(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Union County was arrested Nov. 2nd, in Greenfield. 39-year-old James Alan Davis, of Creston, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order by electronic communication -Contempt of Court, on an original charge of Domestic Abuse Assault. Davis was being held without bond in the Adair County Jail.

On Nov. 4th, 40-year-old Derik Wayne Bud Pickrell, of Fontanelle, was arrested in Greenfield for Driving While Barred, with nine withdrawals in effect. And, on Nov. 8th, 23-year-old Emily Rae Marie Dohrn, of Creston, was arrested following a traffic stop, for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Pickrell and Dohrn were released from custody with citations. Pickrell was additionally issued a warning for vehicle equipment violations.

(Glenwood, IA) – The Glenwood Police Department reports the arrest early today (Monday), of a woman on drug charges. 48-year-old Nichole Inez Jackson, of Glenwood, was arrested in Glenwood for Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense, Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia, and for Contraband/weapon in a correctional facility. Jackson was taken into custody at around 12:20-a.m. and held in the Mills County Jail, where her bond was set at $10,000.

(Radio Iowa) – State Senator Zach Wahls, of Coralville — a Democratic candidate for the U-S Senate — is calling on Chuck Schumer to resign as Senate’s minority leader. Wahls says Schumer has failed to assure an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits established in 2022 for tens of thousands of Iowans. “What we saw last night was unacceptable,” Wahls said. “…Senator Chuck Schumer was unable to lead this party at the exact moment when it was time to fight and I think it is clear as day that it is time for him to step down and make way for a new generation of leaders.” Wahls did not suggest who he’d support as Schumer’s replacement. Schumer, who is 74, voted no last (Sunday) night on the compromise plan to end the federal government shutdown.

“I think it’s pretty clear that this deal would not have happened without his blessing privately,” Wahls said, “and so his decision to vote no on the bill I think reflects his own personal political situation and frankly I think it’s a good illustration of why so many people have lost trust in the leadership of the national Democratic Party.” Nathan Sage of Indianola and Josh Turek, of Council Bluffs — Democrats who’re also running for the U-S Senate — have both said the health care subsidies are worth fighting for, but have not called for Schumer to resign from his leadership position.

State Senator Zach Wahls (D-Coralville) is running for the U.S. Senate. (Wahls campaign photo)

Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, who’s also running for the U-S Senate, says after 41 days of chaos, she’s glad several Senate Democrats finally worked with Republican Senators to begin the process of reopening the government. Republican Congressman Zach Nunn says while he’s grateful to the eight Senate Democrats who’re helping to reopen the government, it shouldn’t have taken over a month to get here.

Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks says eight Democrats finally told Schumer enough is enough, no more using the American people as leverage in the shutdown standoff. Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra has not yet commented on last (Sunday) night’s vote in the Senate. Feenstra, who’s running for governor, is hosting an event tonight (Monday) in Sioux Center to kick off his statewide campaign tour.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa G-O-P and a Republican who leads the Iowa Senate’s tax-writing committee say a property tax idea from Democrat Rob Sand, who’s running for governor, is unconstitutional. Sand says Iowa should be for Iowans and he’s suggested property tax rates for out of state people and businesses that own Iowa property should be higher than what Iowans and Iowa businesses pay. Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann says the idea has been examined before and thrown out every time because the U-S Constitution says states cannot discriminate against citizens of other states in commerce, property, or taxation.

He also cites a 1966 Iowa Supreme Court ruling residency cannot justify unequal tax treatment and accuses Sand of being either ignorant or dishonest. In a response to Radio Iowa, Sand’s campaign manager Emma O’Brien says did not directly address the charge that Sand’s idea is unconstitutional.

She said out of state interests are buying up Iowa farmland and housing while the proceeds flow out of state, and Sand believes it’s time to find ways to keep Iowa resources and the benefits that come from the work Iowans do in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)- Iowans who are bundled up in their winter coats, hats and gloves today (Monday) may be back in shorts and t-shirts to wrap up their yard work by the weekend. Meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff, at the National Weather Service, says we’re in for a big warmup soon, but it follows a weekend during which most Iowans saw at least some snowfall, with accumulation in several areas. “We had places that saw between two and five inches of snow over the weekend,” Hagenhoff says. “Really far northwest Iowa saw the most. Between Estherville to Okoboji saw between that four to five inch amounts, and then we had places that saw two to four surrounding that.” After a weekend of below-freezing temperatures, much of the state will only have highs in the 30s today, but Hagenhoff says that’ll quickly change.

“We’ve got one more chilly day here today, and then we definitely see a big swing starting tomorrow, mid 50s across the area,” Hagenhoff says. “By the time we get to Friday, we’re looking at mid to upper 60s, especially across central to southern Iowa.” While it likely won’t be warm enough this weekend to need the air conditioner, she says it’ll be a good bet you can turn off the furnace, at least temporarily. “Normal highs for this time of year are right around 50 to 52°, in that range for this week, so we’re going to go from about 15° below normal to 15 to 20° above normal for this time of year,” Hagenhoff says, “so a big swing here coming up after what was a really cool weekend and our first shot of winter.”

Weekend snowfall graphic from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet via the National Weather Service)

We’re still more than a month from the start of winter, which officially arrives December 21st.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors are set to act Wednesday, on approving a contribution of $500 to ISAC (The Iowa State Association of Counties), for an Amicus Brief presentation to the U-S Supreme Court. The presentation is with regard to a case over local control of carbon pipeline projects.

In October, Shelby and Story County officials filed a petition in their case against Summit Carbon Solutions, seeking to appeal the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling in June that upheld a lower court’s ruling barring counties from implementing ordinances regulating carbon sequestration projects–such as the proposed Midwest Express CO2 pipeline.

Several Iowa counties have already approved a $500 contribution for the Amicus Brief presentation to the high court. In other business, the Cass County Supervisors will acknowledge the receipt of recommendations from the Cass County Zoning Commission, with regard to:

An application for a zoning change by Robert and Karen Davis, from Suburban Rural- to Agricultural, and an application for a zoning change from Kelly Wise, from Agricultural- to Business. Following acknowledgement of the applications, the Board will set the dates for Public Hearings on both, as December 2nd, and 9:05- and 9:10-a.m., respectively.

Cass County Courthouse

The Board will consider and possibly approve a lease request for 601 Walnut, Suite 1, from the Department of Corrections/4th Judicial District. They will also consider and act on approving promotions and pay raises for County Treasurer’s Clerks Stacie Linfor and Amanda Darrow.

A quarterly report is expected from Cass County Veterans Affairs Executive Director Mitch Holmes, and a regular report from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken. The Board’s final order of business is passage of a resolution certifying the results of the Nov. 4th City/School elections in Cass County.

The Supervisors’ meeting begins at 9-a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12th, inside their Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse in Atlantic.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Deputies Kyle Quist and Sawyer Ocheltree with K9 “Chase” will be at the American Legion Memorial Building (the Armory) this Sunday, November 16 beginning at 2-p.m.  Together, the trio will present a program about the selection and training necessary to develop a dog into a useful part of a K9 Unit.

Proper training is essential for police dogs to perform their duties effective. Untrained or poorly trained dogs can become liabilities, endangering themselves, their handlers and the public. Training ensures these dogs can handle high-stress situations, follow commands precisely, and execute their task efficiently. It also builds a strong bond between the handler and the dog.

Pictured: K9 “Chase” and Deputy Ocheltree (Cass Co. S/O photo)

Earlier this fall, the Deputies, including “Chase,” were at Produce in the Park offering an opportunity to get acquainted. This Sunday you can get more information and your questions answered. The program is sponsored by ARISE and held at the American Legion Memorial Building (the Armory) at 201 Poplar, Atlantic. There is no fee and everyone is welcome.

(Radio Iowa) – A Department of Natural Resources expert says they’re getting more data on a study of the decline of gray fox numbers. Furbearer biologist Vince Evelsizer says they’ve been putting collars on the elusive animals when they are found in live traps. “We’re up to three collared gray foxes since the start of this project two years ago. So, it’s a low and slow burn with this project, we knew it would be,” he says. “That’s why it started off as a pilot project.” He says it is encouraging that trappers and others have stepped up to help them collect data. “We’re getting more and more folks engaged with giving us reports of sightings. And so we’re going to continue trying to collar more gray foxes here this fall and winter,” he says.

Evelsizer says the tracking data and sightings are helping them track habitat and habits so they can get a picture of what is happening to the animals. “We have some pretty strong hypotheses or ideas about what may be leading to their decline, but we need to know what those are better. We need to , you know, have a better understanding of that,” Evelsizer says. He says they’ve enjoyed working with the animals. “The gray fox has been a really interesting animal to work with. They’re fairly small — adults weigh ten to12 pounds — so they generally are very easy to work with compared to some other species of wildlife,” he says.

Evelsizer says the public, trappers and partner groups such as the Iowa Wildlife Federation have also become really interested in finding out what is happening with the animals.

(Radio Iowa) – The annual Gold Star ceremony is scheduled for this (Monday) afternoon to honor the memory of Iowa State University students who died while serving in the U-S military. I-S-U spokeswoman Megan Moore says four veterans will be spotlighted at the solemn service on this day before Veterans Day. “We have two World War 2 veterans, Navy Lieutenant Thomas Smith of Boone, and Army Lieutenant Eugene Armstrong of Jefferson,” Moore says. “And then we’ll be honoring two Vietnam veterans, Army Captain Myron Poock of Sumner, and Marine Corps Captain David Myers of Albion, Nebraska.” Moore says the program will include stories about each veteran’s courage, service and sacrifices.

“We’re very, very privileged and honored to have family members of theirs in attendance this year,” Moore says, “and it’ll be a great event as we hear their narratives and honor their legacy.” Organizers say Gold Star Hall connects current students with former students as a living memorial. A team from I-S-U does extensive research on each of the veterans being featured, including their academic pursuits and other accomplishments.

ISU Goldstar Hall (Photo credit Iowa State Univ.)

“Two of them this year were very, very heavily involved in sports,” Moore says. “Eugene Armstrong was very much into swimming, he was a decorated swimmer, and then Thomas Smith, who was actually highlighted in the Iowa Stater magazine by the alumni association. He was a very, very good football player.”

The ceremony at the I-S-U Memorial Union is scheduled to begin at 4:15 P-M, with a reception and refreshments afterwards.