Shelby Van Horn, Cass County Youth Coordinator, reports “Cass County 4-H Clubs would like to invite the public to attend their annual 4-H Mardi Gras carnival on Sunday, March 8.” Mardi Gras includes fun, food, & carnival-type games for kids of all ages. The event is scheduled from 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic. We are so excited to offer many activities for families.” Activities this year include: Family Mardi Gras Photo Booth, Ring Toss, Dessert Walk, the ever popular Youth Council Mardi Gras Jail, boot toss and much more! Several clubs will also be selling snacks for attendees to enjoy, including a Walking Taco Stand and pop floats to go.

The Youth Action Committee and Youth Council are sponsoring this county-wide event and would like to invite all Cass County families to come out and join the fun. It is intended to be a low cost, family-friendly event for everyone in the county. “You don’t have to be in 4-H to attend,” shared Van Horn, “all are welcome!” Admission is free and game tickets cost $.10 each. Each 4-H club determines how many tickets to charge to play their game.

All proceeds from the event benefit the 4-H clubs, Youth Council, and the Cass County 4-H Program.

The Cass County 4-H Endowment committee is hosting the annual 4-H Endowment Pancake Supper on Thursday, March 5 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic. The Pancake Man will be dishing up fresh pancakes while 4-H members serve juice, coffee and more. Supporters can enjoy all you can eat pancakes for $6. Proceeds from the 4-H Pancake Supper directly benefit Cass County. The money raised goes to the Cass County 4-H Endowment, a fund to defray the 4-H Program Development Fee, support scholarships, and start up dollars for youth programs including Clover Kids and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

The 4-H Program Development Fee is $30 per youth each year to enroll. Instead of having individual 4-H’ers and families take on that expense, the Cass County Extension Council, and the 4-H Endowment Committee pick up this expense. The Cass County 4-H Endowment also offers opportunities for youth to get involved in the 4-H program by attending camps and conferences and offering scholarships to graduating seniors. Shelby Van Horn, Cass County Youth Coordinator, says “These opportunities are very important to the success of the 4-H program in Cass County. It certainly would not be possible without a great deal of support from the community.”

There is also a silent auction during the supper. The 12 4-H clubs in Cass County, as well as additional friends of 4-H and local business supporters, donate items.  If a community business is interested in supporting the Pancake Supper with a Silent Auction donation, please contact the Extension Office. For more information on the Pancake Supper, Endowment or 4-H contact Shelby Van Horn, Cass County Youth Coordinator, at 243-1132 or xcass@iastate.edu.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Iowa man has been charged with the Omaha slaying of a man who’d been reported missing. Nebraska court records say Dalton Dukes, of Council Bluffs, is charged with first-degree murder and two weapons crimes. The records don’t yet list the name of his court-appointed attorney. Council Bluffs police took a missing person report on Joseph Hellman on Feb. 21 last year. He was last seen in Omaha, and the report was referred to Omaha police. Omaha investigators determined that Hellman had been killed Jan. 29. Police say his death couldn’t be classified as a homicide until this past December.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An April 6 trial start has been scheduled for a Davenport high school science teacher accused of secretly recording nude videos of two females who’d stayed at his Bettendorf home. Court records say Clinton Van Fossen pleaded not guilty Thursday to five counts of invasion of privacy and to other crimes. He’s on leave from his job at Davenport West High School. The records say the allegations stem from actions committed between Dec. 26 and Jan. 4. The records say Bettendorf officers searched Van Fossen’s home on Jan. 7 and seized spy cameras. Van Fossen denied any knowledge of the cameras.

A woman from Fremont County was arrested Thursday evening on drug charges, in Mills County. 32-year old Alysse Marie Heywood, of Randolph, was taken into custody at around 6:25-p.m. following a traffic stop at Noyes Avenue and Highway 275. She was transported to the Mills County Jail and held on $7,300 bond for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Possession of Contraband.