The Red Oak Police Department reports no injuries occurred during a two-vehicle accident on Tuesday. The accident happened at the intersection of Corning Street and Broadway in Red Oak.

It was determined that a 2008 Mercury Milan owned and operated by 64-year-old Mark Lelan Petersen of Red Oak was northbound and stopped at the red light at the intersection. A 2014 Ford F-150 operated by 46-year-old Andrea Kay Swank of Shenandoah did not see the Petersen vehicle stopped and struck the rear of the Mercury.

Damage to the Mercury was estimated at $2,000 and damage to the Ford was estimated at $3,000. Swank was cited for following too close.

(Creston, Iowa) – Authorities say no injuries were reported following a rollover accident this (Tuesday) morning, in Creston. Officials say a 2005 Chevy Silverado pickup driven by 20-year-old Wyatt Allen Keller, of Creston, was traveling south on a left-hand curve on S. Chestnut Street, when, according to Keller, the throttle stuck, causing the vehicle to speed-up, and go out of control. The truck hit a curb and flipped over down an embankment and came to rest on its wheels. The accident happened a little before 9-a.m.

Damage to the pickup was estimated to be $5,000. No citations were issued.

(Adel, Iowa) – The Atlantic High School Speech Team is very proud of their success at State Individual Contest held at ADM on Saturday, March 12th. High School/Middle School Spanish Instructor Co-Head Speech/Debate Coach Trisha Niceswanger reports Atlantic took 26 entries who performed in front of a panel of three judges. Performances covered a wide variety of categories from Acting to Musical Theatre, Poetry and After Dinner Speaking. A total of 19 of the entries received a Division I rating from the judges; 10 of those were a straight 1 rating, meaning all three judges awarded a I rating.

Coach Niceswanger said “I am so proud of our success! We have grown our program immensely this year with more entries than ever before. It is very promising to see the younger performers with lots of talent for the future as well as the senior leadership we have in upperclassmen. Being able to have an in-person contest again this year really felt great to let these kids compete and meet fellow performers.”

Brandon Baggett, Coach, said “These kids have put in the work and it paid off big time! I cannot say enough about the drive of our young talent and the upperclassmen leading by example. Since we are back to in-person competitions, the events have been so much fun this year and our team is learning so much by watching fellow competitors. As our numbers have grown again this year, the future is very bright for our speech program!”

What’s next: All-State Nominations were posted online the afternoon of Monday, March 14th. These students chosen are the best in the state in their categories. In order to receive this honor, at least two of the three judges must nominate the performer. These students will perform one last time on the UNI Campus at the All-State Festival held on Monday, March 28th. Students awaited the postings excitedly in Niceswanger’s room while repeatedly refreshing the web page.

Three students earned All-State honors this year from Atlantic.

• Charlotte Saluk for Poetry
• Reese DeArment for Prose
• J Molina for After Dinner Speaking

(Radio Iowa) – After announcing she was running for governor seven months ago, Democrat Deidre DeJear has now submitted 66-hundred signatures on nominating petitions, to place her name on Iowa’s June Primary ballot. “We just made history,” DeJear said, to cheers. If elected, DeJear would be the first black Iowan to serve as governor. She addressed a crowd of supporters in the Capitol rotunda. “It’s the type of history that outlines possibilities for not only our young people, but each and every one of you all,” DeJear said. “We’re seeking to run for this office because we want to see change happen in this state, the type of change that impacts y ‘all’s pocketbooks, your communities, your counties and the better life that we can all have in this state.”

DeJear is a native of Mississippi who graduated from Drake University and settled in Des Moines, where she runs a small business. DeJear grew emotional as she and her supporters waited for staff in the Secretary of State’s office to review her nominating petitions. DeJear told reporters it’s because she was surrounded by mentors. “Some really strong women who have helped me chart this path and reminded me of what I was capable of,” DeJear says. “And I just hope I’m emotional because I hope to do that for other young women and young boys, to help them understand whatever they dream is possible.”

Deidre DeJear and supporters. (RI photo)

DeJear’s name has been on Iowa’s statewide ballot before, as the Democratic Party’s 2018 nominee for Secretary of State. DeJear lost that race by eight points. A recent Des Moines Register Iowa Poll found DeJear trailing Republican Governor Kim Reynolds by eight percent. “We’ve got a lot of work to do in the governor’s office,” DeJear says. “(As a candidate for) Secretary of State, my focus was on small businesses and voting. Well, small business and voting is still a point of interest, but we’ve got a lot of other things we’ve got to conquer, too.”

Last week, Kim Reynolds formally kicked off her campaign for a second full term as governor with a rally on the state fairgrounds. Reynolds and her husband delivered nominating petitions with 16-thousand signatures to the Secretary of State’s office last Thursday. Reynolds has not commented on DeJear’s candidate, but a spokesman for the Iowa G-O-P says freedom is on the ballot in November and Reynolds is the only candidate in the race who will defend it.

(Atlantc, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday (Today) held a Public Hearing on the published, Fiscal Year, 2023 Cass County Budget, during which there were no comments from the public. The Board then voted to adopt the resolution as proposed. The Board also acted on a Resolution to reduce by half, the percentage of Elected Officials compensation that had been recommended by the Cass County Compensation Board, effective July 1, 2022.

Board Chair Steve Baier noted the revised amounts.

Approved salaries (which are also less than what the Compensation Board recommended), will be as follows:

• Cass County Attorney: $124,081 (This year’s salary is $120,467)
• Cass County Auditor: $65,433 (Compared to $63,527 in the current year)
• Cass County Recorder: $65,433 (This year, $63,527)
• Cass County Treasurer: $65, 433 ($63,527)
• Cass County Sheriff: $94,167 (Compared to $83,334 in the current year)
• Supervisors: $32,759 ($31,805 current year)
• Board Chair, $33,759 ($33,805 currently)

Supervisor Mark O’Brien was in disagreement with the Supervisor’s Board Chair compensation…he said it should be more, wanted to increase it, based on the responsibilities that come with the position. The others agreed, but Supervisor Steve Green said “The law doesn’t allow us to go higher.” Green and Baier advised the issue should be “left alone.” Supervisor Hartkopf reminded the public that neither the Supervisors nor the Compensation Board have a say over the final outcome, because the State regulates some areas.

In other business, the Supervisors approved a Resolution to use ARPA funds to purchase election equipment. Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns explains…

The cost is $108, 624, with no maintenance or annual license fees included. The old equipment will be included in a trade-in deal. Board Chair Baier said in previous discussions, it was agreed purchasing election equipment would be a good use of the recovery act funds the County has received. The new election machines will not be available for the June Primary, and it’s questionable if they will be available for the November General Election.

The Atlantic Police Department reports two separate arrests took place, Sunday:

• 39-year-old Mike Henson, of Atlantic, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct. He was taken into custody and transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked in and held.
• and, 23-year old Jake Olsen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Operating While Under the Influence 1st. He was taken into custody and transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked in and held.

(Elk Horn, Iowa) – The Exira-EHK School Board, Monday evening, approved renewing an agreement for a School Resource Office (SRO), paid for through a grant. Superintendent Trevor Miller…

Miller said also, the District will hold a Public Hearing on the Budget April 11^th. In other business…

He said “Financially, our District’s working well and our staff’s really working hard” in this fourth-quarter of the school year. The Board approved also, salaries for Support Staff and Administration.

(Anita, Iowa) – There will be a change in location for Kindergarten students in the CAM School District, beginning with the 2022-23 School Year. Their action came during the Board’s regular monthly meeting, Monday (March 14).

That’s Superintendent Paul Croghan, who says also, there were about a half-dozen or so people who spoke about that topic and others.

He said discussions with regard to any future changes that may be necessary, are expected as the school year continues and the new school year begins.

The CAM School Board also approved contracts for the 2022-23 school year., and the proposed ’22-’23 School Calendar.

They also discussed the 22-23 Budget.

A public hearing on the Calendar and Budget will be held during the Board’s meeting next month. The school board also accepted the resignation of Art teacher Dana Kunze, half-time physical education instructor, Jennifer Weisenborn, Middle School Education instructors, Danika Kentner and Samantha Rosenbeck, and Ag Instructor, and FFA Advisory Gary Miller.

(Radio Iowa) – Volunteer registration opens today (Tuesday) for this summer’s edition of Iowa Project AWARE, the 19th annual river cleanup event. Coordinator Nina Marquardt says this year’s effort will be on the West Fork of the Des Moines River, running July 10th through the 15th. “We’re starting up in Petersburg, Minnesota and ending a little bit south of West Bend, Iowa, so we’re going to end it in Palo Alto County,” Marquardt says, “and the route will cover 61 miles of the West Fork including the newly-designated West Fork of the Des Moines Water Trail which is really exciting.”

Project AWARE, which stands for A Watershed Awareness River Expedition, brings in volunteers from across the state to pull garbage out of the waterway, which improves water quality and increases the recreational potential while heightening community awareness.  “They’re in canoes so they’ll be paddling along and then we’ll have some people that will stay on land, mostly our staff, and they will be sorting the recyclables and the scrap metal,” Marquardt says. “We recycle about 78% of what we get out of the water.”

Volunteers of all ages can take part one day, all six days, or any amount in between. Educational programs are held nightly ranging in topics from geology, ecology and natural resources to local history and archeology. Since 2003, more than five-thousand volunteers have removed nearly 460 tons of trash from rivers around Iowa, cleaning up more than 12-hundred river miles. “Last year, there was a tractor that we used for scrap metal,” Marquardt says. “One of our longtime volunteers actually used the money from the scrap metal to restock the river with walleye for the walleye club.”

The volunteers always pull a host of items from the rivers, from tires and refrigerators to bowling pins and beer cans. Learn more and sign up to volunteer at: www.iowaprojectaware.org