices assisted in her arrest.

WASHINGTON – Iowa Third District Democrat Representative Cindy Axne (IA-03) today (Friday) introduced new legislation that would provide Iowa with $15,000,000 to recruit and retain new teachers and invest in professional development for educators, as well as increase resources available to aspiring educators. The EDUCATORS for America Act, which was introduced in both the House and Senate this week, would provide funds to Iowa to help recruit additional educators at school districts statewide. The bill would also expand existing grant programs that help train teachers, administrative staff, and applicants interested in entering the teaching profession.

More than a million teachers are expected to retire or leave the education field over the next five years, a recent trend that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa’s education workforce has shrunk more than 5% since the beginning of the pandemic, according to state data. Staffing shortages have also prevented existing staff from taking advantage of professional development opportunities that would provide educators with more avenues to remain in their field.

Cindy Axne

According to the Iowa State Education Association, there is a staffing shortage in almost every school building across Iowa.

Background of The EDUCATORS for America Act:

• Provides $500 million a year for five years for grants to support states in developing and implementing a statewide strategy for meeting their educator workforce needs.Iowa is projected by the Congressional Research Service to receive $3 million a year for five years through this bill.
• Provides an additional $500 million a year for five years to support educator preparation programs and partnerships, including an expansion of the Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Program.
• Doubles the maximum award from a Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant to $8,000, and ensures grants cannot count against other financial aid. These steps ensure Americans interested in a teaching career can get support to complete necessary certification programs.
• Changes the loan forgiveness offered to educators in high-need fields (e.g. STEM) from cumulative after ten years of service to repayment on a rolling basis as educators work in that field.

A one-page summary of the bill is available HERE. Identical legislation was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).