Police in Red Oak say a woman wanted for Violation of Probation fled from officers late Tuesday morning, but was located hiding under a car, in the snow. Authorities say 30-year old Kirstin Lynn Wilwerding, of Omaha, was apprehended and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where her bond was set at $2,000.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors are set to meet 9-a.m. Wednesday, in Greenfield. Their session will be conducted electronically, via dial-in [to (605)-313-6157, access code 526272#)]. On their agenda is:

• a Semi-annual report from County Treasurer Brenda Wallace
• An insurance and employee benefits presentation from Brian Nelson w/Globe Life.
• Titan Immel w/AgHub Midwest will discuss the construction of an Ammonia Facility
• and, County Engineer Nick Kauffman will discuss the Adair County Secondary Roads Construction Program, and present part of a contract for the Board to sign with regard to N9 Prussia RCB (Concrete Box) Culvert Plans.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Wisconsin man who pleaded guilty last year in Iowa to one count of sexual exploitation of a child has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. Federal prosecutors for Iowa say 20-year-old Caleb Durr, of Hazel Green, Wisconsin, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. There is no parole in the federal system. Prosecutors say Durr used a cellphone in 2019 to make sexually explicit images of an 8-year-old girl in Dubuque.

Durr was also accused of having sexual contact with another girl under 10. Durr had originally faced four felony charges of second-degree sexual abuse of a child before he entered his guilty plea in August.

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s nomination of Tom Vilsack to lead the Agriculture Department is getting a chilly reaction from many Black farmers who contend he didn’t do enough to help them the last time he had the job. The former Iowa governor served eight years as agriculture secretary under President Barack Obama. Vilsack is trying to assure minority farming groups and the senators who will vote on his confirmation that he will work to “root out generations of systemic racism” in the agency.

In this Dec. 11, 2020, file photo former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who the Biden administration chose to reprise that role, speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del. Joe Biden’s nomination of Vilsack to lead the Agriculture Department is getting a chilly reaction from many Black farmers who contend he didn’t do enough to help them the last time he had the job. The former Iowa governor served eight years as agriculture secretary under President Barack Obama.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

But many Black farmers fault him for failing to address a backlog of discrimination complaints in the department and for firing a Black woman for remarks that he later learned were taken out of context.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, approved a Resolution that establishes property tax exemptions priorities for natural conservation or wildlife areas. Their action followed a public hearing, during which there were no written or oral comments. Board Chair Steve Baier explained how many acres can be exempt under the Resolution.

Persons interested in taking advantage of the exemption must first apply for the privilege.

Auditor Dale Sunderman said the County is well below the 3,000 acre limit for Natural Conservation Service/Wildlife Property Tax exemptions.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports two recent accidents. On Monday, vehicles driven by 45-year old Andrew T. Baker, and 29-year old Cody Tyler Matthewson, both of Guthrie Center, collided at around 5:15-p.m. at the intersection of North and 6th Streets in Guthrie Center. When Baker failed to yield the right of way, his 2005 Cadillac Deville struck in the left rear, a 2020 Chevy Silverado pickup, driven by Matthewson. No injuries were reported, and no citations were issued, although authorities noted Baker was driving too fast for the snowy road conditions. Damage amounted to $3,000 altogether.

Just before 8-a.m. Tuesday, a 2013 Chevy Equinox driven by 15-year old Hauper P. Bireline-Huss, of Adair, was traveling east on 310th Street in Guthrie County, when the SUV went out of control on the snow-covered road. The vehicle entered the south ditch and rolled onto the driver’s side. Bireline-Huss, who was wearing her seat belt, was extricated from the vehicle by non-mechanical means. She complained of pain and possible injury, but was not transported to the hospital. The SUV sustained $4,000 damage.

The CAM School District’s Board of Education met during a regular session Monday evening. Superintendent Paul Croghan said the Board received an opening proposal from the CAM Education Association (CAMEA), and reciprocated with the District’s proposal, with regard to contract negotiations. It’s essentially the starting point for negotiations, and a way of saying the two sides will work together.

The Board also reviewed the process for updating the School Calendar for the upcoming school year, before it is presented to the staff for input, and a public hearing prior to April 15th. The same applies to the FY 21/22 Budget. Croghan said the Board also discussed the makeup of the facilities committee.

He reminds District patrons to cast their vote during the March 2nd Special Election to adopt a Revenue Purpose Statement specifying the use of revenues the CAM Community School District will receive from the State of Iowa Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) Fund. The vote does not impact your property taxes.

Voters in all 99 counties approved this sales tax to upgrade school facilities without increasing property taxes. The SILO was originally intended to last ten years. In 2008, the Legislature changed the SILO local option into a state penny sales tax to benefit the students in all school districts. In the 2019 Session, the Legislature further extended the state penny. The state will continue to collect the penny on retail purchases through December 31, 2050 and will continue to send the proceeds to all Iowa school districts. As part of this change, the state now requires school districts to determine how they plan to spend the sales tax money for the tax extension and communicate those intentions to their patrons.

For additional information on the change in law and the revenue purpose statement process, visit the district’s web site at camcougars.org or contact Paul Croghan, Superintendent, 712-762-3238 or pcroghan@cam.k12.ia.us.

Atlantic, IA — Officials with Cass County Public Health said Tuesday (today), according to the latest data available at coronavirus.iowa.gov, at least 1,504 residents of Cass County have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine so far. Of those, at least 519 have received both doses. Cass County Public Health Director Beth Olsen said “As a county, we’re making progress with more than 1,500 residents having at least one dose so far. That’s great news, but it’s still disappointing that everyone who is eligible to receive a vaccine can’t readily get it. We have almost 3,000 eligible people in Phase 1 B waiting, and not nearly enough vaccine yet for everyone.”

Olsen acknowledged “This is frustrating for the public – it’s frustrating for us, too. If I had 3,000 vaccines today – I am sure that I could have them used up within the week. Unfortunately, we are only getting a small amount at a time. The good news is that we found out on Friday that we should expect to receive up to 300 doses each week for the duration of February.” Many residents have signed up online or called in to be added to the 1B list, and many may be wondering why they have yet to receive a call for an appointment.

According to Olsen, “We’re doing our best to vaccinate all of the eligible populations, and we’re relying on guidance from the state about how to allocate the doses that we have. We ask for everyone to be patient as we move through this process together. Please know if you have signed up already there is nothing more you need to do, and we will call and set up an appointment when we have sufficient vaccine available.”

If you are eligible for Phase 1A or Tier 1 of Phase 1B, and you have not yet signed up, take the survey at casshealth.org/covidvaccine or call (712) 243-3250 and press 7. Due to the staffing demands of the vaccination effort, Cass County Public Health turned over contact tracing to the Iowa Department of Public Health on February 3, 2021. Olsen says “This was not a decision that we took lightly. There are four of us who have been conducting contact tracing seven days a week for nearly 10 months now. With our vaccine effort just starting to really ramp up, we have to prioritize our local staff resources to administer the vaccines.”

IDPH conducts contact tracing for more than two-thirds of Iowa’s counties. The state’s contact tracing efforts operate differently than when it was under local control; notably, the state will not contact schools or employers about positive cases. “This puts some of the responsibility back to our residents, local schools, and employers in terms of managing exposures, quarantines, and return dates. Again, we each have a role to play in minimizing the spread of this disease, and we thank everyone for being cooperative and doing what’s needed to keep our community healthy,” said Olsen.

Until vaccine is widely available to all, it is crucial that Iowans continue to practice the mitigation measures that can slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
• Wearing a mask or face covering
• Practice social distancing with those outside your household
• Clean your hands frequently with soap and water
• Stay home if you feel sick
More information about coronavirus in Iowa can be found at coronavirus.iowa.gov.

The Iowa Department of Public Health, Tuesday, reported 713 new cases of the COVID-19 virus since the previous 24-hour cycle, for a pandemic total of 325,379 positive cases. There were also 35 additional deaths reported since 10-a.m. Monday, for a total of 5,145. In our area, there were two more deaths in Madison County, and one each in Pottawattamie and Union Counties.

Statewide, 4,650 COVID deaths are attributed to underlying causes, COVID is a contributing factor in 495 deaths, and deaths at Long-Term Care (LTC) Centers account for 2,098 of the total deaths statewide.

Long-Term Care facility outbreaks are down, from 43 on Monday to 35 Tuesday. LTC patients testing positive amount to 941, with 599 having recovered from the virus. COVID-19 hospitalization data show 327 are hospitalized (compared to 318 previously), 67 patients are in an ICU, 40 were admitted, and 29 patients are on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa), 16 are hospitalized with COVID symptoms, nine are in an ICU, two people were admitted since Monday, and three people remain on a ventilator.

Iowa’s statewide positivity rate is down slightly. The 14-day positivity rate is 8.5% compared to 8.8% on Monday. The 7-day average is down from 6.6% Monday to 6.2% Tuesday.   A total of 296,440 Iowans have recovered from the virus.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

• Cass, 1,210 cases; {+3}; 46 deaths
• Adair, 721; {+0}; 25
• Adams, 313; {+0}; 3
• Audubon, 446 {+1}; 9
• Guthrie, 1,065 {+0}; 27
• Harrison County, 1,636; {+0}; 67
• Madison County, 1,346; {+9}; 15
• Mills County, 1,431; {+2}; 20
• Montgomery, 944; {+6}; 34
• Pottawattamie County, 9,485; {+20}; 136
• Shelby County, 1,116; {+4}; 32
• Union County,  1,157; {+0}; 31

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa public health officials have selected Microsoft to develop an online vaccine scheduling system as they seek to improve the state’s low national rankings for the rate of doses administered. The Iowa Department of Public Health on Monday posted notice online that it intends to award an emergency contract to the well-known software company. The agency told bidders that it would award a separate contract to run a vaccine call center later this week.

The selection of Microsoft came after the agency last week gave potential bidders one day to respond to an emergency request for proposals seeking work.