Cass County Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns reports another candidate has filed nomination papers for the June 5th Primary Election. Linda Templeman, of Atlantic, has added her name to the Republican ticket for Cass County Board of Supervisors, District 3. Her challenger is fellow Republican Dana Halder.

County positions to appear on the Cass County ballot for the June 5th Primary include: District 2 County Supervisor; District 3 County Supervisor; County Attorney; County Recorder and County Treasurer.

Persons wishing to file nomination papers have until March 28th to do so.  Nomination papers are available at the office of the county auditor and from the secretary of state.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence’s trip to western Iowa and eastern Nebraska is one in a series of stops to tout a recently approved federal tax cut, as well as attend a fundraiser for Republican Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts. Pence spoke at an America First Policies event in Council Bluffs, the latest in his bid to sell the American public on the tax overhaul signed into law by President Donald Trump in December.

LAKOTA, Iowa (AP) — An autopsy shows a northern Iowa woman whose body was found in a home died of “sharp force injuries.” The Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office also determined 38-year-old Krista Lynn Hesebeck’s death was a homicide. The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office says deputies and medics were sent early Saturday to a Lakota home after a domestic assault. They found Hesebeck’s body at one address and then found an injured man at another address. Chad Dietrick, of Lakota, was charged with first-degree murder.

URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — Court records indicate a former information technology worker for the city of Urbandale will change his plea later this month on charges that he stole from the city library. Chad Nielsen pleaded not guilty in December to nine theft counts stemming from the theft of more than $47,000 worth of computer hardware. The records say Nielsen and his attorney have been working on a plea deal with prosecutors.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — A former paraeducator at a Fort Dodge high school has been accused of having sex with a student. Court records say 22-year-old Denico Johnson is charged with sexual exploitation by a school employee.

A former Atlantic resident who died early Saturday morning in Kossuth County, suffered from “Sharp force injuries.” The determination was the result of an autopsy performed on 38-year old Krista Lynn Hesebeck, of Lakota, whose body was found in a home. Her death was ruled a homicide. 45-year old Chad David Dietrick, of Lakota, faces a charge of 1st Degree Murder in connection with her death.

Deputies discovered Hesebeck’s body after a 911 call was made from a separate residence in Lakota, where Chad Dietrick said he suffered from a laceration to his arm.

Kossuth County authorities were advised to check on another residence where they located Hesebeck who was already deceased.

A collision in Page County Tuesday morning resulted in one person being transported to a hospital. Authorities say the accident happened at around 7:32-a.m on Highway 2 near V Avenue, about one-mile east of Clarinda.

An investigation determined 73-year old Elaine Lucille Whitehead, of rural New Market, was westbound on the highway in a 2003 Ford Ranger pickup.  22-year old Stefanie Kole Johannes, of Villisca, was eastbound at the same location driving a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix.

Whitehead’s pickup began to slide into the eastbound lane.  Johannes attempted to move to the westbound lane to avoid the pickup.  Whitehead corrected her vehicle and contacted the passenger side of Johannes vehicle in the front passenger side fender / door area.  Both vehicles then spun around and came to rest in the slow moving lane of the westbound lanes.

Whitehead was not hurt, but Johannes was transported to the Clarinda Regional Health Center by the Clarinda Ambulance Service, for treatment of unknown injuries. At the time of the accident, Highway 2 was icy. No citations have been issued. Both vehicles are considered a total loss.

The Iowa State Patrol has released the identities of persons involved in a fatal Adair County crash. Authorities say 60-year old Julie Compton, of Bridgewater, who was wearing her seat belt, died from her injuries at the Adair County Hospital, in Greenfield.

Injured in the crash was 34-year old Serena Sims, of Fontanelle, 34-year old Julie Holmes, of Bridgewater, and 32-year old David Nail, of Corning. Sims and Holmes were wearing seat belts, but Nail was not. All of the accident victims were transported to the Adair County Memorial Hospital by EMS. Compton and Holmes were passengers in Sims’ SUV.

The accident happened on Highway 25 south of 160th Street in Adair County, at around 6-a.m. Officials say a 2002 Ford Explorer, driven by Serena Sims, was southbound on the highway, when the SUV went out of control on the snow covered road. The vehicle crossed the center line and struck a 2012 Buick Regal driven by Nail, head-on.

The Explorer came to rest on the east shoulder of the highway, while the Buick spun around and came to rest in the middle of the road. A 2015 Dodge Journey driven by 42-year old Dale Zoubek, of Katy, TX, came over the hill after the initial collision, and was unable to stop due to the road conditions. His vehicle struck the Buick in the rear.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Lenox man on Tuesday after a traffic stop. At 9:56am Deputies pulled over a vehicle operated by Roberto Martinez of Lenox. He was arrested for No Valid Driver’s License and Failure to Yield for an Emergency Vehicle. No further details were released.

Republicans in the Iowa House have voted to remove a requirement that college graduates pass an exam before they may be hired as a teacher. The rule was included in a 2013 education reform plan touted by former Republican Governor Terry Branstad. Republican Representative Tom Moore of Griswold says about 500 people have failed the test and — after spending thousands of dollars on a college degree — they cannot enter the teaching profession.

“It’s a road block for the teacher and the administration that wants to hire them,” Moore says. Moore, who is a retired teacher, says passing a test doesn’t indicate who’ll be an “excellent teacher” who can command a classroom and connect with students.

“We had high standards before 2013,” Moore said. “Iowa has always been a leader nationally and we didn’t have a darned test to decide whether you were qualified to be a good teacher.” Moore has a neighbor who got an education degree and a job offer, but failed the test twice.

“I can give you many examples from superintendents and prospective teachers that I’ve spoke with about this,” Moore said, “and it’s simply a barrier.” Critics say the test shows a prospective teacher is proficient in the subjects they’ll teaching. Representative Mary Mascher, a Democrat from Iowa City, is a retired teacher.

“We do not want to see a dumbing down of the profession,” Mascher said. “We have standards in place and we have expectations from our teacher prep programs and we do that because not everyone should teach.” The test is graded on a curve and 96 percent pass. Representative Art Staed, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, has been a teacher for 40 years.

“It is not too strict a test,” Staed says. “It is a standard that may not be considered too high. As a matter of fact, the standard might be considered too low among many circles.” He says the test ensures teachers are “qualified to face the students” in their classrooms. The bill passed the House on a 55 to 42 vote. It will next be considered by a senate committee.

(Radio Iowa)

Two candidates for office in Audubon County have filed their completed nomination papers with the County Auditor’s Office, in advance of the June 5th Primary election.

Incumbent County Treasurer Debbie Campbell, a Democrat, has filed to run for re-election. And, Sarah Jennings, a Republican who was appointed to serve as County Attorney last December, has filed to run for the County Attorney’s position.

Jennings is currently serving the remainder of Francine Andersen’s elected term, which runs through the end of 2018.

Seven Iowa dentists (Including three from western Iowa) are the latest recipients of up to $100,000 educational loan repayment awards from the Fulfilling Iowa’s Need for Dentists (FIND) project, a collaborative public-private partnership. The unique program engages dentists to establish a dental practice in Iowa communities for a five-year commitment while devoting at least 35 percent of their practice to underserved populations such as Medicaid and elderly. Eighty-nine of Iowa’s 99 counties are designated as high priority areas for the Loan Repayment Program.

The FIND project award recipients will each receive a minimum of $80,000 in loan repayment funds in return for a five-year commitment (unless otherwise noted). The award includes the communities served contributing a minimum of $5,000 towards the award. Communities have the option to contribute an additional $20,000 toward loan repayment.

In the KJAN listening area, 2018 FIND award recipients include:

• Dr. Kathryn Handtke, Schroeder Family Dental, Greenfield and Atlantic, graduated in 2017 from The University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics and obtained her undergraduate degree from Winona State University. A combination of local organizations assisted with Dr. Handtke’s award.
  

  Dr. Kathryn Handtke

• Dr. Alison Shields, Harlan Dental, Harlan, earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2009 from the University of Nebraska Lincoln College of Dentistry. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. A combination of local organizations assisted with Dr. Shield’s award.
• Dr. Ryan Hajek, My Pediatric Dentist, Council Bluffs, is a 2012 graduate of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry. There he received his Certificate of Pediatric Dentistry in 2014 and served as chief resident. McClain & Associates assisted Dr. Hajek’s loan repayment award locally.

Jeff Russell, President and CEO of Delta Dental of Iowa, says “Access to dental care for all Iowans increases with each FIND award. Dentists practicing in rural communities improve their patients’ oral health, and they also improve the overall physical and economic health of the communities in which they serve.”

The FIND project recruits dentists to practice in underserved Iowa counties by helping them with their dental education debt. The Loan Repayment Program is a component of Delta Dental of Iowa’s Public Benefit program that invests in projects that support and improve the oral health of Iowans. For more information, visit www.iowafindproject.com.

FIND project partners include Delta Dental of Iowa, Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation, Iowa Area Development Group, The University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics, Iowa Department of Public Health and the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines, as well as numerous local organizations.

URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — Court records indicate a former information technology worker for the city of Urbandale will change his plea on charges that he stole from the city library. Forty-year-old Chad Nielsen pleaded not guilty in December to one misdemeanor and eight felony counts of theft. Police say he took more than $47,000 worth of computer hardware from the library between March 2016 and his arrest in October last year.

The records say Nielsen and his attorney have been working on a plea deal with prosecutors. His plea hearing is scheduled for March 19. Last month Nielsen asked the court for permission to pay some restitution before his plea hearing or sentencing. He no longer works for the city.