A Taylor County man died Tuesday after the van he was driving collided with a semi in southwestern Union County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 79-year old Leonard Page, of Lenox, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Highway 25, northeast of Lenox. Officials say Page was traveling southbound at around 5:15-p.m, when for reasons unknown, the 2002 Ford van he was driving crossed the center line of the road and collided head-on with a northbound 2007 Freightliner driven by 59-year old David Werner, of Mason City.

Pages’ body was transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny for an autopsy. The accident remains under investigation.

The Shelby County Supervisors approved a labor relations engagement with a law firm for representation for the county. In a regular board of Supervisors meeting this (Tuesday) morning, the board approved the agreement with Ahlers Law Firm for a flat rate of $1,250 per month for one year. According to Supervisor Roger Schmitz, the law firm would represent the county on several items. He said “Lawyers that would represent the county on negotiations to contracts, grievances, complaints and consulting services. We felt maybe this was the time to do this and go through the whole process.” 

The County can terminate the contract but would need a 30 day notice. Supervisor Steve Kenkel went on to say the law firm will take care of policies and job descriptions as well. “We will use this to get into our negotiations and to work on implementing annual evaluations and updating job descriptions and our handbook. A lot of policies are outdated so combining them all into one.” 

In other business, the supervisors tabled an agreement between the county and city of Harlan for the collection of delinquent parking tickets. Shelby County Treasurer Carolyn Blum stated at the meeting she has not had proper time to go over the agreement yet and felt by the next board meeting, the agreement should be written and approved. Blum said cities in other counties do in fact use an agreement at times. The agreement on the collection of delinquent parking tickets is a fee of $5 to the county from the city of Harlan. She said the city has 13 overdue parking tickets averaging around $50. The Shelby County Board of Supervisors will discuss the agreement again at their next meeting on Tuesday, July 23^rd.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests over the past few days. On Friday, June 28th, , deputies arrested 29-year old James Nektarios O’Brien, of Cumberland. O’Brien was charged with Driving While Barred and brought to the Cass County Jail. He was released the next day on his own recognizance.

And, on Sunday, sheriff’s deputies arrested 36-year old Richard Edwin Swain, of Griswold, on a charge of OWI 2nd Offense. Swain was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance.

Police in Harlan are investigating a break-in and theft at a local establishment. On Saturday, officers were called to the Westside Lounge, with regard to a break-in, where food and alcohol was reported missing. The case remains under investigation.

The Harlan P-D reports also, a 2008 Chevy truck, along with about $500 worth of tools and other items, were stolen sometime Saturday night from a property in Harlan. The incident remains under investigation.

A Harlan man turned himself-in to authorities Saturday after he ran from police the previous day, following a traffic stop. 26-year old Joey Ranney, Jr., was subsequently cited for Driving Under Suspension, and Interference with official acts, and then released from custody. Officials said also, 55-year old Robert Murtaugh, of Harlan, was arrested Thursday, on a warrant associated with a charge of OWI/1st Offense. And, 18-year old Payton Larsen, of Harlan, was arrested Friday, following a traffic stop. The young woman was cited for being a Minor in Possession of Alcohol and having improper headlights while driving at night. She was subsequently released from custody.

Local band “Popcorn Button” will be back on the stage this Independence Day weekend at the Elks Lodge in Atlantic for a night of free music and dancing. Admission is free, and dancers and listeners of all ages and abilities are invited to attend the dance on Friday, July 5th from 7- to 10- pm.

The summer’s first dance, titled “Let Freedom Swing” will see the twenty piece ensemble perform big band favorites like “In the Mood,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” and “Hoop-de-Doo Polka.”  Event organizers encourage dancers of all skill levels, including those with no experience, to enjoy the live music and get out on the dance floor. Jake and Pam Auerbach will be available to provide free instruction in east coast swing, waltz, two step, and polka throughout the evening.

Popcorn Button is a group of volunteer musicians who come from all walks of life. Many of the band’s members are from Atlantic or the surrounding area, including several students and alumni from Atlantic High School. Also featured are students from Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, and the community at large.

A free will donation will be accepted at the door to help defray costs of the event. All excess money goes back to the community in donations or through the Popcorn Button Community Music Scholarship, an award to help young musicians attend band camps, honor bands, or private lessons. For more information, contact Curtis Ullerich at info@popcornbutton.org or at 424-242-2878, or visit www.popcornbutton.org.

Alliant Energy today reminded customers to be wary of scam phone calls, as complaints similar to those received in winter and spring are continuing into the summer. Similar to a scam that has been in occurring locally and nationally, customers report receiving phone calls that threaten electric service disconnection and ask them to purchase a prepaid card. 

Alliant Energy does not ask customers to purchase prepaid credit cards nor make immediate cash payments over the phone. This scam appears to target Spanish-speaking customers, but can happen to anyone. 

• If someone calls claiming they represent Alliant Energy and they demand immediate payment or personal information, hang up and call us. Do not give in to a high-pressure caller seeking personal information. We have several secure and convenient payment options listed at alliantenergy.com/paymentoptions. 
• Beware that scammers can spoof caller-ID displays, which means they can mask the call’s true origin and make it appear as if it the call is coming from a utility company. 
• Do not provide your Social Security number, credit card numbers or bank account information to anyone who requests that information during an unsolicited phone call or an unannounced visit. 
• Customers should report attempted scams to local law enforcement and the Iowa Attorney General by visiting iowaattorneygeneral.org, or calling 1-888-777-4590.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will meet Wednesday morning, in Atlantic. During their session, which begins at 8-a.m., the Board will act on a request for funding from the Cass County HistoricalMuseum. During their meeting last Friday morning, the Board discussed, but took no action on the request for $20,000, which if approved, would be made in two installments of $10,000 each. The money would come from the Local Option Sales Tax fund. 

The Supervisors will also act on a request for a Fireworks Display permit, as required by Iowa Code, and on the appointment of two members to the County Compensation Board, which prepares a compensation schedule for elected officers in CassCounty. And finally, if the paperwork is ready, the Board will discuss and act on approving entry into a 28-E agreement for Mental Health Regionalization.

A unique, side-by-side bicycle “car” built by a Creston man, and destined to be sold at auction and used for community events, was stolen the day before the auction.

Bike stolen prior to auction.

The bike was built by Wilbur Ricks of Creston, who died in December. On June 22 his family scheduled an auction to sell his estate. The bicycle car was included. One of the civic clubs in Creston had determined that they would bid on it to make it a “parade vehicle” for community events.

Sometime in the early-morning hours of June 22, someone decided they would prefer to acquire the bike by wheeling it away from the property, rather than seeing it sold at auction. The family would still like to see it go to the service club to be enjoyed by the community

If you see the vehicle, call the Union County Law Enforcement Center at 641-782-8402, or Rick’s son at 319-269-3475 to collect a reward upon its recovery.

A conference set to take place later this month in Ankeny will address the challenges women face in agriculture. Deb Schuler, President of Iowa Women in Agriculture, says the organization’s 7^th Annual Conference, entitled “All in a Day’s Work,” will be held July 30^th, from 8-a.m to 5-p.m. at the FFA Enrichment Center, in Ankeny. The day before, a wine and cheese welcome reception will be held from 5-to 8:30-p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott, in Ankeny. Cost for the conference is $70, and includes the evening welcome reception, a continental breakfast, and lunch. Registrations are due by July 20^th. All early paid registrants will be eligible to win a Google Nexus 7, 16-gigabyte tablet. 

Schuler says the conference features a variety of topics, including: Farm estate planning; Livestock marketing; Mobile precision ag lab; Livestock regulations; Agronomy; Stress management; Quick books; Income tax issues, and much more. Distinguished speakers include Roger McEowen/ISU Center for Ag Law and Taxation; Julianne Johnston, Farm Journal Media editor; Brandi Shay, from SouthwesternCommunity College; Dr. Michael Rosemann, with AgriWellness, Inc.; Annette Sweeney, former chair of the House Ag Committee and Iowa AgriWomen President, and others. 

For more information, contact IWIA President Deb Schuler at 712-243-4444, or go to www.iowawomeninag.org.

A pickup truck with a dump box and small equipment (including  4 new tires, a weed eater, paint machine and other, miscellaneous items) was reported stolen last week from the Harlan Wastewater Treatment plant. According to the Harlan Police Department, the incident happened sometime Thursday night. The loss was estimated at more than $36,000.

The Harlan PD, Shelby County Sheriff’s, Iowa State Patrol and other authorities in the area were notified to on the lookout for the vehicle and equipment. Authorities determined the stolen red truck with the city of Harlan logo on the side headed south from the plant, towards the interstate.

The facility, located on a mile south of Highway 44 on Maple Road, was broken into through a locked gate where the thieves used wire cutters to cut around the padlock. Anyone with information on the burglary at the Harlan wastewater treatment plant is asked to contact the Harlan Police Department at 712-755-5151 or city hall at 712-755-5137.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)