(Greenfield, IA) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports two arrests occurred last week. On Feb. 10th, at around 8-a.m., the Iowa State Patrol stopped a vehicle traveling at or slightly in excess of 80-mph on eastbound Interstate 80 in Adair County. The same vehicle, a VW SUV with Indiana license plates, had been reported traveling at a high rate of speed on I-80 through Cass County.

Once the vehicle was stopped, and upon further investigation, the Trooper cited the driver – 53-year-old Timmy Wayne Mohr, of Wabash, IN – for speeding. As he was handing Mohr the citation, the Trooper noticed a vape pen in the SUV’s center console. Mohr acknowledged the pen contained a THC cartridge, but claimed he hadn’t smoked it in a couple of days.

A search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of a back-pack full of THC products, including marijuana buds packed in dispensary packages, and jar with marijuana joints. Mohr was placed under arrest and transported to the Adair County Jail. He was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and later released on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

And, at around 7:35-p.m. on Feb. 13th,  Adair County Deputies arrested 50-year-old David Allen Jones, of Lamoni, at the Union County Jail. Jones was taken into custody on an Adair County Bench Warrant for Violation of Probation. He was initially held without bond, but then released the following day after making an appearance in Adair County District Court and posting a $2,000 cash-only bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says the state-owned fiber optic network should be sold as soon as possible. Governor Terry Branstad touted the Iowa Communications Network in 1989 as the cyber highway for K-12 students to take classes they weren’t able to get in their local district. Molly Severn, deputy chief of staff for Iowa’s current governor, estimates the state could get 100 MILLION dollars from selling the fiber network now.

“However, that value is only likely to only decrease as time goes on and the infrastructure continues to age,” Severn said. “Meanwhile the taxpayers’ liability to maintain that asset will only increase.” In the 1990s, several Republican lawmakers called for selling the network, arguing the state was running a telephone company that unfairly competed with the private sector.

In this century, during Governor Branstad’s fourth term in office, the legislature passed a bill calling for the Iowa Communications Network to be sold, but Branstad’s staff determined there were no viable offers. Governor Reynolds’ bill calling for the network’s speedy sale has cleared a House subcommittee. Reynolds’ staff told lawmakers the fiber network could be valuable to a private sector company, particularly in rural areas where broadband access is scarce. Others in the past have suggested there’s also value to acquiring the right of way where the state-owned network’s fiber cables are buried.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce is warning local businesses about fake $100 and $10 bills that are being circulated. Chamber Executive Director Kelsey Beschorner said the Chamber was “Notified by First Whitney Bank, that several local businesses have recently encountered counterfeit currency in both $100 and $10 denominations.”

Beschorner asks business owners/managers to “Please remind staff to carefully check all cash received, particularly larger bills.” If you or your employees encounter an individual attempting to use suspected counterfeit currency, please do not engage and contact the Atlantic Police Department immediately.

Example of a counterfeit $100 bill (photo provided by the Chamber) – Note it says “Movie prop use only.”

(Radio Iowa)- Residents in the Fort Dodge area will soon have easy access to Colorado’s Mile High City, as direct flights to Denver will resume in a few months. Sarah Rustvold, director of the Fort Dodge Regional Airport, says the Denver flights that came to an end in 2022 will be starting up again this spring, five days a week.

“The community has expressed their interest and desire to have the Denver flight back,” Rustvold says. “So we have been in talks with SkyWest, letting them know that we have a huge community support, and we finally got the notification that they were able to get a route added back for us.” Federal officials still need to sign off on the resuming of flights between Fort Dodge and Denver, but Rustvold says the airline is already putting out a schedule.

“The flight in the morning would be coming from Denver and landing in Fort Dodge around 10:30, and then we would have Chicago in the middle of the day,” she says, “so we still offer that Fort Dodge to Chicago, leaving here at 11:13 and then going back to Fort Dodge from Chicago, and our Denver (flight) would be leaving Fort Dodge at 6:35 p.m.”

It’s expected the Fort Dodge-Denver flights will resume on May 21st.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would let Iowa cigar bars sell liquor could be debated in a senate committee this week. Chuck Ripley owns The Cigar Social USA shop just off I-80 in Davenport. “We’re a high end premium cigar lounge and we should be able to serve you a beverage is you want one,” Ripley said, “an adult beverage, that is.” Iowa’s Smokefree Air Act allows indoor smoking on casino floors, but that is the only public exception to the law that was passed in 2008. Ripley says the bill would let businesses that sell premium cigars get a state liquor license.

“We’re trying to make this make a lot more sense for not only small business, but the Department of Revenue as well,” Ripley said. The fee for a state liquor license for Ripley’s business would be over 16-hundred dollars a year, plus the state sales tax would be assessed on every glass of whiskey, bourbon or tequilla sold. Ripley is among those who spoke at a subcommittee hearing in a room in the Iowa Capitol where smoking was allowed four decades ago.

A.J. Brown of Des Moines is urging legislators to grant cigar bars an exemption from the law that bans smoking in enclosed public areas, like bars. He’s has been to cigar bars in Rapid City, South Dakota, Omaha and Denver. “You can pair drinks and food,” Brown said. “This is a very similar thing where you can pair a drink with a cigar and enjoy both at the same time.” Chris Hay of Des Moines predicts Iowa cigar bars would draw more patrons if alcohol were served. He’s been to indoor cigar bars in Florida and Texas.

“My wife loves to go with me to these and she’ll have a cocktail or a drink while I have a cigar and a drink,” Hay said. A coalition of groups that support Iowa’s Smokefree Air Act oppose the move. Catherine Pollard is a spokesperson for CAFE — Clean Air for Everyone, a non-profit focused on reducing tobacco use. “At a time when Iowa’s cancer rates are rising, it’s really disappointing to see further exemptions being written in rather than closing some of the loopholes that already exist,” Pollard said.

Some states like Connecticut and Wisconsin that banned indoor smoking in the past 20 years allowed indoor cigar bars already in existence to continue serving alcohol. Wisconsin lawmakers are considering a bill that would license NEW businesses that could sell alcoholic drinks on the menu with premium cigars.

(Creston, IA) – Two central Iowa women were arrested Friday night on drug charges, in Creston. According to the Creston Police Department, the women were arrested at around 9:45-p.m., following a traffic stop on N. Cherry Street, in Creston. Authorities say 19-year-old Anaya Maree Michelle Gourley, of Ames, and 21-year-old Makayla Lynn Ira, of Des Moines, were each charges with Possession of Controlled Substance – Marijuana/1st offense. They were cited and released from the scene on a Promise To Appear (in court).

Late Saturday morning, Creston Police arrested 26-year-old Noah Alexander Young – a homeless person – at the intersection of Sycamore and Montgomery. Young was charged with Burglary 3rd Degree – Non-Vehicle related. He was transported to the Union County Jail and held without bond until seen by a Judge.

Two people were arrested early Sunday morning, in Creston: At around 1-a.m., 37-year-old Shaeina Laitaija Raeche Allison, of Creston, was arrested at the intersection of Sycamore and Buckeye. She was charged with DUS – Driving While License Denied, Suspended, Cancelled or Revoked. Allison was cited and released on a promise to appear; and, at around 3:30-a.m., Sunday, 24-year-old Marina Lissette Basaldua, of Lenox, was arrested at the Creston/Union County Law Enforcement Center. Basaldua was charged with DUS – Driving While License Denied, Suspended, Cancelled or Revoked and OWI – 1st Offense. She was transported to the Union County Jail and posted a $1,000 cash or surety bond before being released.

Creston Police said also, a woman residing in the 400 block of S. Bureau Street, reported Sunday evening, that her 2018 Ford Explorer was stolen from her residence between Friday night and Saturday Morning. The loss was estimated at $8,000.

(Guthrie Center, IA) – A driver who veered for a deer the evening of Feb. 9th in Guthrie County, ended-up putting his car into a ditch. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says 33-year-old Taylor Jay Edelman, of Adair, was traveling northbound on Frontier Road at around 6:45-p.m. Feb. 9th, when near the intersection of 280th Street, he swerved to miss a deer. His 2012 Chevy Impala went out of control and into a field northwest of the intersection. Edelman was wearing his seat belt, and wasn’t hurt. His car sustained a Sheriff’s-department estimated $5,000 worth of disabling damage. No citations were issued.

(Radio Iowa) – The calendar says February but forecasters say it’ll feel a lot more like April or even May this (Monday) afternoon and for the next few days. Meteorologist Kristy Carter, at the National Weather Service, says the predicted high temperatures could be historic, perhaps in the low 70s on Tuesday. “They are certainly going to challenge some records today, like say in Des Moines 66, Waterloo 62, Mason City 63, Ottumwa 65 — those are all the records for today,” Carter says. “Our forecast high temperatures are in the upper 50s in northern Iowa to upper 60s in southwest Iowa.”

It’s said all good things must come to an end, and Carter says this warm spell will likely only last for a couple of days. “We are looking at a cool down towards the end of the week, Thursday into Friday. We’ll get some precipitation chances back into the weekend,” Carter says. “We’re looking at temperatures back in the 30s to 40s and even by Sunday we might see some highs back in the 20s.”

The long-range forecast shows chances for snow in parts of Iowa both Saturday and Sunday.

(Atlantic, IA) – The Atlantic City Council has a lot to discuss during their regular meeting Wednesday evening, much of which has to do with the FY27 Budget, including proposed property tax levies, the Parks and Recreation Department Budget, and the possibility of establishing a Parks Director Position. In his meeting agenda prepared for the Council and media, City Administrator John Lund said with regard to the FY2027 Budget, property tax levies need to be “Nailed-down.” The meeting at City Hall, begins at 5:30-p.m.

Lund says “The Council will need to adopt a resolution setting the date of public hearing for our maximum property tax dollars for the required public hearing that will occur on April 1st and those specific levies will need to be determined for entry into the Iowa Department of Management’s digital portal so the Cass County Auditor can send out the wildly inaccurate notices on property taxes.

Shown above are the maximum property tax rates for both last year and this year. Lund says this year, a $0.60 increase is scheduled across three levies, totaling an increase of 5.80% in property tax collections. John Lund said also, with regard to the Parks and Recreation Department priorities and staffing,  “The Mayor, Council, and public have made it clear they want a Parks Director. The issue why this has not occurred is due to General Fund resource allocation. The Parks Director was eliminated in the late summer of 2023 to expand labor resources, elsewhere. It was considered a “deal.”  Lund says “Atlantic can see progress in the areas it wants, those General Fund resources are now available. The City can afford to pay for a Park’s Director at the market rate ($74,700) for a community of our size. I ran numbers on the costs and found this is a sustainable expenditure, assuming the 2% cap on new property tax dollars is implemented, taxable value is not gutted by tax credits and exemptions, and that all future wage growth is tied to this 2% amount or a new revenue source is identified.

“No cost allocation relating to this new position is necessary. This will be paid for by released property tax resources, so this is a simple calculus on if restoring this position to the City labor portfolio is something the Council wants to see.” On that note, the Atlantic City Council will discuss and possibly act on an Order regarding a Parks Director. If they determine it’s time to move forward with re-establishing the position, they will have to approve a motion to direct Lund to post the position.

Other action items on the agenda include:

• FY 2027 Budget – Compensation Adjustments.
• Resolution #11-26 “Approving the Proposed Maximum Property Tax Levy for FY 2027.”
• Resolution #12-26 “Setting a Public Hearing for the Proposed Maximum Property Tax Levy for Fiscal Year 2027 to be Held on April 1, 2026, at 5:00 P.M.”
• Resolution #13-26 “Approving Sunnyside Swimming Pool Fees and Applicability Provisions.”
• Resolution #14-26 “Amending the City of Atlantic Personnel Policy Handbook, Series 400, Code 401 to Provide a Health Insurance Waiver Incentive though a 401(a) Plan for Eligible Employees.”
• First Reading of Ordinance No. 1064 “An Ordinance Allowing Non-Iowa Residents to Be Hired and Employed as Part-Time and Reserve Officers for the City of Atlantic, Iowa.”
• Motion to Waive the Statutory Rule Requiring Separate Readings and Approve the Second and Third Readings of Ordinance No. 1064
• Second Reading of Ordinance No. 1064 “An Ordinance Allowing Non-Iowa Residents to Be Hired and Employed as Part-Time and Reserve Officers for the City of Atlantic, Iowa.”
• Third Reading and Final Adoption of Ordinance No. 1064 “An Ordinance Allowing Non-Iowa Residents to Be Hired and Employed as Part-Time and Reserve Officers for the City of Atlantic, Iowa.”

(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, in a regular meeting Tuesday, are expected to act on approving the installation of a bench on the County’s portion of the (downtown) Atlantic City Park. The bench would be located west of the monument. In other business, the Supervisors are expected to pass a resolution appointing Deputy Auditor Hannah Richter, and consider (along with possibly approve), the Publication of a Notice to Bidders for the cash rent of County-owned farm land in the southwest portion of the NW 1/4 of Section 15, Grove Township.  Bids will be opened at 9-a.m., Tuesday, March 17th, in the Board Room of the Cass County Courthouse in Atlantic.

The Board will receive a monthly report from Cass/Guthrie County Environmental Health Exec. Director Jotham Arber, and a Quarterly report for Cass County VA Exec. Director Mitch Holmes, as well as a regular report from County Engineer Trent Wolken, and other reports, as available.

Their meeting begins at 9-a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17th, and can be viewed electronically through Zoom, at: