No injuries were reported after an Atlantic School District bus slid into a ditch at around 9:30 this (Wednesday) morning. Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber told KJAN News the bus was pulling out of a rural driveway southwest of Atlantic, when it came into contact with a snow berm and slipped into the ditch. It’s not clear how many students were on-board, but Barber said the only result of the incident was that those students were “a little late for school.”

The District was on a two-hour delay to start out the morning, because of the weather and road conditions.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Police say a man killed a woman at an Iowa home about an hour after officers went there to check on a domestic dispute but left without making an arrest or removing anyone from the tense scene. Mark Russell is charged with murder in the beating death of Angela McLeod. Police say officers couldn’t determine who was the aggressor, and McLeod and her daughter didn’t ask that Russell be forced to leave. Russell and McLeod told the officers they could resolve their problems without criminal charges. Police say he used a golf club to kill her after the officers left.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Page County, Tuesday, arrested a Clarinda woman on Forgery & Theft charges. 37-year old Amanda Jean McDowell was taken into custody at the Buchanan County, MO. Jail, on two Page County warrants charging her with four counts each of Forgery, and 5th Degree Theft. McDowell was transported to the Page County Jail, where her bond amounts to $5,300, pending further court proceedings.

Amanda McDowell

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports 28-year old Jennifer Elaine Schraft, of Malvern, and 59-year old Michael Earl Gillenwater, of Bellevue, NE., were arrested on drug and other charges Tuesday afternoon, in Malvern. Both were charged with two-counts Possession of a Controlled Substance, Drug Stamp Criminal Penalties, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Schraft’s bond was set at $7,300. Bond for Gillenwater was set at $15,300.

The Audubon School Board has set February 7th at 6-p.m. in the Audubon High School Board Room, as the date, time and place for a Public Hearing with regard to the Middle School/High School Building Project and the related $7.5-million dollar bond referendum vote set for March 3rd. District officials are asking patrons to vote in favor of the bond issue, which would fund the remodel, repair, and improvement of the middle and high school building, including HVAC, electrical, and plumbing improvements. The Board and Administration have stated the Middle and High School has important facility needs that must be addressed soon to ensure students in the Audubon Community School District continue to have access to a top-quality educational experience. (Additional information about the Bond referendum can be found here: https://www.audubon.k12.ia.us/page/3153)

PROJECT SCOPE
HVAC Upgrades: System replacements (AC throughout); Controls Upgrades, Electrical Infrastructure Upgrades
Space Improvements & Modernization: Auditorium, Classrooms & Media Center, Band & Music Rooms, Science & FCS Rooms, Kitchen & Teachers’ Lounge, Hallways & Corridors, Restrooms & Locker Rooms, Cafeteria, Industrial Tech, Weight Room, Office Suites, North Gym & Hallway
Safety & Security: Fire Protection System (sprinklers & fire alarms), Secure Entry, Egress Lighting

(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds is going to meet with staff at the Glenwood Resource Center this (Wednesday) afternoon. It’s the governor’s first visit to the facility that cares of patients with severe intellectual disabilities since she fired Glenwood’s superintendent in late December.  “I’m actually going on site as part of the discovery process,” Reynolds says.

The phrase “discovery process” refers to the collection of evidence and interviews with witnesses in a legal proceeding. Reynolds has hinted her trip also may be related to another firing. This past summer, the governor fired Department of Human Services director Jerry Foxhoven. Reynolds says Glenwood staff may have complained to Foxhoven about the facility’s superintendent, who is now under federal investigation — accused of using patients for human experiments. “I believe the former (DHS) director did receive some correspondence from individuals there,” Reynolds says, “but that will all be part of the discovery process as well.”

The governor says her NEW Iowa Department of Human Services director is putting the right policies and procedures in place to respond to the situation at Glenwood, but Reynolds says the staff at the facility need to hear that directly from her.  “There’s a lot of state employees that work hard every single day down there to take care of some of our most vulnerable Iowans,” Reynolds says, “and I want to thank them for the work they’re doing, I want to let them know that we take this very seriously, that the allegations are unacceptable and we’re making changes to address them.”

Federal officials are investigating physical injuries and allegations of improper nutrition for patients at Glenwood. The former superintendent has been accused of using patients for a sexual arousal study.