Authorities in Montgomery County are asking for your help in solving a break-in and theft. Officials say sometime between April 18th and 28th, someone broke into a trailer located at 1755 223rd Street, south of Red Oak. The victim reported the loss of seven Franklin Mint statues, four of which were part of a National Maritime Historical Society series. The pieces include a Sundial, Spyglass, Barometer, Lantern, Telephone, Meteorological clock and Chronometer. All were gold plated and valued at about $200 each.

The were also about $500 damage done to the trailer. Anyone with information about the crime should call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 712-623-5107, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-432-1001.

Clarinda Police are asking for the public’s help in solving a spree of residential burglaries that occurred in the east part of Clarinda during the early morning hours of April 27th. Police Chief Keith Brothers says on Sunday, April 27th, Merlin “Hap” Murphy of 917 E. Lincoln reported that intruders had entered his home, by forcing their way through a window, and stealing some personal items and causing some property damage.

That same morning, Jeremy Morrison, of 323 N. 8th Street reported that his home had also been burglarized and some personal items stolen. Also, Rene “Andy” Kuonen of 623 N. 10th St. reported that someone had unlawfully entered into his home and destroyed some personal property.

The incidents remain under investigation. Anyone with information concerning the identity of the individual(s) who committed one or all of the criminal acts should contact the Clarinda Police Department. Information that leads to an arrest is eligible for a cash reward through the Page County Crime stoppers program.

Awards totaling $23.8 million were announced today (Tuesday), for 70 communities across the state. The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) awarded the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to support 72 community investment projects. The federally funded grants were awarded for community facilities, infrastructure improvements, downtown revitalization and single family owner-occupied housing rehabilitation.

Among the grant recipients in the KJAN listening area, was:

• The City of Anita – $300,000 for construction improvements to the City’s water system.
• The City of Breda (Carroll County) – $300,000 for the replacement of a water tower.
• The City of Corning – $500,000 for construction improvements to the City’s water system.
• The City of Creston – $250,000 for improvements to the sanitary sewer system to reduce infiltration and inflow.
• The City of Earlham – $191,000 for improvements to the existing water distribution system.
• The City of Hancock – $196,000 for improvements to the City’s water system.
• The City of Henderson – $185,000 for a Life Station & Force Main replacement.
• The City of Macedonia – $246,000 for improvements to the water system.
• The City of Schleswig – $300,000 for CDBG Administration.
• The City of Thurman – $229,000 for improvements to the City’s water system.
• The City of Winterset – $584,000 for sanitary sewer system improvements.
• The City of Greenfield – $205,500 for the Southern Iowa Council Of Governments (COG).
• The City of Panora – $395,000 for the Region 12 Council of Governments (COG).

The funds enable communities to make needed improvements to water and sewer systems, improve housing conditions for low-income homeowners, provide facilities for disabled and at-risk individuals, and make transformative improvements to their downtowns.

IEDA received 136 applications for these funds, totaling $44.9 million in funding requests. The grants are awarded based on benefit to low- and moderate-income persons, slum and blight elimination, financial need, project impact and readiness, and commitment of local resources to the project.

The Community Development Block Grant program is federally funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). IEDA is responsible for administering the CDBG funds in the non-metropolitan areas of the state. Applications are solicited annually, usually during the fall.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors are expected to act Wednesday on the Appointment of a full-time Mental Health/General Assistance Director. Deb Schuler has filled the position in the interim, following the termination of employment in February, of former long-time MH/DD/GA Director Teresa Kanning.

The Board will also act on: The appointment of an additional member to the Cass County Food Policy Council; An amended appropriation for the Medical Examiner’s Department, and on authorizing Board Chair Frank Waters to sign a Planning Grant Agreement with the Iowa Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, for a Multi-jurisdictional  Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) Update

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) is funded by FEMA to provide grants to State and local governments to implement long-term mitigation measures after a major disaster declaration. The purpose of the program is to reduce loss of life and property resulting from natural disasters and to enable mitigation measures to be implemented during the recovery from a disaster. Cass County’s current plan
continues through mid-2015. Cass County’s application is for 2015 through 2020. The grant request is was for $53,000 ($39,750 Federal match; $5,300 State match; and $7,950 County {in-kind} match).

In other business, the Supervisors will review the bids and possibly award a contract for, a concrete box culvert project. The meeting begins at 8:30-a.m. in the Supervisor’s Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports four arrests over the past week. On Monday, 40-year old Heath Kaleb Vanegas, of Glenwood, was arrested on Highway 275 for OWI/2nd offense. His bond was set at $2,000. Last Saturday, 37-year old Sadie Jeanine Renander, of Omaha, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, and, 35-year old Dayton Ernest Tuper II, of Malvern, was arrested in Malvern, for Disorderly Conduct. Tuper’s bond was set at $300, while bond for Renander amounted to $1,000.

And, on Friday, 47-year old Heather Leigh McCord-Bennett, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear in court. Her bond was set at $300.

Mills County Sheriff’s Deputies also investigated two, non-injury accidents, one of which occurred late Monday night on Highway 34, the other happened late Friday morning on 284th Street.

The Pottawattamie County Trails Board is preparing the next steps for developing county-wide trails. In a press release, the board says they are engaging an engineering firm to begin surveying, designing and preparing cost estimates for Phase 1. The board continues to talk with private citizens asking for donations of any size including cash donations and gifts of grain or land and applying for various grants as they come available.

The Pottawattamie County Trails Board has been meeting regularly for the past few years to develop trails throughout the county and a small group of regular participants have been working hard to create a county-wide network to benefit all residents. Based on the plan, which was developed by the committee through public participation with assistance from the National Park Service RTCA program, the board has begun working to raise money and finalize the Phase 1 route from Council Bluffs to Neola and a second route from Council Bluffs to Hitchcock Nature Center. Both of the routes total nearly 27 miles and will be 10’ wide poured concrete trails.

The trails board has raised nearly $1 million toward their goal with the help of grants, local funding efforts and the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors support. The committee has also partnered with the Pottawattamie County Conservation Foundation as a way to receive donations until the board receives their 501©3 status. The plan going forward is to begin building phase 1 as early as spring 2015.

If you would like to donate to the project or volunteer to assist, contact the Pottawattamie County Trails Board members through their Facebook page by search “Pottawattamie County County-wide Trail Plan.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

A joint meeting of the CAM and Nodaway Valley Community School Districts was held Monday evening at the Nodaway Valley Middle School, in Fontanelle. The meeting was designed to gauge the thoughts of both school boards and gather input, with regard to the possibility of the two districts sharing a superintendent.

CAM Superintendent Steve Pelzer told KJAN News that the boards discussed moving forward, that’s about as far as it got. He says there were no decisions made, it was merely conversation. Pelzer said both boards will likely discuss the matter separately during their respective meetings next month and made a decision on whether to proceed.

Pelzer was not ready to reveal whether there was any sort of consensus following Monday night’s meeting, on if the two districts are on the same page and want to continue moving forward. He said he doesn’t want to speak for either board as to how they feel about laying the groundwork for a possible future sharing option.

Pelzer did acknowledged that discussions have ceased with the Coon Rapids-Bayard School Board over a proposed sharing agreement, and he said there are currently no other districts courting CAM over the possibility of sharing, other than Nodaway Valley.

Districts typically explore a Superintendent sharing agreement with a neighboring school district because of the financial incentives offered by the State of Iowa. The Iowa Legislature passed operational sharing incentives equaling eight students for each district that is sharing a superintendent. The districts would be eligible for the incentive for five years. That amounts to about $50,000 per year.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Administrators with the Atlantic Community School District, Monday, presented the results of the 2014 Iowa Assessment of basic skills before the Board of Education. The results, summarized by Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein, showed the work teachers and administrators did this past summer with regard to curriculum, made a difference in how the scores improved, in this, the second year of the Iowa Assessments, which replaced the Iowa Test of Basic Skills as a means of gauging student learning and achievement.

Amstein said “The toughest nut to crack here in our district…it’s gotta be the Middle School students, because they have so many things going on.” He says regardless of which test form is used, going up 20-points in a subject such as math, is attributed to the kids being better prepared in order to do that well. Amstein said “The good news is (The students) did well this year. The challenge is to maintain, and do better next year, and I think we have the capabilities to do that.”

Curriculum Director and Schuler Elementary School Principal James Northwick was excited at the trends, which showed Reading scores in grades three through 11 overall, were 79-percent, which was an increase of 10-percent over last year. Math was up 7-percent, to 83-percent overall. Science was up three-percent from last year to 81-percent. Middle School Principal Josh Rasmussen said his teachers and staff were “Very excited about the scores” they got back, because those students demonstrated the most improvement.

At the High School, Principal Heather McKay said the Junior-level Class of 2015, which she says has been their “Class of concern,” has made the least amount of growth in Reading, “But they still had growth.”  She said there’s more than can be done to improve the reading scores and that they’re anxious to see how some of what is currently happening in the elementary grade levels as far as improved reading skills will translate into scores once those students reach high school.

The district’s overall proficiency improved in all areas. In the Green Hills AEA survey, preliminary data indicates Atlantic will rank at least in the top third of schools tested in the AEA’s coverage area. The district will continue to strive for 85-percent proficiency.