(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 1:50-p.m., Saturday, of 75-year-old Dennis Leroy Vanderhoof. The Red Oak man was arrested for operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent, criminal mischief in the 2nd Degree, and driving while barred. Vanderhoof was being held on a full cash bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

A few area school districts will hold their regular monthly meetings on Monday, January 16th (2023):

The Exira-Elk Horn Kimballton Board meets at 5-p.m. in the Conference Room in Elk Horn. Discussion items include 2023-24 Sharing Agreements. Action items will include: Setting the date/time for a public hearing on the 2023-24 School Calendar; ’23-’24 Elementary School Counselor Sharing Agreement with Coon Rapids-Bayard CSD; and the hiring of Randy Kelly as Head Baseball Coach.

The Griswold CSD Board of Education meets at 5:30-p.m. in the Conference Room at the Griswold Building, and includes a public hearing on the ’23-’24 District Calendar, beginning at 6-p.m. The rest of their agenda includes:

Old Business:

• Board Policies – Second Reading (D.R.) – 507.2E2, 600, 601.1, 602.4, 705.1.;
• Discussion And Possible Action On Retirement Benefits For Non-Certificated Staff Member(s) (I or D.R.)

New Business:

• Peer Mentoring Program Presentation (I)
• Consider Approval Of Early Graduation Request (D.R.)
• Approval Of Chemical Application Specifications (D.R.)
• Consider Approval Of Modified Supplement Amount (MSA) And Plan For Dropout Prevention And At-Risk Programs (D.R.)
• Consider Approval Of 2023-2024 School Calendar (D.R.)
• Consider Approval of MS/HS Student Handbook Changes (D.R.)
• 14. Board Policies – First Reading (I) – 603.1, 603.2, 603.3, 603.4, 603.5, 603.5E1

An Exempt Meeting will be held following the regular Jan. 16, 2023 Griswold Board of Education meeting, for “…to discuss strategy in matters relating to employment conditions of employees not covered by the collective bargaining law,” per Iowa Code.

The Audubon CSD Board of Education will hold a Work Session at 7-p.m. Monday in their Board Room at the High School, for the purpose of determining Board Goals. Their regular meeting starts at 7:15-p.m. Action items are as follows:

• Approve Sharing Agreements with Coon Rapids – Bayard
• Approve New Board Committee Structure
• Approve Change Orders
• Approve Seeking Bids for Electric School Bus
• Personnel

Communication & Updates:

• Superintendent Report
• Building Project Updates
• Legislative Update
• Principal’s Reports
• Adjournment

Rural Schools Video

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office reports the County’s ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) Committee, will meet 1-p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in the EMA Building Meeting Room.

The Committee will: review ARPA funding; proposed projects and expenses; a possible additional project; fund balance to date; and other items to discuss, including the possible scheduling of another ARPA meeting, if necessary.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic’s City Administrator John Lund reports a Special meeting of the City Council will take place in a closed session 4-p.m. Monday, Jan. 16th, in the Council’s Chambers  at City Hall. The purpose of the meeting “Is to discuss issues of concern to the Police Department.”

The Code Section reads the Council may enter into a Closed Session, “To avoid disclosure of Specific Law Enforcement Matter, Such as allowable tolerances or criteria for [the] selection, prosecution, or settlement of cases, which, if disclosed, would facilitate disregard to requirements imposed by law, as allowed under 21.5(1)(h).”

No other information was provided.

(Stanton, Iowa) – A City of Stanton boom truck and a light fixture was damaged Friday morning, when the legally parked truck began rolling backwards after a worker adjusted the boom’s height. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says the accident occurred near 301 Broad Avenue at around 8:10 a.m. Authorities say Stanton city maintenance personnel were removing Christmas lights from fixtures along Broad Avenue when the City’s unoccupied 1995 Dodge Ram 3500 bucket truck began traveling backwards.

The bucket and boom struck the light pole fixture – shearing it off. The truck continued over the curb and into the grass. The bucket and boom then struck the right side of a car wash building’s roof, causing a mechanical failure in the rotator portion of the bucket truck. The boom and bucket swung from the roof to the north and struck brickwork on the building’s southeast side. The occupant of the bucket, Bret W. Sheppard, was not injured.

Damage is estimated at $3,500 to the city’s light fixture, and $20,000 to the city’s boom truck. The car wash building owned by Eric Anderson sustained approximately $2,500 damage. No one was injured.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two people were arrested Friday night on active Mills County warrants for Failure to appear in court. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 26-year-old Summer Brooke French, of Red Oak, and 35-year-old Jessie Bruce Fitzwater, of Villisca, were arrested. French was charged with FTA on an original charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, while Fitzwater is charged with FTA on an original Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense, charge.

Both were being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Rec Department Board of Directors will meet in their regular monthly session, Monday afternoon at City Hall. Their meeting begins at 5:15-p.m., and will include an update on the Parks and Rec Director’s position, the recommendation for which will come after a final interview on Tuesday.

The Board will discuss an increase to the Hotel/Motel tax intended to be prioritized for the proposed new splash pad and improvements to the Sunnyside Pool. Ali Pieken will provide the Board with an update on the project itself. The Board will then discuss and vote on designs for the splashpad, and hold discussion with regard to replacing trail lake #1 on the southwest corner. Assistant Parks Director Jeff Christensen will provide the Parks and Rec Board with a painting update, with regard to the Ross Camblin shelter.

Among new business items, is discussion/update with regard to building planters for Mollett Park, and games for a block party.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s new Parks and Recreation Department Director is expected to be announced Tuesday afternoon. The word will come following a closed session to interview the final candidate for the position, Michelle Spunaugle, a Griswold native who lives in Villisca, and has a Park Ranger background

The closed session interview with Spunaugle will take place at 1-p.m in the Council’s Chambers, after she spends the morning with Parks staff touring the City, its parks and the Parks Building.

Following the closed session, the Parks and Rec Board will vote on who to recommend for the position. City Administrator John Lund says he then intends to make the offer quickly, so the candidate may begin making arrangements to join the City.

In addition to Michelle Spunaugle, the Board has interviewed John Wyatt Adderton from Georgia, who is currently a Park Ranger. The candidate recommended for the position will succeed former Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen, who accepted a position with the USDA, last Fall.

(Radio Iowa) – The FBI says it is continuing the investigation of alleged voter fraud by the wife of Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor.

Kim Taylor was arrested and charged Thursday with 52 counts of alleged voter fraud in the 2020 primary and general elections. Woodbury County Auditor Pat Gill says he became aware of an issue when a local voter who was an Iowa State University student contacted him about his name being used on a ballot.

“The person said that they had requested an absentee ballot and they went to the Secretary of State’s website where we all enter that information. And when they looked at the Secretary of State’s website, they said, you have a ballot that says that you have a ballot from me, and I didn’t vote that night,” Gill says. The brother of that student also reported his name was used on an absentee ballot.

Gill contacted the Secretary of State, and was advised to call the FBI. Gill says two of his staff members alerted him to several write-in ballots from the 2020 primary that had been cast, but didn’t look right. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen this. When you could tell by looking at them that they were all filled out by the same person,” Gill says. “that was my read on it and that’s why they called me over they said ‘take a look at this Pat.’ They had the same opinion they were filled out by the same person,” Gill says.

Gill says Jeremy Taylor’s name was the name on all the ballots in question. “Jeremy Taylor was on that ballot for the congressional seat but written in were 150 primary write-in votes for district three (Woodbury supervisor) — which was open at that time. And then also, there were 135 write ins for Jeremy Taylor for auditor,” according to Gill.

Gill says the FBI asked to see all the ballots, and then started their investigation. He says the election safeguards in place to validate ballots and identify voters works — and led to the charges in the case. Jeremy Taylor has not released a statement about the allegations.

(Oakland, Iowa) – The Riverside Community School District is launching a PRIDE Capital Campaign collaborative effort between the District and the cities of Oakland, Carson and Macedonia. School officials say it will generate funding in support of positive experiences for current and future students, staff, alumni, and the community through the completion of identified infrastructure development projects.

This project, according to school officials, provides an opportunity to strengthen economic growth, increase existing social capital and provide infrastructure development that positively impacts all these cities and the school district. High quality educational opportunities and access to physical infrastructure play an important role in developing rural communities and helping them overcome their challenges. The project is designed to enhance existing community assets by encouraging growth by supporting new infrastructure projects. The campaign will generate funding to support positive school and community experiences for current and future students, staff, alumni, and community.

Superintendent Dr. Tim Mitchell says there are three Riverside Pride Capital Campaign Goals:

1) Maintenance of a safe and high-quality environment for academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities.

2) Completion of one-time facility improvements needed to promote growth and success in the community and school.

3) Lasting impact through a legacy of positive academic and economic growth for future generations of the Riverside communities.

You can learn more, and get regular updates on the Riverside PRIDE Committee Fund Facebook page. For a complete informational packet about the campaign or to set up a meeting on how you can help,  please contact Tim Mitchell at 712-484-2212 or tmitchell@riverside.k12.ia.us or if you wish to donate to the Riverside PRIDE Expendable Fund:

You can go online to https://bit.ly/RiversidePride