The Griswold School Board, Monday evening, passed the district’s 2021-22 Budget, following a public hearing. Superintendent Dave Henrichs said there’s a lot of good news, including the fact the district was able to reduce the Income Surtax from 9-percent to one-percent.

The Property Tax asking was reduced, with the end result being a savings to taxpayers. The Griswold School Board also approved his recommendation on the Mask Mandate.

In other business, the Griswold School Board approved contracts for those still employed by the district, for the upcoming school year.

The Board also approved numerous resignations.

And they approved the following new hires:

In other action, the Griswold School Board approved the Senior FFA Trip to Branson once the school year ends, contract renewals for the various sharing agreements currently in-place, and the purchase of a stage curtain, the price tag for which came in just shy of $10,000, which was way under the cost estimate. The colors will remain the same, with the main curtain Royal Blue, along with a black backdrop.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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A man and woman from Creston were arrested on separate warrants, Monday. At around 9:25-a.m., 23-year old Amanda Blakely-Luddington was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Union County warrant for Driving While Barred. She was later released on a $2,000 bond. And, at around 1:05-p.m., 44-year old Joel Gross was arrested on two Union County warrants, including Failure to Appear on Possession of Prescription Drugs and Possession of Marijuana/1st offense, and, Failure to Appear on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree.

Gross was additionally charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $2,600 bond.

A call to Police from a woman in Creston with regard to someone being in garage, resulted in the arrest of a man on multiple charges. Officers responded at around 12:40-a.m. to the 300 block of N. Jarvis Street, and located 18-year old Chase Parascando, of Creston, who took off on foot. He was apprehended at around 12:47-a.m. in the 400 block of N. Spruce Street. Following an initial investigation, Parascando was charged with:

• Burglary from a Motor Vehicle in the 3rd Degree
• 2 Felony counts of Burglary from an unoccupied structure in the 3rd Degree
• Interference with Official Acts
• Theft in the 5th Degree
• Possession of Controlled Substances/1st offense, of: Prescription Narcotics; Marijuana; and Drug Paraphernalia,
• in addition to Felony charges of PCS with the intent to distribute, less than 5 grams of Methamphetamine, and Marijuana.

Parascando was being held in the Union County Jail while awaiting a bond hearing. The investigation is ongoing, with additional charges possible.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:07-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Two people were arrested following a pursuit early this (Tuesday) morning, into Pottawattamie County. The Council Bluffs Police Department reports at around 1-a.m., Omaha Police advised they were pursuing a vehicle on I-480 into Council Bluffs. The vehicle had been stolen at gun point. Bluffs Police Officers responded to offer assistance. Authorities say Omaha Police had deployed a tire deflation device before coming into Council Bluffs, disabling some of the vehicles tires.

A Council Bluffs officer was also able to deploy a tire deflation device shortly before the pursuit ended at S. 19th St. and 8th Ave. The occupants were then detained without further incident. The driver, Christopher Petri, was arrested for Theft 1st and Felony Eluding. A rear seat passenger, Shaqula Rock, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Director Bryant Rasmussen, Monday, reported to the Parks and Rec Board, that after talking with Atlantic YMCA Aquatic Program Director Chelsie Huddleson, it was decided to eliminate the membership aspect of Sunnyside pool, due to issues with people sharing memberships and other such issues. Those problems he said resulted in a loss of revenue. Instead, there will simply be a straight, reduced daily fee for now, to see how that works out.

They are also working on using the City’s seamless doc program that would enable users of the pool to pay for admission and concessions with a card instead of just cash and change.

Rasmussen said they are going to move forward with as many summer programs as possible, taking into account safety protocols. He reported also, the Parks and Rec Department will host its 2nd nnual Easter Egg Cruise, in partnership with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

The event takes place Saturday, April 3^rd. Details are forthcoming.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:20 a.m. CDT

DOW CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Crawford County woman has pleaded not guilty in the shooting death last month of her boyfriend. The Sioux City Journal reports that 44-year-old Beth Guzman, of Dow City, pleaded not guilty Friday to a count of first-degree murder in the shooting death of 46-year-old Jeremy Frank. Crawford County Sheriff’s deputies say they found Frank unresponsive and bleeding after being called Feb. 21 to the home he and Guzman shared. Frank was taken to a hospital in Denison, where he was pronounced dead from a single gunshot wound. Prosecutors say Guzman told investigators she and Frank had argued and that she shot Frank in a bedroom as he tried to leave.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped to 3.5% in January as more residents joined the workforce. The state’s Workforce Development department reported Monday the rate was down from a revised 3.7% rate for December and compared to a 2.8% rate a year ago, before the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a severe economic slowdown. Workforce Development says the state added 8,200 workers in January. There were 57,400 unemployed residents. Iowa was tied with Kansas for the nation’s sixth-lowest unemployment rate. South Dakota and Utah had the lowest rate, at 3.1%. The national unemployment rate for January was 6.3%.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Heavy snow blanketed much of northern Iowa, Monday, snarling traffic and closing schools and services, as a late winter storm moved through the region. Online reports issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation show snow and ice covering roads in north-central Iowa and partially covering roads for much of the rest of the northern half of the state. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for three dozen counties in Iowa’s northern half and a winter weather advisory for several more counties in the region. The weather service expects some areas to see up to 8 inches of snow by Monday afternoon.

MAXWELL, Iowa (AP) — Sudden meat shortages last year because of the coronavirus led to millions of dollars in federal grants to help small meat processors expand. The goal was to help the nation lessen its reliance on giant slaughterhouses to supply grocery stores and restaurants. However, the money flowing to small slaughterhouses shows no sign of solving the meat problem. There’s little doubt the grants will help small processors and in turn provide sorely needed rural jobs, but the economics of meat now centers on larger, highly efficient slaughterhouses, not smaller plants whose numbers have been decreasing sharply.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says the economic stimulus package will be a campaign issue for Republicans in 2022 even though it means many people are getting checks. Ernst says there are many people who think the relief should have been more targeted.  “They come to me. I heard even over the weekend when I was out doing county tours folks saying ‘you know I really don’t need this 14-hundred dollars payment, what do I do with it?,” Ernst says. “So you do have people who have been working and they don’t understand, why I’m getting a payment.”

Ernst says the euphoria of getting the checks will eventually wear off when people realize the long-term cost. “At some point in the future, very near future, we do expect that the Democrats to pay for all of this will end up raising taxes — and that will be extremely unpopular — for all the goodies that were handed out in this package,” according to Ernst. She says she’s also heard from government leaders who don’t like the bailouts in the bill for poorly run states and cities.

“That have said, hey we had to tighten belts during COVID, we did the right thing, we balanced our city’s budget, and now our taxpayers’ dollars are going to go to the city of Chicago or the state of Illinois,” Ernst says. Ernst says the enthusiasm seen as the payments start arriving this week will subside when people realize the real cost of the bill. “When all of that other stuff comes to light — that’s when it becomes extremely unpopular. And we have seen this in previous administrations too, if you go back to times when previous economic stimulus plans were used,” Ernst says.

The relief bill was pushed through by Democrats without any votes from Republicans. Ernst made her comments in a call with Iowa reporters.