(Clarinda) -- Two suspects are in custody following a drug investigation in Clarinda The Clarinda Police Department says on Friday evening officers executed a search warrant at 515 South 10th Street and seized methamphetamine Authorities say 50-year-old Brian Keith Huseman of Coin and 64-year-old Helena Jean Dietl of Clarinda were arrested and charged with felony distribution of drugs and failure to have the required drug tax stamps Huseman and Dietl are being held on bail at the Page County Jail pending formal charges by the Page County Attorney's Office Police say the search and arrests were pursuant to an on-going investigation into the illegal distribution of narcotics in Clarinda we attempt to be accurate in our reporting please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com Email notifications are only sent once a day Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Jacob's AME Church was relocated from its original location at the corner of 10th and Washington in Clarinda to the "Historic Village" at the Nodaway Valley Historical Museum last week Original congregation members and church staff gather outside the St Jacob's AME Church in Clarinda on its opening day in 1890 (Clarinda) -- A piece of Clarinda's history and Black culture has found a new home at a local museum Previously located at the corner of 10th and Washington Street Church made its way to a new home at the Nodaway Valley Historical Museum's "Historic Village" last week as crews transported the nearly 140-year-old building Museum Curator Trish Bergren says they have been attempting to get the church relocated for nearly four-and-a-half years but funding was coming up just short to do so she says that changed after an anonymous donor who was also a Clarinda High School graduate and grew up in the church it was one of the last significant parts of our Black history for Page County that we had and it was kind of hiding," said Bergren "In the 1970s it became a private residence and had been passed through some families it had sort of become dilapidated and left alone all this time." After a group of residents assembled to form the church in the late 1860s She says the plan is to strip the interior of the building back to its simplistic church layout and restoring the exterior After the building was raised and placed on stilts earlier in April Bergren says it took a village to slowly trek the venerable building to its new home "That's a project where you want the guys that that is all they do for a living and they did an amazing job along with our local police department kudos to MidAmerican because as the building was transported MidAmerican had to guide it with two lift trucks to lift the actual electrical (wires) so that the pitch of the church could get under all the cords." While the move might have caused some "ruckus" and slowed down traffic for a few hours Bergren says that was also a chance to bring awareness to the church and its history when people asked what the building was "This was one of two churches in the area that was really significant for Black culture and for organizations--they also did spelling bees there we were non-segregated from 1870 on--our school systems and everything were pretty unique considering we were on the border of Missouri it was just a really big part of our culture and history that's kind of been forgotten." Bergren says they are working off of one existing photo of the interior when it first opened in 1890 which will also provide some idea of the building's structural layout we know where the original entrance was and the beautiful windows that were there so we're going to gradually do this," said Bergren "We had an anonymous donor that helped us with a new foundation and the transportation of the building Bergren says the building is viewable out at the museum, but is still on its stilts as renovations get underway. She adds donations are also welcome. For more information on how to contribute, contact the museum at 712-542-3073 or pagecountyhistory@yahoo.com. At KMA, we attempt to be accurate in our reporting. If you see a typo or mistake in a story, please contact us by emailing kmaradio@kmaland.com. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Tribute Archive NSK Americas, a ball-bearing manufacturer has announced it will be laying off 34 employees from its Clarinda facility at the end of February The layoff notice follows an announcement in September that NSK Americas' sister company, AKS Precision Ball Co., also located in Clarinda will be shutting its doors at the end of March NSK said it “is with deep regret” that it is letting the workers go “With the change of the product mix manufactured at the facility and the continuous need to be competitive in the market we had to take this action," the statement said "We are grateful for the loyalty and hard work of the NSK Clarinda team members and the support of the Clarinda community over the years We will continue to honor our commitments and ensure a smooth transition for everyone involved.” NSK has more than 25,000 employees worldwide manufacturing bearings precision machinery and parts for industry steering systems and automatic transmission components for automotive uses Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com Four KMAland girls and three KMAland boys won titles at the USA Wrestling Freestyle/Greco Roman State Championships on Sunday (KMAland) -- Four KMAland girls and three KMAland boys won titles at the USA Wrestling Freestyle/Greco Roman State Championships on Sunday Glenwood's Shay Lundvall (94) and Lewis Central's Weston Porter (126) won 16U Greco-Roman state titles Nodaway Valley's Ashton Honnold also won a title claiming the 285-pound title in the Junior Division Lewis Central's Emerson Gregg (125) and Atlantic's Haley Armstrong (235) won the Junior Freestyle Division while Clarinda's Lily Weinreich (140) and Atlantic's Leiah Thomas (155) were 16U Freestyle champions Full brackets from this meet can be viewed here Construction of the Clarinda School District's 7-12 Complex expansion and renovation project continues (Clarinda) -- Clarinda School District staff and patrons are getting a glimpse of a major construction project in the coming weeks Construction continues on the district's 7-12 complex's expansion and renovation project Clarinda School Superintendent Jeff Privia tells KMA News school board members recently toured the completed portions of the project plus new offices and a commons area for the district's middle school students Plans call for the district's instructors and other staff members to tour the project in the near future and we went through every room and took a look We actually saw a ceiling change that the board wanted we're going to have the elementary staff have an opportunity to go up and through he building we're going to open it up to the community for them to have a look Despite last week's snowstorm and recent rain Privia says the project is still on target for August 1st completion he says construction is about a week ahead of schedule "I know they're starting to do all of the mudding I think our painter is coming the beginning of next week to start painting the block and he's planning on coming to get as much done as he can when he comes down from the Council Bluffs area." board members allocated up to $9.8 million in Secure an Advanced Vision for Education or SAVE funding to cover the project's costs Privia hopes the public likes the work accomplished thus far "It has not cost us taxpayers anything to get this project done and we'll start looking at the next phases as they come down the line for us." Mechanical and electrical work at both the 7-12 and pre-K-6 buildings is expected to take place this summer (Clarinda) -- Alternative forms of transportation and the importance of reading are highlighted in a Clarinda school event next week Students at Clarinda's pre-K-6 building and Clarinda Lutheran School celebrate National Walk Bike and Roll Day Wednesday with special activities Clarinda Lied Public Library joins with the school district in the local observance Clarinda Library Director Andrew Hoppman tells KMA News the event demonstrates the need to walk or ride your bike to school "It's a day where really we highlight the benefits of walking in terms of the health benefits of walking," said Hoppman we also want to highlight how can we make our routes safer to school." Hoppman says the library's new Book Bike is involved in the celebration "I really thought this was a great way for the library to kind of be involved with it," he said we kind of wanted to not only highlight our Book Bike but also highlight alternative modes of transportation but also how can we make our communities have safe routes to school." Funding from the library's board of trustees and a grant from the Clarinda Foundation made the bike possible Hoppman says the Book Bike brings the library's services to the public "If you're familiar with a book mobile," said Hoppman if you're not familiar with what even a book mobile is we're able to load up the big box on our bicycle here and load it up with books and library materials we're able to take it out into the community and set up shop we can hand out information on the library it's really just a way that rather than waiting for people to come to the library we're able to bring the library out to the community." Hoppman plans to have the Book Bike at the elementary school in the morning hours, and at Clarinda Lutheran mid-afternoon near dismissal. More information on National Walk, Bike and Roll Day is available from the organization's website (Clarinda) -- In partnership with a local foundation the city of Clarinda is offering a grant program to assist businesses in increasing their accessibility city officials announced a new accessibility program reimbursing businesses up to 75% of the cost of installing new push-button door systems with a $5,000 maximum reimbursement per business Funding for the program has been provided by the Clarinda Foundation Clarinda resident Lori Veach has been an advocate for accessibility in the community for the past six years and is an amputee who uses a wheelchair Veach tells KMA News that the grant program came about after she approached Clarinda Foundation Director Beckie Finch about installing a push-button on their building "She took it to the foundation because I have searched for grants and anything else I could do to help offset the costs," said Veach "Beckie gave me the advice of letting her do some looking and she found it was easier to get local grants than federal grants that became the birth of the grants for this accessibility program." While the program primarily covers the new installation of buttons Veach says businesses do have the opportunity to submit bids for other potential accessibility improvements "This is for installation costs only and the business is responsible for all costs associated with maintenance once the system is installed," Veach explained "If a business is interested in additional help such as widening a door or putting in a ramp they can submit a bid including this information to be reviewed." City officials indicate that additional improvements should be submitted as separate bids from the installation for the city to review Veach says that doors on businesses are often heavy with push buttons providing assistance to a wide variety of individuals people with walkers or crutches," she said "It makes it very hard and even dangerous if you don't have control of your own stability." Veach says push buttons are a difference maker and help people keep their sense of independence you simply can't go in and maybe buy a birthday present or a Christmas present--this way you can and you don't have to have the extra help and can do it on your own," said Veach you don't have to ask for the door to be opened--you can do it yourself." Maryville and Albany all picked up team championships Brylee Acklin was a three-time winner and 23 other KMAland girls athletes picked up two medals apiece during a busy night in the area Ellie Wunderlich and Lili Denton all won two golds each Des Moines Christian and Heartland Christian took third at their respective meets The Clarinda girls were winners with 146 points while Shenandoah came in second with 104 and Griswold had 90 in third Clarinda had four individual championships while Shenandoah had one individual and one relay win https://live.athletic.net/meets/48922 Treynor and Atlantic held down the top three spots at Woodbine and Treynor picked up a pair of wins from Delaney Mathews in the throws on their way to 123 points Atlantic’s Emerie Jones had a stellar night in grabbing golds in the 100 hurdles and long jump Boyer Valley’s Morgan Hast was another two-time winner in the 100 and 200 https://live.athletic.net/meets/51674 discus throw (105-09) & shot put (36-07.50) 100 hurdles (16.84) & long jump (16-04.25) 100 meters (12.97) & 200 meters (27.22) Lewis Central piled up 279 points to win the city championship AL was second with 140 and Thomas Jefferson came in third with 62 and AL’s Malena Petersen won both hurdle events TJ’s Ellie Wunderlich won the 100 and 200 wheelchair Check out the area winners below and compete results in the PDF 100 meters (12.70) & 200 meters (26.31) discus throw (112-11) & shot put (36-08.75) 100 hurdles (18.31) & 400 hurdles (1:20.11) 100 wheelchair (32.66) & 200 wheelchair (1:05.28) 1500 meters (4:44.95) & 3000 meters (10:05.41) Denison-Schleswig picked up the team championship at MVACOU The Monarchs had 136 points behind four total wins Check out the area winners below and compete results here: https://dakotatiming.anet.live/meets/45324 Van Meter won their home team championship and were dominant in doing so with 175.5 points Laura Streck led the charge with wins in the 800 and 1500 and the Bulldogs finished with nine total wins Creston was second and CAM came in third place The Cougars were led by Ada Hansen in winning the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles Anna Weathers of Ankeny Christian was also a double winner with a sweep in the throws Check out the area winners below and complete results in the PDF 800 meters (2:19.60) & 1500 meters (4:50.55) 100 hurdles (15.61) & 400 hurdles (1:04.67) shot put (34-06.00) & discus throw (121-03) Interstate 35 had 185 points and Bedford finished with 162 to win the two-class Clarke Murr Invitational I-35 got a pair of wins from Olivia Phillips in the 400 and 400 hurdles and also had seven other event wins Bedford’s Joslyn Longfellow won both hurdle events and Alexis Perkins swept the throws to lead the Bulldogs Melcher-Dallas’ Trista Hansaker won the 100 and the 200 in Class B and Murray’s Aylah Miller was victorious in the 400 and long jump Mormon Trail’s Gracyn Newton also won twice in the 800 and 1500 https://results.aatiming.com/meets/44544 400 meters (1:06.49) & 400 hurdles (1:08.32) 100 hurdles (17.91) & 400 hurdles (1:16.03) discus throw (102-07.50) & shot put (35-05.00) 100 meters (13.19) & 200 meters (27.38) 400 meters (1:10.81) & long jump (13-05.25) 800 meters (2:37.40) & 1500 meters (5:50.84) IKM-Manning was the runner-up at ACGC with 166 points The Wolves won three individual and two relay events led by Ava Campbell’s pair of wins in the 800 and 1500 800 meters (2:27.79) & 1500 meters (4:47.82) Pleasantville came in eighth place at the Carlisle Invitational https://results.aatiming.com/meets/44542 Des Moines Christian had 112 points and finished in third place at PCM The Lions were led by Hadley Hardersen in taking the 100 hurdles and high jump https://results.aatiming.com/meets/44549 100 hurdles (16.38) & high jump (5-00.00) NEBRASKA FRONTIER CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS  Heartland Christian picked up three individual wins and took third with 107 points at the Nebraska Frontier Conference Championships Grace Steinmetz won the mile and two-mile races and Corine Anderson won the discus throw for the Eagles Check out the area winners below and complete results here:  https://results.wayzatatiming.com/meets/51381 1600 meters (5:37.36) & 3200 meters (11:47.07) Maryville and Savannah went 1-2 at the Spoofhound Invitational The Spoofhounds had 206 points and got a trio of golds from Brylee Acklin (100 hurdles Savannah’s Raedyn Phillips was a winner in the 800 and 1600 to lead the Savages to 179 points https://results.blacksquirreltiming.com/meets/50962 100 hurdles (16.27) & 300 hurdles (46.50) & triple jump (35-09.25) 200 meters (26.77) & pole vault (8-00.50) 800 meters (2:29.80) & 1600 meters (5:31.34) Albany scored 140 points and took the team title at North Andrew’s Cardinal Relays Kaitlyn Bunker was the lead Warriors with victorioes in the shot put and the javelin throw shot put (9.57m) & javelin throw (26.82m) different verse--that's the words Clarinda's police chief used to describe one of the latest scam trends reported to his department the Clarinda Police Department posted on its Facebook page about a phone call scam that a local resident had reported Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers tells KMA News the individual reported the scammer was attempting to impersonate a sheriff's deputy with the Page County Sheriff's Office.. "This individual went on to tell this young lady that her brother had missed a court date and that they needed to get him taken care of immediately," said Brothers "She was asked if she was able to forward what they referred to as some bond money and that that would satisfy the judgement for her brother missing a court appearance." Brothers noted the scammer made it seem more realistic by providing the brother's name before the potential victim realized it was a scam He emphasized that law enforcement agencies will never ask for payments over the phone "A law enforcement agency is never going to call you and say you or one of your family members or friends missed a court appearance or has a warrant for their arrest and if you forward some money or give them some information so they can make an electronic debit (transaction) from one of your financial accounts that it'll satisfy the matter," Brothers emphasized "That is not how that works--law enforcement agencies do not do this." He notes there are various "twists" on this type of scam such as calling and saying someone's grandchild is in jail and in need of bail money Brothers adds that while technology has provided benefits it has also created more opportunities for scammers to take advantage of individuals--emphasizing the need to remain vigilant "In today's world as we all know with various social media accounts and the world wide web it's relatively easy to find out names of your relatives "That's not difficult information to obtain in today's world." Brothers adds that the growing trend of phone call or text scams is by no means unique to KMAland and is evident across the country "Every other law enforcement agency I know of across the United States is constantly putting out scam alerts and these things are what they are," said Brothers don't fall for these and don't provide them any information like your social security number If you feel you have been a scam victim or would like to report a scam attempt Brothers encourages residents to contact their local law enforcement agency John passed away Tuesday, april 29, 2025 at the Good Samaratin Care Center, Villisca, Iowa. Condolences and memories may be shared at nodawayvalleyfuneralhome.com (Clarinda) -- No one was injured when a van crashed into a nursing facility in Clarinda early Wednesday evening Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers tells KMA News the accident occurred at the Azria Health Building at 600 Manor Driver shortly before 6:30 p.m Brothers says a 2012 Ford Econoline van driven by 67-year-old John Bramble of Clarinda was attempting to park near the building when the accident occurred which is located on the north side of the Azria nursing home," said Bramble which caused his vehicle to lurch forward over the curb Brothers says two interior rooms were damaged One estimate places the damages as $25,000 neither the driver nor building occupants were injured Shenandoah and Clarinda were 9-0 winners in the Hawkeye Ten Southwest Valley and Sioux City East also earned wins in KMAland girls tennis (KMAland) -- Shenandoah and Clarinda were 9-0 winners in the Hawkeye Ten Bishop Heelan Catholic 9 Denison-Schleswig 0 Southwest Valley 2x winners: Maddie Bevington (Clarinda) -- Workers at a Clarinda manufacturing plant are losing their jobs Officials with NSK Americas Friday announced the elimination of more than 30 employees from the company's Clarinda facility Company officials attribute the reductions to "the change in the product mix manufactured at the facility and the continuous need to be competitive in the market." NSK officials add the company is "grateful for the loyalty and hard work of the NSK Clarinda team members and the support of the Clarinda community over the years." They add the company will continue to honor commitments and ensure a smooth transition for everyone involved NSK's announcement follows last September's announcement that Clarinda's AKS plant was closing by the end of the first quarter of this year (Clarinda) -- Plans to allow open burning in certain scenarios within Clarinda city limits cleared its first hurdle earlier this week By a 3-0 vote during its regular meeting Wednesday the Clarinda City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance that would create a permit application process that would allow for open burning once it is reviewed and approved by the fire chief city code restricts most uses of open burning and requires any burning of solid waste or recreational fires to be done within a non-combustible structure or at the city-operated burning site near the Clarinda Municipal Airport While the restriction does have some exceptions City Manager Gary McClarnon says there are still gray areas “One example (Fire Chief Roger Williams) and I talked about was that if you want to burn a ditch off you can’t according to our code and the it’s the same if you want to do a bonfire--you couldn’t do it,” said McClarnon and actually I’m changing the variance portion of the code and what I’ve put in here is that any person wishing to conduct open burning of materials not permitted in the ordinance may make application for a variance to the fire chief.” McClarnon noted that the permit application was a common theme among other community ordinances Fire Chief Roger Williams says the discussion has also come up due to confusion about what is allowed for open burning within the city when a county-wide ban is not in place “People thought they could cut some tree limbs down and just put them into a small little pile and burn that the ordinance says you can’t do that--it’s got to be contained,” Williams explained the police responds and the fire department responds to put it out We had an issue with this and that’s how it’s kind of come about because somebody did get a citation.” Clarinda Mayor Craig Hill notes that the proposed permit application also has some “common sense” guidelines such as not conducting the burn if wind speeds exceed 15 miles per hour Williams says adding in the review from his department would give them more discretion and information about any potential burns being conducted outside of the exceptions listed in the ordinance “It just gives the fire chief a little more discretion and they’ll know if somebody is going to burn something outside of what’s allowed,” said Williams “I can go out and visually see it and where it’s going to burn and say ‘this is too close to a house you can’t do that’ or ‘yes you can get the permit to be able to do that and it has to be done on that day.” McClarnon adds the process would not have any cost to the applicant with law enforcement also notified of any permits that have been granted A second and third reading of the ordinance is required before being adopted (Clarinda) -- Construction of the Clarinda School District's 7-12 expansion and remodeling project shows no signs of slowing down Work began last May on six new classrooms and other additional space and improvements to accommodate middle school students Clarinda School Superintendent Jeff Privia tells KMA News work picked up steam recently Ceiling grids are probably going in today or tomorrow A lot of things are going in--electrical is already plumbed and ready and getting it ready to be powered back up." Privia says not even recent rainfall halted the work since all but a small portion of the project is enclosed "Ninety percent of our work is inside," he said so we're all buttoned-up as far as that goes There's just a little bit of work to do outside We're just excited--you can really see what it looks like now Many of the district's teachers toured the completed work in recent weeks--and the superintendent says he received good feedback they like the flow of the building," said Privia so they feel like it's one unit for that junior-senior high group it will really put the finishing touches on it." Plans call for the project's completion by August 1st Clarinda School Board members allocated up to $9.8 million in Secure an Advanced Vision for Education or SAVE funding to cover the project's costs in 2023 Clarinda School District McKinley Central Office Building (Clarinda) -- Clarinda school officials are expressing mixed emotions over the Iowa Legislature's settlement on public school aid Both the Iowa House and Senate this week approved a 2% increase in supplemental state aid or SSA--the per pupil state funding level for K-12 schools District Director of Finance Nancy McKinnon outlined the SSA level's impact on Clarinda's projected budget for fiscal 2026 at Wednesday's Clarinda School Board meeting Speaking on KMA's "Morning Line" program Thursday morning Clarinda School Superintendent Jeff Privia says the lower-than-expected SSA numbers will have consequences "We all know as superintendents--not just in southwest Iowa but across the state--the 2% is not enough to stay up with inflationary rates," said Privia what that does for us means we'll be tightening our budget a little bit Nancy talked about that on where our numbers were and say 'where do we need to tighten the numbers at lawmakers also increased supplemental operational sharing weighting from 21 to 25 students "We'll be looking at offsetting some of that," he said we can share with somebody another position so we can get to that maximum number of 25 points so that we can get those extra dollars into our budget says another provision adding transportation equity dollars won't help his district Another impact is that the district's proposed property tax level for next fiscal year drops a penny to $12.71 per thousand dollars valuation Board members hold the second public hearing for the fiscal '26 budget April 23rd at 5 p.m the board holds another public hearing on a budget amendment for this fiscal year ---approved a two-year agreement with the OpenEd online program aimed at homeschooled students ---approved the contracts of Linda Babcock as librarian and Christina Vega as special education instructor ---approved the resignations of Matt Bird as 7th and 8th grade girls basketball coach Dustin Piper as elementary special education instructor and 7th and 8th grade boys wrestling coach and Jake Lord as 9-12 assistant girls basketball coach effective at the end of the 2024-25 school year You can hear the full interview with Jeff Privia here: (Clarinda) -- Plans for an updated ordinance barring bicycles and other similar vehicles from being ridden on sidewalks in the downtown area of Clarinda cleared its first hurdle last week By a 3-0 vote at its latest regular meeting the Clarinda City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance amendment that primarily updates the definition of "bicycle" in the city's code individuals are barred from riding them on the sidewalks in a "business district," which would include much of the downtown square Clarinda City Manager Gary McClarnon says the ordinance was established some time ago for safety purposes and was brought to their attention at a previous council meeting earlier this month "Obviously it's because you've got businesses and a lot of people our ordinance does address not letting bicycles be on sidewalks in the downtown area," said McClarnon we did have one of our business owners say that he has seen some bicycles and almost got hit by a bicycle so he wanted us to do a better job of enforcing (it)." McClarnon says updating the definition of what is barred from traveling on the downtown sidewalks came at the suggestion of Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers basically I just defined bicycle to include all of those items and obviously the first reading of the ordinance did pass unanimously I think Keith is right--we need to change and make sure we've got the right definition of what bicycles are." McClarnon notes that rather than strict enforcement the council opted to take an "educational approach" with those potentially violating the regulation if a police officer sees somebody riding illegally this isn't right and it's against the ordinance'--basically verbal warnings to get people to abide by the law," McClarnon explained "I do know that Chief Brothers does help give out free bicycle helmets each year and he said that during that time he would also educate people that they could not ride (on sidewalks) in the downtown area." He adds that the ordinance has also been posted and shared on the Clarinda Police Department and City of Clarinda Facebook pages A second and third reading of the ordinance amendment is required before being adopted (Clarinda) -- A Council Bluffs man has won a $500,000 lottery prize on a ticket purchased in Clarinda Officials with the Iowa Lottery announced late last week that William Campbell won the 5th top prize in the Iowa Lottery's "Mega Bucks" scratch game purchasing the winning ticket at the Casey's at 318 East Washington Street in Clarinda Officials say Campbell claimed his prize Wednesday at the lottery's main office in Clive Mega Bucks is a $50 scratch game that features 13 top prizes of $500,000, 12 prizes of $25,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.09. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit ialottery.com (Clarinda) -- With construction of the Clarinda School District's 7-12 expansion and renovation project still on target new furniture and carpeting for the building's interior are set the Clarinda School Board approved the quote of DEMCO totaling $156,357.52 for furniture and Interface's quote of $12,095.24 for carpeting for the 7-12 expansion and renovation project Clarinda School Superintendent Jeff Privia tells KMA News DEMCO's bid was the lowest of three for the furniture "We got three bids from three different companies," said Privia "DEMCO came in the lowest with the things we wanted for our students All of our desks and chairs are telescoping modern equipment was necessary for the new space Funding from the district's sale of the former Shopko building covers the furniture and carpeting's expense "One of the best things I think is just working through that process," said Privia "What do you need and what do you not need So you start with the pie-in-the-sky kind of view A great thing for our budget was selling the Shopko Building knowing that we had a furniture purchase that we needed to make for our middle school Privia lauds Clarinda 7-12 Principal Luke Cox and the high school and middle school staff with selecting the new amenities Cox has done a great job in including them on the furniture purchase and what they would like in colors and trims," said Privia "and the carpet that they picked out for the high school They had multiple meetings where the middle school staff got to meet with Mr Cox and representatives to pick out some of the things for the new building Funding from the district's Secure an Advance Vision for Education or SAVE dollars is covering the 7-12 expansion and renovation project which is expected to be finished by August 1st Privia made his comments in a recent interview on KMA's "Morning Line" program (Clarinda) -- No injuries were reported after fire consumed a home and shop building in Clarinda Tuesday night Clarinda Fire Department officials confirmed to KMA News that crews were initially called out at around 6 p.m to 1002 East Lincoln Street for reports of a structure fire Assistant Fire Chief Joe Moore says the quickly developing fire had encompassed an old shop building with a portion of the structure also renovated for a living space Moore says crews were on scene for nearly five hours battling the blaze and were also called back during the overnight for a re-kindling No injuries to the occupants or fire personnel were reported The cause of the fire is still under investigation at this time Fire departments from Essex and New Market were also called in to assist with the blaze A GoFundMe account has been established to assist the couple impacted by the fire (Clarinda) -- A former Clarinda doctor has been assessed a fine from the state Board of Medicine regarding multiple violations McIntyre with performing surgery at the anatomically incorrect site engaging in unethical or unprofessional conduct and indiscriminatory or promiscuously prescribing drugs to a member of her immediate family McIntyre performed a surgery on a patient at Clarinda Regional Health Center intending to remove the woman's left ovary where a cyst had been found McIntyre later confirmed she mistakenly removed the patient's right ovary instead of the left one the board alleges McIntyre had been "dismissive and condescending to her patients and lacked compassion in treating her patients." The board claimed McIntyre was "loud and disrespectful" towards a patient telling the patient to reschedule the appointment because she was late when in fact the patient was 15 minutes early the board also alleges that McIntyre saw her daughter and prescribed controlled pills The board agreed to impose a $5,000 fine against McIntyre last week and issued a warning indicating future violations could result in additional sanctions The board did not impose any restrictions on McIntyre's ability to practice with her current Iowa medical license set to expire December 1st who was an Iowa licensed physician practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Iowa during the time period relevant to the allegations (Clarinda) -- Portions of Clarinda are under a boil advisory until further notice Clarinda City Manager Gary McClarnon says the advisory covers Main Street to Garfield Street between 20th Street to South Cardinal Drive and the South 21st Street cul-da-sac McClarnon says anyone without water from 11 a.m McClarnon says residents should plan on the boil advisory lasting until the end of next week City officials provided this map showing the boil advisory area (Clarinda) -- As Clarinda school officials put next fiscal year's budget to bed concerns are mounting about future financial challenges By unanimous vote late Wednesday afternoon the Clarinda School Board approved the district's budget for fiscal 2026 with a property tax levy of $12.71 per thousand dollars valuation up about 7 cents from the current fiscal year's levy of $12.64 per thousand Board members took action following the second required public hearing Clarinda School Superintendent Jeff Privia says this year's budget process was challenging With state lawmakers delaying a decision on per pupil funding for K-12 schools until early this month Privia says school officials went into the public hearings blind in terms of the final numbers with everything going up about 3-4%," said Privia "We had to raise our rate a little bit to help cover that The 2% (increase) that the legislature gave us isn't quite enough to cover all the things that go up One thing people keep forgetting about--at least I feel they forget about--is our insurance goes up every year anywhere from 8-10% We have to cover those costs for our employees We have to really make sure we're covering our bases when we set that rate." Privia is even more concerned about proposed property tax reform under discussion at the Statehouse Privia recently sent letters to State Senator Tom Shipley and State Representatives Tom Moore and Devon Wood regarding a piece affecting school districts' budgets--the management fund limitation of 180% of a district's last three years' expenditures that drops to 70% and 60% the following years and we factored in what can come out of that management fund one of the things that comes out is our deductible for things like hail or wind that would destroy our buildings." "Let's say we had a huge hail storm that ruined the roof," said Privia All the bad things happen in all three of the buildings that we hold We would then have a $604,000 deductible that we'd have to meet we wouldn't be able to carry that full amount Privia indicates Shipley responded to his letter saying he's addressing the superintendent's concerns in Senate subcommittees ---approved the elementary summer school program ---approved the FCCLA national trip and fundraisers ---approved resurfacing for the 4-6 and 7-12 gym floors ---approved the School-Based Interventionist agreement with the Green Hills Area Education Agency ---approved the STEM Start-Up Program grants ---approved the librarian sharing agreement with the South Page School District ---approved the quote of DEMCO totaling $156,357.52 for furniture and Interface's quote of $12,095.24 for carpeting for the 7-12 expansion and renovation project ---approved the second and final readings of the Iowa Association of School Boards policy primer (This article was edited to add new information and because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.) has announced it will be closing its plant in Clarinda at the end of March Closure of the southwest Iowa plant will result in the loss of 54 jobs, according to a notice on the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, website The plant is a joint venture of Japanese companies Nippon Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha (NSK Ltd.) and Amatsuji Steel Ball Mfg NSK-AKS is a global supplier of precision steel balls for many markets including the automotive and anti-friction bearing industries plant adjacent to AKS is not affected by the announcement vice president of human resources for NSK in Ann Arbor More: Wells Fargo announces another round of layoffs in October and November in West Des Moines The plants occupy a 35-acre site on the northeast edge of Clarinda, according to the Page County assessor’s website with the land and buildings assessed for tax purposes around $6 million The property was acquired in 1998 from the Hoover NSK Bearing Co. Kevin Baskins covers jobs and the economy for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at kbaskins@registermedia.com Clarinda had a dominant showing at the Atlantic Tournament in the only KMAland girls tennis action to take place on Wednesday (KMAland) -- Clarinda had a dominant showing at the Atlantic Tournament in the only KMAland girls tennis action to take place on Wednesday Riley Nothwehr and Hannah Higgins were the singles champions while Alivia Higgins and Chandy Nothwehr were the No AL’s team of Tori Hansen and Lilly Bates won the No 1 Singles: Riley Nothwehr (1st Place) interview available 2 Singles: Hannah Higgins (1st Place) interview available 1 Doubles: Taylin Walter/Ellie Cole (3rd Place) 2 Doubles: Alivia Higgins/Chandy Nothwehr (1st Place)  1 Doubles: Sasha Wurster/Hollyn Rieck (2nd Place)  2 Doubles: Shaylee Coen/Marlee Stalker (7th Place)  1 Doubles: Addisyn McNeal/Liv Allely (5th Place) 2 Doubles: Reese Meaike/Macie Meakie (2nd Place) 1 Doubles: Grace Zaiger/Samantha Warnaca (4th Place)  2 Doubles: Rachel Rynearson/Makenna Nichols (5th Place)  2 Singles: Abbie Eichelberger (4th Place)  1 Doubles: Tori Hansen/Lilly Bates (1st Place) 2 Doubles: Lexie Nelson/Rylan Stokes (8th Place)  1 Doubles: Anastacia Kay/Chloe Swensen (7th Place)  2 Doubles: Rebekah Christensen/Catherine Fah (3rd Place) 1 Doubles: Dani Bennett/Addie Freund (8th Place)  2 Doubles: Aubrey Winford/Aunika Darrow (6th Place)  (Clarinda) -- Another blow to KMAland's economy is reported in Clarinda officials with NSK Americas announced the impending closing of its AKS manufacturing facility in Clarinda Officials say the products currently produced at the Clarinda facility will be resourced to other global AKS facilities and the facility vacated by the end of the first quarter With a workforce of approximately 54 employees Clarinda's AKS plant primarily manufactures ball bearing components for the automotive and industrial markets Company officials say many of the markets served by AKS have moved offshore thereby reducing the manufacturing demand for domestically-produced products AKS officials adds they're "grateful for the loyalty and hard work" of the company's Clarinda team members and the community's support over the years Officials say they'll continue to honor commitments and "provide employees support to ensure a small transition for everyone involved." AKS employees were told the Clarinda plant's closing Tuesday (Clarinda) -- A pair of suspects face drug and child endangerment charges following their arrests in Clarinda Thursday evening Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says officers executed a search warrant at an apartment located at 800 West Tarkio Street--seizing methamphetamine and marijuana and arresting the two occupants of the apartment 28-year-old Richard Daniel Rodriguez and 26-year-old Mileena Jade Villanueva Authorities say both Rodriguez and Villanueva were arrested for providing a place for gathering for the use of controlled substances and child endangerment Police say Rodriguez was also charged with felony distribution of methamphetamine and failure to have a drug tax stamp Brothers says a five-month-old child was taken into protective custody at the home and placed in the care of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Rodriguez and Villanueva are being held at the Page County Jail pending formal charging decisions by the Page County Attorney's Office Clarinda and Sidney's Hayden Thompson won the Cowboy golf invitational on Saturday (KMAland) -- Clarinda and Sidney's Hayden Thompson won the Cowboy golf invitational on Saturday Check out the area rundown and recap below View the complete results here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mqExDkf4Why8rInzfZfWG-PUIODoahKGDz1x46S3gYE/edit?gid=580021459#gid=580021459 (Clarinda) -- A Clarinda man faces prison time in connection with a burglary in Shenandoah last fall The Page County Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that 25-year-old Gavin Allen Sickler was found guilty of third degree burglary in Page County District Court Tuesday Officials say Sickler was also acquitted of one count of third degree theft The verdicts were returned by the jury after a one-day trial and a little over one hour of deliberations Sickler was charged after an investigation into the burglary of a car in Shenandoah where a gun was reportedly stolen on the afternoon of September 26th Officials say Sickler is currently free on a $4,000 bond and is awaiting a sentencing date He faces up to two years of incarceration and a fine of up to $8,540 The Shenandoah Police Department investigated the case which was prosecuted by the Page County Attorney's Office (Clarinda) -- Clarinda city officials have set budgetary numbers for the upcoming fiscal year Meeting in regular session Wednesday evening the Clarinda City Council held a public hearing and approved a resolution adopting the budget for fiscal year 2026 Clarinda City Manager Gary McClarnon tells KMA News the city's property tax levy will be set at $17.75 per thousand dollars valuation--a roughly 25-cent drop from the current fiscal year McClarnon says most residents will likely still see a slight uptick in city property taxes "Because of the way the tax system works in Iowa with the rollback," he said "a typical $100,000 house would see an $8 a year increase McClarnon says general fund revenues and expenditures are expected to be around $3 million. He adds fiscal '26 will also be the first year budgeting for debt payments on the $3.5 million general obligation bonds the city approved earlier this year Bond proceeds will finance much of the infrastructure work on the Hugh and Maxine Loudon Business Park in the southeast corner of town "We'll be looking at $280,000 a year payments on that," McClarnon explained "It does fall within the debt service levy but we will be able to take some of our local option sales tax dollars that go towards streets or roads and we'll apply some of that to keep the payment down." With general funds and expenditures roughly even McClarnon says the general fund balance should remain relatively steady at just over $600,000 "Our general fund balance would end up at $604,000 which is exactly 20% of what our expenditures are," said McClarnon "That is a guideline that the state auditor's like to see--a 20% reserve." While the council will officially set employee salaries in June McClarnon says they have budgeted for a 3.75% pay increase good for a roughly 4.2% increase when factoring in employee health insurance plans and school districts are required to have budgets finalized with the state by the end of the month --Approved a tax abatement on development within the city wide urban revitalization district for Kim Pullen at 505 East Glenn Miller Drive --Approved a resolution setting a public hearing for its May 14th meeting on the disposal of half the parking lot at 120 South 15th Street to Seth Hudson for $9,000 --Approved the first reading of an ordinance amending the definition of bicycles in its regulations restricting their use on sidewalks around the downtown square --Approved the first reading of an ordinance amending its restrictions on open burning within city limits for solid waste disposal--establishing a permit application process with the fire chief for open burns in the amount of $149,862.50.for the T-hangar project at the Clarinda Municipal Airport-Schenck Field --Approved setting a public hearing for its May 14th meeting on a budget amendment for fiscal year 2025 including roughly $340,000 in additional revenues and $360,000 in additional expenditures Creston lost a tight one and Maryville showed well at the Lafayette Tournament on Friday in KMAland boys tennis Other Atlantic winners: Conner Silence (singles) Other Clarinda winners: Creighton Bird (singles) Creston 2x winner: Carson Beer & Dylan Dornack Other Creston winners: Timothy Bartlett (singles) Maryville’s Will Sheil and Kyler Skidmore won first place in Flight 1 doubles to lead the way for Maryville Here are the full results from Maryville head coach Nicole McGinness: Will Sheil/Kyler Skidmore 1st place flight 1 doubles  AJ Dinsdale/Nathan Walter - first place flight 2 doubles  (Shenandoah/Clarinda) -- With another round of snow snow emergencies are in effect in KMAland communities Shenandoah officials declared a snow emergency at 10 Monday morning Shenandoah Mayor Roger McQueen says parking is prohibited on all snow emergency routes with alternate parking on all other streets "Park on the even-numbered sides on even-numbered dates," said McQueen "and then park on the odd side on odd-numbered dates No parking in the city parking lots until the snow quits snow parking regulations are in effect in Clarinda Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says snowfall of two inches or more automatically triggers a snow emergency requiring residents to remove vehicles from the streets I do empathize with those individuals who do not have any off-street parking," said Brothers "We do have some citizens who absolutely do not have any off-street parking They're more than welcome to use a city-owned parking lot That's kind of problematic for some people because if you live 12 blocks from the nearest city parking lot I understand why you don't want to park your vehicle that far away." Brothers adds residents are allowed to park vehicles between the curb and the outer edge of sidewalks until streets are cleared. Similar snow emergencies are in effect in other communities. Check the cancellation page at kmaland.com for more information (Clarinda) -- At least one Clarinda School Board member is suggesting future changes to the district's calendar By unanimous vote late Wednesday afternoon, the Clarinda School Board approved the 2025-26 school calendar after no one spoke at a public hearing Included in next school year's calendar is a two-week winter or Christmas break from December 23rd to January 2nd Board member Paul Boysen voiced a constituent's question on why the winter break is longer than the spring break "I looked at the calendar in here," said Boysen "I noticed over winter--it's called winter break now--is two full weeks I didn't think much about it until this person said why don't you take--since everyone around went back on (January) 2nd or 3rd--take those two days--the Thursday and Friday--add those two days to spring break Boysen says a longer spring break would benefit students and staff "We're one of the few schools that doesn't have a week-long spring break in this area," he said I know by the time you get to spring break--with Easter being late--your rear ends are kind of dragging it's always good for everyone to have a break to have everyone refreshed." Board President Josh Wyman says Superintendent Jeff Privia takes input into consideration in developing the calendar Board member Scott Honeyman adds Clarinda is sharing services with other districts South Page 7-12 students are attending classes in Clarinda under a tuition agreement--which becomes a whole grade sharing agreement between next school year Clarinda students begin the new school year August 25th Tish passed away unexpectedly Sunday December 1, 2024 at Nebraska Med Center, Omaha, Nebraska.  Condolences and memories may be shared at nodawayvalleyfuneralhome.com/   Clarinda boys golf coach Andrew Almelien is dissecting the data from his team's first couple of meets and is ready to see where the good -- and bad -- from those showings might take the Cardinals this spring (Clarinda) -- Clarinda boys golf coach Andrew Almelien is dissecting the data from his team's first couple of meets and is ready to see where the good -- and bad -- from those showings might take the Cardinals this spring Clarinda opened its season with a three-stroke loss to Glenwood on April 7th and then followed a day later by edging Shenandoah by eight strokes They've had one tournament showing -- a runner-up finish at Shenandoah's Mustang Invite last Tuesday "We've got some mixed feelings right now," Almellien said "We left a couple of shots out there in our first dual I would like to get rid of the wind in Iowa I was really pleased with how we came back against Shenandoah at home played at their tournament and had a pretty good grouping of scores." The Cardinals have posted a 175.50 9-hole adjusted average so far Their two 9-hole outings combine with their lone 18-hole tournament for a 173.30 combined adjusted average That's third best in the Hawkeye Ten behind Atlantic and Kuemper Catholic "I had a couple of question marks coming into the season," Almelien said "But I also know that I have probably about eight guys that can shoot bogey or better golf and that's really good to have that abundance of riches to deal with I've been pleased with how a couple of kids have done." Senior Karsten Beckel has been the Cardinals' statistical leader Freshman Jac Fine has been a welcomed addition "He's putting together a couple of really good showings as a freshman," Almelien said "He did a lot of practicing with us last year so I've seen a lot of the junior golf tournaments and stuff around the area Senior Carson Turner has been a four-year starter while juniors Sam Kline and Kort Neal and sophomore Jack Kline complete the lineup "We're kind of dissecting our shots," Almelien said We're not throwing a whole bunch of three-putts and four-putts out there And we're able to score pretty well by getting close to the hole in the first couple of shots." Click below to hear the full interview with Coach Almelien Construction continues on the Clarinda School District's 7-12 Complex expansion and renovation project (Clarinda) -- Construction crews continue to juggle weather and other variables with a major construction project in the Clarinda School District school officials say the Clarinda 7-12 Complex's expansion and renovation is two weeks ahead of the construction schedule crews erected walls around the building's future offices middle school commons and classrooms added to the building's front portion Interior utilities work is also progressing KMA News took a tour of the project Wednesday afternoon to check out work completed thus far Bob Cope is superintendent with Rogge Construction of Lincoln Cope tells KMA News weather has helped the project stay ahead of schedule As long as we don't have any major interruptions Cope says workers dealt with heavy rainfall in the fall "We were doing concrete at the time," he said "trying to get the pad done--the inside of the building pumping and trying to get more gravel so we wouldn't have more mud Below-freezing temperatures forced crews to stay home earlier this week Clarinda School Superintendent Jeff Privia says he's pleased with the work accomplished thus far.Despite inconveniences to students Privia says the district works with Rogge and SiteLogiQ--the district's consultants--to ensure classes and construction continue at the same time "they've done a great job of informing us of what they've needed and give them as much time or space they need to get the job done We've moved classrooms from one area to another so that they can work in a classrooms School officials remain confident the entire project will be finished before the start of the 2025-26 school year in August Privia says the new space will provide a better learning environment for middle school students "Mixing them with high school kids--we're making that work," he said and those six rooms will really allow us to spread out a little more We won't have to be switching classrooms as much with other classes and makes them feel a little more comfortable When students feel a little more comfortable Funding from the district's Secure an Advanced Vision for Education or SAVE dollars is making the project possible Performances of Clarinda Youth Musical Theatre's production of "High School Musical II Jr." take place February 14th and 15th at 7 p.m (Clarinda) -- While construction work continues outside the Clarinda School District's 7-12 complex some middle school students are building something else--the winter musical Rehearsals continue for Clarinda Youth Musical Theatre's production of "High School Musical II Jr." Production dates are February 14th and 15th at 7 p.m Thirty-one students in grades 5 through 8 participate in the production--a younger version of the famed Disney Channel movie's sequel Students practice Monday through Friday from 3:30-to-5:30 p.m Director Cindy Darrah tells KMA News the unusually calm winter weather has helped with the rehearsal schedule we did lose 10 whole days of rehearsals due to the weather," said Darrah We even have some full days that are not in the schedule Some familiar faces join some newcomers on or off stage It's another challenge for stage veterans like 8th grader Paige Nichols it took at least a couple weeks to learn my lines," said Nichols it takes a lot to fully put the production together says there's differences between this year's production and the 2024 CMS musical "There's a lot more experienced involved now," said Pedersen Darrah likes the mixture of experienced and new performers making up the cast "We have some kids that are just brand new this year," said Darrah "They keep telling me they're going come back next year can we help?' They know that there's a small amount of space back stage that they can help and they're already wanting to be on the list to help and are available at the elementary school offices (Clarinda) -- The Clarinda Lied Library is debuting a brand new way to enjoy their services The Book Bike is a mobile way for users to have books delivered to their door and Library Director Andrew Hoppmann came on KMA's Morning Jump to discuss the alternative way to access the library a book bike is a mobile library that is pedal-powered  It's actually kind of like a reverse tricycle which makes it a little interesting to pedal around and steer  But we're able to load it up with books and library materials and fun things about the library," Hoppman said  "I'm really excited because it allows us to take the library pretty much anywhere in the community or at least until our legs run out of power." The Book Bike has already visited local schools and senior living facilities and Hoppmann wants to encourage any business to have the Book Bike come visit their establishment "What we're really working on right now is working with our schools and just this past Friday we were at our local Clear Haven Senior Housing Complex to visit with them about the library  So if people are interested in having the book bike maybe stop by their place of business or work or nonprofit let us know  We will love to get out there and talk about what the library is doing but we're also going to try to take the library to certain parks and community events  So it's just a way again to get us out there and get people aware of all the great things that are going on at their library," Hoppmann said The bike was built by Haley Tricycles in Philadelphia and put together by volunteers Paul Wagoner and Scott Brown Funding for the book bike was provided by the Clarinda Public Library Foundation and a grant from the Clarinda Foundation Hoppmann and the Lied Library think the bike can benefit many Clarinda residents "I really think this is going to help those people that may not necessarily have the time to stop by the library or those that maybe have limited mobility that can't get out of their care center or the daycare with just busy schedules sometimes it's hard to meet the library schedule," Hoppmann said For full interview with Library Director Andrew Hoppmann (Clarinda) -- The application window is open for a variety of scholarships through a local non-profit Applications for high school seniors and some college or trade school students are now available for over 20 scholarships with the Clarinda Foundation Initially starting as $200 scholarships in 1991 the foundation has now awarded over $1 million Foundation Director Beckie Finch says several students throughout southwest Iowa and even southeast Nebraska can be eligible for the 25 different scholarships that can help fund a variety of forms of education we do have scholarships that are available to Bedford and there are some GPA requirements that are 2.5 and some GPA requirements that are 3.5 While most scholarships are for high school seniors Finch says there are also some for students already in college She adds there are three new scholarships this year including the Clarinda Public Library Memorial Scholarship for Clarinda and South Page students "The big piece with this one is that the Library Foundation would like to have within a little essay on the application--they want to know how libraries have impacted the applicant's life." the Clarinda Foundation awarded over $100,000 Another new scholarship to the foundation is the Dave Tackett Page County Pheasants Forever scholarship so I believe we've got four public schools so that would include all of your Shenandoah students "This is also for a student going to a college Scholarship applications are due by March 15th. For more specific scholarship information, contact Finch at 712-542-4412 or clarindafoundation@clarindafoundation.com. You can also visit clarindafoundation.com You can hear the full interview with Finch below: (Clarinda) -- A partnership between a Clarinda hospital and a nursing home is paving the way for expanded mental health services in the region The Clarinda Regional Health Center recently announced that Azria Health Clarinda has donated its former building to the hospital to establish a new mental health clinic Chuck Nordyke is the Clarinda Regional Health Center CEO Nordyke tells KMA News that the hospital had been interested in purchasing Azria Health's former building after it consolidated into one facility at 600 Manor Drive he says they then got a welcome surprise when the Azria Health owners offered to donate the facility "We thought at least we should do our due diligence to reach out and talk to them which we did and we decided that for the price that they were asking it would have been a big endeavor to remodel to meet our needs but we told them we'd stay in touch and see what came up down the road," said Nordyke they reached out to me and offered to donate the building to the hospital so we started down that process to work through it." Azria Health co-owners Steve Hornung and Noah Kaminer said they were "proud to partner with Clarinda Regional Health Center to enhance resources available to the people" in Clarinda Nordyke says the new facility is a chance to grow and expand its existing mental health services "We've been working in pretty tight quarters for a little while and when we did the walk through of the building," he said "we decided that would be great to be able to expand the therapists there and do some different things that we're not able to do right now." Nordyke says when he first came to the hospital one of the biggest questions was whether the hospital would take on mental health services outside of primary care providers assisting patients in that area Nordyke says the need for expanding remains "We've had a wait list since we opened and we continue to have that wait list that ebbs and flows but it's quite a few patients and more than we'd like to see on a wait list," Nordyke explained now the biggest thing is trying to find providers that want to come work in our model and work for the hospital." Nordyke says the hospital offers multiple mental health practitioners and neuropsychologists one of whom has also recently become qualified to handle medication management along with several licensed mental health counselors Nordyke says maintenance crews did a walk-through of the building Monday adding that they hope to get the project going early in the new year "Tyler Hill and I will take a walk through this afternoon and start to lay out a design and draw that up and start working with the mental health crew to make sure we're meeting their needs and letting them think outside the box," said Nordyke "This is our opportunity to get really creative and we're hoping to get things started here in the next month he notes it is still likely too early to set a timeline for how long the project could take But Nordyke says the hope is to move the clinic to the new building by mid-summer 2025 Clarinda organizations are teaming up to stage the annual Clarinda Lighted Christmas Parade The annual parade put on by the Clarinda Chamber of Commerce and Clarinda Kiwanis Club is "Dreaming of a Tropical Christmas" to ring in the holiday season on Friday at 6 p.m Kiwanis President and Parade Co-chairperson Whitney Beery says the event became a tradition in 1993 to thank area firefighters for their role in fighting the 1991 Page County Courthouse fire "December 11th of 1991 we had the Page County Courthouse fire," said Beery "What we're really here to do and what this parade was really put on for was to thank our area firefighters and first responders who came in and played a huge role in fighting that blaze the firetrucks are given that place of honor at the beginning of our parade." Beery says they are inviting area businesses and individuals to get into the tropical holiday spirit and enter a float--which will then be rated by four judges "We will have different awards that will be presented as Kiwanis President awards," she said "That includes the 'best overall float' where you'll receive $40 in Clarinda dollars 'best theme-oriented' award with $25 in Clarinda dollars 'best display of lights' with $15 in Clarinda bucks and then 'holiday spirit award' with $15 in the Clarinda bucks." The parade route begins at 13th and Washington proceeds west on Washington Street around the Clarinda downtown square and finishes south on 15th Street to Grant Street Beery notes it also takes a large team of individuals coming together each year to put on the event "All of the Clarinda Chamber of Commerce really have a huge role in this and do a lot of the planning along with the Kiwanis group," Beery explained "We get together and have meetings to pick out the theme of the year and plan out who is going to be the co-chairs This year the co-chairs are myself and Andrea Muller and we've been doing this for a little while now and we really enjoy it so we keep coming back." Beery says Santa Claus will also make an appearance in the parade before stopping in his house located on the courthouse lawn Beery was a recent guest on KMA's "Morning Show." You can hear the full interview below: (Clarinda) -- Clarinda school officials are exploring alternative options for online learning Representatives of OpenEd, described as an "tuition-free home-based education program," outlined the company's services at a special Clarinda School Board meeting late Wednesday afternoon Clarinda School Superintendent Jeff Privia tells KMA News the presentation was part of the board's consideration of options for homeschooled students "We went through all the costs that would pertain "and we went through the other options they provide for students to make sure they're compliant with state of Iowa law and our graduation requirements and those things to make sure everything matches up." Privia says OpenEd is similar to the Shenandoah School District's IGNITE program "There would be no up-front costs for Clarinda," he said "and they typically go after nontraditional students they wouldn't be trying to pick up our students but they'd be looking at homeschooled students They're also looking at adding five more states--Alaska Unlike the current Cardinal Online program Privia says OpenEd would offer services to students outside the district "Our current program that we run is for Clarinda resident students," said Privia if you open enroll in our district--let's say you open enroll from Shenandoah to come to Clarinda--you would not be eligible to be in online program You have to be a resident of our district." Privia says Wednesday's presentation was informational The superintendent expects the board to hear from other companies before making a final decision on an online learning option in the future