The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests on Thursday.

The first arrest involved Sheriff’s Officials serving three separate warrants on 53-year-old Rene Telesforo Valdivia of Fort Collins, Colorado for Failure to Appear on two counts of Possession of Marijuana and one count of Possession of Methamphetamine 3rd Offense. Valdivia was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond.

Also Thursday Montgomery County Deputies met with Deputies from Mills County Sheriff’s Office who were transporting 18-year-old Michael Anthony Monson of Omaha to the Mills/Montgomery County line. Monson had a warrant for OWI 1st Offense. He was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.

(Updated w/corrections) – Four people were injured following a collision between a car and a Caterpillar construction vehicle in Union County on Thursday afternoon.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the accident happened at approximately 1:55 p.m. when a 2015 Chevy Malibu driven by 68-year-old James Teague of Lenox was traveling southbound on N Cherry Street Road at the same time as a 2012 Caterpillar 140H construction vehicle owned by Union County Secondary Roads was traveling the same direction. The Malibu swerved to miss colliding with the CAT but struck the drag hook bracket and sidewall of the left rear tire. The Malibu then lost control and went across the road to the northbound ditch and struck a field drive causing the car to go airborne. The car came to rest on its wheels.

4 occupants were in the Malibu and were all transported to the Greater Regional Medical Center. James and Victoria Teague were subsequently airlifted to a Des Moines hospital for treatment of serious and life-threatening injuries, respectively.  4-year-old Savannah Teague suffered minor/non-incapacitating injuries. The driver of the CAT, 23-year-old Kolton Phelps of Creston, was not injured.

The Malibu sustained extensive damage and the CAT had little to no damage. No citations were issued.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of 42-year-old Justin Alan Robertson of Greenfield on three warrants. Warrants were for Stalking-Violation of a Protective Order, and two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance- Marijuana 2nd Offense. Robertson was booked into the Union County Jail on $7,000 cash only bond.

Applications are now being accepted for anyone interested in the Iowa Master Gardener training, which will be offered in many locations across the state, including Cass County, beginning in mid-August. Applicants have from June 3 to July 8 to apply for the fall session. Online training begins August 22, with a local orientation session scheduled for Monday evening, August 15^th.  The program will be delivered in a hybrid format this fall, with many lessons taking place online, but several face-to-face learning opportunities also offered for trainees to connect and participate in hands-on learning activities as a group.

“Throughout the pandemic, many of our programs have been forced into virtual formats and participants have missed out on peer-to-peer interactions,” said Alicia Herzog, Master Gardener Statewide Coordinator with ISU Extension and Outreach. “We find immense value in the learning that happens when our participants interact with each other, their county Extension and Outreach staff, and experts in their local communities. We’re happy to be able to offer the best of both worlds with this hybrid format.”

Iowans wishing to complete Master Gardener training should complete the initial registration online by July 8, and then will be contacted by their local extension office to complete a background screening and finalize payment and registration. Once accepted into the program, trainees will participate in online learning modules at their own pace through their home computer, and should also plan to attend at least 4 in-person training sessions organized by their county office to complete the training.

A total of 17 educational modules will be offered online by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, on topics that include houseplants, pollinators, vegetables, and perennial flowers. Each course module includes a book chapter, lecture video, online discussion board for trainees to connect and discuss the topic and a follow up quiz. Participants will also take an online pre-test and post-test to gauge knowledge gained through the course.

Applicants for the 2022 training must apply online by Friday July 8. The online class begins on Monday, August 22. An in-person orientation class will be held at the Cass County Extension Office on Monday August 15^th to distribute materials and discuss the hands-on training schedule. Apply and learn more about the program online at www.extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener.

The fee for the training is $150 and covers all class materials. The fee will be payable to the Cass County Extension Office upon acceptance into the program. Because Master Gardener volunteers work with many community partners, applicants will also be required to successfully pass a background screen before being accepted into the program. At the end of the course, there is an open-book test that participants will need to pass to complete the course and receive their certificate.

The Master Gardener program is open to anyone who is passionate about volunteering and gardening. No previous garden knowledge is required. The program equips participants to grow in knowledge about gardening best practices. After the training, Master Gardeners volunteer in their community, making contributions such as donating vegetables to food pantries, leading community beautification projects and maintaining demonstration gardens at local parks and county fairgrounds.

After completion of the MG Training, participants have 13 months to complete 40 volunteer hours to finish their “internship” and become a full Master Gardener. Annually, Master Gardener status can be maintained with 20 volunteer hours per year and ten hours of continuing education. Cass County has an active Master Gardener group that participates in many projects throughout the year, so opportunities to learn and volunteer are plentiful! Examples of local Master Gardener volunteer projects include educational workshops and seminars, maintaining community parks and demonstration gardens, and donating fresh produce to food pantries. Iowa State has offered Master Gardener training since 1977, engaging more than 15,000 people in learning about gardening best practices.

Iowans who want professional development training for their job and who do not plan to volunteer can participate in the ProHort option, for a fee of $550. No background check is required for this option.

Local extension staff can help anyone with questions about joining Master Gardener training this year, including details of when and where in-person meetings will take place locally.

For more information on the class, or the Master Gardener program in general, contact the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132, or email Cass County Extension Director and Master Gardner Coordinator Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu. Online program registration can be completed at www.extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener.

The Creston Police Department reports the arrest Wednesday of 58-year-old Christine Annette Larkin of Creston at her residence. The arrest occurred at 9:01 p.m. and Larkin was charged with Harassment 1st Degree. Larkin was booked into the Adams County Jail on no bond until seen by a Magistrate.

Teachers who go through an Iowa college program no longer have to pass a professional exam to be licensed, thanks to a new state law that eliminates the so-called Praxis requirement for new teachers. The test was a particular obstacle for dual-language immersion programs because it’s only offered in English. Noelia Espinal (no-EH-lee-uh esp-ee-NAHL), a teacher at the Muskie Early Learning Center in Muscatine, says it was an unnecessary hurdle for bilingual teachers.

The Praxis test will still be required for teachers coming to Iowa from outside the U-S, which is a major drawback for schools that rely on teachers from Spanish-speaking countries. Rebecca Gomez leads a Spanish-immersion program at Pella Christian where many of the teachers are native Spanish-speakers from outside the U-S. Gomez says it’s hard to find qualified candidates locally.

She says the school’s religious requirements also narrow the hiring pool. Gomez says taking and retaking the Praxis can add months to the process of bringing in a new teacher on a visa.

Three Iowa Democrats are making a pitch to national party leaders today, arguing the Iowa Democratic Party’s Caucuses should be first in 2024. National Democrats are hearing applications from 16 states and Puerto Rico seeking to be among the five “early” voting states in the presidential campaign. Members of the party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee have made it clear they’re looking for states with diverse populations. State Representative Ras (like Ross) Smith of Waterloo is a member of the Black Caucus in the Iowa House.

Smith says while Iowa’s overall population is nearly 91 percent white, Iowa is diverse in other ways.

The chairmen of the Iowa Democratic Party AND the Iowa G-O-P have both been arguing that Iowa inserts geographic diversity in the presidential selection process. Smith says national party leaders need to consider what will be lost if Iowa’s Caucuses aren’t an early providing ground for those who aspire to be president.

Smith made his comments during a recent episode of Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S. Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn, Democratic National Committee member Scott Brennan of Des Moines and House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst are making Iowa’s pitch to the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee this (Thursday) morning. They will be discussing a big change in the voting process — mail-in balloting rather than a Caucus Night scramble in precinct meetings using complicated math that ultimately decides who won the Democratic Party’s Caucuses. The Republican National Committee has already set its calendar of 2024 presidential contests. The Iowa G-O-P’s Caucuses — which essentially conduct a straw poll to determine the winner — are first.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Wednesday of 54-year-old Richard James Linfor of Shenandoah on a Page County Warrant for Criminal Mischief 5th Degree and Theft 5th Degree. Linfor was arrested at the Page County Jail and then booked in. He was being held on $300 bond pending further court proceedings.

The Glenwood Police Department reports an arrest from Tuesday, June 21st. 20-year-old Madison Haynes of Council Bluffs turned herself in on a Mills County Warrant for Probation Violation. She was booked into the Mills County Jail on $10,000 cash or surety bond.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a single vehicle accident on Wednesday morning after the driver fell asleep. At 11:05 a.m. at 2007 Chevy Tahoe owned and operated by 63-year-old Timothy Wayne Cooney of Corning was eastbound on 110th Street just east of S Avenue when he fell asleep and went off the roadway to the right. The Tahoe struck a sign and continued east and went into the West Nodaway River, coming to rest on the east embankment. Cooney was able to get out of the vehicle and walk to 110th Street to get medical attention. He was transported by Midwest Medical to Cass Health in Atlantic.

The airbags deployed on the vehicle during the crash and Cooney was wearing his seat belt. The Tahoe was considered a total loss.