(Leon, Iowa) –  A crash Friday night east of Leon, in Decatur County, claimed two  lives, and resulted in two people being injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at around 7:40-p.m., at Highway 2 and Lineville Road, when the driver of a 2019 Chevy Equinox failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of the two roads. The SUV struck a 2023 Chevy pickup, causing the driver of the SUV, 55-year-old Robin Ann Reaves, of Urbandale, and her front seat passenger, 46-year-old Lance Eugene Reaves, of Lineville, to be ejected. Both died at the scene.

The driver of the pickup, 36-year-old Levi Clark Merritt, of Osceola, was transported to the Decatur County Hospital for treatment of what were described as non-life threatening injuries. A 10-year-old juvenile male passenger in the pickup was  treated for injuries, and released.

None of the accident victims were wearing seat belts.

(Iowa & the Midwest) – Skywatchers who were away from city lights saw some awe-inspiring sights Friday night into early Saturday morning, as mostly clear skies allowed the Aurora Borealis/Northern Lights to make a stunning appearance. The images flooded social media. The event occurred due to a geomagnetic storm –  called a coronal mass ejection, or CME – that was rated as level G5. This is the first G5-level storm since October 2003. The light show is expected to diminish late Sunday.

The source of the solar storm is a cluster of sunspots on the sun’s surface that is 17 times the diameter of the earth. The spots are filled with tangled magnetic fields that can act as slingshots, throwing huge quantities of charged particles towards our planet. Geomagnetic storms can impact infrastructure in near-Earth orbit and on Earth’s surface, potentially disrupting communications, the electric power grid, navigation, radio and satellite operations.

Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in around eight minutes, CMEs travel at a relatively more sedate pace, with officials putting the current average at 800km per second. Here are some of the pictures shared on the National Weather Service’s Facebook page:

St. Cloud, MN

Johnston, IA

Emmetsburg, IA

Brooklyn, IA

Boone County, IA

Greenfield, IA

Newton, IA

(Midwest) – Prices for farmland in Iowa and surrounding States during the first three-months of 2024 approached nearly $30,000 per acre. That’s according to a report by Successful Farming, which shows on average, prices ranged from a low of $7,000 to $16,250 per acre. The highest price in Iowa was $29,600 per acre near Orange City, in northwest Iowa’s Sioux County.

Two tracts of land amounting to slightly more than 117.4-acres, sold on Feb. 27th for a total price of approximately $3.5 million. Both tracts had easements with Summit Carbon Solutions, a carbon pipeline company. Five tracts located near Sioux Center, Iowa, were sold at public auction on March 7th, for a total of about $7-million.

Feb. 23rd, on farmland located 7 miles southwest of Sheldon, Iowa, 80 acres were sold at public auction for $20,300 per acre, for a total of roughly $1.6 million.

(Fremont County, Iowa) – The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports a bank robbery took place Friday morning, in Hamburg. Authorities received word of the robbery at the First Interstate Bank in Hamburg, a little after 10-a.m., Friday.

A white male entered the bank at around 10-a.m. and demanded money before leaving the scene on a white Harley Davidson Motorcycle with black saddle bags. The vehicle was last seen southbound on Hwy 275 near the Iowa/Missouri state line.

Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office at 712-374-2424.

Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports the following individuals were arrested over the past 10 days:

• On 04/30/2024, deputies arrested David Allan Thompson, age 42 of Hamburg, Iowa for Domestic Abuse 1^st Offense. He was released after posting a $300 bond.
• On 05/02/2024, deputies arrested Beau Doyne Oliver, age 34 of Sidney, Iowa for Felon in Possession of a Firearm. He was released after posting a $5,000 cash/surety bond.
• On 05/03/2024, deputies arrested Philip Keith Penney, age 63 of Percival, Iowa for OWI 1^st Offense. He was released after posting a $1,000 cash/surety bond.
• On 05/04/2024, deputies arrested David Allen Holste, age 53 of Clarinda, Iowa for Driving Under Suspension. He was released after posting a $566.25 cash bond.
• On 05/04/2024, deputies arrested Joseph Timothy Rezek, age 40 of Bellevue, Nebraska for OWI 1^st Offense. He was released after posting a $1,000 cash/surety bond.
• On 05/07/2024, deputies arrested Dennis Clifford Erickson, age 52 of Sidney, Iowa for Domestic Abuse 1^st Offense. He was released after posting a $1,000 cash/surety bond.
• On 05/07/2024, deputies arrested Jason Nathaniel Crews, age 25 of Council Bluffs, Iowa for Domestic Abuse 1^st Offense. He was released after posting a $300 bond.
• On 05/08/2024, deputies arrested Ryan Carl Nelson, age 29 of Sidney, Iowa for OWI 1^st Offense in connection with a 03/05/2024 traffic stop. He was released after posting a $1,000 cash/surety bond.
• On 05/10/2024, deputies arrested Chrissy Lee Farnsworth, age 57 of Sidney, Iowa for Violation of Probation. She was released after posting a $1,000 cash/surety bond.
• On 05/10/2024, deputies arrested Denell Renae Greene, age 55 of Farragut, Iowa for OWI 1^st Offense. She was released after posting a $1,000 cash/surety bond.

Thompson

Rezek

Penney

Oliver

Nelson

Greene

Holste

Farnsworth

Erickson

Crews

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has assembled a task force of law enforcement officials and members of Iowa’s Jewish community to address acts of antisemitism in Iowa.

Bird says the task force will help train law enforcement and county attorneys to respond to reports of antisemitism and encourage victims to come forward.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and other members of her antisemitism task force spoke during a news conference at the Iowa Holocaust Memorial. (RI photo)

Jarad (JAIR-ud) Bernstein, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines, says groups on the far right and far left are stoking harassment, vandalism and assault of Jews and there have been dozens of recent complaints in Iowa.

I-S-U professor Christina Gish Hill says the expression of hatred toward Jews is growing bolder throughout the United States and Europe, especially on college campuses — and in Ames.

Bird says the task force will work with Iowa’s college and universities so students understand what antisemitism is.

Bird and other members of the task force spoke this (Friday) afternoon at a news conference staged at the Holocaust Memorical near the Iowa Capitol.

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents heard the first reading of proposed tuition increases for the three state schools and approved increases in room and board rates at their meeting today (Friday.) Brad Berg from the Regents office detailed the tuition proposal.

That amounts to a 270 dollar increase at the U-I and I-S-U, and a 168 dollars at U-N-I.

They are also requesting a three-percent increase in mandatory fees at U-N-I, a two-point-five percent increase at I-S-U, and one-point-three percent increase at the U-I. The Board did not take any action on the tuition proposal. Berg says they have the second an final reading of the proposed rates, and will hear from students at their June meeting.

The tuition increase comes after the Regents requested 14-point-eight million more dollars in state funding and the Legislature approved a 12-point-three million dollar increase. The Board took a final vote on the proposed increase room board rates.

The rate for a double room at the University of Iowa is increasing by four-point-eight percent (4.8%), Iowa State University’s rate is going up five-point-eight percent (5.8%) and there’s a three-point-five percent increase at the University of Northern Iowa.

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds released the following statement in response to the U.S. District Court dismissing the class action lawsuit regarding the canceling of federal pandemic assistance:

“During the pandemic, the federal government attempted to pay able-bodied people to stay home instead of seeking employment to keep our economy on track. Republican governors around the country stood up to protect the livelihoods of our citizens, getting people back to work when it was desperately needed. In Iowa, we value hard work and recognize the dignity a good job can bring. I appreciate the court’s decision.”

(Radio Iowa) – The names of two Iowa policemen have been added to the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial on the state capitol grounds. Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Bayenshosted a ceremony at the site this (Friday) morning.

The families of Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram and Des Moines Police Phoukham Tran seated near the granite markers that now bear the names of their loved ones. Cram was shot to death last September as he was serving an arrest warrant on a suspect who’s been charged with Cram’s murder.

Governor Reynolds says service came first for Officer Cram.

Tran, the Des Moines Policeman, died in November after a decade long struggle to recover from being struck by a drunk driver as he directed traffic outside the Iowa State Fair. Today’s (Friday’s) Peace Officer Memorial ceremony included a 21-gun salute, taps and a rendition of Amazing Grace by the Mackenzie Highlanders Pipes and Drums, an all volunteer group that supports law enforcement, military units and fire houses in central Iowa.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County (IA) Auditor’s Office has updated the information you need in order to vote during the June 4th (2024) Primary Election. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. that day. Voters may vote absentee by mail. Absentee ballot request forms may be requested from the Cass County Auditor’s Office by calling 712-243-4570 or by visiting https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/electioninfo/absenteeinfo.html. All absentee ballot request forms for a mailed ballot must be received in the Cass County Auditor’s Office before 5:00 p.m. on May 20, 2024. Requests received after that time will be rejected in accordance with state law.

Voters may vote absentee in-person at the Cass County Auditor’s Office, 5 W 7th Street Atlantic, IA, during regular business hours through June 3, 2024. The Cass County Auditor’s Office will also be open for Primary Election business Saturday, June 1, 2024, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Pre-registered voters are required to provide an approved form of identification at the polling place before receiving and casting a regular ballot. Voters who are not pre-registered – such as voters registering to vote on Election Day – and voters changing precincts must also provide proof of residence. A voter who is unable to provide an approved form of identification (or prove residence if required) 1) may have the voter’s identity/residence attested to by another registered voter in the precinct, 2) prove identity and residence using Election Day Registration documents, or 3) cast a provisional ballot and provide proof of identity/residence at the Cass County Auditor’s Office by June 6, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. (noon). Election Day Registrant attesters must provide an approved form of identification. For additional information about providing proof of identity and/or residence visit: https://sos.iowa.gov/voterid or phone 712-243-4570.

CASS COUNTY POLLING PLACES:

Absentee and special voter ballots will be counted at the Cass County Courthouse, 5 W 7th Street, Atlantic, Iowa 50022. Voting equipment will be used at the election. Public test of election equipment will be May 20, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. in the courthouse and continue until completion of the required test. Voters can find sample ballots on the Cass County Elections website: https://www.casscountyia.gov/county-government/elections/primary-elections/.

Any voter who is physically unable to enter a polling place has the right to vote in the voter’s vehicle. For further information, please contact the County Auditor’s Office at the telephone number or e-mail address listed below:

Telephone: 712-243-4570
E-mail address: skarns@casscoia.us

The public is hereby notified that the post-election audit for the 2024 Primary Election will take place on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at 1:00pm in the Cass County Board of Supervisors Meeting Room. A listing of the candidates that will appear on the ballot are listed below. Please note that this is only one rotation and each precinct will have their corresponding ballot with their rotation posted as a sample ballot at the precinct.