(Radio Iowa) — Food insecurity is a daily struggle for thousands of Iowans, including children, families and senior citizens. Donations of canned goods often drop off during September, which is Hunger Action Month. Angie Grote, spokeswoman for the Food Bank for the Heartland, is urging Iowans to promote hunger awareness by getting involved. “You can come volunteer as a group or as an individual,” Grote says. “You can organize a food drive with your neighborhood or your office. You can make a financial donation. Ten dollars will provide enough food for 30 meals.”

The Omaha-based food bank is part of the Feeding America Network and helps to stock shelves across Iowa and Nebraska. “We source food from different partners and we have a network of partners in the community,” she says, “organizations like food pantries, emergency shelters, schools and we distribute food to these organizations.”
She notes, hunger isn’t just a metro area problem. “In rural communities, they may not have as many pantries or as many resources,” Grote says, “so their struggles are a little different than urban or suburban communities.”

It’s estimated 209-thousand people served by the Food Bank for the Heartland are food insecure and 80-thousand of them are children. The agency distributes food to 535 non-profit groups, including schools, homeless shelters and food pantries in 93 counties across Nebraska and Iowa.

Voters in the Audubon Community School District, Tuesday, approved the renewal of a Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL), for another 10-years. Unofficial results from the Audubon County Auditor’s Office show there were 159 Yes and 4 No votes. 163 registered voters out of a possible 2,523 cast their ballots, Tuesday (a turnout of 6.46-percent).

The levy will fall into-place beginning with the 2019-20 budget year, and will not to exceed Sixty seven cents ($.67) per One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) of the assessed valuation of the taxable property within the school district, commencing with the levy for collection in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020.

The levy, which was unchanged from the past years, will be used for any number of purposes, including, but not limited to: the purchase and improvement of grounds; the construction of schoolhouses or buildings and opening roads to schoolhouses or buildings; the purchase, lease or lease-purchase of equipment or technology exceeding $500 in value per purchase, lease or lease purchase transaction; repairing, remodeling, reconstructing, improving, or expanding schoolhouses or buildings and additions to existing schoolhouses; and the purchase of transportation equipment for transporting students and the repair of such transportation equipment if the cost of repair exceeds $2,500.

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer today (Wednesday), released a report on arrests taking place since August 8th. Most recently, on Tuesday, 32-year old Jessy Richard Card, of Audubon, was arrested on an active felony parole warrant out of Wisconsin.  Card was transported to the Audubon County Jail where he is waiting for extradition to Wisconsin.  The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the arrest. On Sept. 4th, 30-year old Jessica Lynn Pedrin, of Audubon, turned herself in on an Audubon Police Department warrant for Theft – 4^th degree and Theft – 5^th degree.  Pedrin was later released on promise to appear by the magistrate and is awaiting trial.

Two arrests occurred on August 24th. 43-year old Jeremy Charles Snyder, of Audubon, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Causing Injury.  Snyder was transported to the Audubon County Jail where he was held until sentencing on Aug. 27th on another charge.  The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the arrest. And, 46-year old Verlyn Duane Richardson, of Audubon, was arrested for Assault Causing Injury and transported to the Audubon County Jail.  Richardson was later released on promise to appear by the magistrate and is awaiting trial.

On Aug. 16th, 27-year old Scott Nathaniel Belew, of Audubon, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension and Interference with Official Acts.  Belew was transported to the Audubon County Jail where he later pled guilty to both charges. And, on Aug. 8th, 32-year old Skielynn Stephens, of Audubon, was arrested on an active Carroll County Warrant.  Stephens was then released to the custody of Carroll County Law Enforcement.

Officials with the Creston Police Department report 40-year old Brandie Whitney, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center Tuesday morning, on a Union County Warrant for 5 counts of Compulsory Education Violation/3rd or subsequent offense. Whitney was being held in the Adams County jail on a $5000 bond.