(Atlantic, Iowa) – Republican Iowa Senator Charles Grassley will be in Atlantic this coming Wednesday, Feb. 23rd. Grassley will tour Henningsen Construction and answer employee questions. The event is open to the employees and members of the media, but is not open to the public.

Grassley is also set to hold a Town Hall-style meeting in Audubon, Wednesday.  The events takes place as part of the Audubon County Economic Development Corporation’s meeting.

(Radio Iowa) – Freezing rain, snow and sleet are making for a challenging day for Iowa drivers — and walkers. Forecasters say it’ll only get colder, with highs tomorrow (Wednesday) in single digits and teens, and more snow likely on Thursday. Meteorologist Alex Krull, at the National Weather Service, says this morning’s wintry mix should end by midday for west-central and southwestern Iowa. “Areas in east-central Iowa and northeastern Iowa will a little bit longer before conditions start to improve,” Krull says. “That won’t likely be until later in the afternoon as we have some more freezing drizzle that’s going to start moving off towards the east. In terms of far northern Iowa, we’re expecting snowfall accumulations of anywhere between two to three inches.”

While parts of Iowa saw unseasonably warm temperatures Monday with highs near 60 degrees, Krull says the state will only be seeing highs in the single digits and teens tomorrow. “For the next couple of days, temperatures will be very cold, especially in northwestern Iowa,” Krull says. “We do anticipate the need to have wind chill headlines at least a wind chill advisory for northern and northwestern portions of Iowa, likely for Wednesday morning and perhaps again on Thursday morning, and there is the potential for more snow to occur across most of Iowa on Thursday.”

For Iowans who are looking forward to the spring thaw, any snow that does fall this week should melt soon. “Next week, we’re looking for a weather pattern change across most of the Midwest that should help to bring in warmer temperatures across most of the region,” he says.

Highs back in the 40s and 50s are in the long-range forecast, starting around next Tuesday.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports two separate arrests took place Sunday. Authorities say 32-year-old Jamie Ward, of Glenwood, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. And, 41-year-old Billy Jo Monson, of Glenwood, was arrested for driving while revoked. Bond for both men was set at $1,000 cash or surety, each.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, accepted “With regret,” the resignation of long-time County Auditor Dale Sunderman, effective April 15, 2022. The Board then acted on approving the method of finding a successor. They determined it would be best to appoint a person rather than go through the cost and tight timeline for a special election. A posting (Advertisement) for the open position will go out today (Tuesday) in the local papers for publishing in the earliest edition, the County’s website and professional websites within Iowa (such as ISAC).

Application will be accepted until 4:30-p.m. March 7^th. Interviews will be tentatively be conducted between April 9^th and 14^th. It’s anticipated a selection will then be made by April 18th. Allowing for time to whomever the Board selects to give a two-weeks notice to their employer, Board Chair Steve Baier said it’s hoped to have someone on-board by April 1^st, training with Sunderman until his last day in office.

In his report to the Board, Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken said his crews were out early trying to keep the roads safe after the freezing drizzle/mist fell. A snow squall that came across not long afterward didn’t help their efforts, but things began to get a little better by mid-morning, Tuesday.

As far as other Secondary Roads activities are concerned…

He said prices on concrete box culverts keep going up. They were up 43% last year alone.

Prices for pipe are also up this year. Wolken said they’ve finished-up their five-year program, and will have a report ready in March. In the mean time, crews continue clearing brush and ditches, as necessary. In other business, the Board tabled action on appointing a Brighton and Massena Township Trustee, for lack of candidates. (Read the official “Notice of Intent to fill the vacancy in the Office of Cass County Auditor by Appointment,” below…)

“Pursuant to Iowa Code, the Cass County Board of Supervisors intends to make an appointment to fill the vacancy in the office of Cass County Auditor at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, April 18, 2022, in the Board of Supervisors meeting room at the Cass County Courthouse in Atlantic, Iowa. The person appointed will conduct the duties of that position until the seat appears on the General Election ballot in November 2022 or earlier if a Special Election is ordered. Persons interested in the appointment must submit a letter of interest and a resume no later than March 8, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. Requirements must be sent to the Cass County Auditor’s Office, 5 W 7^th Street, Atlantic, Iowa, 50022. They can be mailed, hand-delivered or put in the drop box located at the Courthouse.

Notice is further given that the electors of Cass County have the right to file a petition in accordance with Code of Iowa 69.14A requesting a Special Election. Said petition shall be filed with the County Auditor within 14 days after the vacancy is filled by appointment. The petition shall meet the requirements of Code of Iowa 331.306, which, in part, states the petition must be signed by a number equal or greater than at least 10 percent of the votes cast in the County for the office of President at the proceeding General Election which equals to 734 signatures.”

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak Police say a former Red Oak Schools para-educator was arrested Monday evening, for Felony 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse. 33-year-old Angela Marie Kruze, of Red Oak, was taken into custody following an investigation into a report received February 15th, from the Department of Human Services. The DHS alleges Kruze had sexual relations with a juvenile.

Angela Marie Kruze

She was later released from the Montgomery County Jail after posting $10,000 bond.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report two arrests over the past few days. On Friday (Feb. 18). 41-year-old Justin Alan Robertson, of Greenfield, was arrested at a residence in the 200 block of N. Birch Street, in Creston. He was charged with Violation of a no contact order. Robertson was taken to the Union Co Jail and later released on his own recognize after seeing the Magistrate.

And, late Sunday night, 70-year-old Timothy Lynn Siefkas, of Creston, was arrested at a residence in the 200 block of S. Lincoln Street, in Creston. Siefkas was charged with OWI 1st and Interference with Official Acts. He was transported to the Union Co Jail and held on $1,300 cash or surety bond.

(Radio Iowa) -The Iowa Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case involving the closing of a business after the COVID emergency proclamation. The insurance company for the Wakonda Club in Des Moines refused to pay for loss of income under its business interruption policy. Wakonda attorney, James Carney, says the lower court was wrong to say the loss required a physical alteration to its property. Chief Justice Susan Christensen asked this question. “Tell me, what caused Wakonda’s situation,” Christensen said. Carney responded, “A proclamation was entered. Without the proclamation, of course, Wakonda would not have been closed.” The policy also has an exclusion for viruses causing a closing — but Carney says COVID was not the cause.

“The question becomes, is that the cause tied to the virus. No. Because the virus didn’t have anything to do with it,” Carney says. He says Wakonda could have stayed open even with the virus — but had to close because of the proclamation. The Attorney for the Selective Insurance Company, Doug Haag says there was no damage to the building to cause the shutdown. He says the policy specifies that damages can be paid if there is damage. “The policy defines that period of time as the period of restoration. So it’s during that period of restoration that the business income benefits are paid,” Haag says. He says Wakonda didn’t have damages to repair.

“There has to be some tangible change or alteration or injury of some sort… Something tangible,” he says. The Supreme Court heard the arguments in a special session Monday evening. They will rule on the case at a later date.

(Radio Iowa) – Studies find nearly 75-percent of crashes in Iowa happen in less than two inches of snow, and researchers at the University of Iowa are looking into the ideal commute times. Professor Jon Davis, in the U-I Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, says the timing of your drive can make a world of difference.  “The commute is something that we often don’t think about as part of the actual work day in regards to health and safety,” Davis says, “but it really is, for a lot of people, the most dangerous thing they do all day.” More people on the roads means more opportunities for a collision, and when the roads are slick from rain or snow, the risks of a fender-bender rise exponentially — especially during the busy morning commutes.

“In our work, we actually looked at the different commute times and where we saw winter weather really playing a role in crashes began around 6:30 and didn’t start to taper off until 9,” Davis says. “So, if you can wait longer or avoid it all together, you are going to improve the safeness of your drive.” During the height of the pandemic lockdown, 40-percent of Iowans were working remotely, and that number is still 25-to-30-percent. When the weather’s foul, Davis suggests if you can work from home, do, or at least go in later. “If you delay your commute into work, you’re really increasing your safe drive,” Davis says. “It’s a lot less hazardous. Even waiting 30 minutes or an hour to go into work — and for those who can work remotely, you can completely remove that risk. It only takes a small amount of snow to make that drive more hazardous.”

The U-I research found workplaces that adopt policies for flexible work start times or for telecommuting will empower workers to avoid hazardous driving conditions. “We put time and resources into making work-from-home easy. People have set up home offices, learned how to use different software to do virtual meetings, so let’s make use of that infrastructure,” Davis says. “For those people who have that option, it’s great if they can exercise that option when weather is bad.”

If you have to be at work in person and the weather’s foul, remember to dress for the conditions, bring along blankets, snacks, water, have a fully-charged cell phone and a full tank of gas.

343 AM CST Tue Feb 22 2022

.A long duration of mainly light wintry precipitation will continue to impact Iowa this morning. The wintry mix is expected
to transition to snow north by this (Tuesday) morning in northern areas and freezing drizzle may continue through portions of central and southern Iowa. The morning commute may be affected for many locations due to either snow covered or icy roads, especially if left untreated.

Sac-Crawford-Carroll-Audubon-Cass-Adams and Taylor Counties: A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM today for mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of less than one inch and a light glaze up to a few hundredths of an inch of ice.

Guthrie-Dallas-Adair-Madison-Union-Ringgold Counties: WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON today.

Monona-Harrison-Shelby-Pottawattamie-Mills Counties:

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON TODAY…
…WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON CST WEDNESDAY…

* WHAT…For the Winter Weather Advisory, mixed precipitation. Additional snow accumulations of up to one inch and ice
accumulations of a light glaze. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph. For the Wind Chill Advisory, very cold wind chills
expected. Wind chills as low as 30 below zero.

* IMPACTS…Plan on slippery walkways and road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Slow down and use caution while traveling. For the latest travel conditions, check the Iowa 5 1 1 app or dial 5 1 1.