(Griswold, Iowa) – Members of the Griswold Board of Education met Monday night and, according to Superintendent Dave Henrichs, approved several resignations and new hires. The resignations will be in effect at the end of the current school year.

Henrichs said a good portion of the meeting was covered contracts and handbooks for the 2023-24 School Year, which came with a bit of a dilemma, with regard to insurance.

He said the District utilized a partial self-funding policy that helps offset out-of-pocket insurance premiums and keeps them low. Each year money is placed into an account, which currently has a balance of about $60,000, which allows for an increase in the salary package.

In other business, the Griswold School Board approved continuing three current sharing agreements: An Elementary Guidance Agreement with the Riverside School District; a Transportation agreement with the Atlantic School District, and a School Business Officials (SBO) agreement with Riverside. A sharing agreement with regard to Girl’s Wrestling was tabled for now.

The Griswold School Board set Driver’s Education Fees for the Summer of 2024 at $385. The cost for students from other districts will be $495.

There were two bids for mowing. The current provider, Bob’s Mowing, was awarded the contract. They also received an informational update from Superintendent Henrichs on the four-day school week, but no action was taken. He says they’re still collecting information.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, today (Tuesday), voted to pass a resolution vacating the county road right-of-way for Willow Lane, for the former Willow Heights facilty. Board Chair Steve Baier says as long as the County was operating Willow Heights, it needed the driveway to be designated as a road. With the potential sale of the property, the road, he says needs to go back to being a driveway that is a private drive, closed to the public.

Here’s a portion of the Resolution approved by the Board….

In other business, the Board tabled until next week, a presentation by Kate Olson, with a request for 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. And, they tabled discussion/action on an investment policy revision.

The Board voted four-to-1, with Wendy Richter opposed, to reduce the Compensation Board salary recommendation for elected County officials by 40-percent to 6.0-percent, and 8.1-percent for the Sheriff. The Compensation Board’s recommendation was for 10-percent increase for elected officials and 13.5-percent for the Sheriff. Richter said she thought the cuts should have been more: 50-to 60-percent.

The Supervisors heard a report from Cass/Guthrie County Environmental Health Director Jotham Arber, and a regular, weekly report from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report the arrest today (Tuesday), of 40-year-old Joseph Aaron Nelson, from Red Oak. Nelson was taken into custody at around 9:10-a.m. in the 200 block of Oakwood Avenue, and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault causing bodily injury. He was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Mills County Sheriff’s officials report four recent arrests, with one subject being arrested twice. At around 11:30-p.m. Monday, 27-year-old Creighton Paul Catlett, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on 221st Street, on a warrant for Eluding/Speeding over 25 limit. His bond was set at $2,000. At around 9-p.m. Monday, 62-year-old Clyde James Jacobs, of Omaha, was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail on a Mills County warrant for Failure to Appear on an OWI/1st offense charge. His bond was set at $3,000.

At around 2:15-a.m., Sunday, Mills County Deputies arrested 27-year-old Creighton Paul Catlett, of Council Bluffs, for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bond $300. And, Friday afternoon, 33-year-old Elizabeth Rene Lynette Evans, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Douglas County, NE jail, for Violation of Probation. She was being held on a $5,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says if there are demonstrations today (Tuesday) related to the anticipated arrest of former President Donald Trump, he hopes things don’t get out of hand like during the U-S Capitol riots on January 6th of 2021. “We want peaceful protests by anybody that wants to use their freedom of association and freedom of speech to say whatever they want to,” Grassley says. “It’s all protected by the Constitution and violence is never acceptable.” The former president has called on his supporters to protest if he’s indicted on charges related to alleged hush money payments to an adult film actress in 2016.

Video is being released by the U-S Department of Justice that reportedly shows Grassley being evacuated from the Capitol on January 6th as shouting demonstrators were just a matter of feet away. “I didn’t know anything about it at the time and so it’s quite an education to me to find out that we were that close,” Grassley says. “I still remember when the police said, ‘We got to get you out of here.’ They knew something I didn’t know.” Justice officials say the video was shot by one of the rioters and it shows Grassley, surrounded by uniformed police officers, as he was rushed through the Capitol building and away to safety.

“So I was quite surprised, yes, I was,” Grassley says, “but I’m glad that everything was was handled correctly for me and my colleagues.” At the time of the riot, Grassley was serving as president pro tem of the Senate, which placed him third in the line of succession to the presidency.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Atlantic School District’s Board of Education will meet 9-a.m. Wednesday. Their expected brief session takes place in the Central Office at the Achievement Center. On the agenda for action is a Tech Department, Dark Fiber Lease and Services Agreement with United Private Network, LLC.

Immediately following the special session, the board will enter into a closed session “to evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge is being considered when necessary, to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation, and that individual requests a closed session” under Iowa Code.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports one-person was injured in a single-vehicle rollover accident, a little before 9-p.m., Monday. 31-year-old Brandon David Frey, of Shannon City, suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries, when the 2005 Ford F-350 pickup he was driving south on Pole Road, went into the northbound lane and continued into the east ditch. The pickup went airborne over a fence and into a field before rolling over and coming to rest on its wheels. Frey was partially trapped in the vehicle and was unable to get out on his own.

He was transported by ambulance to the Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston, for treatment of head injuries. Frey was charged with OWI/1st offense, Failure to provide proof of insurance, Failure to Maintain Control, and Driving while license suspended. His pickup was totaled, with the damage estimated at $15,000. The fence, owned by a person from Creston, sustained $100 damage during the crash.

In a separate incident, no injuries were reported following a collision a little after 10-a.m., Monday, at Ohio Avenue and 5th Street, in Union County. The Sheriff’s Office says a 2008 Mercury Mariner SUV driven by 53-year-old Melanie Wolf, of Creston, was turning left from Ohio Avenue and stopped at the stop sign before proceeding forward. She didn’t see a 2022 Peterbilt tractor trailer approaching from the east on 5th Street, and driven by 56-year-old Dennis Headings, of Lorimor. Wolf panicked and stopped in the middle of the road and then attempted to move forward.

She didn’t advance soon enough, and was struck by the truck n the rear driver’s side. The impact caused both curtain airbags to deploy. The SUV spun around and ended-up in the north ditch. Authorities say Headings tried to stop but was unsuccessful. Damage from the collision amounted to $3,500. No citations were issued.

Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has selected Brig. Gen. William F. McClintock as the Deputy Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard. The Governor says “General McClintock’s extensive experience and proven leadership, alongside General Osborn, will ensure that the Iowa National Guard is ‘Always Ready’. With his nearly four decades of service, including his roles as Assistant Adjutant General and Army Chief of Staff, I know General McClintock can help Iowa navigate this increasingly unpredictable world, no matter what comes our way.”

McClintock previously served as Assistant Adjutant General and as the full-time Army Chief of Staff. McClintock graduated and received commission from the Officer Candidate School Program, Iowa Military Academy, at Camp Dodge.  His military assignments include: Platoon Leader, Executive Officer, Company Commander, Battalion Operations Officer, Battalion Commander and Troop Commander.  He was the Director of Human Resources for Iowa of both the Army and Air National Guard. He is a Joint Qualified Officer who served three years in an Operational Assignment at U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado. McClintock holds both a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in business administration from Upper Iowa University. He also holds a second master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

Brig. Gen. William F. McClintock

The adjutant general is the second highest-ranking position in the Iowa National Guard. McClintock will assist in managing more than 7,000 part-time Soldiers. Brig.  General McClintock will replace Brig. Gen. Stephen E. Osborn, who is the newly appointed Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Parks & Recreation Board, Monday, set the 2023 Sunnyside Pool Season membership fees. Parks and Rec Director Wyatt Adderton proposed the daily rate remain unchanged at $5 per day, but an increase in the Seasonal rate.

Board member Shirley Jensen asked if there will be funding available for kids whose families cannot afford the passes. Jeremy Butler said his church has donated $1,000 for however the parks board sees fit, with regard to the pool fees, with the hopes of sparking additional philanthropic donations. Shirley Jensen agreed.

In other business, the Atlantic Parks and Rec Board voted to allow Wyatt Adderton to purchase Pool-Pass software, that will help the department handle member registration, pool entry, point of sale and re-sale inventory. Parks Chair Jolene Smith said the software would be especially beneficial where the concession stand is concerned. Wyatt Adderton…

He said the program is very easy to use as far as accessibility is concerned, and pool staff should have no problem with maneuvering through the site and software. The person paying for the membership would have their profile and membership status on the system, including their photo. Hard cards are available for an extra fee. Sunnyside Pool will accept cash, and the E-Pass can also be used for concessions. Jolene Smith and Barb Barrick agreed, last year’s membership and daily fee system was a “fiasco,” and this new system should be a great leap forward.

The Board approved painting of the Sunnyside Pool buildings, including the bathhouse and pump station at 10th and Sunnyside. Adderton said they are currently getting some bids from artists to possibly put a mural on the building. The Board also approved the purchase of a new water slide at Sunnyside Pool, as long as the slide and mural costs stay within the City Administrator’s determined budget.

The Park’s Board granted James McEntaffer permission to install 1/2-mile mile markers around the Schildberg Recreation Area walking path, as part of an Eagle Scout project. They gave Frank Saddlemire permission to plant trees in Sunnyside Park. And, they approved a request for the installation of memorial benches at the Schildberg Recreation Area.

(Radio Iowa) – House Democrats are planning to push to make contraceptives, like the pill, available without a prescription. Representative Lindsay James, a Democrat from Dubuque, says pharmacists in 20 states are able to provide birth control without a doctor’s prescription. “Pharmacists especially in rural Iowa are an important resource and an important part of this equation,” James says. “They are an access point for care and can help eliminate barriers and expand access to contraception.”

In 2019, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds proposed making the pill available without a prescription, but the bill stalled in the House. This year, G-O-P lawmakers in the House and Senate are considering proposals that would still require prescriptions, but the required appointments with the prescribing doctor would be less frequent. House Democrats are also proposing an amendment to guarantee abortion rights in the Iowa Constitution along with other legislation related to reproductive health care. House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights…

“We campaigned on reproductive freedom,” Konfrst says. “It is still a crisis in this state and it’s critically important we address it.” During House debate of a wide ranging bill Republicans are considering, Democratic Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell of Ames intends to ask that Medicaid patients get one year of health coverage after childbirth rather than just 60 days. “What has been discovered is that a lot of women have problems after that 60 day time period,” Wessel-Kroeschell says, “and we have seen some maternal deaths after that time period, which is just simply tragic.”

She’ll also call for restoring Medicaid coverage for family planning and sexually transmitted disease testing at Planned Parenthood. Republican lawmakers ended state and federal funding for those services at Planned Parenthood in 2017. Key Republicans say they stand by the decision to “defund” Planned Parenthood and have no intention of reversing it.