(Atlantic, Iowa) –  The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Department will be hiding Candy Canes in City Park starting Friday December 10th, and continuing through Sunday, December 12th.  Parks & Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen said “Blue candy canes, which are hidden, and can be returned to the Parks and Rec Office for a special prize.  If people go on Saturday, Santa will be at the (downtown) City Park, from 1:30-to 3:30-pm. 

(Red Oak, Iowa) –  Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke, today (Wednesday), said a proposal introduced by the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office and the Temporary Redistricting Commission to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, would reduce County voting precincts by one.  According to Iowa law, every county in Iowa must review its precinct boundaries after a federal decennial census. As part of this process, the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a public hearing for 8:45 a.m. on December 21, 2021, to solicit public input in regards to the proposed changes to the County ordinance setting polling precincts.

Montgomery County currently has seven total polling precincts including three in Red Oak. Red Oak’s precincts are set by the city council. That leaves four precincts currently set by the County. The current  proposal would reduce that number by one. Burke says “We are considering combining precincts for reasons of electoral efficiency. Every ten years, we review how our
polling precincts perform and consider how we can best use tax payer dollars while administering our electoral process in Montgomery County.”
Burke said some of the considerations for combining precincts is number of voters in the precinct, cost to run a polling location in the precincts and voter convenience. Facilities are also re–evaluated to ensure convenience, availability and polling place set–up. She said the Board of Supervisors ultimately approves the ordinance setting the polling precincts. Due to federal census being delayed this year, this process is being conducted under an expedited timeline.  Burke said the process must be completed by January 15, 2022. She said the County is currently on pace
to meet that deadline.

Maps can be reviewed at the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office located in the  Courthouse and on–line at www.montgomerycountyia.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – The Kossuth County Board of Supervisors is formally expressing its opposition to the use of eminent domain for a pair of proposed carbon pipelines that would run through the county if constructed. Eminent domain is the government’s power to declare private property can be converted to a public use, like the pathway for a pipeline. The Kossuth County Supervisors’ letter to the Iowa Utilities Board says it should be up to landowners to decide if they want the carbon pipelines on their property.

Summit Carbon Solutions has proposed a pipeline to ship liquefied carbon dioxide from Iowa to North Dakota. The proposed pipeline would run through Kossuth County from east to west South of Algona. Navigator Carbon Ventures has proposed a pipeline that would run in the northwest part of Kossuth County.

More area, and state news from Ric Hanson at 8:06-a.m.

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The 7:08-a.m. broadcast of area News, from Ric Hanson.

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(Melcher-Dallas, Iowa) – Two teens died as the result of a single-vehicle rollover accident Tuesday night, in south central Iowa’s Marion County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 1994 Ford Taurus driven by 16-year-old Grace M. Deheer, was traveling north on 80th Avenue, northeast of Melcher-Dallas, at around 8:54-p.m.  When the vehicle crested a hill, it began to travel toward the west ditch. The car entered the ditch and rolled over. Deheer and her passenger, 16-year-old Angelina L. Clark, were ejected. The car came to rest on its top in the roadway.

Both girls, who were from Melcher, died at the scene.

(Red Oak) One person suffered possible/unknown injuries during a two-vehicle accident in Red Oak, Tuesday afternoon. According to Red Oak Police, the accident happened around 3:33 p.m. at 4th and Oak Streets, as a 1999 Dodge Dakota pickup driven by Jordan Midkiff, of Red Oak, tried to turn left onto Oak Street. Because the sun was glaring in his eyes as he pulled into the intersection, Midkiff didn’t see a 2007 Ford 500 L 4D driven by Jennifer Begay, of Red Oak. Begay was traveling east on Oak Street and turning left onto 4th.

Police say Begay was trapped inside her car, with the passenger airbag deployed. She was extricated by Red Oak firefighters before being transported by Red Oak Rescue to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital to be checked-out.

Midkiff wasn’t injured. Police cited him for a registration violation, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to yield the right of way, and failure to provide proof of financial liability.

Red Oak Fire and Rescue, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Emergency Management, and the Montgomery County Communications Center assisted the Red Oak Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Workforce Development is hosting a job fair in Newton on Thursday and Friday for the more than 700 employees of T-P-I Composites who will be out of work at the end of this year. Spokesperson, Lacie Westendorf, says the 130 employers looking to hire are coming to Newton from all over the state. “All the way out from Dubuque, over up to Clear Lake, Waterloo, Ankeny, so some of the positions can even be done remotely, can be done anywhere around the state. So some of these businesses have locations anywhere, so they have openings everywhere,” Westendorf says.

So many employers are looking for workers that IowaWORKS is dividing the job fair into three sections. The first session will be Thursday morning from 7:00 until Noon, Thursday afternoon from 1:00 to 6:00, and Friday morning from 7:00 to noon. She says it will all be organized so you know where to go. “When people get to the job fair, we will actually have a booklet for them that will show which employers will be there at the different times,” Westendorf days.”They can also find that information out by going to our iowaworks.gov website.”

Anyone looking for a job may attend this job fair — not just employees of T-P-I Composites. The blade manufacturer announced earlier this year it was shutting down production.

(Elk Horn, Iowa) — Lisa Steen Riggs, Manager of the Danish Windmill in Elk Horn, reports the attraction won three awards during last weekend’s “Christkindlmarket” in Des Moines. The Danish Windmill of Elk Horn took home first place honors as “People’s Choice”, “Best Display” and “Most Authentic” at the European-style open air holiday market at Principal Park. Steen-Riggs, said, “There was record attendance and the sales of our Scandinavian products were exceptional. Attendees who shop our collection of traditional decorations, food and gifts get to experience the genuine coziness and hygge of the Danish Christmas time, just as we know it. We enjoy participating in the Christkindlmarket and appreciate the Rasmussen Group’s sponsorship of our booth.” (Photo’s below submitted by Lisa Steen-Riggs)

Lisa Steen Riggs, Julie Jensen Soll and Mike Riggs worked the booth in Des Moines. If you missed seeing them at the Christkindlmarket Des Moines, you can shop at the Danish Windmill’s museum store in Elk Horn or on online at danishwindmill.com.

Here is the complete list of winners during the event:

People’s Choice: First Place Danish Windmill, Second Place DamonLayne Woodworking, Third Place Pinicon Farm Crafts

Best Display: First Place Danish Windmill, Second Place TeaGschwendner US, Third Place Pinicon Farm Crafts

Most Authentic: First Place Danish Windmill, Second Place TeaGschwendner US, Third Place Pinicon Farm Crafts

(Radio Iowa) – State Auditor Rob Sand has posted a video online to announce he intends to seek a second term. “I didn’t run for office because I love politics. I ran for office because I can’t stand it,” Sand said, “too many people putting partisan interests ahead of the public interest, too many people protecting insiders — doing what they want instead of what they’re supposed to do.” Sand, an attorney who had worked as a prosecutor in the Iowa Attorney General’s office, defeated incumbent Republican State Auditor Mary Mosiman in 2018.

“And we’re doing a good job of doing it differently,” Sand says. “Instead of firing people who made contributions to my opponent’s campaign that work in the state auditor’s office, I kept them and I promoted some of them to senior positions. I’ve got a Democrat, a Republican and an independent in senior positions in the office. I think that’s the way it ought to be done.”

Sand, a Democrat, had been considering a run for governor, but did not mention that in the 85 second video. Iowa G-O-P chairman Jeff Kaufmann accuses Sand of using the auditor’s office to make a partisan attack on Republican Governor Kim Reynolds’ use of pandemic relief to pay staff in her office last year. No Republican candidate has announced plans to run for state auditor in 2022.