MANCHESTER, Iowa — The Iowa State Patrol social media team tipped their caps to Trooper Pilot Taylor Grim on Saturday for spotting an alleged super-speeder in eastern Iowa. “Trooper Pilot Grim with a nice catch,” they posted on Facebook with a photo showing an aerial reading of 126 mph.

On top of driving over 50 mph above the speed limit near Manchester, ISP says the Ford Mustang driver had their license revoked for a previous OWI and didn’t have insurance.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Choral Society will present their annual Holiday Concert Sunday, December 15th.  The program will be in the Atlantic High School Auditorium at 4:00 pm.  There is no charge for admission, but free-will donations will be accepted.  Donations are used to fund the group’s music and support the Atlantic Ministerial Association’s Helping Hand Fund.

In 2018, Ray McCalla and Jan Highfill came up with the idea of forming a Choral Society.  Their first concert was that Christmas and was followed by a summer show and Christmas concert in 2019.  “I had wanted to field a community choir for years, and it seemed like the right time to do it,” McCalla said.  “Making music together with others is a joy. It brings people together.” Covid forced the group to pause performances in 2020, but they resumed with Christmas concerts in 2021 and 2022.  The group is directed by McCalla and Michelle Andersen.

Ray McCalla directs the Cass County Choral Society as they prepare for the upcoming Holiday Concert. (photo submitted)

Any community member is welcome to join the Choral Society; rehearsals for Christmas concerts usually begin in October and are held on Sunday afternoons.  For more information, contact Ray McCalla at 712-250-1607

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, serving as the County Compensation Board, Tuesday morning, will conduct an Annual Review and comparison of compensation for, the offices of County Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder, Sheriff, Attorney and Supervisors, in accordance with the Code of Iowa.

The Comp Board will then recommend a Compensation Schedule to be placed on the December 17th meeting of the Board of Supervisors, during their regular meeting agenda, for further discussion and possible action.

The Compensation Board meeting begins at 9-a.m. in the Supervisor’s Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse.

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The meeting will be conducted in-person, and electronically, via ZOOM
(Meeting ID: 289 919 5216; Passcode: 012064); and is available by phone at 312-626-6799, press *9 to indicate you wish to speak.

(Anita, Iowa) – The CAM School District’s Board of Educational is set to meet at 6:30-p.m. Monday, Dec. 9th, in the CAM High School Media Center. First-up is the Retiring School Board session, during which they will act on approving the Consent Agenda (Minutes, Bills, and Financial Statements) and Treasurer’s Annual Report for the Fiscal Year 2024. The Board will then adjourn, and the Organizational and Regular Board meeting will be Called to Order.

During that portion of the session, the Board Secretary will call for votes on the election of a Board President and Vice-President and the Administering of their Oath of Offices, followed by the appointment of a Board Secretary/Treasurer. They will then act on establishing future meeting dates, times and location, and additional administrative matters they typically handle when a new school board and leaders are voted-in.

The rest of the CAM School Board agenda includes action on: Open Enrollments; Resignations/Contracts; Approving an SBRC Request for a Modified Supplemental Amount of $33,450 for Open Enrollment-Out; Approval of the sale of excess equipment; a proposal from Boyd Jones (with regard to the construction and/or renovation of district facilities); and action on approving a Librarian Sharing Agreement.

The Board is also expected to discuss several matters, including:

• An Official Abstract of Votes for General Obligation Bond
• The Facility Project Process with SitelogIQ
• Sharing Agreements with Nodaway Valley Community School District
• Public Hearing(s) and Special Meeting(s).

(Elk Horn, Iowa) – The Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton School Board is scheduled to meet at 6-p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9th in the Conference Room at the High School in Elk Horn. The Board will discuss staffing needs for the 2025-26 School Year, including options if they can’t find staff and there aren’t enough applicants for job openings. Superintendent Trevor Miller says in the agenda notes, “I am hopeful we will receive applicants, but [in] talking with other Superintendents, we all have openings and not enough applicants to go around. We want to have backup plans.”

Action items on the Exira/EHK Board’s agenda include:

• A update to the Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) that the school originally approved in 2018. ( The plan can be found online at: https://region12cog.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-Audubon-County-HMP-reduced.pdf.)
• An amended resolution for the General Obligation Bond. (Resolution Amending the Resolution Authorizing the Redemption of General Obligation School Bonds, Series 2018, Dated May 1, 2018, Approving an Amendment to the Second Amendment to Escrow Agent Agreement, and Levying a Tax for Fiscal Year 2025 for the Redemption of General Obligation School Bonds, Series 2018, Dated May 1, 2018)
• Camera/Security Bids. Mr. Miller says the District received three bids for their security grant. The Board will receive the quotes and discuss their options.
• Action on a request for Modified Supplemental Amount for At-Risk and Drop-Out Prevention of $161,575. Superintendent Miller notes “We approve this every year. It just opened on Friday the 6th,” so it was added before being published. “This is our At-Risk/Drop Out Prevention money.”
• And, the Board will act on any personnel resignations, hires and/or transfers. None were listed on the agenda that was communicated to the media.

THE BOARD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF THE AGENDA IF IT WOULD BETTER ACCOMMODATE VISITORS AT A BOARD MEETING.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) –  A Louisiana man will spend the rest of his life in an Iowa prison for a double homicide that took place in Pottwattamie County. KETV in Omaha reports Dequanta Zachary was found guilty in October, of the April 2024 shooting and killing 36-year-old Deonte Ivory and 25-year-old Michael Anderson. According to investigators, Zachary, Ivory and Anderson were found to be “associates.”

Investigators said Ivory, from Omaha, was found dead in the area of South 29th St. and 21st Ave. on April 28. About seven hours later, Anderson was found dead near the entrance of the Western Trails Historic Center in Council Bluffs, authorities said.

New crime scene photos showed a car riddled with bullet holes. Investigators said the evidence was a big linchpin for the case, since it proved the shooting came from inside the car. The Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office said cell phone records, social media and surveillance videos, witness statements, crime scene investigation, and an interview with Zachary led to his arrest. Investigators said a DNA test later found the blood of one of the victims on Zachary’s clothing.

The court was packed Thursday (Dec. 5th) with the victims’ family members. They asked for consecutive life sentences, but Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said you can only die in prison once.

(Lewis, Iowa) – Cass County Conservation and the Iowa Bluebird Conservationists are once again hosting a Cass County Christmas Bird Count on Sunday, December 22nd. Spokesperson Chris Parks says those who want to participate in the count will meet at Cold Springs State Park in Lewis, beginning at 8-a.m. on Dec. 22nd. Participants will divide into groups that will cover different sections of the count circle.

Birders are encouraged to dress for the conditions and bring along binoculars and bird books if you have them, otherwise they can be provided. It is also suggested to either wear or bring along an article of blaze orange clothing for any birding that may occur in parks that allow public hunting, as it will be the final day of deer season.

The count will run until 3:30pm that day as a 15-mile diameter circle can be covered as thoroughly as possible. The groups will break and meet for lunch at Noon Dec. 22nd, at Pizza Ranch in Atlantic, to compare lists and reboot for counting in the afternoon. You are welcome to join for the whole day or just the morning or afternoon sessions. All abilities are welcome whether you are comfortable just birding from a vehicle and roadside or if you would like to walk through areas as well. Weather backup date will be determined if necessary.

Home birders may also contribute to the Cass County Count by watching their home feeder. Feeder counters will need to keep track of the time spent observing and will count the maximum number of a species seen at one time, not a cumulative for the day. Contact Chris Parks or Lora Kanning at Cass County Conservation if you would like to contribute and we will provide guidelines.

The Christmas Bird Count is a valuable research tool for the Audubon Society and is the nation’s longest running citizen-science bird project. This year is the 125^th year of the count and the Cass County area is excited to join in again. Find more information on the Christmas Bird Count at www.christmasbirdcount.org. Parks says they would really love to know you are planning on coming ahead of time, so please reach out.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday it will require dairy farms to share samples of unpasteurized milk when requested, in an effort to gather more information about the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Public health officials have tracked the spread of bird flu or H5N1 in domestic poultry flocks for years before the virus began showing up in the country’s dairy herds this March, raising concerns. While the risk to the general public remains low and there is no evidence to suggest bird flu can spread from person to person, nearly 60 people, mostly farmworkers, have contracted the virus this year.

The new milk testing requirements from USDA will apply nationally but will begin first in California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania, the week of Dec. 16.  In a written statement Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said “Among many outcomes, this will give farmers and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus’ spread nationwide.”

Holstein milking cows at an Idaho dairy on July 20, 2012. (Photo by Kirsten Strough/USDA)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly tested pasteurized milk on store shelves throughout the country to reaffirm it’s safe to drink. Other dairy products, like cheese and ice cream, have also been found safe. But the FDA continues to urge people against consuming unpasteurized milk, since it doesn’t go through the heating process that kills off viruses and bacteria.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Taylor County was injured during a rollover accident this (Friday) morning. The accident occurred near the intersection of Highway 25 and 265th Street. Rescue crews were responded to the scene at around 7:40-a.m.

When emergency crews arrived, they found an SUV on its roof, and the driver, 59-year-old Timothy Paul Boswell, of Gravity, trapped in his seat. Deputies and Fire personnel used extrication tools and were able the free the driver. Once freed from his vehicle, Boswell was flown to Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, where he was lasted reported to be in stable condition.

The Lenox Fire Department, Lenox Ambulance, Prescott Fire and Rescue, and Lifeflight 1 assisted the sheriff’s office at the scene.