Cass County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall is issuing a reminder to property owners in the county: The second-half tax payments for real estate and mobile homes, are due now. Marshall says you can go on-line to pay your taxes at www.iowatreasurers.org, or pay in-person by debit or credit card, at the Cass County Treasurer’s Office.

The deadline for payments without penalty is Thursday, March 31st,2016. Payments with a postmark of March 31st, 2016, will also be accepted without penalty.

An attempt to execute arrest warrants for a Clarinda man Tuesday evening resulted in the arrest of a woman and the suspect. Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports deputies went to 500 N. 8th Street in Clarinda at around 5:30-p.m. Tuesday to execute two arrest warrants for 22-year old Christopher Wise, of Clarinda, for Revocation of Probation. Wise was found hiding under a mattress inside the residence.

During his arrest, a resident of the home, 26-year old Brooke Nichole Dawnn Washburn, of Clarinda, was arrested for Interference with Official Acts. She was being held in the Page County Jail on $300 bond, pending future court appearances. Wise was being held on $4,000 bond with regard to the warrants.

Wise

Washburn

The Cass County Board of Supervisors agreed to take under advisement until their next meeting, a request from the Schildberg Recreation Area Committee & Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department, for $40,000 to help secure a $360,000 Vision Iowa CAT (Community Attraction and Tourism) grant for improvements to the campground, three- stall restroom, shelter/shower house at the Schildberg Recreation Area.

Atlantic Parks and Rec Dept. Director Roger Herring, following-up on his presentation to the City Council two weeks, ago, explained to the Board if the Vision Iowa funds are approved sometime this summer after the application is filed next month, there would also be improvements made to the Pellet Wildlife Refuge Park. That includes a parking area, walking trails and stations where you can watch birds and other wildlife.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Director Roger Herring addresses the Cass Co. Board of Supervisors.

The Pellet Refuge is located just to the west of the dog park on the west side of Lake #2 at the Schildberg Rec Area. Cass County Conservation Director Micah Lee said the Conservation Board said people who had been using the area as a “mudding” area for pickups and ATV’s, created the unintentional ground work for a trail that could be used for the otherwise “underutilized area.” He said it would require some grading and addition of a cinder surface similar to the trail around the AMU well field east of Olive Street near KJAN, and making it slightly elevated, before other features could be added.

One of the features could be interpretive signage, or stations that utilize a smart phone app to identify birds, trees and native flora. Lee said another option is a possible “Fat Tire Biking” trail. Those types of bicycles are more suited to the serious off-road biking enthusiasts, and allow the bikes to more easily float over almost any terrain, as opposed to the skinny tires used by paved trail and road bike enthusiasts. The Conservation Board will discuss plans for the Pellet Wildlife Refuge area during their meeting Thursday.

The Vision Iowa CAT grant requires a 50-percent match, or, $180,000. The City of Atlantic has already committed $100,000 in support of the grant application. In-kind services are expected to meet the 25-percent requirement for the application, and Trees Forever is providing $2,000 worth of trees to be planted in the area. Those aspects and additional funds raised in donations and by local organizations, as well as $40,000 from the Board of Supervisors and other grant sources, are expected to comprise the total 50-percent match required.

More area and State news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Harlan Police Department is reporting two, recent arrests. Officials say 30-year old Eugene Cardine, of Harlan, was arrested Saturday on an active Shelby County warrant charging him with violation of probation. And, last Friday, 49-year old Jeffrey Rowland, of Harlan, was arrested for Theft in the 5th degree, after he allegedly drove-off without paying for gas at the Taylor Quik Pik. Both men were brought to the Shelby County Jail.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – An early morning fire at a Dubuque college severely damaged a residence hall. The fire early Wednesday at Visitation Hall on the Loras College campus sent flames high into the air. Dubuque Fire Chief Rick Steines tells the Telegraph Herald that a police officer noticed sparks on the building’s cupola about 5 a.m., leading the building to be evacuated. No injuries have been reported.

The building was significantly damaged, with much of the roof collapsed. Steines says it’s likely the fire was caused by a lightning strike. Loras is a Catholic college with an enrollment of about 1,600 students.

Police in Creston are looking for the driver of a van who fled the scene of an accident Tuesday night. Authorities say a 1999 Pontiac Montana was traveling south on Oak Street at around 10:10-p.m., when the vehicle struck a 2005 Chevy Silverado pickup that was legally parked on street. The driver of the van attempted to flee the scene, but the van was disabled. They left the van and took off on foot. Officials say the driver had not been located as of late Tuesday night. Damage from the accident was estimated at $6,500.

St. Patrick’s Day has become one of the deadliest holidays due to the number of drunk drivers on the roadways. That’s why the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau (GTSB) warns Iowans to not drink and drive this St. Patrick’s Day. Extra law enforcement officers will be on the roads March 16 – 19, 2016, to keep Iowa motorists safe.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2014, 28-percent of all crash fatalities during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend involved drunk drivers, and that number rose to nearly half in the post-party hours of midnight – 6:00 a.m., of March 18, 2014.

Pedestrians walking while intoxicated are also at risk as lack of attention risks getting hit by a vehicle. In 2014, 35-percent of the pedestrians killed in crashes had a blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.

There is some good news, however. The number of fatalities over this holiday period decreased nationally from 32 in 2013 to 29 in 2014. Likewise, the number of fatalities involving drunk drivers declined from more than one-third to one-fourth. The bad news is that every one of those deaths could have been prevented.

Don’t let your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations end in tragedy. The Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau encourages Iowans to plan ahead by identifying a designated driver or utilize another form of safe transportation if you choose to drink this St. Patrick’s Day. The relatively small fee for a safe ride home is much cheaper than the thousands of dollars it will cost for a drunk driving arrest.

Let’s make this St. Patrick’s Day safer this year!  Whether you’re buzzed or drunk, it doesn’t matter. Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving – drive sober and remember to buckle up!

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

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Less than three-months after the Superintendent of the Griswold Community School District was arrested in Carroll County for OWI/1st Offense, another Griswold District Administrator is in trouble with the law. Authorities in Union County say 41-year old Thomas “T-J” Dunphy, Principal at the Griswold High School, faces a charge of OWI/2nd offense, and Carrying a weapon while intoxicated. The charges were the result of a traffic stop for speeding in Creston, that took place at around 3-a.m. Sunday.

Iowa online court records show Dunphy pleaded guilty to drunken driving in 2010 and served two days in jail for the crime. Since his latest incident, Dunphy has posted bond and had his preliminary hearing set for March 29th. School officials say Dunphy was placed on administrative leave. The Griswold School Board is expected to meet Monday to discuss the matter and Dunphy’s future with the district.

In December, 2015, Griswold Superintendent Dana Kunze was arrested in Carroll County for OWI/1st offense. In a plea bargain, Kunze plead guilty to the charge on Feb. 25th. He was given a 60-day jail sentence, with all but two days suspended and credit given for time served. Kunze was also ordered to pay a $1,250 fine and given two-years probation.