• What Matters to You? Community members will have the opportunity to share what health topics and concerns are most important to them.
• Shaping the Assessment – Attendees will help determine which questions should be included in the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment.
• Learning from the Community – What do residents want to learn more about when it comes to health and wellness?

This meeting is the first of many opportunities for community members to participate in the assessment process. Healthy Cass County is committed to ensuring broad input, with additional discussions and engagement opportunities planned in the coming months.

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(Radio Iowa) – A judge heard arguments Monday on whether a sealed search warrant as part of the case of missing Mason City T-V anchor Jodi Huisentruit should be unsealed. Attorneys representing private investigator Steve Ridge claim the warrant regarding G-P-S data for two vehicles connected to potential suspect John Vansice should be opened, since Vansice died in December and any investigation into his involvement has ended. Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen opposes the motion, saying unsealing the warrant could hinder the investigation. Ridge attorney Nellie O’Mara believes not releasing the contents of the warrant hinders the case moving forward.

“They’re trying to get more help for the investigation, yet he’s not even willing to unseal a search warrant that may have information in there that people may know, that may be able to help out with the investigation,” O’Mara says. “I think he’s really contradicting himself there where he’s asking for help with the investigation but yet won’t release the information that may help with it.” Huisentruit vanished in 1995. Ridge attorney Jesse Marzen says the public has an interest in knowing what police are doing and it’s time to bring full resolution of the case with Vansice’s family.  Marzen says, “I believe that this family your honor also has an interest in clearing the name of this individual who lived the last years of his life under the cloud of suspicion and accusation based on this situation.” Dalen says opening the warrant will give the public facts and circumstances in the case that are not out to the general public, possibly hurting the investigation.

County Attorney Carlyle Dalen addresses a question from District Senior Judge James Drew as attorney Jesse Marzen looks on (Screenshot from pool video/KAAL)

“If you have a witness, or if you have somebody that comes in front of law enforcement at this point of time, and they say certain information, how do we know if they are accurate or not if this information is out to the general public?” Dalen says. “You can’t figure out if they’re telling the truth. But if only the officers know, and this is information that only the officers know, well then they can evaluate if that person is telling the truth. There’s a lot of reasons why all these facts and circumstances should not be given out to the general public.” Dalen says no portion of the warrant should be unsealed, and the fact that it’s been almost 30 years since Huisentruit disappeared should not factor into a decision.

“This investigation is no more slowed up because of anything, it’s a long investigation and very difficult, but it’s ongoing. In a lot of cases, you have new technology, you have new things that might draw light to your investigation,” Dalen says. “Sometimes you have some eyewitnesses that come forward at a later date. That’s why a lot of these people are here supporting it because they’re still involved, all these people, in this process.” District Senior Judge James Drew says he’ll issue a ruling on the case within 30 days.

DES MOINES – State Treasurer Roby Smith is kicking off March and the “unofficial” start of spring with a $1,000 ISave 529 giveaway. “Every Iowan should visit ISave529.com and register to win a $1,000 ISave 529 contribution,” said Treasurer Smith. “Investing in a child’s education is a gift that lasts a lifetime. Whether they become a doctor, teacher or pursue the trades, an investment in their education today will benefit them immensely in the future.”

Iowans can register to win a $1,000 ISave 529 contribution now through April 7. It takes as little as 60 seconds to register and give a child in your life the gift of education. In addition to educational benefits, ISave 529 provides individuals and families a tax-advantaged way to save for future expenses. Iowa taxpayers can deduct up to $5,800 in contributions per beneficiary account from their 2025 state income taxes. Earnings from ISave  529 plans grow federal tax-deferred and qualified withdrawals like tuition at eligible educational institutions, computers, supplies and more are tax-free.

Learn more at ISave529.com. Follow ISave 529 on Facebook, Instagram and X for current events and updates. For additional details, read the ISave 529 Program Description.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department say a Creston man, 41-year-old Carlos Rafael Rivera, was arrested today (Tuesday) at around 1:20-a.m., for OWI/1st offense. Rivera was also charged with Possession of a controlled substance/1st Offense, and Possession of a Controlled Substance-Marijuana/1st Offense. Rivera was being held in the Union County Jail on a $3,000 bond.

Two people were arrested on separate charges Monday, in Creston:

A little after 10-a.m., 39-year-old Amanda Lea Jackson, of Lenox, was arrested on a Union County Warrant for Failure to Appear on an Assault charge. Jackson was taken to the Union County Jail and later released after posting a $300 bond. And, at around 11:50-a.m., 54-year-old Crystal Alaine Conley, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County Warrant for Failure to Appear on an OWI/1st Offense, charge. Conley was taken to the Union County Jail later released after posting a $500 bond.

(Villisca, Iowa)– Three area fire departments responded to a reported skidsteer explosion and fire early this (Tuesday) morning, near Villisca. According to Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce, crews from Red Oak, Villisca and Grant, were called to 1601 T Avenue at around 2:45-a.m.  Upon arrival, firefighters found a skidsteer fully engulfed in flames that the homeowner had been able to pull away from a grain bin prior to fire department arrival.

Firefighters brought the flames under control within minutes. No one was injured. The skidsteer was considered a total loss.

Photo courtesy Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Montgomery County Communications also assisted in the response.

Des Moines, Iowa —A malfunctioning ventilation system prompted the temporary evacuation of Wells Fargo Arena Monday evening, during halftime of the Class 3A quarterfinal between Estherville Lincoln Central and Cherokee in the Iowa girls state basketball tournament.

At around 7:30 p.m., Monday, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union posted on social media that spectators in the arena were being asked to evacuate the building while officials determined the cause of the alarm.

In a follow-up post a few moments later, the IGHSAU said it was determined that the alarm was triggered by a malfunctioning ventilation system in a concession stand and fans were allowed to return to the arena.

(Radio Iowa) – The state’s economy saw slight improvements during February but remains sluggish, according to Creighton University’s monthly survey of supply managers in Iowa and eight other states. Creighton economist Ernie Goss says the overall Midwest region is seeing greater strides than Iowa alone, though both economies are still ailing. “It’s looking much better. Well, much better is too strong a word. It’s up for the month, and of course, this is moving in the right direction,” Goss says. “It’s the highest level since April of 2024 so the manufacturing sector is looking better, but not significantly better.” The survey is based on a zero-to-100 scale where 50 is growth neutral.

The overall score for the Midwest was 52, up from 51.1 in January, while Iowa’s February score was 44.5, an improvement from January’s 43.1 but still below growth neutral. Goss says the survey found threats to international trade by the Trump administration are considered the biggest challenge to progress during 2025. “So all these positive numbers could be overturned by any change in tariff policies which involve retaliation,” Goss says. “For example, we could have retaliation from China, of course, Canada and again, Mexico, the three that we’re talking mostly about.” On average, the survey found supply managers expect tariffs, if implemented, to increase input prices by almost ten-percent. Of the supply managers surveyed during February, 26-percent said they feared threatened tariffs, which Goss says was the number-one concern for the year ahead.

Ernie Goss (Creighton University photo)

“A big issue again, going forward is going to be tariffs — tariffs, tariffs, tariffs,” Goss says, “and depending on how the president and his team negotiate, this is going to be very important, particularly for agriculture and manufacturing.” Of those supply managers surveyed, 25-percent said the biggest challenge in the year ahead will be finding and hiring qualified workers, though Goss says the hiring numbers for the Midwest saw a very small rise during February. “This is the first time in a while we’ve had two consecutive months of readings above growth neutral. That’s good,” Goss says. “We’re probably talking about still in terms of the manufacturing sector nationwide, we’re down about 100,000 jobs. For the region, we’re down about 8,000 jobs. So, it’s still not recovered yet from the overall slowdown in manufacturing.”

Looking ahead six months, economic optimism plummeted to 45.7 in February, a big drop from 61.4 in January, which Goss says was due to concerns about global economic tensions and rising tariffs.

(Radio Iowa) – State Climatologist Justin Glisan says this winter is going to end up being in the top five in the weather record book for a lack of snow. “We had about five inches of snowfall on the ground in February, and that’s about two inches below average. But if you look at December, January, February, meteorological winter, only about nine inches of snowfall across the state. That’s about 13 inches below average,” Glisan says.

Glisten says the month of February will be in the record books for lack of snow or rain. “Precipitation for February below average, about three quarters of an inch below average. So near the top 20th driest February is in 153 years of records. Now, if we think back to last February, the warmest and second driest on record,” he says. Glisan says the lack of snow is good if you don’t like to shovel, but it could have some impact later in the spring. “We get a deeper frost depth, because you don’t have that insulation of the snow pack on the ground, and that can lead to some the potential for localized flooding, given this event that we’re going to see Tuesday into Wednesday, with rain fall and possible snowfall,” Glisan says.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan.

Glisan says February had some hot and cold spells that evened out. “About four degrees below normal, not anything record breaking. Of course, we warmed up at the end of the month. Actually pulled up the average slightly,” he says. Glisan says the warmth at the end of the month pulled February out of what had been a very cold run. “If you look at that seven day stretch in the middle of the month, we were running about 21 degrees below average, so very cold conditions,” he says. “February is a transition month, as we transition from winter cold season moving into the growing season in March, April, May. So we do see a lot more meridional activity or more waves and troughs in the jet stream.” He says those troughs give us the up and down temperatures.

“Between the middle of the month towards the end of the month, we had temperatures in the 50s and low 60s, a temperature swing of, you know, 40, 50, 60, degrees. You know, generally we see that type of behavior in the February March time frame,” he says. Glisan says we can expect to see that variability until we move out of spring.