Voters in Montgomery County have only two polling sites for Tuesday’s Primary Election. The County traditionally has seven sites. Those voters that usually vote at the Elliott Community Building, Red Oak First Christian Church and the Red Oak Fire Station will be voting at the Red Oak Gold Fair Building. Any voters that vote at the Grant Fire Station and the Villisca Community Room will now be voting at the Stanton Fire Station. Burke said the inconvenience is expected to be minor and emphasized this is a temporary move just for this Primary Election due to COVID-19.

Auditor Stephanie Burke says other precautions in addition to social distancing will be implemented for the safety of the poll workers. For more information about the 2020 Primary Election, call 623-5127, follow Montgomery County Auditor & Elections Facebook page or visit www.montgomerycountyiowa.com.

Voters in Cass County will not have the normal number of precincts to cast their ballot for the June 2^nd Primary. The 13 precincts have instead been combined into just five. Those combined precincts and voting locations are (twp=Township):

• COMBINED PRECINCT 1: Cass County Community Center (805 W 10th); for voters in Atlantic 1st Ward & the Brighton, Grove, Pymosa, Washington Twp/Marne.
• COMBINED PRECINCT 2: Cass County Community Center (805 W 10th); for voters in Atlantic Wards 2,3, 4 & 5.
• COMBINED PRECINCT 3: Griswold Community Bldg. (601 2nd St); for voters in the Bear Grove, Cass Twp/Lewis; Edna, Victoria Twp & Noble, Pleasant Twp/Griswold
• COMBINED PRECINCT 4: Anita Community Center (805 Main St); for voter in the Benton, Franklin Twp/Wiota & Grant, Lincoln Twp /Anita.
• COMBINED PRECINCT 5: Cumberland Community Bldg. (200 W 2nd); for voters in the Massena Twp/City of Massena & Union Twp/City of Cumberland.

Voters in Adair County will head to the polls Tuesday (June 2), to elect a Supervisor for: District 1Northwest; District 3 Southwest and District 5 Greenfield; in addition to a County Auditor; County Sheriff, and County Attorney (To Fill Vacancy).

Listed below are the candidates whose names will appear on the ballots. (I=Incumbent)

• Adair County Auditor – Democrat: No Candidate Filed; Adair County Auditor – (I) Republican: Mandy Berg, of Greenfield.
• Adair County Sheriff – Democrat: No Candidate Filed; Adair County Sheriff – (I) Republican: Jeffrey L Vandewater, of Winterset.
• Adair County Attorney (TFV) – Democrat: (I) Melissa S Larson, of Greenfield; Adair County Attorney (TFV) – Republican: No Candidate Filed.
• Adair County Supervisor District #1 – Democrat: No Candidate Filed; Adair County Supervisor District #1 – (I) Republican: Matt Wedemeyer, of Casey.
• Adair County Supervisor District #3 – Democrat: No Candidate Filed; Adair County Supervisor District #3 – Republican: No Candidate Filed.
• Adair County Supervisor District #5 – Democrat: Thaddeus Hawley, of Greenfield; Adair County Supervisor District #5 – (I) Republican: John A Twombly, of Greenfield.

Polling sites:

***If in doubt where to vote, call the Auditor’s Office at 641-743-2546***

A reminder: The Produce in the Park online store is now open! Market Manager Brigham Hoegh says “Customers who place orders through the store by Tuesday night will get to pick up their orders drive-through style on Thursday (June 4), from 3:40-to 6-p.m. Hoegh says “This is a great opportunity to keep physical distance and still support local food.”

The online store can be found at www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com or by visiting @ProduceInThePark on Facebook.  This new purchasing option allows customers to spend time browsing items and pick up purchases without coming into contact with other customers. This feature is being implemented to help customers keep distance during COVID-19. Produce in the Park has historically served as a community-gathering place, providing live music, activities, yard games with Parks & Rec, and more. However, in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 the Governor has prohibited Iowa farmers markets from allowing musical performances, children’s activities, contests and other entertainment, or organized activities. Common seating areas are also prohibited, and customers and vendors must follow public health guidelines regarding distancing and hygiene.

In addition to the online pre-ordering system, Produce in the Park is introducing a number of changes to keep customers and vendors safe, and to comply with the Governor’s requirements for farmers markets. Produce in the Park is requesting customers’ patience and support in keeping the market as safe as possible for all customers and vendors.
Customer Requests:
• If you are ill or have been in the past three days, PLEASE DO NOT attend the market.
• Masks are strongly encouraged.
• Only 1 person per household should attend the market.
• Please maintain a distance of six feet between yourself and all other people at the market.
• Please do your best to make arrangements for children under the age of 16.
• No pets (service animals exempt).
• You will not be able to handle products. Please maintain 6 foot distance from vendors & other customers, and
point to what item you would like. The vendor will select and bag for you.
New Market Set Up:
In order to keep customers and vendors safely distanced, Produce in the Park is rearranging vendors such that all
vendors will be set up along 6th Street between Poplar and Chestnut. Pre-order drive-through customers will enter the
market from Poplar Street, and walk-up customers are asked to park along the East side of the park on Chestnut street.
Produce in the Park Dates and Times:
• Produce in the Park is open Thursdays from 4:30-6:30 PM in the Atlantic City Park, 10 W 7th Street. From June 4
through September 24.
• Pre-market drive-up shopping is available for at-risk customers from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. During this hour,
customers at high risk of COVID-19, who are unable to shop online, can drive through the market and pay with
cash or check without leaving their vehicles. This service will be offered first come first served.

(Radio Iowa) — A moment of prayer and solidarity in downtown Des Moines on Sunday night diffused a tense situation. A few hundred protesters gathered outside the Des Moines Police station, kneeling in silence to honor George Floyd, the black man who died a week ago in Minneapolis police custody. Then they began chanting at police on the other side of barricades to do the same. W-H-O Television’s livestream showed a black officer and a white officer behind the barricades kneeling in prayer, drawing a positive roar from the crowd.

People in the crowd yelled that they’d leave if every officer on the scene knelt. For two minutes, police in riot gear joined the protesters, symbolically taking a knee, to cheers.

The crowd then left. Peaceful protests were staged over the weekend in places like Sioux City, Iowa City and Waterloo. Michael O’Connor, a Native American activist who joined a march in Sioux City, says this could be a historic turning point.  “We need to organize and not just organize against, but organize with those community organization organizations and community responders,” O’Connor says. “A lot of questions really need to be asked and a lot of questions need to be answered.”

Jada Allen of West Des Moines joined a Saturday afternoon march. Allen says she’s tired of being viewed as a threat because she’s black. “I can’t go outside and live my life, that I have to be alert all the time,” she says. “And if I get pulled over I have to make sure that I’m saying: ‘Yes, ma’am’ and ‘Yes, sir’ and that I know that my life can be taken.” Waterloo police joined a march that ended at the Black Hawk County courthouse Friday night. Joel Fitzgerald, Senior — Waterloo’s new police chief — spoke with K-C-R-G T-V.

“Sometimes we have to do a temperature check in our agencies,” he told KCRG, “and make sure that we’re consistent with what the community would like to see out of their police department.” A rally for change is scheduled for tonight (Monday) on the Iowa Capitol grounds.

(Radio Iowa) – Thousands of Iowans must get their absentee ballot mailed today (Monday) — or vote in person tomorrow (Tuesday). Today (Monday) is the postmark deadline for the absentee ballots in tomorrow’s (Tuesday) Primary Election. Due to the pandemic, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate sent an absentee ballot request form to every voter — and early voting in the Democratic and Republican Party primaries will set a record.

“People have listened and they heard. They got the message: ‘Let’s vote safe. Let’s vote from home right now,'” Pate says. “For those who still want that choice of still coming into the polling locations, they’ll be there to accommodate them. I will say to them: ‘Let’s be patient, though, and remember: it may take a little more than five minutes to get your voting done.'”

More than 486-thousand absentee ballots were requested for tomorrow’s (Tuesday’s) primary. By Friday, 69 percent of those ballots had been received in a county auditor’s office. The Cass County Auditor’s Office said Saturday, that they had over 400 ballots that have still not been returned. They urged registered county voters to mail those ballots back today, to ensure they are received on time, and that your voice is heard!

Atlantic Fire Department personnel were called to the scene of a residential structure fire Sunday afternoon. The call about visible flames at 60091 Boston Road went out at around 5:40-p.m. Fire Chief Tom Cappel said the house was fully engulfed in flames by the time they arrived, minutes later.

The flames were easily visible from Chicago Road, which is about one-mile south of the burning residence. Smoke was visible for as much as three-miles away. Marne Fire was requested to bring their tanker truck to the scene.

Cappel says the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, with the State Fire Marshal’s Office assisting in the investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Four relatively unknown Iowa Democrats are competing in a primary Tuesday to take on Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. The endeavor was once viewed as a long shot. But Ernst’s slip in approval and the rallying of Iowa and national Democrats behind one of the four has the race receiving a second look.

FILE – In this May 19, 2020, file photo, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks with reporters after a Senate Republican weekly luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington. Four relatively unknown Iowa Democrats are competing in a primary Tuesday to take on Ernst. The endeavor was once viewed as a long shot. But Ernst’s slip in approval and the rallying of Iowa and national Democrats behind one of the four has the race receiving a second look. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

For now, Ernst still is in a strong position heading into the fall. But as Democrats are increasingly bullish about their prospects in places such as Arizona and Colorado, the Iowa race is getting renewed attention as a potential battleground that could help the party regain the Senate majority.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officials imposed a curfew in Polk County, home to Des Moines, after two nights of protests resulted in vandalism and arrests of dozens of people. Polk County issued the mandatory stay at home order, which is effective from 9 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday. The curfew came after several large gatherings Friday and Saturday night in downtown Des Moines to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Like many of the Floyd protests around the country, a day of peaceful demonstration on Saturday devolved into unrest after the sun went down. Police spokesman Sgt. Paul Parizek said 47 people were arrested early Sunday.

CHICAGO (AP) — More Republican women than ever are seeking House seats this year after the 2018 election further diminished their limited ranks in Congress. But so far it appears that any gains this November could be modest. Many of these roughly 200 candidates are running in safe Democratic districts. In friendlier Republican territory, some are struggling to win primaries and they’re facing long-standing challenges such as fundraising that the pandemic has only worsened. That’s left some Republican women questioning their party’s commitment to the effort and warning about longer-term effects. The fear among some Republicans is that failing to elect more women will hurt the party as female voters increasingly support Democrats

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State health officials say two more people died with COVID-19, so the state has had 533 deaths as part of the coronavirus outbreak. The Iowa Department of Public Health said Sunday that 19,488 people had tested positive for COVID-19, an increase of 245 since Saturday. More than half of the state’s confirmed cases were concentrated in seven counties: Polk, Woodbury, Black Hawk, Linn, Marshall, Dallas and Buena Vista. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For some infected people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe illness and death.

HIAWATHA, Iowa (AP) — A shooting in eastern Iowa killed one man and injured three other people. Authorities say the shooting happened at a mobile home park in Hiawatha around 11:40 p.m. Saturday. Police arrived to find four people with gunshot wounds, and 31-year-old Joshua Lathrop died at the scene. The three other victims were taken to the hospital for treatment. Their names weren’t immediately released. Police did not announce any arrests in the case Sunday. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the shooting.