Two people were killed in a head-on crash about 8 o’clock last (Monday) night in southern Iowa’s Monroe County. State troopers say a 2002 Chevy pickup driven by 28-year-old Nathaniel Stroud of Centerville was westbound on Highway 34 traveling at high speed in the eastbound lane and struck a 2014 Chrysler driven by 34-year-old Summer Cox of Allerton. Both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene. Highway 34 was closed for more than three hours in both directions.

(Radio Iowa)

The CAM School District’s Board of Education will hold a special meeting 5-p.m. Wednesday, at the High School Media Center, in Anita. On their agenda, is discussion followed by possible action on the CAM Education Association (CAMEA) negotiations toward the 2018-19 Master Contract, and a changing of the time for March’s regular meeting, to 5:30-p.m.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of video recording four people in a Mason City school staff restroom has pleaded not guilty. Court records say 46-year-old David Bemis entered the pleas Friday to four counts of invasion of privacy. A trial date hasn’t been set.

Investigators say Bemis was a janitor at Clear Creek Elementary School in May 2013 when he hid a video camera in the restroom and recorded four school employees in varying degrees of nudity. Investigators say the recording was found on a computer in Bemis’ home in Mason City. He no longer works for the district.

Clear Lake Superintendent Doug Gee says an investigation began in January after the district learned about an incident occurring four to five years ago. He says no students were recorded.

The Cass and Adair County Boards of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meetings Wednesday, in Atlantic and Greenfield, respectively. In Atlantic, the Cass County Board will meet at 8:30-a.m. in their Board Room at the Courthouse. On their agenda is discussion and action on an Abatement or Compromise of tax on the County held Tax Sale Certificate for a parcel of land in Meredith’s Addition, in Lewis. The Board will also sign an agreement for County Engineer Charles Bechtold, with regard to the County Home generator replacement project.

In Greenfield, the Adair County Board of Supervisors will meet 9-a.m. Wednesday, at the Adair County Public Safety Center’s PSC Conference Room. Auditor Mindy Schaefer will provide an update on the Election Trailer, and IMWCA renewal worksheet. Sheriff Jeff Vandewater will discuss the credit card limit, and a New Hire. County Conservation Director Kevin Blazek will present pickup truck bids, and County Engineer Nick Kauffman will present contracts for various bridge/road resurfacing and other projects, as well as discuss other departmental activities.

At the end of regular business, the Adair County Board of Supervisors will enter into a Closed Session to discuss and possibly act on two parcels of land for real estate purchase.

A group of state senators and some of their staff had about an hour’s worth of private training Monday, in how best to respond to an “active shooter” situation. Sergeant Steve Lawrence, the state trooper who led the discussion. “I could tell that everyone in the room, their eyes had been opened a little bit and were willing to accept and prepare themselves for something like that, God forbid that it ever happened, he said.”

He spoke with reporters afterwards. If you hear gunshots, “evacuating is almost always the best response,” according to Sergeant Lawrence. “And run as fast as you can, not in a straight line, and run until you’re safe, that’s the best thing that you can do,” Lawrence says. “If you can barricade in a secure room where they can’t break through a window or through the door, that’s a great idea…Last resort, if you don’t have a chance to run or or you don’t have a chance to barricade: fight back…Fight back with whatever means you’ve got whether that be a pair of scissors, a paperweight, a coffee mug, hot coffee — anything in your hands — fight back and (don’t) become a victim.”

Lawrence says everyone should think about potential threats, wherever they may be.  “Every law enforcement officer does that daily,” Lawrence said. “Throughout our duties, traffic stops, whatever it is — we prepare ourselves daily, so if it does happen, we know how to respond.”

Lawrence is a certified safety instructor. He’s so far met with “well over two-thousand” state employees and state officials to discuss that kind of “situational awareness.”

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Business Council raises concerns about the preparedness of Iowa’s workforce in its annual Competitive Dashboard, which compares the states for their economic development. The council is calling the need for a trained workforce a major concern and challenge for Iowa employers. Executive director Georgia Van Gundy says Iowa is rightfully praised for its high school graduation rate.

“But what we don’t have then is for individuals who go on to post-graduate training, whether it’s community college or a four-year institution,” Van Gundy says. “They are not getting that type of training and those are the types of individuals we need for the jobs in Iowa.”

To remedy the situation, Van Gundy says the Iowa Business Council is pledging to hire 30,000 interns and apprentices by 2025. She says the makeup of the state’s population is also a problem. “We’re poor as far as demographics and diversity,” Van Gundy says. “In the state of Iowa, our population has not grown much at all and we are not a very diverse population, so in order to meet those job needs we have, we definitely need to grow our population in the state.”

By month’s end, Van Gundy says the council will introduce a Business Education Alliance made up of business leaders, higher education officials and K-12 representatives to map out strategies for current and future workforce needs.

(Radio Iowa via Rob Dillard, Iowa Public Radio)

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a man who was at the Pott. County Jail, Monday morning, was arrested on a warrant out of Omaha, for being a Fugitive from Justice. 39-year old Chad Edward Sulley, of Council Bluffs, was taken into custody a little after 10-a.m., and turned over to jail staff. Monday afternoon, a woman visiting the Pott. County Jail was arrested on warrants out of Cherokee, of Contempt of Court/Speeding, and Contempt of Court/No valid Driver’s License. 63-year old Pamela H. Odinas, of Omaha, was turned over to jail staff, after she was read the warrant.

A man from Ft. Collins, CO., was arrested Monday afternoon on drug charges, following a traffic stop for speeding. Authorities say a 2018 Nissan Sentra driven by 29-year old Patrick William Benson, was pulled over, and Benson was placed under arrest for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Inside the vehicle, a Deputy located two marijuana cigarettes. Benson was released from the scene on a citation/summons. And, a man from Pacific Junction was arrested late Monday night following a traffic stop for having been barred from driving. 28-year old Christopher Lee McDaniel was booked into the Pott. County Jail.

HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) — A mistrial has been declared in the second sex abuse trial of a Charles City man. Court records say a judge granted a defense motion Monday for 62-year-old Charles Lindaman and ordered court administrators to schedule another trial. The trial had been moved to Franklin County from Floyd County because of pretrial publicity.

Lindaman was convicted in 2016 of sexually abusing a 17-year-old boy in 2011. The Iowa Supreme Court later vacated the conviction, because Lindaman was allowed to represent himself without knowingly waiving his right to an attorney. Lindaman was running for a school board spot when arrested in 2015.

Lindaman’s attorney alleged in mistrial motions that the jury became prejudiced against Lindaman because two prosecution witnesses violated court instructions by referring to Lindaman’s criminal record.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police say they expect charges will be changed because a driver accused of fatally hitting a pedestrian lied about having children in her vehicle. Police say Oleaf Teoh’s sport utility vehicle struck 33-year-old Matthew Otto from behind on Sunday night. Court records say the 22-year-old Teoh is charged with vehicular homicide while driving under the influence, leaving the accident scene and two counts of neglect or abandonment of a dependent person.

Police say she’d lied about her identity when first questioned and now say she lied about having 3-day-old and 6-year-old children with her when Otto was hit. Investigators say they’ve learned that two adults were with her. They haven’t been named.