(Atlantic, IA) – A regular monthly meeting of the Atlantic School Board will take place Wednesday (March 11) beginning at 6-p.m., in the High School Media Center. View the entire agendabelow:

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Welcome Visitors:
5. Special Presentation: Cass County Hospital
6. Reports
a. Student Activities/Athletics Report
b. Student Services Report and presentation
c. Curriculum Report
d. Building Principals’ Reports: PK-3rd, 4-5th, 6-8th, 9-12th
e. Superintendent Report
f. Board Updates
g. Financial Report
7. Consent Items* Note: Any item may be removed from the consent agenda by a board member and considered separately.
a. Meeting Minutes from February 11 and 25, 2026
b. Monthly bills and prepaid bills Late Bills-added 3/9/2026
c. Open Enrollment Applications
i. The deadline to submit open enrollment applications for the 2026–2027 school year was March 1, 2026. Applications received by the District have been processed by Janet Nicklaus and reviewed by Superintendent Beth Johnsen. The Board will consider and take action on these applications at the March 11 meeting.
d. Special Education Contracts, not applicable
e. Resignations/Retirements
i. Megan Andersen, High School Para, effective end of school year
f. Recommendation to Hire
i. Roger Warne, Assistant Track Coach
ii. Mark Andersen, Boys Assistant Soccer Coach
iii. Bryce Casey, JV Baseball Coach
iv. Transfer of Faye Dreyer to Title 1 Math position for 26-27 school year
g. Gifts, Grants and Donations from February
h. Upcoming Fundraising Request(s), not applicable this month
8. Discussion
a. District Career Academic Plan discussion with Heather McKay
b. Technology Bids for FY27 presented by Roger Warne
9. Action Items
a. Out-of-State Travel Requests
b. FY27 Cooperative Purchasing Nutrition Agreement
c. FY27 Technology Bids approval Bid 1 Bid 2 Recommendation 1 Recommendation 2
d. FY27 Green Hills MOU
e. IASB Policy Update: Civil Rights Complaints Special Release, First reading
f. Budget Guarantee Resolution
g. Set Public Hearing Date for FY27 Budget hearing #2
10. Upcoming Dates
a. Board Meeting including public hearing for 26-27 School Master Calendar and Budget hearing #1, March 25, 2026, 6:00 p.m. High School Media Center
11. Adjournment

**The meeting may be viewed via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/live/fUoO3pgyuhk

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’ll try, try again to make the case in a Senate Ag Committee hearing this (Tuesday) afternoon for the year-round sale of the blend of gasoline that contains 15-percent ethanol. Grassley says, “We’re trying to get E-15 by law, not by presidential waiver that we’ve had for the last seven years, E-15 nationwide year-round.” The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says E-15 is frequently sold under the name Unleaded 88, and it contains five-percent more ethanol than E-10, which is the most common fuel used in the U-S. While ethanol is made from corn, biodiesel comes from soybeans, which Grassley reminds are two of Iowa’s top commodities.

“The Office of Management and Budget is reviewing EPA rulemaking on renewable volume obligations, or what we call RVOs,” Grassley says, “and we’re hoping to get a five-and-six-tenths billion gallon mandate to get rid of biodiesel compared to four years of only three-billion in the Biden administration.” Grassley says cementing the sale of E-15 year-round would be a tremendous win for Iowa producers. “If we can get by law E-15 nationwide year-round,” he says, “Corn Growers Association economic advisors tell them it’s going to increase farm income by $14 billion.”

The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry plans to meet at 2 P-M/Central on the topic of “Increasing Domestic Consumption of U.S.-Grown Agricultural Products.”

(Red Oak, IA) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, during their regular weekly meeting today (March 10th), held a public hearing on proposed FY Montgomery County Budget Amendment #3, during which there were no comments received. The Board proceeded to pass a Resolution approved the amendments as presented. Supervisor Mark Peterson…

Afterward, the Board approved a contract with Midwest Alarm Service, for fire alarm monitoring of the Courthouse in Red Oak, and the costs associated with the service, which include an initial payment of $700 and an annual payment of $900 for an initial 36-month contract. Montgomery County Auditor Jill Ozuna…

MC BOS 3-10-26

The Montgomery County Supervisors passed a Resolution regarding the non-renewal of software and managed IT services for FY2027, with a Recorder’s Office exception. The Board, Tuesday (today), also heard a request from County Veteran’s Affair Director Ed Young, with regard to the Iowa Legislature, and funding to counties for Veterans Affairs.

The proposal means legislators would redistribute the funds by population, which in Montgomery County’s case would mean a loss of $7,451, or about three-quarters of what they currently receive.

Young says the cut-back in funds would mean less money for Veterans Outreach, and other local services. He said the legislature has tabled action for now, but he says they should get rid of the idea altogether, and not kick it around or take action that would affected Veterans’ services on the State and local level.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County (IA) Auditor’s Office, today (Tuesday), reported three candidates have officially filed their nomination papers with the proper number of signatures, in advance of the March 31st Special Election to fill a Vacancy position on the Atlantic School Board. Those candidates include: Jordan Zarbano; Chase B. Roller, and Dianna Blake. The deadline to file for the March 31st Special Election, a petition for which filed in February, to fill the seat left vacant by Laura McLean, who moved out of the area.The deadline to file nomination papers was March 6th.

The Cass County Auditor’s Office reports also, four Republicans have filed to run in the June 2nd, 2026 Primary Election. The latest is County Treasurer, Tracey J. Marshall. As we’ve previously mentioned, other candidates (all incumbents) who have filed papers for re-election, include: District 2 Supervisor Mark T. O’Brien; Cass County Attorney Vanessa Strazdas; and County Recorder, Mary Ward.

(Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Partisan County Office candidates have until March 20, 2026 (5:00 p.m.) to file their nomination papers with the County Auditor’s office. Candidates must file an affidavit of candidacy and nomination petition with the required number of signatures during the appropriate filing period. Forms are available at the Cass County Auditor’s office, 5 W 7th Street, Atlantic, IA.

For additional information regarding election for county offices, contact the Cass County Auditor’s Office at 712-243-4570

(Atlantic, IA) – There’s been yet another delay in a trial for the former Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director. According to online court records, the trial for Bailey Linn Smith will now take place April 28th in Cass County District Court. Her trial was previously set to have taken place March 24th. Smith, who faces multiple felony charges, has had her trial continued (delayed) three times since she was charged with a Class-B Felony charge of Ongoing Criminal Conduct – unlawful activity, and Class-C Felony charges that include Theft in the 1st Degree, Fraudulent Practice in the 1st Degree, and Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card over $10,000. Smith entered a written plea of not guilty back in November, and waived her right to a speedy trial.

As we’ve mentioned previously, Smith resigned from the Chamber on September 15th. She turned herself in to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office on October 8th and was released on bond. According to a criminal complaint, between January 2020 and August 2025, Smith allegedly made 761 personal transactions with Chamber funds totaling $26,913.22, of which $6,632.38 was admitted by Smith. She was charged with Theft in the First Degree for allegedly misappropriating over $10,000. Smith also allegedly orchestrated a scheme from November 2022 to August 2025, making 47 fraudulent transfers between Chamber bank accounts to cover up her theft. The loss amounted to $76,215, and resulted in the charges of Fraudulent Practice in the First Degree and Ongoing Criminal Conduct.

Additionally, Smith allegedly used Chamber-issued credit cards for approximately $25,065.71 in personal expenses, with $6,632.38 acknowledged by her in a letter to the Chamber Board. She was charged with Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card over $10,000.

(Radio Iowa) – A company based in central Iowa has found a way to recycle the giant blades from wind turbines, using their ground up parts when making concrete traffic barriers that are popular around construction sites. Nick Wylie, founder of Renewablade, headquartered in the Des Moines suburb of Bondurant, says they have a growing list of clients who want the ten-foot-long barriers, which weigh about 33-hundred pounds each. “We’re significantly cheaper than what a DOT-certified barrier would be with the recycled material we have in ours,” Wylie says. “A normal ‘jersey’ barrier with the DOT would be around $1,200 to $1,500 a piece, and our ten-footers, we actually sell them for $500 a piece.”

Wind turbine blades are made of things like fiberglass, balsa wood, resin, foam, and steel. The average blade is 116 feet long, though some approach 200 feet, and Iowa is one of the nation’s top producers of energy from wind turbines. Wylie says they’re never lacking for raw materials. “There’s pretty much an endless supply,” Wylie says. “We’re getting a fair amount every year and we’ve been recycling them. We’ve taken blades in from Maine and we’ve taken blades in from Washington, so there’s an awful lot.”

Renewablade can go to the site where a turbine is being retired and cut the blades into sections and haul them away, or customers bring in blade sections to recycle, for a tipping fee. The blade parts are shredded and combined into a ready-mix concrete blend, for a product Wylie says is 30-percent lighter than traditional concrete. “From what we know, we’re the only people that really have an end game for them,” Wylie says. “There’s a few other people that are bringing them in and shredding them, but nobody has a finished product that we know of, where we actually can see it all the way to a new product.”

In addition to the barriers, the company also makes landscaping blocks for retaining walls and other large-scale concrete construction products.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division reports it handled more than four-thousand complaints last year, marking the second straight year with an increase. Attorney General Brenna Bird says complaints involving used cars and car repairs topped the list at 783 complaints. “Whether it’s faulty repair work or a car that wasn’t what they thought it would be,” She says. One person called after they said they had the oil changed in their car, but the shop forgot to put the new oil in and the engine was wrecked. Complaints about imposters pretending to be someone they aren’t were second on the list.

“Everything from a fake job offer that you won the lottery, but you have to pay some money to collect the prize,” she says. “And there’s even some that run a long con, is what I’m going to call it, con artists doing a romance scam. So they target someone and then build a relationship with them all online, never in person. And what they do is eventually get that person to give them money.” A-G Bird says be wary of unsolicited messages and avoid sending money electronically to someone you don’t know. Cryptocurrency A-T-M’s have become another way people try to scam you out of your money.

“These are machines that you put cash into and it goes into a crypto wallet, scammers are using that,” Bird says. “Sometimes they’re in a foreign country, so you put that in their crypto wallet and they get your money right away. In fact, it got so bad and we found so many people that had been ripped off in Iowa, we are suing those machines, and the legislature passed a law to make it easier for people to get their money back.”

Bird says if you think you have been a victim of fraud you can call her office at 1-888-777-4590 or you can file a complaint online at IowaAttorneyGeneral.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – The fundraising leaders in Iowa’s race for governor have filed the paperwork to qualify for the June primary ballots. Candidates for governor are required to submit at least 35-hundred signatures from eligible Iowa voters on petitions — and have at least 100 signatures from 19 of Iowa’s 99 counties. Democrat Rob Sand says the 24-thousand signatures his campaign submitted is a record — and one-fifth of them came from independents and Republicans.

“I think this is more emphasis and proof of momentum,” Sand said. “…This was a 99 county operation. In fact, we are very close to 100 signatures in all 99 counties for this, so that we’re showing not just strength in heavily populated areas, but no matter where you live in the state of Iowa, you’ve got neighbors that signed to help us get in on the ballot here.” Republican Randy Feenstra says people from all 99 counties signed his nominating petitions.

“Doubled the amount of signatures that we needed,” Feenstra said. “You need 3500. We submitted over 7500. Just a great day. Trying to take Iowa to new heights. That’s my vision and my whole goal.” Feenstra is likely to face four other Republicans in the June 2nd G-O-P Primary, candidates who’ve criticized Feenstra for failing to appear with them in debates.  “I tell you what, every day we’re on the campaign trail, hitting every Pizza Ranch,” Feenstra said. “We have meet and greets all over the state every day. I think we’ve done 80-85 stops now, but it’s listening to people, listening to Iowans, making sure that I’m earning every single vote.”

Feenstra, who raised over four MILLION dollars for his campaign for governor, is spending more than a million dollars on a statewide ad campaign — targeting Rob Sand, the likely Democratic Party nominee for governor.  “We know that if he becomes governor, he would take this state and make it look like California or Minnesota or Illinois,” Feenstra said. “We can’t have that.”

Sand, who raised over nine-and-a-half MILLION dollars in 2025 for his campaign for governor, says Feenstra has to run a different kind of campaign because he faces a competitive primary. “Whoever it is that comes out on the other side is going to be someone that is going to continue the direction that Kim Reynolds has been putting the state on,” Sand said, “and I think most Iowans are interested in a new direction.”

Candidates have until 5 p.m. this Friday to submit nominating petitions for the primary. So far Brad Sherman, a Republican from Williamsburg, is the only other candidate for governor who has done so.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Senate has voted to name the American Cream draft horse the official horse of Iowa. Senator Annette Sweeney of Iowa Falls says it’s the only breed of draft or work horses that originated in Iowa.

“In Hardin County, Hamilton County and also Webster County this horse was developed,” Sweeney said, “the only draft horse in the United States and Canada.”American Cream draft horses have a cream colored coat and a white mane. It’s one of several breeds of work horses that pulled plows and harvesting equipment for Iowa farmers before horses were replaced by tractors.

The welcome sign to the town of Radcliffe notes it is the “cradle” of the American Cream draft horse. This is the second time Senators have advanced the idea, but it failed to win House approval.