Spring is in the air, and plans are under way for gardening projects in Cass County. Local groups planning beautification, community gardening or education programs will again be eligible for assistance from the Cass County Master Gardeners. The group is offering grant money to be used in the 2017 growing season, to encourage gardening to grow food and/or improve local communities. The money may also be used for gardening education purposes. The David Williams Memorial Master Gardener Grants are offered to honor the many years of service Master Gardener David Williams provided as a long-time volunteer, with the Master Gardener program and other community organizations, including a term as Cass County Master Gardener president in 2012.

Any Cass County not-for-profit group or organization may apply. Schools, churches, libraries, 4-H clubs, Scouts, and organizations working to better their communities can use the money to begin or improve gardens or landscaping, or to provide gardening/food related education for their members or the public. To ensure the money is helping a wide variety of community organizations, groups who were funded by 2016 grants will not be eligible to apply in 2017. Each grant has a maximum value of $300. The application must also include plans for teamwork and sustainability. Consideration for the environment is also an important selection factor.

Applications must be received by Monday, April 24 for consideration. They may be submitted by mail or email. Grant recipients will be informed of their selection by May 1. For more information, or with questions, call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132, email keolson@iastate.edu, or stop by the Extension Office at 805 W. 10th St in Atlantic. You may also contact Master Gardener Donna Reimers. Application forms can be picked up at the Extension Office, or printed from the Cass County Extension website- www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.

The Master Gardener program trains volunteers to develop their knowledge and skills in horticulture. These volunteers then give back to their communities through gardening service and education. The program is available in all 50 states and Canada through land grant university Extension programs such as Iowa State University. Education courses are available throughout Iowa on a regular basis. For more information on the program, or to sign up for the next class starting in August, contact Cass County Extension Program Coordinator Kate Olson, at 712-243-1132 or keolson@iastate.edu.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa judge has moved the murder trial of a man charged in the killing of two police officers to another part of the state. Judge Karen Romano granted a change of venue for Scott Greene, ordering Tuesday that his trial be moved from central Iowa’s Polk County to Dubuque County, in the east of the state.

Greene is accused of shooting Des Moines officer Anthony Beminio and Urbandale officer Justin Martin in their patrol cars in November. He is due to stand trial in September and faces life in prison, if convicted. Romano says Greene may not be able to get a fair trial in the Des Moines area because the case has received extensive media coverage and generated an outpouring of support for police.

She says the case has received less coverage in Dubuque.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following an accident Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say a 2005 Buick LeSabre driven by 16-year old Issac Davis, of Creston, was traveling north on Iris Avenue at around 2:40-p.m., when the teen lost control of the vehicle. The car entered the west ditch and struck a utility pole and a fence, before coming to rest.

Damage to the pole, owned by the Farmers Electric Co-Op in Greenfield, was estimated at $1,000. Damage to the fence, owned by a man from Des Moines, was estimated at $300. And, the car sustained $3,500 damage. No citations were issued.

A reminder from Cass County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall about property taxes being due. Marshall says Second-half tax payments of real estate and mobile homes are due by March 31st. You can go online to pay your taxes at www.iowatreasurers.org, or stop by the Treasurer’s Office at the Cass County courthouse, where they accept Credit and Debit cards for in-office payments.

The deadline for payments without penalty is Friday, March 31st, 2017. Payments with a postmark of March 31st, 2017 will be accepted without penalty.

A traffic stop Tuesday afternoon west of College Springs resulted in an arrest. Sheriff’s Officials say the driver of the vehicle, Jeffrey Wade Bartles, was arrested for Driving while Barred, an Aggravated Misdemeanor.  Bartles was transported to the Page County Jail.  He posted a $2000 bond and was released pending future court proceedings.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Nebraska was arrested Tuesday afternoon, for eluding. At around 12:40-p.m., a Pott. County Deputy clocked a 2009 Ford Mustang traveling 89 miles per hour in a 50-mph zone. When the Deputy turned around to conduct a traffic stop, the car sped-up. The driver, 38-year old Stacy A. Yslas, of Lincoln, NE. was taken into custody a few minutes later.

And, at around 12:35-a.m. today (Wednesday), 44-year old Steven N. Morlan, of Omaha, was arrested in Pottawattamie County after a Deputy was called to a residence near Honey Creek late Tuesday night, to check on the welfare of an individual. Morlan, who had somehow suffered a minor injury, was taken into custody for Theft in the 2nd degree/Theft of a Motor Vehicle, for allegedly taking a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser valued at $5,000, from a business in Fremont, NE.

DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) – A fugitive who’s on a list of the “most wanted” by the U.S. Army has been captured in Iowa. The U.S. Marshals Service says Daryl Leandra Grigsby was arrested Tuesday in Dyersville, a town where the movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed. The Army says the 57-year-old former infantryman is wanted on charges that include assault, attempted rape and attempted armed robbery. He left the Army in 1980.

Investigators say Grigsby had evaded capture since 2000, when he violated his supervised release in Rhode Island stemming from a 1993 bank robbery. He allegedly used multiple aliases but was ultimately found hiding in plain sight. Investigators spotted him Tuesday at a Dyersville residence and arrested him without incident. He’s being held at the county jail in Cedar Rapids.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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BELMOND, Iowa (AP) – Authorities are investigating the death of a northern Iowa co-op worker whose body was found in a semitrailer loaded with grain. Belmond police say 57-year-old Daniel Feller was pronounced dead Monday at the MaxYield Cooperative facility. A co-op statement said Feller had fallen from a platform while grain was being loaded into the semitrailer. The co-op says Feller had been an employee for more than 10 years.

MaxYield also said safety regulators completed an investigation Tuesday.

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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