(DeSoto, Iowa) – A crash in Dallas County over the weekend that killed two people has resulted in the death of a third person. The Iowa State Patrol says 25-year-old Kenneth Mueller, of Urbandale died, after the van he was driving struck the rear of a semi. He was wearing a seat belt. The accident happened at around 3:15-p.m., Sunday on Interstate 80 westbound at mile marker 115 (two-miles east of the Van Meter Exit). Authorities say the semi, driven by 22-year-old Lovepreet S. Rattan, of Mississaugua, Ontario, Canada, had slowed and stopped for traffic ahead, that was at a standstill due to an accident just west of DeSoto.

Mueller failed to reduce his speed prior to the collision. He died at the scene. The driver of the semi was not injured. Dallas County Sheriff’s Deputies and the Dallas County Medical Examiner assisted at the scene.

The accident that caused the traffic to back-up in the first place, occurred at around 1:17-p.m. Sunday. The Patrol says a 1980 Chevy Corvette driven by 19-year-old Samuel Wayne Kasap entered westbound Interstate 80 from the DeSoto on-ramp and accelerated to a high rate of speed. The car went out of control and entered the median before rolling over the cable barrier and coming to rest in the eastbound lanes.

Neither Kasap nor his passenger, 24-year-old Maximilian Vincent Kasap, were wearing a seat belt. Both men were ejected. Samuel Kasap died at the scene. Max Kasap was injured and transported by Dallas County Rescue to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines.

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(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest at around 10:45-p.m. Monday, of 27-year-old Patrick Riley Iiams, of Creston. He was taken into custody at Spencer and Sycamore, for Disorderly Conduct and Public Intoxication 1st offense. Iiams was being held at the Union County Jail on $600 bond.

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(Anita, Iowa) – In about two-weeks, the Food Bank of the Heartland’s Mobile Food Pantry will be coming to Anita. Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoege says anyone, including people from the surrounding communities, are welcome to visit the mobile food pantry, with no documentation is needed. The drive-through mobile food pantry will be at 208 Chestnut Street in Anita on October 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., or as long as supplies last.

The mobile pantry is a traveling food pantry delivering food directly to families in need for a one-day distribution. It is free of charge. Visitors are asked to stay in their vehicles with the trunk open, so volunteers may load the food items into your vehicle.

For more information on local food, farmers’ markets, and food access, follow the Cass County Local Food Policy Council’s Facebook page @CassCountyLocalFood or contact Food Bank for the Heartland at 402-315-2555.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic School Board will meet in a regular session beginning 6-p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 13), in the Schuler Elementary School Media Center. On their Consent Agenda, is approval of resignations, including: Melissa Smith (Food Service), and Marsha Von Seggem (Jr. Kindergarten/End of the 2021-22 School Year). The will also act on Contract Recommendations for: Rebecca Garcia, EL Paraeducator; Melissa Smith, HS Paraeducator; Kirstin Sopcich, WA Office Paraeducator, and Paige Carrier, WA Paraeducator; Lisa Andersen – Food Service at Schuler; and Chris Kennedy, Substitute Bus Route Driver.

The Board will discuss during their meeting: the 2020-21 Audit Review and End of Year Financial Report; a Retirement Incentive Program; and Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) Test Scores, along with an Employee Appreciation Day. Action items on their agenda include, but are not limited to:

• The renaming of the Annual Trojans Track & Field Invitational to the Bruce Henderson Track and Field Invitational.
• A Boys Swimming Sharing Agreement with Riverside.
• Approval of an out-of-state trip for seven-to 14 students to Louisville, Kentucky, for the National FFA Convention. The trip would take place from Oct. 26-30.
• Approval of a rental agreement between the school district and Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, with regard to the use of classroom space for the Home School Assistance Program classroom. The church will provide all supplies and maintenance for the program. (rental amount, $1,615 per month)
• The Board will also act on approving the purchase of 15 Interactive Touch Displays for teachers to use in the classroom (total cost: $49,455), and a Digital Trophy Case that would provide current and historical information. The Atlantic School Foundation, Atlantic Booster Club and the Robinson Family have offered to share in funding the display case ($7,800), with the school’s share amounting to $8,875 (total cost for the display case: $16,675).

For those who cannot attend, the meeting will be live-streamed at https://youtu.be/knKnKUEqzh0.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic High School will host a Youth Mental Health Symposium on Monday, October 25th, from 5:00-7:45 PM. All middle school and high school students, parents, and members of communities in Cass County, are invited to attend. The free event will include a meal sponsored by area businesses, door prizes, and free childcare. Motivational speaker Joe Beckman will talk about the importance of human connection at a time when loneliness is at an all-time high, and a series of short presentations will be given on issues affecting students today, including anxiety, healthy relationships, and mental health awareness. Organizations from Cass County and across the state will be at the event providing resources to students,
parents, and community members.

Atlantic High School Counselor Sarah Rose says the event addresses a critical need. “We are seeing a huge need for awareness about mental health in our community at all age levels; students and families are struggling more than ever. We need to reduce the stigma, offer support, and we hope this event will start those conversations,” commented Rose. A large donation was made by the Atlantic Community School Foundation to cover the cost of the speaker. Several sponsors donated to cover the cost of the meal: Full Circle Therapy, ZION Recovery Services/Southwest Iowa Mental Health Center, Therapy Place, and Cass County Health System.

Attendees will be entered into drawings for gift card door prizes donated by the participating organizations and the Family Crisis Support Network. Doors for the event open at 5 PM with a community resource fair and a series of optional 10-minute presentations in the high school gym. At 6:30 PM a light supper will be served in the commons while Beckman shares his message with attendees. Childcare will be provided onsite for the duration of the event.

While there is no cost to attend and pre-registration is not required, those needing childcare are encouraged to RSVP to the High School by calling 712-243-5358. For more information
on this event, including sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, please reach out to Sarah Rose, Alyssa Dovenspike, or Heather McKay at 712-243-5458. To slow the spread of COVID-19, masks are encouraged and will be available at the door.

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Cass County Mental Health Symposium details:
Where: Atlantic High School (1201 E. 14th St., Atlantic, IA 50022)
When: Monday, October 25, 5:00-7:45 PM (Resource fair and ten-minute presentations from
5:00-6:30; meal with keynote speaker 6:30-7:45)
Who: All middle-school and high-school students, parents, guardians, and community
members in Cass County.
Cost: No cost! Free meal, free childcare, and door prizes (such as gift cards and wellness
baskets).
Childcare: Those needing free childcare are asked to RSVP to Sarah Rose at
srose@atlanticschools.org or 712-243-5358.
For information on community wellness events or resources, follow Healthy Cass County on
Facebook @HealthyCassCounty.
Healthy Cass County is a community-focused volunteer network formed to promote the
health and well-being of Cass County residents. Reach out to Cass County Wellness
Coordinator Brigham Hoegh at bhoegh@iastate.edu or call 712-249-5870 for more
information. Healthy Cass County welcomes participants from across Cass County.

(Radio Iowa) – Harvest is progressing quickly in Iowa with mostly fair weather, though yield reports are varied on soybeans. Jeff Frank, who farms in north-central Iowa near Auburn, says he ran a soil moisture deficit of ten inches this season but caught a few timely rains in August that benefited the soybean crop. Frank says his yields are better than expected. “Most of mine have been running right around 70 (bushels per acre), which is really a good yield for our area,” Frank says. “It’s amazing. The beans look great and they’re pretty much weed-free. We threw everything at them. We put fungicide on and we put insecticide on and we treated them with Ilevo, so we threw the book at it.”

Brent Renner also farms in north-central Iowa near Klemme, and says he’s seing huge variability in the early beans he’s combining. “There’s a lot of variability not only in yield but moisture and plant stage. There’s a lot of green stems. It’s just all over the place,” Renner says. “We had some areas that got affected by frost and replants. Two fields that I’ve done so far, one is in the high 40s and the other one is in the mid 60s, so again, very variable.”

Renner says with the limited moisture he had this season, some of higher-end yields are a welcome surprise. Frank and Renner say both soybeans and corn have been drying down fast and some corn has stand-ability issues, which will make harvest scheduling a challenge.

(Red Oak, Iowa) — Police in Red Oak report a man was arrested Monday evening on a felony weapons charges. Authorities say 52-year-old Vernon Brinkley Warf, of Red Oak, was arrested at 101 East Prospect Street, for Possession of a Firearm/Ammunition by a domestic abuse offender – a Class D Felony.

His bond at the Montgomery County Jail was set at $5,000.

Vernon Warf

(Radio Iowa) – Abby Finkenauer of Cedar Rapids, one of the Democrats competing to run against Republican Senator Chuck Grassley next year, says as a member of the U.S. House she voted to raise the government’s borrowing limit during the Trump Administration and Grassley should do the same during the Biden Administration. Last week, Grassley voted against raising the so-called debt ceiling. Finkenauer says that vote is an example of the dysfunction in Washington.

“This is the type of stuff that’s just absolutely ridiculous right now…’Oh my gosh, are Republicans going to do this? Are Democrats going to do this?’ and in the meantime they’re worried about whether they’re going to be able to get their Social Security check or not,” Finkenauer says. Finkenauer says these kind of procedural battles have to stop.

“You’ve got Iowans, you’ve got people across the country watching and they’re going: ‘Wow, this is why Washington, D.C. doesn’t function,'” Finkenauer says. “They want a government that actually works and things like this, obviously, we should be looking at and making sure that we can do the work versus continuing to play politics time and again.” The Senate’s Republican leader has said the G-O-P will not provide the votes to raise the government’s borrowing limit again when the next deadline approaches in December.

Finkenauer says she voted to pay the government’s bills during her term in the U.S. House and will do so again if she’s elected to the U.S. Senate.