(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors have issued a notice with regard to the intent to amend Ordinance Number 7 entitle “Veterans Emergency Assistance Program.”

In summary, the Ordinance: Will explain definitions, eligibility, application requirements, forms of assistance, level of benefits (including indigent burial policies), the application process for assistance, initial determination, how to appeal and an appeal hearing.

A public hearing on the intent to establish the ordinance will be held in the Supervisor’s Board Room in the Cass County Courthouse in Atlantic, on Sept. 16, 2025, beginning at 9:05-a.m.

In accordance with the Code of Iowa, the proposed ordinance will be available for inspection at the County Auditor’s Office, and the requirement for a second vote may be suspended by a majority vote of the supervisors. If the second vote is suspended, a second public hearing will be held on Oct. 7, 2025, beginning at 9:05-a.m.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Auditor’s Office reports two candidates for City Offices in Cumberland and Lewis filed their nomination papers today (Tuesday).

• Dori A. Borras, of Cumberland, filed papers to run for the Cumberland City Council – To Fill Vacancy, and,
• Jim Triller, of Lewis, filed to run for a seat on the Lewis City Council.

As we previously mentioned:

• Russell Miller filed papers to run for the other City Council seat in Lewis.
• Matthew Dolch filed to run for one of the three other seats on the Cumberland City Council.
• Rob Clausen is running for Mayor in the City of Atlantic.
• Jeremy Butler is running for an At-Large seat on the Atlantic City Council. And,
• Dana Halder is running for re-election to his 5th Ward seat on the Atlantic City Council.

The last day to file is Thursday, September 18, 2025, at 5:00 PM. City candidates shall file nomination papers with the county auditor. School board candidates shall file nomination papers with the respective school board secretary.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office says seven people were arrested on separate charges between August 24th and Sept. 2nd.

• 32-year-old Samuel Robert Good, of Cedar Rapids, was arrested Tuesday (9/2) for Possession of Marijuana. He was released with a citation.
• On August 31st, 41-year-old Joshua Daniel McVenn, of Clarinda, was arrested for Driving While Barred, and, 21-year-old Aydien Kale Price, of Carson, was booked-into the Page County Jail to serve time.
• On August 26th, Page County Deputies arrested 33-year-old Jessie Marie Patterson, of College Springs, for Driving While Barred, and OWI/1st offense.
• Three arrests occurred August 24th in Page County: 26-year-old Seth Robert Lawrence Johnson, of Shenandoah, was booked into the Page County Jail for Public Intoxication; 21-year-old Aydien Kale Price, of Carson, was booked into the Page County Jail to serve time; and, 28-year-old Dylan Seth Harris, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Burglary charge.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – A woman from Sac County was cited following a rollover accident last week, in Guthrie County. Authorities say 20-year-old Summer Archer, of Auburn, was driving a 2004 Chevy Suburban eastbound on 110th Street at around 3:50-p.m. on August 27th. As the vehicle crested a hill just west of Chestnut Road, Archer was not aware there was a stop sign ahead.

She tried to stop, but lost control of the vehicle, which spun around and faced west as it entered the ditch and overturned nearly twice before coming to rest on its top in the south ditch. During the accident, the vehicle knocked-over the posted stop sign.

Archer was cited for failure to provide proof of insurance. Damage from the collision, including the Guthrie County Secondary Roads sign, amounted to an estimated $5,200. The Suburban was a total loss.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – A Page County man escaped injury during a rollover accident last week, in Guthrie County. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says 43-year-old Charles Leroy Dailey, of Clarinda, was driving a 2014 Peterbilt semi tractor pulling a grain hopper trailer, and making a left hand turn from White Pole Road unto Talon Avenue, when the vehicle and trailer rolled onto its passenger side. Authorities say Dailey was driving too fast to enter the intersection.

Accident, which happened at around 1-p.m. on Aug. 28th, caused an estimated $40,000 damage to the semi, registered to Schmitt Farms Trucking, in Clarinda.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – Five teens were injured when an SUV rolled-over Monday evening in Guthrie County. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, a 2003 Chevy Tahoe driven by a 16-year-old from Guthrie Center, was traveling South on Locust Avenue (a Level B road) at around 5:10-p.m., Monday, when the teen lost control and over-corrected, causing the SUV to strike a tree stump before it overturned and rolled into the east ditch. the teen – who was wearing his seat belt -was not injured.

(Guthrie Center) – A motorcycle accident last week in Guthrie County claimed the life of a man from Dallas County. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, 59-year-old Brady Brian Patrick, of Linden, was traveling east on 310th Street at around 7-p.m. on August 27th, when his 2005 Harley Davidson motorcycle left the road and entered the north ditch. Patrick was ejected from the machine and suffered severe hear trauma.

Stuart EMS transported Patrick from the scene to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, where he died the following day. A witness to the crash told authorities they were traveling west on 310th Street, and upon entering the first curve, noticed the motorcycle cross the center line of the road. The motorist crossed into the oncoming lane to avoid coming into contact with the cycle. When the motorcycle passed the witness’ pickup truck he saw the cycle begin to wobble and enter the ditch. They turned around and found Patrick in the ditch, before notifying 911.

(Iowa DNR News) – Iowa’s statewide pheasant population is at a 20-year high, and state wildlife experts are forecasting a banner year for hunters. “The mild winter really put us over the top this year,” said Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). “Our adult hen survival was excellent; our adult rooster survival was excellent. That really drove the population increase.”

Bogenschutz coordinates the annual August roadside survey of small game populations, covering 225 30-mile routes. The 2025 survey counted more pheasants, quail, cottontail rabbits and partridge than last year. The survey results are available online by clicking the 100 Years of Pheasant Hunting graphic at www.iowadnr.gov/pheasantsurvey. “Chick survival wasn’t as good as last year, but we had so many more nests that it offset the drop in the number of chicks per hen,” he said. Statewide, staff reported 1,038 pheasant broods, which is 338 more than last year.

“We had an early hatch which is good because the nesting season got wet later and that may have impacted chick survival or re-nesting efforts,” Bogenschutz said. The statewide average of 28 birds per route is the highest since 2005. Regionally, the northwest region was the highest since 2005; northeast region was the highest since 1998; west central similar to last year; east central highest sense 2007; south central highest since 2017; and southeast, highest since 2020.

Bogenschutz said if hunter participation is similar to 2023, the pheasant harvest could be in the 600,000-700,000 range. “Last year was a decent year for pheasant hunting. 2023 was a good year for pheasant hunting. This year could be excellent,” he said.

The Iowa DNR and Pheasants Forever are celebrating 100 years of pheasant hunting in the Hawkeye State. The first season was held Oct. 20-22, 1925, when 13 counties in north central Iowa were opened to pheasant hunting. Hunters were allowed a three-rooster limit, for a half-day of hunting. An estimated 75,000 hunters participated.

Hunters can commemorate the 100^th anniversary by purchasing a hard card featuring Iowa Pheasants Forever Print of the Year. Pheasants Forever is offering commemorative apparel featuring both the 100 Years of Pheasant Hunting graphic and PF logo through an online, pop-up store. The store will be accepting apparel orders as the pheasant season approaches.

Pheasant season

Oct. 25 – Jan. 10, 2026

Youth only pheasant season – Iowa residents only, age 15 or younger

Oct. 18-19

(Radio Iowa) – One of the 15 “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” chapters in Iowa is holding a bed building event tomorrow (Wednesday), in Manchester. Keith Kramer is leader of the Delaware County chapter that formed four years ago to provide beds to kids who didn’t have one. “Once you see it, you get so involved with it,” Kramer said.

So far, Kramer’s group has made 450 beds for kids who’d been sleeping on floors or couches. Kramer said people in the community are helping to provide not just the bed frame, but sheets and pillows “Had a gal drop off six brand new quilts. She just made them,” Kramer says. “And talk about a labor of love with these quilts for these kids. It’s the one thing they’ve got. It’s something to hang onto.”

A previous “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” bed building event in Delaware County. (Photo by Janelle Tucker, KMCH)

Wednesday’s bed building event starts at 10 o’clock in the Beef Barn on the Delaware County Fairgrounds. Kramer and his team have assembled all the tools necessary to build the bed frames, they’re inviting more volunteers to join the effort. “Come for the experience,” Kramer said. “…Probably the bed thing is when they go back home and they’re talking to someone on the phone and they’re saying, ‘What did you do today?’ ‘Well, let me tell you. We built beds.’”

The Delaware County chapter of “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” is making beds not only for kids in their county, but has expanded to build beds for children in some of the cities and towns in neighboring Buchanan and Dubuque Counties. The national “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” website has an application form. It can be filled out by the legal guardian of a child between the ages of three and 17 or some other family member, a school or government agency can contact the group and request a bed for a child who doesn’t have one.

The organization’s website shows more than 325 “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” chapters nationwide have made almost 290,000 beds and have requests to make nearly 164,000 more. The group has chapters in the Iowa cities of Ames, Camanche, Des Moines, Muscatine, Shenandoah, Sioux City and Spirit Lake, plus the following counties have chapters: Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Union, Warren and Washington.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s economy improved slightly during August, along with the Midwest as a whole, according to a monthly survey of supply managers in Iowa and eight other states. Despite the minor gains, Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the region’s economy is moving sideways, as it’s been seeing similar gains and losses for months.

Goss says tariffs enacted by the Trump administration — and by other nations in retaliation — are slowing everything down. “Tariffs are having some significant impacts and I think the impacts are, it’s just spreading across the globe and it’s not just the U.S., it’s other nations and it’s hurting the economy, hurting the U.S. economy, hurting the global economy,” Goss says. “Four out of five report tariffs pushing prices higher, not significantly higher, but higher.”

Ernie Goss (Creighton University photo)

The survey shows weakening confidence about the future, as Goss says only one in ten supply managers expect improving economic conditions for their firm over the next six months. The survey showed employment losses for the region during August for the fifth straight month, as Goss says the Producer Price Index for the month rose.

“That’s been growing, but it’s not being passed on to the consumers. So where is it going? It’s cutting profit margins,” Goss says. “In other words, businesses are absorbing the price increase, the tariff increase and also the importers and the distributors, and of course the exporters, that’s outside the U.S. exporting into the U.S.”

Federal reports say Iowa’s manufacturing sector exported more than $7-billion dollars in goods for the first half of 2025, compared to just over $8-billion for the same period in 2024. That’s a drop of nearly 11-percent. Goss says the nation saw an increase in non-farm jobs of less than one percent, while manufacturing alone lost about 13,000 jobs. “The region is actually, over the last year, I’m talking about year-over-year, has gained some jobs but you wouldn’t know it,” Goss says. “We’re just not seeing enough growth in manufacturing jobs and it’s showing up in the manufacturing economy.”

On the survey’s zero-to-100 scale, growth neutral is 50. The survey says Iowa’s overall Business Conditions Index for August stayed below growth neutral, but rose to nearly 46 from just under 44 in July. Across the region’s agricultural sector, Goss says there’s concern as bumper crops will only push prices south, while lowering net farm income.