(Radio Iowa) — A bill to make it illegal for motorists to drive with a smart phone in their hand has emerged in the Iowa legislature again this year. Susan Daemon is a lobbyist with the Iowa Sheriffs and Deputies Association — a group that’s been supporting this move for years.

“We appreciate the step that was taken a few years ago, but it really is hard to enforce,” Daemon says, “and this would make our laws more enforceable and, we believe, make our roadways safer.” A bill that would establish a 30-dollar fine for those caught using a cell phone while driving has cleared a Senate subcommittee.

A bill setting up a 100-dollar fine for smart phone use behind the wheel stalled in the senate last year.

The CAM school board has announced they would like to invite the community to discuss the current facilities and to begin gathering community input for future improvements. There are three meetings scheduled for February 9th, 10th and 11th to share information with the community of the process the board has started to study with Boyd Jones and Alley Poyner Macchietto.

The Sunday, February 9th meeting will be held in Cumberland at the Cumberland Community Building starting at 1:00 p.m. A light lunch will be served prior to the meeting. The Monday, February 10th meeting will be held in Anita at the high school commons starting at 5:00 p.m. The Tuesday, February 11th meeting will be held in Massena at the middle school commons starting at 5:00 p.m.

The CAM school board would like to encourage everyone to attend one of these three informational meetings. All three meetings will share the same information. Officials say as the district moves through this process, input from the community is vital for the district to make sound decisions for students’ future education. The improvements to [the] facilities will play a big part in the educational process.

(Left-to-right): Deb Frazee, SW IA Regional STEM Manager; Shelly Miller; Stacy Uhl, w/Kemin Industries. (Ric Hanson/photos)

A Business Education Instructor for the CAM School District was presented today (Monday) with a 2020 I.O.W.A STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Teacher Award for the Southwest region, sponsored by Kemin Industries. The award was presented to Shelly Miller in a surprise ceremony at the CAM High School.  She is one of only six teachers across the state to receive the award this year. As part of the award, Shelly Miller received $1,500 to use in her classroom, and $1,500 for personal use.

Deb Frazee, Southwest Iowa Regional STEM Manager presented Mrs. Miller with a Tiara, as part of the big surprise.

In 2014, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council (established in 2011 by Executive Order) created the I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award in partnership with Kemin Industries. Kemin’s Stacy Uhl said the the award celebrates STEM teachers who are Innovative in their methods, Outstanding in their passion for education, Worldly in how they teach their students STEM is all around them, and Academic in engaging students both in and out of the classroom. Each of the six regional award winners will be honored in a special ceremony with Governor Kim Reynold held during STEM Day at the State Capital in Des Moines, on Feb. 19th.

Mrs. Miller told KJAN the award and ceremony took her by “pleasant surprise.” She said she feels completely humbled by the honor and that “A lot of other people would have been very deserving as well.” She has 30 students in her Technology program, which began last year.  The program size more than doubled, requiring a classroom that was bigger, too.

Mrs. Miller said their students are very active in numerous projects, both current and those that are in the planning stages. She said also, that they just received an additional $10,000 grant that will be used to upgrade the drone program, purchasing more computers and video editing software, and much more. Miller has been teaching for the past 10-years. She says her students are thriving in the program and in some case, teaching her new things.

Most of the Miller family was on hand for the special event.

The I.O.W.A. STEM Teacher Award was created to honor the hard work Iowa teachers do to help inspire student interest in and awareness of science, technology, engineering and math. It celebrates STEM teachers who go above and beyond to give their students a quality STEM education. And in addition to helping students learn to love what they do, these teachers are also preparing their students for some of the most in-demand jobs in Iowa.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests took place, Saturday. Authorities say at around 3:04-a.m., 31-year old Justin Kaiser Mials, of Decatur, GA., was arrested for OWI/1st offense, following a traffic stop on Highway 34. His bond was set at $1,000. And, a little after 4-p.m. Saturday, 24-year old Russell Logan Barker, of Council Bluffs, was arrested following a traffic stop at 210th & 221st Streets in Mills County. Barker was charged with Driving While Barred, and Speeding. His bond was set at $2,000.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports five arrests over the past week, including two people who were arrested on separate drug-related charges. On January 22, 2020, 41-year old Aaron Joseph Moore, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Sheriff’s Office warrant for (Felony) Possession with Intent to Deliver. Upon arrest for this charge, Moore was additionally charged with Possession of Marijuana 3rd/Subsequent offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Moore was taken to the Cass County Jail and held there. On January 24th, Moore was additionally charged with a Felony Sex Offender Residency Violation/2nd or Subsequent offense, and an additional Felony charge of Possession with Intent to Deliver/Marijuana. Moore remains held at the Cass County Jail on $22,300 bond.

On January 16th, 48-year old Lisa Marie Shrimpton, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Felony charge of Possession with Intent to Deliver/Methamphetamine. Shrimpton was taken to the Cass County Jail where she remains held on $10,000 bond.  That same day, Cass County Deputies arrested 31-year old Justin Lee Cooley, of Atlantic, on a Cass County warrant for Failure to Appear. Cooley was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held.

In an update to our earlier reports, that Cass County Sheriff’s Office says 38-year old Ryan Paul Elgin, of Casey, was arrested early SUNDAY morning, following a single-vehicle rollover accident northeast of Anita. Following an investigation into the accident, Elgin was taken into custody for OWI/offense. He was also cited for Failure to Maintain Control. The accident happened at around 1:04-a.m., Sunday on 760th Street, about one-half mile north of White Pole Road.

Elgin was driving a 2014 Ford F-150 pickup, and had attempted to back up and turn around at that location. In doing so, he backed into a ditch, causing the pickup to roll onto the passenger side. No injuries were reported. Damage to the vehicle is estimated at $1,500. Elgin was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on his own recognizance.