Hill Appointed to Afton Council

The Afton City Council now has a new member. At its regular meeting on Wednesday, the council voted to appoint Mary Hill to the position vacated by council member Ann Tunnicliff who resigned at October's council meeting. Tunnicliff moved to eastern Iowa, making her ineligible to continue serving. Hill will take the seat until a new member is officially elected in November 2009. She was also appointed to the Recreation Board at the meeting.

In other business, Sherry Parrott was selected to serve on the Southern Iowa Council of Governments Project Review Board. Both board appointments fill vacancies on boards which Tunnicliff used to serve. Meanwhile, the council also passed a resolution to grant a tax abatement to the newly-constructed Powers Funeral Home. According to the city's new construction ordinance, the funeral home will pay no property taxes for the next 5 years.

AEA 14 Continues Merger Talk

A merger between Area Education Agency 14 in south-central Iowa, based in Creston, and AEA 13 in southwestern Iowa, seems more likely after a meeting on Wednesday between the two entities' boards of directors. Connie Maxson, Chief Administrator of AEA 14, says of the original 15 AEAs in the state, there are now only 10 after a 2001 study that prompted four mergers.

AEA 14 is now the smallest AEA in the state, serving only 10,500 students in eight counties, and 20 school districts. Maxson says a 2007 in-depth study was conducted to consider merger choices for Area 14.

That study also included demographics, finances, and results from interviews with AEA 14 internal staff, members of the board of directors, as well with local school superintendents and staff. Maxson says after Area 13's total student count dipped below 30,000 in recent years, Iowa Department of Education Director Judy Jeffrey encouraged a merger discussion between the two. According to Maxson, this is one of a series of joint meetings that are bringing the groups closer to a consensus.

She says they also discussed service alignment and some guiding principles for a future merged area to consider as priorities, such as communication. The boards plan to continue talks by coming up with a plan of action for the merger which will be presented to the state Board of Education. Maxson says although a vote has not yet been made, the possible merger seems likely.

According to Maxson, a merger would cut down on expenses such as with the elimination of a chief administrator position and the creation of one central business office. She says, however, that the goal is to keep offering the services that they offer to local school districts. The two boards will meet again in January or early February. Officials expect to have a merger complete by July 2010.

Special December Election for Massena

The Masena City Council will hold a December 16th special election to fill a vacant seat on its city council. The move comes after a petition was presented to the council meeting on Monday to hold the election. The council had originally planned to appoint somebody to fill the seat, abandoned by Dean Downer who resigned in September. Until then, Bill Holliday has been appointed as interim council member.

The council then met on Thursday night where they voted to add a 28E surtax charge to the ballot next month. The charge would pay for Cass County to provide law enforcement coverage to the city at a cost of $4,000-$6,500 per year for the next ten years. If passed, the council could levy as much as an extra $1.50 in taxes per $1,000 of property valuation.

Females Majority at SWCC

A recent report from Southwestern Community College dean of students Matt Thompson and assessment center coordinator Marilyn Werner shows a majority of students attending SWCC are females. Thompson presented the information at SWCC's board of trustees' monthly meeting on Tuesday. According to Thompson, of the 1,468 students attending SWCC, 62% are female while 38% are male. Meanwhile, 94% of them are Iowans and 15% of all high school graduates in Area 14 decided to attend SWCC after graduation.

In other business, the student-constructed house is still in limbo. An update reveals that showings have been conducted, but no offers have yet been received. After the meeting, board members surveyed damage to the college's library windows after high winds damaged them in October.

Orient Man Charged for Drugs, 2 Other Arrests

An Orient man is being held on a $20,000 bond after an arrest on Friday. According to the Creston Police Department, officials arrested 31-year-old Clinton White at 8:50pm on a Union County warrant for parole violation. Authorities say upon his arrest, other charges were brought against him, including open container, possession of paraphernalia, and possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver.

Meanwhile, two other arrests were reported by Creston Police over the weekend.

Officials took into custody 27-year-old Brandon Fry of Creston at 9:15am on Friday. Fry was arrested in the 500 block of Wyoming Street and is charged with driving under suspension. He was issued a police citation to appear on the charge.

Also arrested was 38-year-old Brian Taylor of Creston. Taylor was arrested at 2:08am Saturday at the intersection of Division and Mills Streets and charged with a third offense OWI. He was later released on a $5,000 bond.

Vandel in One-Car Accident

A one-car accident leaves a Creston man with multiple citations and a heavily damaged car. According to a Creston Police Department accident report, 21-year-old Cody Vandel was driving northbound on Oak Street at 10:13pm on Saturday when the accident occurred. Witnesses report Vandel was driving recklessly near the intersection of Oak and Townline Streets when he ran off the road.

Vandel's car sustained $1,200 in damages. Also damaged was the yard at 401 W. Townline Street and a sign pole owned by General Telephone. Damage to the yard and sign pole is estimated at $100 each. Vandel was cited with failure to maintain control, driving while revoked, striking a fixture on the roadway, and having no insurance.

Omaha Teen in Atlantic Crash Still Hospitalized

The Omaha teenager injured in a head-on crash just north of Atlantic on Highway 71 on Tuesday is still reported hospitalized. The girl's father says his daughter, 17-year-old Milana Jordan, suffered two broken legs, a broken arm, a broken jaw, but no head or organ injuries. He says the car was destroyed in the crash as well.

Jordan was transported to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha from the Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic following the crash. According to the Iowa State Patrol, Jordan was northbound on Highway 71 when she tried to pass a van. She then collided head-on with a semi driven by a Villsca man who was not injured. Jordan is expected to recover.

Griswold Man Arrested for Violence

A Griswold man is released after being charged on two counts of violence. The Atlantic Police Department says they arrested 52-year-old Steve Holz on Wednesday on two Cass County warrants for child endangerment and domestic assault. He was transported to the Cass County Jail and later released on his own recognizance.

Car Vandalized, Billfold Stolen in Creston

The Creston Police Department received two reports of incidents in Creston over the weekend.

Susan Mikkelsen of Orient told officials that her billfold was taken from 105 E. Adams St. on Friday night. Loss is estimated at $15.

Also, a Blockton woman discovered her car was vandalized late Saturday night. Toni Hull says the windshield and driver's side window were broken out while the car was parked in the 200 block of N. Division Street. Damage is estimated at a total $500.

Elderly Griswold Woman Shoots Self

Investigation is continuing as a 72-year-old Griswold woman recovers from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. The Cass County Sheriff's Office says they responded to the report just before 11:00pm on Tuesday where they found Shirley Ward at her residence. She was transported to the Montgomery County Hospital for treatment by Griswold Rescue. Life flight helicopters were unable to respond due to weather conditions Tuesday night. Ward's current condition is unknown.