(Updated 1/1/21) –

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Thursday, met with Curt Holste and Corey Kirchhoff, representing the Secondary Roads Employees Bargaining Unit group, to discuss an apparent breach of\ the current employee agreement. Board Chair/Supervisor Steve Baier told KJAN News, the issue began when one of the Secondary Roads Department’s Shop Foreman developed medical issues that are in the process of being taken care of. In the meantime, he is unable to perform his duties.

Since the Foreman became ill in mid-October, Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken proposed having the person who fills the position become the Interim Foreman, and be paid accordingly.

So, if a laborer works at a yardman’s position for at least eight-hours, the pay would be bumped to yardman’s wages, but, because of the classification as written, in the past, there was no extra pay to perform the duties of foreman.

The Board agreed to his proposal, and a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) was drawn-up confirming their approval. The MOU is set to expire at the end of the current Fiscal Year (June 30, 2021). The bargaining group, Baier said, questioned why the change was being included now, when it hasn’t been before. The discussion, Thursday, he said, included whether or not the matter would at least be considered for part of the permanent contract, in the future, going forward.

The Board and the Bargaining Unit Representatives set a date in the first full week of this month (January, 2021) to meet and begin work on a fiscal year 2022 bargaining agreement.

Baier says it is an unusual situation, for sure, but one that will be worked out.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congressman Steve King says he plans to stay active in the country’s political debates once his ninth term in the U.S. House ends at noon on Sunday — and the 71-year-old is not ruling out another run for public office.

King served six years in the Iowa legislature before winning his first race for the U.S. House in 2002. He narrowly won re-election in 2018, then was defeated by fellow Republican Randy Feenstra in the G-O-P Primary this past June. Feenstra will take King’s seat in congress on Sunday.

King periodically gained national attention with controversial comments. Nearly two years ago the Republican leader in the U.S. House removed King from committees after King’s remarks about white supremacy. King says you “never say never” and he’s not ruling out running for some other office OR endorsing a presidential candidate before the 2024 Iowa Caucuses.

King has written a book titled “Walking Through the Fire” and he announced this fall that it would be released in November.

Once the book is published, King plans to embark on a publicity tour. King was not in Washington this past Monday when the U.S. House voted to override the president’s veto and to endorse sending two-thousand dollar federal stimulus payments to most every American. King says he had a cold and it did not seem wise to fly.

King, in one of his final acts in the U.S. House, filed a 20-page ethics complaint against House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy — a final protest of McCarthy’s decision to strip King of his committee assignments. King says a search of House records by congressional staff suggests every other member of the U.S. House who’s been tossed off committees either switched parties, was under some sort of investigation or had been convicted of a crime.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials say the number of initial unemployment claims increased slightly last week. Iowa Workforce Development said Thursday that 7,644 Iowans filed initial unemployment claims in the week ending Saturday. That’s an increase of 373 from the previous week. A total of 38,296 continuing weekly unemployment claims were recorded last week, an increase of 804 from the prior week.

Unemployment claims are generally higher between November through February because of seasonal layoffs in construction, agriculture, landscaping and manufacturing. The agency said 70.6% of claimants who filed last week indicated their claims were not COVID-19 related, an increase from 68.9% the previous week.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court is severely limiting the financial damages that can be awarded for injuries and deaths caused by state police officers who are found to have used excessive force. The court ruled 6-1 that punitive damages, which are intended to punish and deter future misconduct, are not available in lawsuits alleging state officers used excessive force in violation of constitutional rights.

Instead, the court says lawsuits brought by injured individuals and the families of those killed by police are subject to limits in the Iowa Tort Claims Act. Justice Edward Mansfield says compensatory damages are still available and offer “an adequate remedy.”

A man from Glenwood was cited Wednesday, following an accident. The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says 32-year-old Lucas North was driving a 2009 Kia northbound on Levi Road near Highway 34 at around 4 p.m.  As the vehicle was going down a hill, it went out of control, entered the west ditch and rolled multiple times. North was transported by Glenwood Rescue to Methodist/Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, for treatment of unknown injuries. North was subsequently cited for Failure to Maintain Control. Authorities said he was driving too fast for the weather/road conditions.

Sheriff’s officials said also, 24-year old Devin Brandon Jackson, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Wednesday, on a warrant for two counts of Failure to Appear. His bond was set at $100,000. And, 24-year old Jacob Lee Mattox, of Shenandoah, was arrested, also at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who worry about their online security are likely familiar with what’s known as “two-factor authentication.” Information technology security expert Jesse La Grew explains that in many cases, to log onto one account, you’ll have to enter a six-digit number that’s texted to your cell phone. “Even if someone guesses your password, they can’t get in without that multi-factor authentication, they can’t get in without having access to your smartphone.”

Two-factor authentication may also involve a numerical code being sent to your email account. Websites were security is vital, like bank accounts, allow users to activate this extra layer of protection. La Grew recommends you do so, even if it means you need to allot an extra 30 seconds to log in. He says enabling those pop-ups on your phone or in text messages is one of the best ways to keep your accounts safe. “If you receive a pop-up prompt that says ‘Hey, would you like to allow access?’ and if you know you didn’t access your account at the time you received that prompt, that’s a really good indicator somebody guessed your password,” he says.

There are several options available, La Grew says, and you should see what’s compatible with your important websites. “It could be the Google Authenticator or it could be another application that’s built-in,” La Grew says. “This is very common with banking websites, very common with email and social media.” The system can also send you a message each time there’s a log-in attempt from a location that’s not your typical spot, say from home or work.