DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – State officials and propane suppliers are advising consumers to fill their tanks before cold weather arrives because prices could climb again this winter. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports prices will largely depend on how cold it is this winter and how long the cold lasts. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey is telling farmers and homeowners to buy ahead of time.

Last winter dwindling Midwest supplies and rising demand pushed propane prices to more than three times normal to nearly $5 per gallon. Northey doesn’t expect prices that high but he says it is important to think ahead. Iowa historically received about 20 percent of its propane from a 1,900-mile pipeline that no longer carries it.

As a result, Iowans are increasingly reliant on propane from Kansas which costs more.

Officials with the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry are seeing progress on the completion of the merger. The new entity’s board met for a meeting Monday after hosting an In The Know last Thursday to inform the public about the recent changes. Jane Nielsen, Interim Executive Director, says the new organization will continue to help existing business and find new business for Shelby County.

“We will still do economic development for existing business and new business. Often people see Chamber of Commerce handling retail and economic development bringing new business to town. Well between 84 and 87 percent of business growth in rural counties comes from existing business so it is important to help out the businesses out there whether they are mom and pop or a large business.”

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry board have already made a few changes as the chamber gift certificates are opened back up to all businesses in the county and the golf tournament has been moved to Tuesday, September 9th. The new board consisting of four people from the former DevelopSource board and four from the former Chamber board are working on a new dues structure for chamber members.

“They set up a committee to work on the dues and membership structure. Kevin Campbell headed that up and did a lot of work. They looked at the existing due structures and due structures from four, five or six chamber of commerce around us and they have nailed down a general look at it and it was presented at the In The Know and now they have to tweak it. I believe they have another meeting planned next week to finalize it and then the board will finalize it as well.”
Nielsen says financially the organization is in good shape.

“Funding from DevelopSource is secure for the next two years from our main funding resources and there will be dues that make up the rest of the budget. The money will be there to do the things that they want to do. They want to continue doing the things the Chamber has done in the past. They have looked at resurrecting some events in the past ten to fifteen years that they have done. There are always new people in the community, new blood to work on a committee and you can build on the past and come up with new ideas. We are looking for new ideas and looking for people to join the committees and lots of opportunities out there.”

President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Board Kevin Campbell says the board’s focus has been on administrative work. “The board has been working significantly on getting the administrative items completed. Late last week, we filed our articles of merger and some of the documentation with the Secretary of State. Just yesterday (Tuesday), we heard back from them they are recognizing that. Now we can go forward and get a lot of other administrative stuff done. Our banking accounts established and appropriate people that can transact on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.” He says the other thing the board is looking for is a new director.

“We’re working on a job description for a new director. What we have learned from past situations like this is it is going to take about 90 days to get through that process. We have a number of resources to help us with that process. We will be reaching out to state levels, state organizations and economic development organizations to get that job listing out to get a list of candidates. We will be going through the interview process and find the right individual for our situation here in Shelby County.”
Campbell says in the coming months more information on the Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be released but for now the board wants the public to know this is going to be a countywide organization.

“Well that’s what we hope to communicate. A lot of what we have said so far is that we want to do that and that is a hard job to do. Where the rubber meets the road is if we actually execute on that and that really needs to be the focus. We are not just focused on Harlan but we are also focused on the communities throughout Shelby County. Each one of our communities has some type of asset and we need to leverage those in each communities have so we can help them develop. Whether it be bring a business in or expanding an existing business and leveraging those assets the best we can. It is going to be a challenge that is going to be a hard job to do. Right now the board is making sure that happens.”

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

Officials with the Shelby County Recorder’s office are warning residents to be cautious about a piece of mail asking about a copy of their deed and property assessment. Linda Fahn, Shelby County Recorder, says the state have received phone calls from concerned citizens about letters they received saying there was “deed activity recorded in public record” and that they should obtain a “current property grant deed and assessment.”

The company, Record Transfer Service, is charging $83 for the service. The notice is designed to cause a homeowner to believe there has been a recently recorded document, which is often not accurate. If you have received this notice, don’t be alarmed or feel it is necessary to respond.

A copy of a deed can be obtained at your local Recorder’s Office for a few dollars in copy fees. If you have any questions or to inquire about obtaining a copy of your deed, contact your local County Recorder’s Office. The Shelby County Recorder’s office can be reached by calling 712-755-5640.

A former state legislator who once got in a national spat with Oprah Winfrey has died. Berl Priebe of Algona served in the Iowa House for four years and in the Iowa Senate for 24 years. Priebe, who raised Angus cattle, took offense to a 1996 Oprah Winfrey show about Mad Cow Disease. Priebe blamed Winfrey for the dramatic drop in U.S. cattle prices. He demanded that Winfrey tell her viewers Mad Cow Disease had not been found in the United States.

In 1988, Priebe brought an Iowa State University nutritionist before his Senate Ag Committee to complain about her warning that there might be a link between grilled red meat and cancer. Priebe quipped that the researcher “got a taste of what it was like to be on the griddle for a while.” Priebe was one of four senators — two Democrats and two Republican — who were known as the “Montana Mafia.”

The senators were known for gathering at Montana’s — a bar near the statehouse — to plot strategy for killing bills they opposed in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Former Senator Jack Rife, a farmer from Moscow, Iowa, who later became the state Senate’s Republican Leader, was a member of the Montana Mafia.  “He was a colorful character,” Rife says. “I enjoyed him very much.” Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs, the current Democratic leader in the state senate, says Priebe had the unique ability to bring the senate to a stand-still.

“He was always quite adept and quite talented at figuring out the kind of amendment to offer that would put the place in a really uncomfortable position,” Gronstal says. Priebe then would often engage in what Priebe called “horse trading” to get something he wanted, in exchange for removing the roadblock he’d designed for another bill. “It was great when he was on your side and it was maddening when he wasn’t because he could tie the place up pretty well,” Gronstal says. This example from Gronstal illustrates Priebe’s ability to maneuver the levers of the legislature:

“Berl Priebe always passed the first bill of the session, some bill out of ag committee…every single year. Even if somebody else was ahead of him, he figured out some way to make sure that his bill was the first bill to pass in the legislature.” Priebe was also the long-time chairman of a powerful legislative committee that has the power to reject the rules and regulations state bureaucrats propose. Priebe died Sunday at the age of 96. A memorial service for Priebe will be held Friday afternoon in Algona.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors Wednesday (today) approved a second amendment and re-stated 28-E agreement for Case Management and Mental Health Disability Services. The Board was left with the options of approving it within 30 days, taking no action and letting the agreement be approved by default, or choose not approving the agreement, which ties in the already approved Mental Health Regionalization Program.

Auditor Dale Sunderman said the agreement basically boils down to a change in the name of the type of service provided, and expands the scope of the services. The name will change from “County Case Management Services,” to “Case Management and Mental Health Disability Services.” The agreement also allows more flexibility in the services offered, expands the services to go beyond case management agencies. It also allows more options for withdrawal from the Case Management if it is deemed necessary.

There is also some administrative language with regard to agency input and allows the County to contract with any public or private agency to provide mental health/case management services. Cass County has been involved with Case Management through ISAC (The Iowa State Association of Counties), since the onset. Supervisor Chuck Rieken, who sits on the Case Management Board, said there’s no reason the County shouldn’t remain involved in the case management system and processes.

The Board also approved a (standard) transfer of $3,647 from the Cass County Farm-to-Market account to the Iowa Dept. of Transportation (IDOT) account, for a bridge project. And, they received a quarterly report from Cass County Veterans Affairs Director, Mitch Holmes.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Preparations are underway today (Wednesday) for the nearly week-long run of the Cass County Fair, in Atlantic. Activities at the Fair begin in earnest Thursday, with the Swine weigh-in from 7:30-to 9:30-a.m., and the rabbits checked-in from 8-to 9:30. 4-H Static Exhibit judging takes place from 9-am until 2-pm, and the Clover Kids showcase runs from 9-a.m. until noon, Thursday.

Other events include: the Food Sale at the Cass County Community Center, beginning at 10-a.m.; the Horse and Dairy check-ins at 4:30-p.m.; Poultry check-in from 5-to 6pm; and the Meat Goat weight-in from 6-to 7-pm. The big evening Thursday evening is the King and Queen Contest at 8, followed by Senior Recognition at 8:30-p.m. Deb Schuler, one of the Fair Superintendents for the King and Queen contest, says preparations for the event began with preliminary interviews with the contestants on July 8th.

This year there are seven young ladies vying for the Queen title, and three young men running to become King. The Queen contestants include – Calley Klindt, Tierney Sothman, Kourtnie Stephenson, Alyssa Dean, Jackie Rush, Hannah Misner, and Valerie Watson. The King candidates include – Tyler Christensen, Wyatt Saueglin, and Dylan Ferguson.

Judges for the event include former Queens Mallory Kirchhoff and Bethany Rogers. KJAN’s Jim Field is the emcee for the King and Queen Contest. The young lady who is crowned Queen will advance to represent Cass County at the State Fair, with the coronation taking place August 9th at 7-p.m. on the Anne and Bill Riley Stage.

The Cass County Fair runs through July 29th. For a detailed PDF schedule of events, go to this link: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/sites/www.extension.iastate.edu/files/cass/2014%20Schedule_Cass%20County%20Fair.pdf

Police in Red Oak, Tuesday, said a local woman was arrested that day on a theft charge. 31-year old Becki Le Hauge, of Red Oak, was charged with felony Theft in the 2nd degree. Hauge was transported to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on a $5,000 cash bond.

The Iowa Department of Public Health has won a three-year grant of nearly eight million dollars for a program to help people overcome substance abuse. Kevin Gabbert is the project director for what’s called Access to Recovery or A-T-R. “Because every person in the recovery is different, a key component to our program is choice,” Gabbert explains. “And so with A-T-R, the individual receiving the service chooses what services they want to be involved in from a variety of our providers.”

Gabbert says providing support services to those in recovery can be key to helping them succeed. “Basic things like transportation — so gas cards and bus passes. Child care so an individual can go to treatment services in the evening or go to a 12-step meeting. Some of those basic things that might have been barriers otherwise if they had not had access to A-T-R,” Gabbert says.

The program has been running since 2010, but its grant money was running out. “There was a new grant application process that was initiated in 2014. We applied and were one of six grantees out of 30 applicants,” Gabbert says. Gabbert says they’ve seen success with the percentage of individuals not using alcohol or drugs six months after admission increasing from over 73 percent (73.3) to over 82 percent (82.3) from 2010 to this year. He says they expect to serve seven-thousand people with the new grant.

Individuals can come to us from a variety of different referral sources. It could be from the Department of Corrections, it could be from a primary care provider, it could be from the Department of Human Services, the list just goes on and on,” Gabbert says. “Individuals can just walk into one of our care coordination providers which we have across the state.”

For more information about Access to Recovery, visit the Iowa Department of Public Health’s website.

(Radio Iowa)