The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports just two arrests took place over the past week. At around 2:35-a.m. on Oct. 25th, 37-year old Amanda Jolene McCallon, of Winterset, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, after the pickup she was driving on eastbound Highway 92, was observed weaving back and forth on the road, and nearly went off the road at one point. When a Deputy questioned McCallon, she said she was driving her intoxicated passenger home. McCallon was administered a Field Sobriety Test and Breath Alcohol Content (BAC) test, both of which she failed. She was brought to the Adair County Jail and released a few hours later with a citation.

And, at around 8:25-p.m. on Oct. 27th, 34-year old David Spencer Reeves, of Earlham, was arrested on two Adair County warrants for Harassment in the 1st Degree. Reeves was released the following day after posting bond.

(Radio Iowa) – More than 90 percent of eligible Iowans are registered to vote — and the Secretary of State reports there are a record number of nearly two-point-one MILLION active voters in the state. The monthly report from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office shows there are about 20-thousand more registered Republican voters in Iowa compared to Democrats. A third block of no party or independent voters account for most of the rest.

Sorted out by congressional districts, Republicans have a huge advantage in the fourth district, where registered Republican voters outnumber Democrats by nearly 80-thousand, while Democrats have more registered voters than Democrats in each of the other three congressional districts.

In the third, there are about 10-thousand more registered Democrats than Republicans. And, in BOTH the second and first congressional districts, Democrats hold a roughly 24-thousand voter registration edge over Republicans.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The overall economic index of a monthly survey of Midwest business leaders hit a 16-year high for October, but the manufacturing sector of the economy remains stunted from the coronavirus outbreak. The overall measure of the Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index improved to 70.2 in October from September’s already strong 65.1. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey and says that even with the high index level, manufacturing output remains below levels seen before the pandemic. The monthly survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

The Nishna Valley Family YMCA Staff and Board of Directors will be hosting a “Community Discussion” on the future of “recreation and quality of life” in Atlantic and the surrounding area. Dan Haynes, Executive Director of the Nishna Valley YMCA says this opportunity for a community discussion will be Tuesday, November 17th at 6:30pm at the Cass County Community Building. All interested individuals, families, organizations and businesses are encouraged to attend and give input and feedback on this subject.

In the past year or two there has been considerable talk about future recreation; outdoor pool and splash pad concepts; senior center issues; community attractions for teens and family fun; and other quality of life issues. These topics are just part of the economic growth, vitality, and quality of life of our communities. The YMCA would like to revisit and focus discussions into a plan of action to move forward. The YMCA Board, city officials, and the park and recreation department will use input and information collected to direct future planning and actions.

All those interested in giving input are invited to attend. We will be using the entire community center but we do ask that you RSVP so that we are able to set the room up to allow for social distancing and the safety of all attending. Temperatures will be taken at the door. Masks as you enter and exit are highly encouraged and will be available at the door. Hand sanitizer will be widely available. Please RSVP to Dan Haynes at 712-243-3934 or email to dhaynes@nishnavalleyymca.com. Questions or comments ahead of time can also be emailed or called in.

Haynes says “We appreciate your time and attention to improving the quality of life for Atlantic and the Nishna Valley Area.”

(Radio Iowa) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting meetings this (Monday) afternoon and evening to discuss managing the Missouri River and the federal reservoirs that feed into it. John Remus, chief of the Missouri River Water Management Division, says 2020 has been an unusual year. “We began the year with wetter than average conditions in the basin,” Remus says. “However, as many of you know, the basin dried up and dried up quickly.”

The Corps has shifted from evacuating excess flood water from 2019 to managing the system to meet what Remus calls “flow targets” for the river. Each second, about 30-thousand cubic feet of water is being released from the Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota, today. Remus says that volume will drop in early December when the navigation season ends on the Missouri River. He expects lower flows out of that dam through the winter because the area to the north is in drought. “That is what the system is designed to do,” Remus says.

The first public meeting about the Corps’ Missouri River management is at 1:30 p.m. today (Monday) and the other starts at 6 p.m. Both are virtual or online meetings and questions may be submitted in advance.

The General Election is almost here. The polls open will be open Tuesday, from 7-a.m. until 9-p.m. Here in Cass County, the local races to watch include:

• Board of Supervisors/District 5, where Republican Bernard Pettinger and Democrat Russell Joyce are vying for a seat currently held by Frank Waters. Waters announced earlier this year that he would not be running for re-election.
• The Ag Extension Council: There are five candidates running for four non-partisan seats, including incumbents Darrin Petty; Marcy Jo Dorsey and Jody Steffen, along with challengers Curt Rush and Alice C. Williams.
• There are two candidates for Edna Township Trustee: Dan Schrier and Keith Nelson.

In Adair County, Democrat Thaddeus Hawley and Republican Incumbent John A. Twombly are running for the Board of Supervisors in District 5. In Adams County, Democrat Incumbent Merlin R. Dixson and Republican Tony Hardisty are both in the running for County Supervisor/District 2. Audubon County voters get to choose two out of three candidates for the Board of Supervisors, including Incumbent Republicans Todd M. Nelson and Rick Thompson, and no party candidate Doug Sorensen.

In Guthrie County, there are two races set to be played-out: Auditor and Supervisor/District 5. Democrat Eric Tiernan faces a challenge from Republican incumbent Mike Dickson for the Board of Supervisors in District 5. In the Auditor’s race, Dani Fink, who was appointed by the Supervisors in May following the resignation of Marci McClellan, is being challenged by Democrat Hans Erickson. Fink had served as Deputy Auditor for three-years, prior to her appointment.

There’s a four-way race for two seats on the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors, with Democrats Lisa Lima and Frances Parr in the running, along with Republicans Brian Shea and Incumbent Tim Wichman. In Montgomery County, four candidates, including two incumbents, are running for three seats on the Montgomery County Hospital Board of Trustees. The candidates include incumbents Lorin Petersen and Sarah Wearin Smith, along with challengers James Norris and Ann Carter.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa District office of the U-S Small Business Administration is wrapping up its busiest-ever fiscal year of providing traditional and emergency loans to thousands of Iowa businesses. The S-B-A’s state director Jayne Armstrong says in a typical year, they process around 400 loans. This past year, with the pandemic that caused widespread economic turmoil, the figure exceeded 79-thousand loans. The agency offers two “traditional” loan programs. “We increased over last year, not only the number of loans but also dramatically on the dollar volume,” Armstrong says, “to start-ups and to existing businesses.”

The value of those traditional loans jumped from around 168-million dollars last fiscal year to a total of 233-million this fiscal year. The district, with offices in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, also approved more than 17,000 loans through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program and another 61,000 through the Paycheck Protection Program. “On the PPP side, of course, that helps to keep the employees employed and on the payroll during the closures,” Armstrong says. “A lot of small businesses aren’t out of the woods yet. It’s critical that we get this next round of the stimulus package, whenever that comes.”

Calling 2020 an “unprecedented” year for the agency, Armstrong says the loan volume demonstrates the S-B-A’s commitment to Iowa’s small business community. “The unsung hero of the CARES Act was the SBA Debt Relief Initiative which SBA was making six months of payments on existing SBA loans and for all new SBA loans,” Armstrong says. “That really made a difference for a lot of small businesses to keep them afloat with helping them with the cashflow.”

More than 95-percent of Iowa’s businesses are considered small businesses, so the shut-downs due to COVID-19 were especially hard on multiple industries. Armstrong says a few key federal programs helped to keep many thousands of Iowa merchants in business during the exceptionally challenging times.