(Greenfield) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning, passed a Resolution for a Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Amendment. There were no comments from the public during a hearing held prior to passage. Supervisor Board Chair Steve Shelley – with help from Auditor Mandy Berg – went through the list of appropriations where budget increases or adjustments were found:

The Board also accepted “With great regret,” the resignation effective June 4th, of Jennifer Erbes, who serves as one of three Clerks in the Adair County Treasurer’s Office. County Treasurer Brenda Wallace said Jen submitted her two-week notice on May 21st. On a related note, the Board approved advertising for a person to fill the open post.

In other business, Adair County Supervisors Board Chair Steve Shelley read a letter from Stuart area resident Curt Beane, with regard to the County’s Solar Farm Ordinance. Shelley said Beane had asked for clarification on enforcing the Ordinance going forward, with regard to an existing Memorandum pertaining to leases and easements in the Lincoln Township that were signed prior to passage of the Ordinance on May 5th.

The Board members said they had not seen anything with that regard, nor had Supervisor Twombly. Since the Ordinance is in the hands of the County Attorney Melissa Larson, the Board of Supervisor’s too no action, other than acknowledging receipt of the letter.

Atlantic High School Principal Heather McKay has released the list of award recipients from the recently graduated Class of 2021:

ACADEMIC LETTER recipients: First Row – Left to Right: Alexya Kern, Lia Lillard, Devin McKay, Brianna Wilson, Maycie Waters, Lex Somers, Dazia Sorensen, Grace Barkley, Kennedy Goergen, Reagan Watson, Olivia Engler, Haley Rasmussen, Mia Trotter, Sydney Sanny, Bryer Rose, Da’Jai Wesson, Alicia Pastrana
2nd Row – Jenna Pelzer, Beverly Dodson, Molly McFadden, Ariel Clark, Anna Wieser, Mallory Ericksen,Taylor McCreedy, Rivea Keen, Keagan Garcia, Genevieve Martinez, Dannan Mathisen, Rensia Narios, Jasmyne Oasay-Waddell, Shayla Luke, Grant Sturm, Joe Weaver, Drey Newell, Caroline Pellett
3rd Row – Bethany Anderson, Gwen Irlmeier, Hannah Carlson, Alyssa Derby, Cody Knoell, Keaton Juhl, Craig Alan Becker, Skylar Handlos, Garrett Reynolds, Tessa Grooms, Gunner Kirchhoff, Brendan Lillard, Joseph Sonntag, Nathaniel McLean, Madison Botos, Lauren Nicholas, Makynzie Steffens. Not pictured:  Dylan Bartlett, Colin Mullenix, Isabellah Peterson, Colten Tasto

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY: 1st row; Anna Wieser, Jenna Pelzer, Genevieve Martinez, Reagan Watson, Grace Barkley, Kennedy Goergen, Bryer Rose, Mia Trotter, Sydney Sanny, Haley Rasmussen, Dannan Mathisen
2nd row: Da’Jai Wesson, Brianna Wilson, Makynzie Steffens, Molly McFadden, Olivia Engler, Lauren Nicholas, Madison Botos, Caroline Pellett, Maycie Waters, Hannah Carlson
3rd row: Grant Sturm, Taylor McCreedy, Devin McKay, Craig Alan Becker, Alexander Somers, Garrett Reynolds, Nathaniel McLean, Alyssa Derby, Gunner Kirchhoff, Joe Weaver and Shayla Luke

4-YEAR STUDENT COUNCIL: 4-year Student Council: Craig Alan Becker and Anna Wieser
Class Officers: Mallory Ericksen, Genevieve Martinez, Alexander Somers and Sydney Sanny
Military: Joseph Sonntag and Devlyne Sunderman

FFA: 1st row: Drey Newell, Bethany Anderson, Caroline Pellett, Hannah Carlson, Taylor McCreedy
2nd row: Noah Vandevanter, Craig Alan Becker, Garrett Reynolds, Alyssa Derby, Gunner Kirchhoff and Cuyler Flood-Wachsmuth

NSDA:
1st row: Molly McFadden, Genevieve Martinez, Reagan Watson
2nd row: Olivia Engler and Lane Muell

THESPIAN: Thespians
1st row: Molly McFadden, Genevieve Martinez, Reagan Watson
2nd row: Olivia Engler, Henry McCalla and Lane Muell

QUILL & SCROLL: Quill and Scroll
1st row: Molly McFadden, Caroline Pellett, Kennedy Goergen, Haley Rasmussen
2nd row: Ariel Clark, Da’Jai Wesson, Mackynzie Steffens, Grace Barkley and Shayla Luke

(Radio Iowa)  A small group of space scientists from the University of Iowa is in coastal Virginia to witness the launch of a rocket with instruments onboard they designed and built. Earlville native Andrew Carton graduated from the U-I in May of 2020 with a degree in electrical and computer engineering. Carton now works with the U-I Space Physics program and helped develop elements inside VIPER, which is scheduled for launch late tonight (Wednesday). “VIPER is going to be testing a Navy broadcast signal for submarines,” Carton says. “Our job is to see if we can pick up their signal on our instruments and hopefully that will give the Navy some feedback as to whether their satellite is going to work across the globe.”

A Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket lifts-off from its launchpad. Image: NASA Wallops

Other instruments onboard will measure electromagnetic fields from radio waves traveling in the ionosphere, in hopes of better understanding the basic physics that occur in the envelope between Earth and space. The sounding rocket will be launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and Carton says he’s thrilled to have been picked to see it blast off up close. “Most of my work during VIPER was testing the final flight board so I was really excited to get the opportunity,” Carton says. “For this to be my first rocket launch and get to go see it in person, especially after everybody has been locked up and no travel over the last two years, it’s a really great excuse to get out of Iowa City.”

The two-stage Terrier-Improved Malemute rocket will carry the VIPER payload to an altitude of about 94 miles before it falls and splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean. “I think the cool thing is, it’s not as big and as grand as a space shuttle or a Saturn V or whatnot, but they do leave much quicker,” Carton says. “They say don’t blink with a sounding rocket because you’ll miss the whole thing. It just goes, so I’m really excited to see that and hopefully not miss it.”

The launch window is between 9:15 P-M and midnight/Eastern, so it should be a spectacular show, momentarily lighting up the nighttime sky.

(Radio Iowa) – The holiday weekend ahead is projected to be one of the busiest for Iowa’s highways in many months. Meredith Mitts, spokeswoman for Triple-A Iowa, says they’re predicting more than 37-million people nationwide will be traveling over the three-day Memorial Day weekend. Mitts says, “That’s still 14-percent below pre-pandemic levels but a significant step in the right direction toward traveling.”

There’s “pent-up demand” for travel this weekend, as Mitts says there’s growing confidence with more people getting vaccinated against COVID-19. “Most of the people who are planning on hitting the road for Memorial Day are hitting the road,” Mitts says. “They are going to be taking road trips and we are expecting about 34-million Americans, which is a 52-percent increase over 2020.”

That expected 34-million travelers figure compares to the 23-million who were vacationing last Memorial Day weekend. The motor club is also projecting nearly two-and-a-half million Americans will be boarding planes this weekend. That’s nearly six times more than last year.

Atlantic, IA – Cass County Board of Health Chairman, was recognized on Monday, May 24, 2021 for 51 years of service on the Cass County Board of Health. CCPH Director Beth Olsen says “Serving on a local board of health is an honorable and noteworthy task, and to do that for 51 years is astonishing. We can’t thank Dr. Wessels enough for his dedication to the health of Cass County residents and the support of Cass County Public Health. Olsen said also, “We were unable to safely celebrate Dr. Wessels in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are especially thankful for today, that we now get to celebrate 51 years.”

Dr. Gerald Wessels, DVM

Local boards of health are responsible for public health in their jurisdiction. They support the local public health vision, mission, and encourage community involvement in setting public health priorities. The Cass County Board of Health consists of five members: Dr. Gerald Wessels, Betty Johnston, Gary Dinkla, Mary Strong, and Cass County Board of Supervisors Representative Mark O’Brien.

(8a.m. Newscast)