The stage is set for Tuesday’s City Elections in Audubon County. When voters head to the polls, residents of Audubon will be choosing a new Mayor, as Sam Kauffman has decided not to seek re-election. Kauffman has served the community for 30-years, and prior to that, was a city councilman for a little more than seven and one-half years. Barbara Jacobsen is the only candidate to have filed papers to be the City’s next Mayor.

There are also three seats up for election on the Audubon City Council. Brad Hemmingsen, who is currently filling out a vacancy created by the retirement of Tom Nielsen, is on the ballot for a two-year term ending in 2017. Robert A. Jacobsen and John Whetzal III are both running for re-election, while former Audubon councilman Andy Griffifth is hoping to unseat one of the two incumbents and return to service on the council.

In Brayton, incumbent Mayor Cally Christensen is unopposed in her bid to retain the title. Steve Fister, Tanya Marshall and Steven L. Sykes are running to fill three, four-year terms on the council, while David L. Hansen is running to fill a two-year vacancy term ending in 2017. Voters in Brayton will also be asked to approve a public measure that would increase the tax levy in order to pay the Audubon County Sheriff’s Department for police protection, in lieu of having their own police force, as required by State Code. The levy will not exceed $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation.

In Exira, Mayor Brenda Bengard is unopposed for re-election, and Michelle Phippen is on the ballot to retain the vacancy term she was appointed to, following the death of Jeff Jensen. The term will expire in 2017. Peggy Toft and Mike Huegerich have filed to run for the city Council in Exira, with a third seat left open for a write-in candidate, if available.

In Gray, there are three seats open on the City Council, with Penny Schmidt the only candidate whose name will appear on the ballot. No one has filed to run for the two-year Mayor’s term, in Gray.

There’s also no candidate for the Mayor’s position in Kimballton, where one seat on the city council is also open. Justin Larsen will appear on the ballot for re-election to another four-year term, along with Millette Shores, who hopes to finish out a two-year vacancy term she is currently serving.

Write-in votes for any open ballot positions would win by a simple majority. The candidate who receives the most votes wins, with ties determined by the Board of Supervisors through a drawing of lots.

Taking a look at some of the candidates whose names are on the ballot Tuesday for office Adair, Adams and Montgomery Counties….

In Adair County, there are no contested races. In fact in Bridgewater, no one is running for Mayor or the three open city council seats. All will be decided by write-in vote.

The situation is a little different in Adams County, where two people are vying for the lone At-Large seat on the city council in Corning. They include incumbent Bert Peckham and challenger Ranae Nicholson. In Prescott, no one has filed papers to run for Mayor or the two city council seats. Only incumbent April Damewood is on the ballot for a seat on the council to fill a vacancy. The rest will be write-in’s.

In Montgomery County, the races we’ll be watching include those in Stanton and Grant. Four people are in the running for two seats on the city council in Stanton, including Incumbents James Cavner and Ray Guffey, and their challengers Eric L. Paulsen and Tysen Sederburg. Mayor Kirk Requist is unopposed. In Grant, incumbent Mayor Andrea J. Holldorf faces a challenge from Laurena Mifflin and Michael A. Ford. There are also 5 seats open on the city council, and six people in the running. They include incumbents Lyn Sliger, Jeff Brown, Nancy L. Taylor, and Michael B. Amos, along with Robert Scott Molnar and Steve Williams.

Information was released today (Monday) about a high-speed pursuit that spanned two southwest Iowa counties before the suspect vehicle crashed off a dead-end road. According to reports, an Iowa State Patrol Trooper tried to stop a car for speeding on the Stuart Road in northeastern Adair County, at around 8:45-p.m., October 25th.

As the Trooper tried to catch up to the vehicle, the driver, identified as 20-year old Nathan Paul Butler, of Des Moines, sped-up to 100-mph in a 55 zone. The chase continued from Adair County into Union County and into the Creston city limits before Butler crashed the vehicle.

He fled on foot but was quickly apprehended. Butler was subsequently booked into the Adair County Jail, where his bond was set at $2,000.

A woman from Glenwood was arrested Sunday, on an assault charge. Glenwood Police say 40-year old Renae Caver, was taken into custody for Domestic Abuse Assault. She was being held in the Mills County Jail without bond, pending an appearance before a magistrate.

And, 18-year old Denver Cook, of Glenwood, was arrested Sunday on a Theft charge.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Figures have plunged in a third straight monthly survey of supply managers in nine Midwest and Plains states, providing more evidence of a slowdown in the region’s economy. A report issued Monday says the overall Mid-American Business Conditions Index dropped to 41.9 last month, compared with 47.7 in September and 49.6 in August.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he again cites the strong U.S. dollar and global economic weakness among the reasons for the region’s economic slide. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests economic growth. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Mike Hammond, who co-founded computer maker Gateway Inc. in a northwest Iowa farmhouse in 1985, has died at age 53. Korey Robinson, of the Meyer Brothers Funeral Home in Sioux City, Iowa, said Hammond died on Thursday.

Hammond started Gateway with brothers Ted and Norm Waitt, selling what became among most popular computers on the market. The firm grew quickly while shipping computers directly to consumers in boxes decorated with cow spots. Hammond helped manage the company’s operations in Iowa and South Dakota. After retiring from Gateway, he started Dakota Muscle to restore and repair classic cars.

Former Sioux City Mayor Jim Wharton worked with Hammond. Wharton told the Sioux City Journal that he thinks Hammond’s contributions were under appreciated at the company.

Forecasters say Iowa will have warmer-than-normal high temperatures for the next several days, but a cool front should arrive on Thursday, which coincides with Winter Weather Awareness Day. Meteorologist Rod Donavon, at the National Weather Service, says the goal of the annual event is to help Iowans prepare for the season ahead. “We’ll be discussing the hazards of winter weather as well as safety precautions and what to expect this winter season,” Donavon says. “In addition, we’ll be having a question and answer period on Thursday evening, so if folks are around, certainly tune in to that.”

Iowans can participate by visiting the Des Moines National Weather Service Facebook or Twitter pages between 6 and 7 P-M. Donavon says several sources are predicting Iowa could see a warmer-than-normal winter ahead, though he admits, it’s very difficult to predict the precipitation for the season. “If you just look strictly at El Nino, certainly, the chances are greater than normal for us to have at least a warmer-than-normal winter,” he says. “Precipitation and snow chances are much more tricky and we have what are called equal chances for average precipitation.”

Learn more about Winter Weather Awareness Day at www.weather.gov/dmx.

(Radio Iowa)

After walking across the stage in May, college graduates of the Class of 2015 have conquered many firsts – securing a college degree, landing a first job and finding affordable housing to name a few. Making their first student loan payments will soon be a new first for May grads to add to that list. November marks the end of student loan grace periods for borrowers who graduated this past spring and their Federal Direct Student Loans will soon enter repayment. The Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) offers the following advice to help borrowers manage their student loan payments and avoid default.

1. Know what you owe, and contact your servicers. One mistake graduates make is not staying in contact with their loan servicers and providing current contact information. Borrowers should contact their loan servicers prior to repayment so they know what to expect.

2. Choose a repayment plan that fits your budget. Programs such as “Pay As You Earn” and other income-driven repayment plans base monthly payments on a borrower’s income. But borrowers need to discuss options with their loan servicers. They won’t automatically be set up on an income-driven plan.

3. Look into forgiveness options. Debt can also be eliminated through federal and state student loan forgiveness programs for those working in fields such as nursing, public service, teaching and other high-need career fields.

4. Be strategic when paying off loans. There is no penalty to paying off student loans early. Even a few extra dollars per month can save borrowers a significant amount of money over the life of the loan.

One thing borrowers should not do is ignore their loans. Karen Misjak, Iowa College Aid Executive Director, says “Defaulting on student loans hurts borrowers in the short- and long-term. Default immediately impacts credit history, but can also increase the amount due on the original loan because of late fees, additional interest, court costs, collection fees and other costs associated with the collection process.”

Recent numbers from the U.S. Department of Education showed that, nationally, student loan default rates (meaning that a loan payment has not been made for 270 days) dropped to 11.8 percent from 13.7 percent in the most recent year’s numbers, equating to some 600,000 borrowers defaulting on their student loans within the first three years of graduation. Iowa has seen an even greater decline in default rates, dropping to 13.1 percent from 17.3 percent in the same time period.

For information about types of student loans, repayment plans and tips on managing debt, visit www.IowaCollegeAid.gov or contact Iowa College Aid at 877-272-4456.

An Afton man was injured Sunday evening when the vehicle he was driving struck a calf on the road. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says 44-year old Michael Anthony Hudson was traveling south on Quail Avenue at around 4:10-p.m., when a calf owned by Justin Staver, of Afton, came out of the west ditch. Hudson was unable to avoid the collision. He was transported to the Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston, for treatment of undisclosed injuries.

Hudson’s vehicles was totaled in the collision.

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

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