The Griswold School Board, Monday night, accepted an offer from Chris Jahnke, with 3-H-O, LLC in Atlantic, for the purchase of the former Lewis Elementary School Building. Griswold Superintendent Dave Henrichs told KJAN News the Board and Jahnke agreed the building would be purchased for $9,000, which is considerably less than the $40,000 he proposed during a meeting last month. Henrichs said the offer was lower, due to the amount of work that must be done on the building before it can be occupied.

Jhanke said he would be willing to pay between five- and 15-thousand dollars, because through his research, he had concerns over the potential cost he would incur over asbestos abatement, an improperly working air conditioner unit in the gym – his main business would be located in that area. The cost to abate the asbestos would be somewhere between 60-and 80-thousand dollars, and to replace the A/C, another 5-thousand dollars. In addition, Jahnke was concerned with asbestos under the floor tiling. Pallet jacks would be used in that area. If that gets disturbed, there’s another issue. An epoxy covering would cost him $20,000 to 25,000. Carpeting is an option, but he would need to get a motorized pallet jack, at a cost of $8,000-to 10,000.

In addition to settling on the $9,000 purchase price, the Board made an agreement with Jahnke for trucking and manpower services to help move all the materials from the Lewis and Elliott buildings to the new building. Henrichs said it would have been very costly if the District chose to reject the agreement and demolish the building, instead, it would costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. And, he said it keeps their promise to District patrons and residents of Lewis, not to let the building become an eyesore.

In other business, the Griswold School Board agreed to leave the 2019-2020 School Calendar the same as this year, with the start date in August, on the 23rd.

Red Oak, IA— The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Office in Montgomery County is offering two, four-week, after school STEM programs for local youth at the Montgomery County YMCA. Kindergarten through 2nd graders are invited to participate on Tuesday afternoons throughout the month of March. The 3rd through 5th grade program will be held on the following Tuesdays in April: April 2, April 9, April 16 and April 30. The program will start at 4:00 PM and conclude at 5:30 PM each day. Throughout the program, youth will learn how to code with robots, why some chemical reactions occur and how the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) discipline is used in our daily lives!

The deadline to sign up for the Kindergarten through 2nd grade program is February 25th. Those wishing to participate in the 3rd through 5th grade program are asked to register before March 25th. Registration is limited and there is a registration fee of $15. All Montgomery County 4-H members will receive a $5 discount on their registration.

Registration forms can be found online at www.extension.iastate.edu/montgomery or by contacting the Montgomery County Extension Office. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Celine Beggs, County Youth Coordinator at the Montgomery County ISU Extension Office by calling (712) 623-2592 (or by emailing cmbeggs@iastate.edu)

CONRAD, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say two University of Northern Iowa students, including one from western Iowa, were killed when their car collided with a semitrailer, Sunday. The collision occurred around 12:40 p.m,, a few miles north of Conrad on Iowa Highway 14. The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office says the northbound car went out of control on the snow- and ice-covered roadway and crossed into the path of the southbound semi.

The Sheriff’s Office identified the car driver as 21-year-old Justin Kime, who lived in Stewartville, Minnesota, and his passenger as 21-year-old Tristan Marlow, who lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The truck driver wasn’t injured. He’s been identified as 27-year-old Laurence Smith, of St. Louis. The accident is under investigation.

The Creston Police Department reports 21-year old Brandon Joseph Lee Tull, of Creston, was arrested at around 3-a.m. today (Tuesday), following a traffic stop. Tull was arrested for Driving While Suspended.

And, four people were arrested on separate charges, Monday: A little before 6-a.m., 33-year old Cassie Ann Wilmeth, of Creston, was arrested on Highway 25 in Creston, for Driving While Suspended; At around 2:10-p.m., 47-year old Misty Dawn Darst, of Creston, was arrested at Birch and Summit Streets in Creston on an Adams County Warrant. She was transferred to the custody of Adams County Deputies; Just before 10:30-a.m. Monday, 51-year old Edward Earl Jones, of Creston, was arrested at his residence, for Violation of a Protection Order. He was being held in the Union County Jail awaiting initial appearance; And, at around 8:30-a.m. Monday, Creston Police arrested 58-year old Pamela Dea Claiser, of Creston, on an Adams County Warrant.  Claiser was subsequently released on a $200 bond.

(Radio Iowa) — While recent “honor flights” have recognized veterans of World War Two, Korea and Vietnam, a new honor flight is being organized for those who served in conflicts in the Middle East. Bill Williams, a co-founder of the non-profit group Patriotic Productions — which puts on the flights, says this initial new flight to Washington D-C for veterans from western Iowa and Nebraska will be limited. “To take all of them, it would be multiple flights and a million dollars,” Williams says. “Our compromise is to take the Purple Heart recipients from the Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Bronze Star recipients are also welcome to apply for the flight, scheduled for May 24th. Williams says some other V-I-Ps will also be making the journey. “We’re also going to take the highest-decorated combat veterans from those same three conflicts,” he says, “and our special guests on the plane will be Gold Star children of the fallen from Iraq and Afghanistan.” The chartered jet will fly out of Omaha’s Eppley Airfield for a day-long whirlwind tour of Washington D-C, including stops at several war memorials and Arlington National Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknowns. There will be a special homecoming in Omaha that night. Williams says, “We’re going to pick them up on the tarmac at Eppley, drive them through the Old Market led by a marching band and horses and classic cars and motorcycles, down to the Durham Museum around the back and they’ll walk through that crowd of flags and signs to the cheers of those welcoming them home.”

The last honor flight, which was for Vietnam veterans, saw a crowd of about seven-thousand gathered at the Omaha airport to welcome the veterans back to town. Veterans of Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan who earned the Purple Heart or Bronze Star can apply for the May flight. Applications are available at the website: www.patrioticproductions.org.