Politics

Carroll first responders were dispatched to the CitiCentre Plaza in Carroll this (Tuesday) afternoon for a hazmat spill. At approximately 12:08 p.m., local agencies responded to the Bomgaars parking lot for an unknown chemical spill from a straight truck for a wholesale company, Monaghan Corporation, based out of Des Moines. The Carroll Fire Department was dispatched to clean the indeterminant amount of hazardous liquid, later identified as Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), a strong based classified as a level 8 corrosive material. Carroll County Ambulance Service was called to the scene to treat the truck driver, who did come in contact with the liquid. The Carroll Police Department and Iowa State Patrol also assisted in keeping the location clear so crews could continue cleaning operations with no disruptions. The public is asked to avoid the area until the spill is cleared, but there is no risk to the public’s health.

Since the beginning of September, one needed service in Greene County changed its hours of when people could use them. Greene County Action Resource Center (ARC) Manager Shirley Haupert says for years the food pantry in Jefferson has been open Wednesday mornings for clients to receive their food every four weeks, but in September, those hours changed to Thursday mornings. She explains that their main food provider, the Food Bank of Iowa, altered its delivery route because of the increase of needs across the state at other food pantry locations.

In Greene County district court a warrant was returned Sept. 24 charging Eeko Baccam, 37, of Spencer with theft- fourth degree. The warrant was issued June 28. Baccam is also charged as a fugitive from justice. Dakota County, NE, has initiated extradition proceedings against him on charges of forgery- second degree and theft- deception.

Carroll County Attorney John Werden is showing support for an American ally, Israel, and their ongoing conflict against terrorist organizations. Werden says, “In solidarity with the people of Israel, I now fly their flag under the American flag in front of my office.” The current conflict in the Middle East began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas led a raid from the Gaza Strip into Israel, killing nearly 1,200 civilians and taking over 250 hostages. Israeli forces quickly invaded Gaza following the attack and occupied much of the territory. The conflict is now expanding north toward Lebanon as Israel retaliates against Hezbollah-backed forces that threaten the nation’s northern occupants. Werden previously showed his support for Ukraine by flying their flag outside the County Attorney’s Office in 2022 following the Russian invasion. That conflict is still ongoing more than 2.5 years later.

(Audubon) The State Fire Marshal received a request from Audubon County Emergency Management Coordinator Tyler Thygesen, representing each of the county’s fire departments, requesting the State Fire Marshal to prohibit open burning in Audubon County. During the investigation, the State Fire Marshals Office found that conditions in Audubon County...

One Main Street Iowa program has been selected as one of the top eight communities that are in the running for a prestigious honor. According to Main Street America, Jefferson Matters is a semi-finalist for the 2025 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA). Main Street America says a group of industry professionals and local leaders served as a national jury as they evaluated applications from several Main Street programs across the country. They go on to say that the eight semi-finalists were named for their “excellence in fostering preservation-based revitalization efforts in their historic downtowns and commercial corridor districts through the Main Street America approach.”

Western Iowa Advantage invites elected officials, housing developers, and anyone interested in attending its annual summit this year, discussing ways to promote housing and create a foundation for community success. Western Iowa Advantage is an economic development group with representatives from Region XII Council of Governments and development partners from Audubon, Calhoun, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, Sac, and Ida counties. The organization collaborates to build strong local, regional, and statewide economies while promoting job creation and livability of the region. Sara Slater, Executive Director for Audubon County Economic Development (ACED) and Chair for Western Iowa Advantage says housing was picked this year due to the demand being seen regionally and nationwide.

The Greene County Board of Supervisors met in regular session on Monday. During reports, Supervisor Vice Chair Dawn Rudolph mentioned at a recent Greene County Board of Health meeting Shelby Cooklin was approved to be the new Greene County Public Health Director, as Becky Wolf will officially retire from the position at the end of the year.

IKM-Manning Middle School and Glidden Ralston Community School District (CSD) are one round away from winning the $1,000 prize for the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative’s 2024 School Mascot Challenge. In honor of the 14th annual Healthiest State Walk, the school with the most votes will receive the grand prize to fund health and wellness programs throughout its respective building or district. Glidden-Ralston CSD and IKM-Manning have continuously received support from students, staff, and community members to outvote 30 other schools to the final round. Voting ends at noon on Wednesday. A link to vote has been included below.

Main Street Guthrie Center has a few events coming up this month. Executive Director Lindsay Gilland says that the group has two of three October events on the same day. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio about their Fall Festival, which will be on the morning of October 12th. “We thought...

The Greene County Development Corporation held its Annual Community Event Monday night where an individual was given a distinguished honor. GCDC Past President Sid Jones announced the Service Recognition Award recipient was Jim Daubendiek. He mentioned that Daubendiek was retiring from the GCDC Board after 30 years, going back to when he was an original member of the predecessor to GCDC, known as Jefferson Industries Incorporated. Even though Daubendiek was stepping down, he commented on how inspiring the GCDC Board is today.

The next Greene County Historical Society monthly program highlights one of the oldest county parks in Iowa. According to the Historical Society, the free program in October is this Friday at 12:45pm at the Rippey United Methodist Church and the featured speaker is Greene County Conservation Director Tanner Scheuermann on Squirrel Hollow Park. Organizers say the county park was built in 1934 and is the second oldest county park in the state, next to Briggs Wood in Hamilton County that was established in 1919.

The Carroll City Council unanimously approved a letter of understanding following a closed session during last night’s (Monday) special meeting to lay the groundwork for the potential future acquisition of approximately 100 acres of land west of the Carroll Municipal Golf Course. City officials met in closed session for around 30 minutes before returning to open session and approving the document. The letter, which is included in its entirety with this story on our website, details a mutual understanding between the City of Carroll and K.M.C. Farms, LTD, owned by John Simons and Peter Simons, that showcases their amiability to the idea of the city acquiring their land west of N. West Street. The letter details that the Simonses do not want to incur any capital gains tax on the sale of the land in question, suggesting a land swap would be the route forward. However, the letter does not detail the terms of such a swap, but city officials indicated that it would come in the form of a formal agreement down the line. While the letter of understanding is not legally binding, it does renew the debate for the proposed Golfview housing development. The council failed to reach a consensus on whether to move forward with a $750,000 proposal from Wittrock Construction to purchase 4.5 acres of city-owned land on the golf course to build an estimated $9 million in assessed valuation. The council split 3-3 when voting to reject or accept the proposal, but the issue could return at the Oct. 14 Carroll City Council meeting if a motion to reconsider is approved. If that motion fails, the council can take up the question again in six months, but they would need to restart the request-for-proposal process.

During the Oct. 1 regular weekly meeting of the Guthrie County Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Maggie Armstrong updated the other members on the planned EMS presentation. “I sent this to everybody for review last Thursday,” Armstrong said. She explained that she made minor changes based on feedback from the...

As part of September’s Panorama School Board meeting, one of the topics for discussion involved the district’s priorities. Superintendent Kasey Huenbner says that these priorities and goals are important to have and identify, as they show the community how administration and the Board would like the district to run, and what is important to them. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that those priorities have not changed from last year.

Work on the Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) has already begun on sections in Greene and Guthrie Counties thanks to a grant. Guthrie County Conservation Director Brad Halterman says that there is a section of the trail stretching from Yale in Guthrie County to just north of Cooper in Greene County that was put in at the same time, so the respective County Conservation Boards wanted to work together on that project. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that a large grant has already helped get things rolling.

Since drought conditions have resurfaced in the Raccoon Valley Radio area that may also limit outdoor water activities. Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer for Greene County Aron Arthur says the water level on the Raccoon River in Greene County has been getting lower, which could cause issues for people that want to kayak or canoe.

With National 4-H Week coming up next week, Greene County ISU Extension will be kicking it off with a way to not have to cook dinner. Greene County Extension Office Manager Cindy Adamson says there will be a Make It and Take It program scheduled for this upcoming Monday with a pre-assembled crockpot meal that she points out is a crowd pleaser.