Local community initiative takes important step towards opening animal shelter doors. Mount Pleasant, Iowa, April 19th. All God’s Creatures (AGC), a non-profit organization looking to connect the hands and paws of Henry County to build a happier, healthier community has hit an important and exciting milestone in their development. After an extensive search and interview process, the Executive Board recently selected Emily Davis to fill the essential role of Executive Director. Davis will join the team in early May and will work alongside the Board in coming months to solidify plans for both the animal shelter facility and the community programming components. When the shelter opens its doors and is fully operational, the Executive Director will lead a group of staff and volunteers to ensure that all facets of this project run smoothly and successfully. “Our Board has been working tirelessly to ensure that this vision comes to life in the most successful and sustainable way possible. We knew that hiring a full-time, paid Director would be essential to our success and we are all so excited to add Emily to our team. Her knowledge, experience, excitement and drive are going to be invaluable assets to our organization.” -Kate Ridinger, AGC Board Member
AGC encourages you to follow along with their progress, including an upcoming, extended introduction to their Executive Director by signing up for their newsletter at www.allgodscreaturesmp.org and following their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ AllGodsCreaturesMP.

A New London man was sentenced on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, to 24 months in prison for embezzlement and theft of labor union assets.
According to court records, James Darin Boatman, 53, the former president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 617 Union, embezzled and stole union funds for his personal use. UFCW Local 617 members include production workers and skilled trade
workers at the Conagra plant located in Fort Madison. Investigation revealed that Boatman, the president of the Union from 2010 until 2019, set up a credit card in the Union’s name, without authorization, and from at least May 2017 to August 2019 used the card for personal expenses,
including vacations to Florida, large repairs on his personal vehicle, and to pay for attorney representation for an unrelated matter. Additionally, Boatman wrote checks from the Union funds to cover personal expenses and to pay himself for unauthorized lost time for periods of time Boatman claimed he was conducting Union business. Boatman pled guilty and agreed to pay $74,231.34 in restitution to the Union. Following his prison term, Boatman was ordered to serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The United States Department of Labor and Office of Labor-Management Standards investigated the case.

The Wayland City Council meets Wednesday, April 19, at 7:30 pm at the Wayland City Hall

1. Roll Call
2. Consent Agenda
Note: These are routine items and will be enacted by one motion without separate discussion unless a Council member requests an
item be removed for separate consideration.
a. Minutes of April 5, 2023
b. Bills for Payment
3. Citizen Forum
The Mayor and City Council welcome comments from the public for items not listed on the agenda. You are asked to state your
name and address for the record and to limit your remarks in order that others may be given the opportunity to speak. The
Order of Business is at the discretion of the Chair. No action will be taken.
4. Unfinished Business
a.
5. New Business
a. Res. 2023-10 “Resolution Granting Variance To Temporarily Conduct Open Burning
Of Landscape/Yard Waste At Specified Place And For A Specified Purpose”
b. Acknowledge Receipt of FYE21 Annual Examination Report
c. Application for Cigarette Permit – Dollar General
6. Building Permits – Approved
Neil Reichenbach-Enclose 11’x7’12’ open breezeway and add 15’x20’ concrete entry
with steps at 407 E Railroad St.
Tad Zwer – Install 386’ of 6’ wood fence at 416 W Front St
Keith Morris – Repair/Replace 210’x5’H wood fence at 216 2nd St
WACO School – Remove & Replace 190’x 4’H chain link fence at 706 N Pearl S

Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Iowa experienced summerlike conditions over several days of the reporting period as positive temperature departures from 8 to 16 degrees were observed; the statewide average temperature was 58.6 degrees, 11.1 degrees above normal. Coupled with these anomalously warm temperatures, was a very dry airmass until a late-week pattern shift brought widespread rainfall and some snow statewide. Southwestern Iowa measured above-normal totals with deficits of over 0.50 inch at many eastern stations.

Gusty southerly winds continued through Sunday (April 9) afternoon under clear skies with daytime temperatures in the upper 60s and low 70s. A disturbance pushed across western Iowa during the evening hours and persisted through Monday (April 10) morning. Several southwestern and south-central stations measured at least 0.20 inch with Hastings (Mills County) reporting 0.47 inch. Temperatures rose into the low to mid-70s as clouds cleared off through the day under a light and variable wind. Starry skies remained overnight as morning lows reported on Tuesday (April 11) held in the 40s with patchy fog in southwestern Iowa. A strong southerly wind built in over the daylight hours under sunny skies with high temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s as a dry airmass overtook the Upper Midwest. Morning lows on Wednesday (April 12) were unseasonably warm with a statewide average low of 51 degrees, 16 degrees above normal. Afternoon conditions were exceedingly dry with dewpoint temperatures in the upper 40s in the presence of strong southwesterly winds and air temperatures in the low 80s south to low 90s north; the statewide average high was 83 degrees, 24 degrees above normal. Winds died down overnight as temperatures dropped into the 50s. Southerly winds began to increase through Thursday (April 13) with daytime temperatures generally 10 to 12 degrees cooler than the prior day.

Isolated showers popped up in northwestern Iowa a few hours after sunrise on Friday (April 14). Another line of showers and a few thunderstorms developed in western Iowa after noon with temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s across much of Iowa. Behind the cold front, conditions cooled into the upper 60s where clouds and rain were present. In advance of a low-pressure system, strong to severe storms formed after sunset over southwestern Iowa, expanding in coverage while losing strength as the cluster pushed into central Iowa. There were several reports of severe straight-line wind events causing structural damage with a 68 mph wind gust clocked near Essex (Page County). The low slowly moved through Iowa on Saturday (April 15) as showers and thunderstorms brought widespread rainfall. Iowa’s eastern quarter remained mostly clear with highs reaching into the mid-70s while upper 30s to mid-40s were observed in western Iowa. Light snow filtered on the backside of the low pressure as rainfall moved into eastern Iowa overnight into Sunday (April 16). All Iowa stations reported measurable precipitation with over 50 measuring at least 0.50 inch; the highest totals were observed in southwest Iowa where eight stations recorded from 1.00 inch to 1.74 inches. Snow totals were isolated with 0.1 inch in Davenport (Scott County) to 3.5 inches in Swea City (Kossuth County).

Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 0.01 inch at multiple stations to 2.21 inches in Hastings. The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.44 inch while the normal is 0.81 inch. Airports in Sioux City (Woodbury County) and Spencer (Clay County) reported the week’s high temperature of 92 degrees on April 14, on average 33 degrees above normal. Beaconsfield (Ringgold County) reported the week’s low temperature of 27 degrees on April 10, eight degrees below normal. Four-inch soil temperatures were in the low to mid-40s east to upper 40s and low 50s west as of Sunday.

On the afternoon of Sunday, April 9, at approximately 1:42 p.m., officers of the Fairfield Police Department responded to the 23rd Street crossing of the local East/West railroad track in response to a call of a person lying near the tracks. Upon arrival at the area in question, officers located the body of 30-year-old Cortney Heather Haynes of Fairfield. Haynes was declared dead at the scene. The injuries observed on Haynes’ remains appeared consistent with having been struck by a moving train.

Shortly after the discovery Haynes’ remains, the Fairfield Police Department contacted the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, requesting assistance in investigating the circumstances leading to Haynes’ death.

Also assisting with the investigation into the death of Haynes is the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office.

For those who feel they may have information to provide relative to the death of Haynes, please contact the Fairfield Police Department – (641) 472-4146.