(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will act on several matters during their 9-a.m. meeting Tuesday, at the Courthouse in Atlantic. According to the agenda provided by Auditor Kathy Somers, that includes…

• Discuss/Approve Resolution 2023-06, Approval of Cass County Secondary Roads Five-Year Construction Program, FY 24-29
• Discuss/Approve Resolution 2023-07, Amendment to Cass County Five-Year Construction Program, FY23-28
• Presentation/Acceptance of the FY 2022 annual audit by Gronewold, Bell, Kyhnn & Co. P.C.
• Approve tax sale of county-held certificate 2021-03. 445.16 Abatement or compromise of tax
• Discuss/Approve Resolution 2023-08, Approving Allocation of ARPA Funds to Temporarily Expand the Role of the Cass County Wellness Coordinator to Address Local Public Health Priorities and Assist in Long-Term Pandemic Recovery Efforts
• Discuss/Approve changes in employee benefits effective July 1, 2023:
  • Leave ISAC and elect a stand-alone health insurance plan with Wellmark, saving the county approximately $143,000 from the current premiums. The partial self-fund claims should be between $200,000 and $300,000.
  • Pay to keep the wellness program (approximately $20,000-$25,000), EAP program (approximately $4,000-$5,000) and Accident & Dismemberment Plan (approximately $10,000-$12,000).

The Board will receive reports from County Engineer Trent Wolken, and Cass County Community Services/Judicial Mental Health Director, Deb Schuler, and act on two township positions IF there is a candidate for either or both positions.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is renewing his call for the Biden administration to disclose all it knows about the high-altitude Chinese balloon that flew across the U-S in February. N-B-C is reporting today (Monday) that the spy balloon — which China claimed was a weather balloon blown off course — was able to gather intelligence from several U-S military sites and transmit it back to Beijing in real time.  “What the United States needs to do as a result of that balloon,” Grassley says, “we need to know everything that we know about that balloon and Congress needs a briefing on that.”

The report says the balloon managed to make multiple passes over some sites, including flying in a figure-eight, before a U-S fighter jet shot it down off the South Carolina coast. Grassley says there are already clear laws dictating how our airspace is not to be violated.

Grassley says, “The action that Congress needs to take in response to this, but several other things that China is doing, is to build up our military which is losing ground against China.” A total of four balloons were shot down during February, including two near Alaska and a third over Lake Huron. Grassley says America needs to show China and the world our strength and that we’ll defend our borders — and our allies.

“A strong military is the best tool of peace,” Grassley says, “to be prepared to ward off any actions that China may be taking in that part of the world that threaten countries that we have military alliances with.” At the urging of Congress, Grassley says the U-S is also pushing to pull manufacturing out of China and relocate it in the U-S.

(Glewood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood, Sunday, arrested a man from Malvern, for OWI/1st offense. 30-year-old London Tyler was also charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance. His total bond was set at $2,000. He has since posted bond and was released.

(UPDATED) (Cumberland, Iowa) – Firefighters from Cumberland were paged-out to a fully engulfed barn fire Sunday, at around 3:32-p.m. Cumberland Fire Chief Jason Rouse said the incident, which started in an older barn, happened at at 72686 700th Street.

Massena Fire provided additional tanker and grass units at the scene. Two grass fire units from Griswold Fire were also requested. A total of six grass trucks were on the scene.

The barn and its contents was a total loss.

The structure was said to be near a propane tank, and close to a residence to the north.

Rouse said there was electricity run underground to the barn, so it’s unclear how the fire started. No injuries were reported, and the lives of farm animals were sparred because they were away from the burning structure. Rouse wants to thank the other fire departments for their assistance.

Crews were on the scene until about 5:45-p.m.  They went back a couple of times to extinguish some hot spots. And, while the cause of this fire is undetermined, Fire Chief Jason Rouse asks property owners to hold-off on any controlled burns until we get enough precipitation to dampen the very tinder grassland and vegetation.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will meet 8:30-a.m. Tuesday, in their Courthouse Meeting Room. On their agenda is approval of the following projects, using ARPA funds:

• LEC (Law Enforcement Center) Taser gun purchase, in the amount of $28,000.
• Emergency Management Agency (EMA) -Motorola radio purchases in the amount of $25,000.
• Unisyn VoterScans for County Elections, in the amount of $54,347.

The Board will also act to approve renewal rates for FY 23/24 Delta Dental Insurance. They will hold a Personnel Evaluation – mostly likely in a closed session – with regard to the County IT Director (Information Technology).

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Red Oak Police Dept. reports Officers arrested 37-year-old Jacob Wayne Dykes-Vargas, of Red Oak, at around 5:35-a.m. today (Monday). He was arrested in the 2200 block of Highway 48, for Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense – Methamphetamine. He also had a valid Pottawattamie County warrant for Violation of Probation. Dykes-Vargas was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $10,000 bond. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted in the arrest.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports the arrest on a Union County warrant, of 40-year-old Heather Marie Davis, of Creston. The warrant charges Davis with 12 counts of Dominion/Control of Firearm/Offensive Weapon by Felon, 5 counts Controlled Substance Violation and Failure of Affix Drug Stamp. Davis was transported to the Union County Jail then later transferred to the Adams County Jail. Davis is being held on $90,000 cash or surety bond.

Creston Police arrested two people Friday afternoon: 38-year-old Mathias Cory Becker, of Creston, was arrested in the 200 Block N Birch. Becker was charged on an Adams County Warrant for Possession of Controlled Substance 2nd Offense. Becker was released to Adams County. And, 31-year-old Amanda Marie Steinbach, of Lorimor, was arrested in the 500 Block S Oak. Steinbach was charged on an Adams County Warrant for Failure to Appear. Steinbach was released to Adams County.

Thursday morning, Creston Police arrested 25-year-old Cody Igor Corfits, of West Des Moines, at 300 N Pine. Corfits was charged on a Department of Corrections Warrant for Violation of Probation original charge Kidnapping 3rd Degree, Amended to Burglary 2nd Class C Felony. Corfits was taken to the Union County Jail. Corfits was released on $1000 cash or surety bond.

(Radio Iowa) – One of the sure signs of spring, Iowans are seeing huge congregations of birds filling the morning and evening skies, giant clouds of feathered creatures that often take several minutes to pass. Steve Dinsmore, a central Iowa ornithologist and bird watcher, says it’s typical during this time of the year to spot birds migrating in tremendously large numbers over Iowa. Those large undulating flocks are called a “murmuration” and may include tens of thousands of birds stretching over several miles.

Dinsmore, a professor of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State University, says birds of a feather do flock together to avoid predators, plus, it offers information to the collective about good foraging or feeding sites. He says the murmurations are most likely starlings, blackbirds, redwing blackbirds or common grackles.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds issued disaster proclamations for 12 counties this weekend after several tornados touched down Friday.. The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be used to respond in Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Grundy, Johnson, Keokuk, Linn, Mahaska, Wapello, and Washington counties. Delaware County Emergency Management Coordinator Mandy Bieber says the storms spread across the county — with significant damage in the Manchester area and also in Greeley and Oneida.

The National Weather Service is out assessing the damage and has confirmed there was an E-F-2 tornado in Wapello County northeast of Ottumwa. At least three homes and one hog confinement facility were damaged. Other assessment continues.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office says the driver of a pickup wasn’t injured, when his vehicle struck a cow early Sunday morning. Authorities say 21-year-old Ean Patrick Paxson, of Diagonal, was traveling southbound on the High and Dry Road at around 1-a.m. Sunday, when his 1991 GMC Sonoma hit a cow standing on the shoulder of the road, on the west-hand side.

The impact caused $4,000 damage to the pickup, which had to be towed from the scene. No citations were issued. The owner of the cow was not identified in the report.