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Atlantic School District Special Election set for Tue., 9/13/16

News

September 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

A special election will be held Tuesday in Cass County for patrons of the Atlantic Community School District. Voters will determine the fate of two public measures related to the renewal of the 10-year Physical Plant and Equipment levy (PPEL) and, a State Income Surtax, which is designed to replace the tax on property in the district, which in-turn, will reduce the property tax rate – according to District officials. A simple majority of the vote is needed in order for the measure to pass.

The Atlantic Community School District consists of Cass, Audubon and Pottawattamie counties. The polls will open at Noon and close at 8-p.m. Tuesday (Sept. 13th). The election is “AT LARGE,” meaning that all residents of the entire school district may vote for the public measure.

Only two voting centers will be used during the election:

  • Voting Center 1: Persons living in Wards 1, 4 and 5 of the City of Atlantic, will vote at HERITAGE HOUSE, 1200 Brook Ridge Circle in Atlantic.
  • Voting Center 2: Persons living in the remainder of the Atlantic Community School District, being those voters residing in Audubon and Pottawattamie counties; Bear Grove, Benton, Brighton, Cass, Franklin, Grove, Pymosa and Washington townships of Cass County; the City of Marne; the City of Wiota; and Wards 2 and 3 of the City of Atlantic, will vote at the ATLANTIC PUBLIC LIBRARY (507 Poplar), Atlantic.

If you have further questions on where to vote, call the Cass County Election Commissioner (County Auditor) at 243-4570.

The following will appear on your ballot during the Special Election:

PUBLIC MEASURE B: ” Shall the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Community School District in the Counties of Cass, Pottawattamie, and Audubon, State of Iowa, be authorized for a period of ten (10) years, to levy and impose a voter approved physical plant and equipment tax not to exceed eighty-five cents (85¢) per one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) of assessed valuation of the taxable property within the school district, and be authorized annually, in combination, as determined by the board, to levy a physical plant and equipment property tax upon all the taxable property within the school district commencing with the levy of property taxes for collection in the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017, and to impose a physical plant and equipment income surtax upon the state individual income tax of each individual income taxpayer resident in the school district on December 31 for each calendar year commencing with the 2017 calendar year, or each year thereafter, (the percent of income surtax not to exceed twenty percent (20%) to be determined by the board each year), to be used for the purposes permitted by Iowa law, it being understood that if this proposition should fail to be approved by the voters, such failure shall not be construed to terminate or restrict authority previously granted by the voters to levy a special tax for any one or more of the purposes permitted by Iowa law?”

Linn County joins Johnson County in raising minimum wage

News

September 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – Linn County supervisors have voted to raise the county’s minimum wage a dollar on Jan. 1 the next three years, taking the wage to $10.25 an hour in 2019.  The board voted 4-1 Monday for the measure after its third and final reading. The county’s cities will be able to opt out and keep the national rate of $7.25 an hour.

Johnson County was the first in Iowa to raise the county’s minimum wage. In September last year the county’s Board of Supervisors approved a proposal that will raise the wage to $10.10 an hour by 2017 in three increments of 95 cents.

Fire Danger updates to resume in Shelby County

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

September 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert today (Monday), said field and grassland Fire Danger updates will be provided on Monday’s and Thursday’s each week, through the harvest season. The purpose of the updates is to provide accurate data to Fire Chiefs, and the Public at large, regarding the current and expected Fire Danger for approximately 84 hours at a time.

Signs will be updated by 9-a.m. Monday and again by 9-a.m. Thursday, each week. Signs will also be placed in Shelby County communities that agree to change them on the days mentioned.  In rare events, such as vacations or during incidents, the EMS Coordinator may change the sign if requested.  Each community will be responsible for checking www.shelbycountyema.com on Monday, and Thursday mornings to get the current Fire Danger Rating.

Fire Danger rating will be a combination of the National Weather Service Grassland Fire Danger Index, as well as a review of the Probability of Ignition tables.  Based on these factors, the danger will be placed into one of the four categories: Low, Moderate, High and Extreme.

When the Fire Danger is….

  • Low: You are asked to call in and report your burning projects to dispatch at 712-755-2124, and notify your local Fire Chief.
  • Moderate: You are asked to call in and report your burning projects to dispatch at 712-755-2124, and notify your local Fire Chief. Timing for burns should be morning, or evening hours and extinguished by dark unless authorized by Fire Chief due to possible impacts to roads and health from smoke. Burns must be monitored at all times.
  • High: Burning of any kind is restricted unless approval is received from local Fire Chief. Controlled burns that are not reported will result in Fire Department being dispatched, and Fires extinguished if determined to be un-safe. Please call 712-755-2124 with questions
  • Extreme: – Burning is prohibited, unless you have a signed permit from the local Fire Chief. Fires on Extreme days can grow rapidly and pose a risk to the Health and Safety of the Community. If you have any questions please call 712-755-2124.

Seivert says they’re putting this information out to the public as an education tool, to lower the risk to responders and the public, of responding to controlled burns that are being properly carried out.  The importance of the program he says, is getting the Public to call in the burns to the Shelby County EMA, and getting the public in touch with the local Fire Chief who ultimately decides on how burning can be carried out under the published conditions.

Low cost blood draws coming to CCHS facilities in Cass County

News

September 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the Cass County Health System (CCHS), say they are offering low-cost community blood screenings for people ages 18 and over this fall in Atlantic, Anita, Griswold, and Massena. Mitch Whiley, CCMH Laboratory Director, says “We want people to be healthy—and the first step is knowing some of your basic bloodwork, like cholesterol, blood sugar, and kidney function. By knowing what your numbers are, you and your medical provider can talk about what they mean for your health.”

The screenings will be held in CCHS Conference Room 2 from 6:30 to 11: 30 am on September 29 through October 1. Screenings will also be held in Anita on October 3rd, Griswold on October 4th, and Massena on October 5th.

Appointments can be made by calling 712-250-8091. The cost for the blood profile is $35, and it includes the following: Lipid Panel (total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL), Glucose, Complete Blood Count (CBC), Liver Function, Kidney Function, and Thyroid Screening. With the $35 blood profile, you can also add the following screenings for an additional fee:

  • A1c: $12
  • PSA: $20
  • Vitamin D: $30

Participants should fast overnight before their appointment, although a small amount of water or black coffee the morning of the blood draw is fine.

Council Bluffs man arrested in Defiance on Pott. County warrant

News

September 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy in Shelby County, Saturday, arrested a Council Bluffs man wanted on a Pott. County warrant for Parole Violation. 26-year old Justin Tigges was taken into custody in Defiance and transferred to Pott. County authorities Saturday night. He was brought to the Pott. County Jail and booked-in.

And, 30-year old Nicholas Lee Weatherill, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at his parents’ house Sunday, following an investigation into a single-vehicle accident. The investigation determined Weatherill was driving a 2011 Ford Fusion when he crashed the car at around 5:30-a.m. on the railroad tracks located at Monument Road and Joslin Avenue. The man fled the scene and was arrested later for OWI/2nd offense, after showing signs of impairment.

Meeting in Oakland this Wed. on flood protection efforts

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

An official with the University of Iowa says a meeting will be held this Wednesday morning in Oakland, with regard to flood protection efforts in the area. Richard Lewis, Senior Research Writer at the U-of-I, says watershed management authorities will be formally creating flood-protection and water quality plans for the East Nishnabotna and West Nishnabotna River watersheds. Planning groups will meet 9-a.m. Wednesday (Sept. 14th) at the Oakland Community Center (614 Dr. VanZee Road), in Oakland.

More details about the meeting can be found here: http://bit.ly/2cH6lvS

Lewis says the meeting is a key step in moving the flood protection planning forward. It comes after the Iowa Flood Center at the University of Iowa announced last June at meetings in Sidney and Glenwood, that it had obtained $96.9-million to address issues associated with the devastating and dangerous floods Iowa communities experience year-after-year.

Nine watersheds across Iowa will serve as project sites, including the East and West Nishnabotna Rivers.

Adair County Sheriff’s report: Casey man arrested on drug charges

News

September 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

In his weekly report on arrests and incidents, Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, today (Monday), said 27-year old Geoffrey Scott Avey, of Casey, was arrested early Friday morning on drug charges. An Adair County Deputy conducted a traffic stop just south of Stuart on a pickup truck. The driver, identified as Avey, was given a warning for a couple of traffic violations, but was arrested following a consent search of the vehicle, after the deputy found a pipe with a white crystallized substance inside. The substance was later confirmed to be meth. Avey was charged with Possession of Drug paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense. He was released from custody later in the day Friday, on $1,000 bond.

Sheriff Vandewater reports also, 62-year old Scott Terrill Remington, of Greenfield, was sentenced last week to 2-years in prison for Violation of Probation in connection to an OWI/2nd offense conviction in Cass County. And, 41-year old Joseph Michael Greathouse, of Massena, was sentenced last week to 5-years in prison at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Oakdale, after pleading guilty to Theft in the 2nd degree. Greathouse must also pay fines amounting to $825 plus court costs and submit a DNA sample.

Union County Sheriff’s report (9/12/16)

News

September 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports 52-year old Daniel Wayne Wilharm, of Afton, was arrested Saturday afternoon. Wilharm was taken into custody at the Union County Law Enforcement Centero n a Union County warrant for unauthorized use of a credit card.  He was later released on $5,000 bond.

The Sheriff’s Office said also, a Lorimor resident reported Friday morning, tha sometime over the past week, someone got into his shed and taken a chainsaw and splitting maul.  The loss was estimated at $350.

Chase in western Iowa leads to 1 arrest in Casey, 1 suspect missing

News

September 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

A chase that began with a traffic stop late Sunday night on Interstate 80 in Cass County, ended about 35-minutes later with one person taken into custody, and another still being sought. Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Dave Rosenberg, with District 3 in Council Bluffs, told KJAN News the incident began at around 9:55-p.m., when a Trooper tried to stop a car occupied by two males near the 67 mile marker (about three-miles east of Wiota), for speeding and no tail lights.

The car took off and lead the Trooper along I-80 in both directions. Several law enforcement agencies assisted in the pursuit, including Deputies from Cass, Adair, and Guthrie Counties, along with Stuart Police. The chase ended near White Pole Road and Baker Street on the west side of Casey, after a Guthrie County Deputy laid down stop sticks at around 10:30-p.m.

A passenger in the vehicle, 19 year-old Demetric Thomas, of Atlanta, Georgia, was arrested and charged with interference with official acts. The driver escaped on foot. He faces multiple traffic charges, with other charges pending conclusion of the investigation. There is no physical description of the driver available, but authorities  urge area residents to be alert and call 9-1-1 if they notice anything suspicious.

(Podcast) KJAN 8-a.m. News, 9/12/2016

News, Podcasts

September 12th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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