(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning, held a public hearing on a Redistricting Ordinance (28C), that’s been in the news for several weeks. Board member Jodie Hoadley explained why the Ordinance was needed…they didn’t have any other options.

There were no written or spoken objections. After the hearing closed, the Board voted to waive the second- and third- Readings of the Ordinance, and passed a Resolution to approve it. Board Chair Matt Wedemeyer…

Wedemeyer then signed the Ordinance, making it official. The Adair County Supervisors heard from Brenda Dudley, Director of the Stuart Area Chamber of Commerce, who requested approval for a temporary (1-to 2-hour) road closure on April 23rd, for the “Bonnie and Clyde 5-mile Run/Walk, 1 mile Fun/Run/Walk,” sponsored by The Stuart Revitalization Group. While this is technically the fourth-year for the event, it’s actually the second run, since the event wasn’t held the past two-years, due to the pandemic. The purpose, she said, is to get more people coming to Stuart. Dudley said the 5-mile race/walk will begin at a different location, in Dexter and make its way onto the White Pole Road into Stuart.

While the five-mile race/walk starts at the Dexter City Museum instead of the Round House, the one-mile race/walk will start in Stuart at the former First National Bank. You can find more information on the Stuart Revitalization Group Facebook page. Register for the event at www.getmeregistered.com or www.runnerstuff.com.

In other business, the Board, by a vote of three- to two, to spend $50,500 out of ARPA Funds for the Conservation Department. The funds will be used for a skid-steer loader. Any other attachments, such as a cutter or a gravel bucket, would have to come out of the Department’s Budget. County Engineer Nick Kauffman reported on the Lakeview Drive project agreement between the County and City of Greenfield. The project is estimated to cost $844,000, with the County’s portion amounting to $723,144.

He also discussed the Secondary Roads Dept. 5-year Construction Program, and the Adair-Cass County Line Agreement for the G-61 Paving Project, which the Adair County Board approved. Cass County approved their participation in the project, last week. And, the Board passed a Resolution for a Reinforced Concrete Box (RCB) Project for West20/ Jackson Road. The low bid was $439,211, which was higher than the engineer’s estimated of $406,828. Kauffan said the problem with estimates right now, is the ever changing price situation with demand, supply and shipping.

(Harlan, Iowa) – The Mayor of Harlan has announced he’s resigning to run for a seat on the Shelby County Board of Supervisors. Mayor Mike Kolbe‘s resignation is effective on March 31st.

While Iowa law allows one to serve simultaneously as Mayor and County Supervisor, Kolbe said he feels it’s appropriate to announce his intention to vacate the Mayor’s seat before he begins collecting signatures to run for another office.

In his resignation letter, Mayor Kolbe says public service has been part of his life since he arrived in Harlan 39-years ago, with his last eight years as a Councilman and Mayor. While the Harlan City Council will begin taking applications rather than hold a special election, the public can petition for a special election.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman has submitted his letter of resignation, with his last day being April 15, 2022. In his letter to Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve Baier, Sunderman said “I have enjoyed working for the County of Cass as its County Auditor, and I sincerely appreciate the support provided to me by my coworkers and the other citizens of our county during my 37 plus years as an elected official. I have learned a great deal over the years and have enjoyed the many challenges that kept our county progressing forward.

Dale Sunderman (Official Cass County photo)

“While I look forward to my retirement, I will miss being part of our team and serving the county. I trust that the friendships I have developed here will last well into the future. I will gladly assist, as I am able, before my retirement and afterward, as a consultant, to make the transition to my successor as smooth as possible.”

Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department report a man suffering from gunshot wounds to his legs managed to walk into Jennie Edmundson Hospital early this (Wednesday) morning. Police were dispatched to the hospital at around 1-a.m. today (Wednesday), where Nicholas Thomas told them he was walking in the area of N. 16th Street and Avenue G, when an unknown white male subject walked up to him and started an argument. When the unknown man pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Thomas, the men began to fight. During the altercation, Thomas was shot twice.

The suspect was described as being 5-feet 11-inches tall, medium build, with blond curly hair. He was wearing a red hat and a Carhart-style coat. The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the incident, is asked to contact the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division at 712-328-4728, or remain anonymous by calling Crimestoppers, at 712-328-7867.

(Radio Iowa) – The Davenport Community School District is thanking its two-thousand employees for their hard work during the pandemic. The Board of Education approved incentive pay totaling two-thousand dollars each for all but the top administrators. Jami Weinzierl, the district’s director of human resources and equity, explains the many motivations for the financial reward.

“Due to the lack of substitute teachers, the turnover, the inflation and competing with other organizations for talent because of the increase in wages,” Weinzierl says. “A lot of our staff has had to pick up extra duties and have been extremely flexible in working hard for us.”

The first installment of one-thousand dollars will be paid on March 25th for hourly employees, and April 1st for salaried workers. The second installment of 500-dollars will be paid in the fall, with another 500 next spring. It will cost the district about five-million dollars, with the money coming from the federal pandemic relief program ESSER, Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief Fund.

(Radio Iowa) – The owner of a Marshalltown towing and auto business showed his support on Tuesday for truck drivers who are protesting mask mandates in Canada. Lonnie Hogeland Senior, the owner of L. Hogeland Auto Plaza, held a display of solidarity with the Canadian truckers by parking tow trucks and other vehicles along the property lines of his business. Several trucks were lined up along the edge of Hogeland’s property line, which runs along east Main Street, with their engines running and lights flashing as a means of protesting the current mask mandate in Canada.

In January, a large group began protesting against mandates requiring truckers crossing the U.S./Canadian border to be fully vaccinated. The protest has been dubbed the “Freedom Convoy” by its supporters.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A motorcycle accident early this (Wednesday) morning in Council Bluffs, resulted in a death and a person with serious injuries. Council Bluffs Police report officers were dispatched at around 2:06-a.m. to the 48.9-mile marker of Interstate 29 northbound, for a report of a motorcycle that left the road and entered a ditch. Upon arrival Police found a man suffering from serious injuries, and a female who had died from her injuries.

The man was transported by Council Bluffs Fire Department personnel to Nebraska Medicine, for treatment. Names of the victims were being withheld, pending notification of family. The accident remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the accident, is asked to call the CB-PD’s Traffic Unit, at 712-328-4948. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call Crimestoppers at 712-328-7867.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says a local man reported Tuesday night, that sometime between January 15th and February 15th, someone broke into his storage locker, in Creston. The locker was located at Graphic Displays Self Storage (711 E Clark). A coin counter and loose change were taken. The loss was estimated at $50.

(Corning, Iowa) – Sheriff’s Deputies in Adams County, Tuesday, arrested a man from southeast Iowa’s Henry County. Authorities say 41-year old Steven Dennis Porter, of Hillsboro, was arrested on an Adams County warrant for Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree, Lascivious Acts with a Child, and Child Endangerment. Porter was being held without bond in the Adams County Jail.

A Red Oak woman was arrested Tuesday by Adams County Deputies, 43-year old Joleen Mary Most was taken into custody on an Adams County Warrant for Failure to Appear. Most was also being held without bond in the Adams County Jail.

(Updated 11:45-a.m.) (Radio Iowa/KJAN) – MidAmerican Energy is proposing a wind farm of around 90-140 wind turbines altogether in Mills and Pottawattamie Counties, as part of their effort to achieve a 100 percent renewable energy supply. But some residents in the path of the wind farm are concerned about how it will alter their community. Treynor farmer Corey Vorthmann says he believes the sound and light that wind turbines produce would be disruptive to residents. “It’s something that is really unthinkable for us to see that we would wake up every morning and not really be able to take in the beauty of mother nature, but have it polluted with 300-foot wind turbines,” according to Vorthmann.

Charity Duey lives in Silver City and says the uncertainty of how the wind turbines may impact everything from the quality of life to migratory birds concerns her. “Just looking at it as a whole and going is this a fit for our community? That’s where people are going ‘I don’t think this is going to work for us,’” Duey says.Almost 800 people have joined a FaceBook group dedicated to stopping the project.

MidAmerican Energy spokesperson Geoff Greenwood tells KJAN News the project is simply a proposal at this point. He points out “The estimated property tax benefits to the two counties would be around $187-million over the life of the project for both counties. And that’s property tax revenue that goes toward hospitals and schools and roads in those counties, and that’s a big benefit.” For now, they are in the process of gauging landowners’ interest. He they know from experience that there are land owners who request to have turbines on their property, especially with fluctuating commodity and grain prices. “This is a steady paycheck for them for the next several decades, over the duration of the project.”

Greenwood said there are approximately 3,300 wind turbines in the State. MidAmerican has 37 wind projects in 32 counties. Their proposed “Wind Prime” project – an almost $4-billion  dollar project – includes more wind and some Solar Energy. When complete, the project will add approximately 2,000 megawatts of power to the system. It’s not yet known how many additional turbines or projects will be included, but Greenwood says it may very well be up to nine such projects. The company hopes to complete the proposed project in 2024.

(Reporting by Kendall Crawford, Iowa Public Radio; Updated by KJAN News Director Ric Hanson)