(Defiance, Iowa) – Three people were injured during  a head-on crash Friday afternoon in northern Shelby County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2015 GMC Sierra driven by 46-year-old Ryan Wheatley, of Spirit Lake, was northbound on Highway 59, at the same time a 2014 Dodge Avenger driven by 19-year-old Evan Edwards, of Council Bluffs, was traveling southbound.

The pickup entered the northbound lane and truck the car head-on. Both vehicles came to rest in the west ditch. The accident happened at around 4:40-p.m., just north of County Road F-16. Edwards and an eight-year-old child passenger were wearing seat belts. Wheatley was not.  Scanner reports at the time said one of victims was trapped in one of the vehicles and needed to be extricated.

Evan Edwards was transported by LifeNet helicopter to the UNMC in Omaha.  Ryan Wheatley and the child were transported to Myrtue Medical Center in Harlan, by Defiance Rescue. The accident remains under investigation. Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted at the scene.

(Urbandale, Iowa) – A man who entered Interstate 80 late Friday night in Urbandale was struck by a vehicle and transported to the hospital. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2004 Ford Freestar van driven by 34-year-old Maria Alarcon, of Urbandale, was traveling west on I-80 near mile marker 126.5 at around 10:06-p.m., when 18-year-old Quinn Edward Melchert, of Eldridge, Iowa, entered the roadway. The man was taken to Methodist Hospital by Urbandale EMS.

A report on his condition was not available. The accident remains under investigation.

(Villisca, Iowa) — A traffic stop Friday in Villisca, resulted in the arrest of 22-year-old Jonah Lee Kirsch, of Villisca, for Driving while barred. His bond at the Montgomery County Jail was set at $2,000.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A single-vehicle accident in Montgomery County, Friday afternoon, claimed the life of a man from Grant. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 79-year-old Clarence Sliger was driving a 2011 Chevy HHR north on Highway 71 near mile marker 36, when for reasons unknown, the vehicle left the road and came to rest in the east ditch.The accident happened at around 2:26-p.m.

Sliger was wearing a seat belt. He was transported by Red Oak Rescue to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital where he died from his injuries. The accident remains under investigation.

The Patrol was assisted at the accident scene by Villisca and Red Oak Rescue, Grant First Responders, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Montgomery County EMA.

(Adel, Iowa) – A collision between a pickup and semi Friday morning in Dallas County, resulted in the death of the pickup’s driver. The Iowa State Patrol says 67-year-old David Lee Carscadden, of Adel, died when his 2001 GMC Sierra K1500 pickup pulled out from a private drive, entered Highway 6 and struck a 2018 Freightliner semi. The man was ejected from the pickup and died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt.

The driver of the semi, 50-year-old Fredy Medrano, of San Antonio, Texas, was not injured. The crash occurred at around 10:13-a.m., on Highway 6 (Greene Street in Adel), between 5th and 7th Streets. The accident remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Iowa installed Barbara Wilson as the school’s president today (Friday). “I am so very honored to serve as the 22nd president of the University of Iowa — especially at the 175th anniversary,” Wilson said. Wilson was named president by the Board of Regents in April of 2021 and she began the job in July of 2021 to replace Bruce Harreld who retired. She had served as executive vice president and vice president for academic affairs for the University of Illinois System since 2016. During her installation address she reviewed the very beginnings of the school.

“Only 59 days after the state of Iowa itself was created — the Iowa Legislature founded the University of Iowa — with the mission to educate teachers for the state’s schools, as well as professionals for the state’s economic and cultural development,” Wilson says. She says the university has grown dramatically and in many ways since the very beginning and she wants to continue that growth.

“The future of the University of Iowa is bright. And my goal is to make sure the future shines as brightly as possible, ” according to Wilson. “I want to show what a public university can do and be in a state like Iowa.” Wilson says she wants to continue building on the school’s reputation outside the state’s borders.

“I also pledge to elevate Iowa’s excellence at the national level. We must be a magnet for talent for the best faculty and the best staff and the best students,” she says. “We must be known as a place where comprehensive excellence and creativity are encouraged, rewarded, and celebrated. And where people can achieve their best, regardless of background.” Wilson is the third woman president to lead the University of Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – A Marshalltown native and his family were forced to flee from Ukraine as Russia invaded the country. Burgis Barr moved from Marshalltown to Ukraine after marrying a girl from there he met online. His mom Carrie lives in Marshalltown and says it was not easy to get out of the country. She says they packed their bags and took their nine and eleven year old and bought seats on a bus.

“There is bumper to bumper barely moving traffic going out of Ukraine every direction. It was to be four hours and it took about nine hours. They arrived in a tiny village on the Romanian border,” she says. Barr says her son’s journey became even more interesting after his family finally arrived at the border as she had booked a place for them to stay.

“They couldn’t get there because they had to go through customs first and there were no customs open and no way to get there anyway. So, after this long day of leaving everything behind, they had nowhere to go,” Barr says. “And I have not heard from them as to how they solved that problem yet.” Barr says she received some positive news about her son’s precarious situation.

“We had a foreign exchange student through Rotary here in Marshalltown. And that gal has family in Romania, so we contacted her and she said ‘yes they can live with my grandmother, she has lots of room and my cousins will interpret for them. And if they can get across the border — we can take care of them,” Barr explains.

Barr says she’s hoping her son and his family will be able to eventually make it through customs so they can become firmly settled in Romania.

(Radio Iowa) – Lutheran Services in Iowa opened its new refugee resettlement office in Sioux City this week. In the past month, the organization resettled 14 Afghan refugees in the area, but they expect up to 150 refugees from many different countries. Kate Hagen, the resettlement coordinator, says she’s excited to see more refugees in Sioux City.

“I could only imagine how it feels to come to a new country, let alone a new city, where you don’t really know anyone,” Hagen says, “and so just being that familiar face, that friendly face for them to help them feel safe and welcomed here.” Hagen says local residents can help by donating home-goods or volunteering their time. Finding long-term housing remains an obstacle in the area, but she’s optimistic they can find a home for every arrival. Hagen says they expect a diverse set of refugees in March, new arrivals she says will enrich the community.

“I was sitting here and just thinking of all the places that make the Siouxland area, you think of all these different stores, and what it would be like if we didn’t have refugees or immigrants,” Hagen says. “There’s just so much that would not be here because of that.” Hagen says she hopes the Sioux City location can soon offer a wide range of services, like cultural orientation classes.

(Radio Iowa) [update] – Members of the Iowa Senate are typically elected to four year terms, but due to the once-a-decade redistricting process — some winning state senate candidates this November will be elected to two year terms.
General Elections are held every two years and half of the 50 seats in the Iowa Senate are always on the General Election ballot.

In 2022, candidates in the 25 districts labeled with odd numbers will be seeking four-year terms. Secretary of State Paul Pate has announced another NINE state senate races in even-numbered districts will be on the ballot, too, and the winners will serve just two years. This is because redistricting redraws the boundaries and renumbers senate districts and the terms for SOME incumbents don’t match the rotating election schedule for odd and even numbered districts.

Members of the Iowa House serve two-year terms, so all 100 House races are on the ballot every two years.

“It’s going to be a very interesting election year in Iowa, and my office will work with all 99 county auditors to ensure voters have the tools and knowledge they need to cast their ballots,” Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate said. “I encourage every eligible Iowan to register to vote and participate.”

State senators who did not plan to serve in their current district beyond 2022 were required to submit a notice of resignation to the Iowa Secretary of State by January 16. Those who submitted notices were:

Senator Craig Williams, Carroll

Senator Craig Johnson, Independence

Senator Ken Rozenboom, Oskaloosa

Senator Tim Goodwin, Burlington

Along with 34 State Senate seats, all 100 Iowa House seats, all four of Iowa’s U.S. House seats, one of Iowa’s U.S. Senate seats, and all six statewide offices will be on the ballot in 2022. The candidate filing period for Iowa’s federal and state candidates begins Monday, February 28.

For information about dates and deadlines for voting in Iowa’s June primary and November general election, visit VoterReady.Iowa.gov.

You can view maps of all 50 Iowa Senate districts at this link.

You can view maps of all 100 Iowa House districts at this link.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – In an update to our prior report, the Cass County Auditor’s Office, Friday, said that the Secretary of State’s Office “Has given advice that anyone running for office of supervisor in the Primary Election in Plan III counties should get 100 signatures.  This is  a significant raise from how many signatures we originally calculated.” (See the latest information in the 2022 Primary Election box below)

A reminder also, that the first date to file is March 7^th with the last day being March 25^th. Nomination papers may be circulated prior to first date for filing as well as during the filing period. Nomination papers and candidate information are available at the office of the county auditor and from the secretary of state: www.sos.iowa.gov

The county positions to appear on the Cass County ballot for the 2022 PRIMARY ELECTION are:

• Attorney (incumbent: Vanessa Strazdas, Republican)
• Recorder (incumbent: Mary Ward, Republican)
• Treasurer (incumbent: Tracey Marshall, Republican)
• District 2 Supervisor (incumbent: Mark O’Brien, Republican)
• District 3 Supervisor (incumbent: John Hartkopf, Republican)

Nomination papers may be circulated now. Nomination petitions and other election forms (including a Candidate’s Guide to the General Election) are available at the office of the County Auditor, and also from the Iowa Secretary of State (sos.iowa.gov) via the internet.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: The Cass County Auditor, Courthouse 5 W 7th St, Atlantic, IA 50022
Phone: 712-243-4570 and Fax: 712-243-4572. Email: auditor@casscoia.us

GENERAL ELECTION (Tuesday, November 8, 2022) INFORMATION:

The filing periods for the November 8, 2022, General Election are:

• U.S. Senate, U.S. Representative and State Office: February 28 – March 18, 2022 (5:00 p.m.)
• County Office: March 7 – March 25, 2022 (5:00 p.m.)
• Ag Extension, Soil & Water Conservation District, Hospital Trustee: Anytime up until August 31, 2022

List of current position holders for non-partisan offices that will appear on General Election Ballot:

Agricultural Extension Council: David York; Bradley J Pellett; Kristi Plagman; Chad Becker and Todd Weppler.

Soil & Water Conservation District: John J Hansen (Grove Township) and Greg Zellmer (Pymosa Township)

Hospital Board of Trustees: Jody Lorence; Julie Pollock; and Michael Klocke; Roger Herring.

Edna Township; Kevin Stender-Trustee; Patrick Erickson-Trustee; Travis Erickson-Clerk:

Union Township: Richard Hoffman-Trustee; Daryl Schrier-Trustee; Cheryl Christensen-Clerk.