Nathan Konz

The IKM-Manning Community School District scored better than the statewide average for Iowa on nearly every tracked metric in the 2024 school performance report cards. The IKM-Manning Middle School and Irwin Elementary School received “high performing” designations, while the IKM-Manning High School was rated “commendable” based on its scores. IKM-Manning’s four-year graduation rate was one of the highest in the state at 98.04 percent, beating the statewide average by nearly 11 points. IKM-Manning students scored quite well in proficiency for all subjects compared to the average Iowa school. Nearly 75 percent of students are considered grade-level proficient in science, 14 points over the state’s average. Mathematics was similar, as IKM-Manning registered 84.1 percent of students as grade-level proficient, compared to 69.81 percent for the state. English language arts matched other subjects, with 82.26 percent of Wolves students considered proficient. Even with the higher scores, IKM-Manning still ended up eight points over the median in their math and English scores growth rates. The only metric IKM-Manning didn’t perform above the state average is post-secondary readiness, which they missed by only 0.06 points. A link with more information and statistics on IKM-Manning’s 2024 report is included with this story on our website. Carroll Broadcasting will bring you more from our area schools in upcoming newscasts.

Tomorrow (Friday) is the United Way of Carroll’s annual Chili Cookoff, which is one of the organization’s largest fundraisers of the year. United Way Executive Director Mallory Patterson says they’ll have more than a half-dozen different chili offerings for attendees to taste and rank.

Two of South Central Calhoun’s (SCC) attendance centers have been identified by the Iowa Department of Education (DoE) as needing improvement in the 2024 Iowa School Report Card. According to the DoE data, SCC performed above the state average in the four-year graduation rate, 93.55 percent, compared to the state’s 87.46 percent. However, grade-level proficiency in mathematics, English language arts, and science all landed below the state average at 71.24 percent, 70.86 percent, and 55.25 percent, respectively. Based on these scores, the SCC Middle School has been designated as a “targeted” school, meaning increased monitoring from education officials and additional reporting requirements for the next year. The SCC Elementary School received a “priority” status, which does not change operations but indicates concern from the DoE over student performance. The SCC High School received a “commendable” rating. For more detailed statistics on SCC’s performance in 2024, follow the link included with this story on our website. Carroll Broadcasting will have more from our other area schools in upcoming newscasts.

A rural Calhoun County bridge will be closed through the winter and spring for replacement work. The crossing at West Cedar Creek east of Rockwell City on 280th Street closed Wednesday morning and will remain closed through April 30, 2025. The road will be impassable for the project’s duration, but motorists can easily bypass the work area to the north on County Road D36 or to the south via 290th Street. Individuals with additional questions can call the Calhoun County Road Department at 712-297-8322.

A bridge in southern Audubon County will be closed for at least five weeks while crews work on repairs to the Davids Creek crossing. According to the Audubon County Road Department, the 250th Street bridge southeast of Hamlin between Mockingbird and Nighthawk Avenues will be closed to through traffic until Tuesday, Dec. 31, weather-dependent. Motorists with additional questions can contact the Audubon County Road Department using the information included with this story on our website.

Fuel prices in Iowa trended downward in this week’s report from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and AAA-Iowa. As of Wednesday, Nov. 20, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was

The Carroll County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Association opens its annual Festival of Lights at Swan Lake State Park one week from today (Friday). For nearly 25 years, first responders from around the county have decorated Swan Lake State Park for the holidays, and EMS Association Treasurer Kristin Nehring says many people in the area look forward to it.

The Coon Rapids-Bayard (CR-B) Community School District outperformed the state average in nearly every tracked metric in 2024, but the CR-B Middle/High School was designated as a targeted school due to the performance of students on IEPs, or individualized education plans. Across K-12 grades, 77.24 percent of students measured grade-level proficient in mathematics, 84.7 percent in English language arts, and 73.68 percent in science. CR-B also outpaced the state average by nearly 10 points in the four-year graduation rate with 96.15 percent. However, students with IEP performed 19.73 percent below the state average compared to other students in the district. Based on these scores, the CR-B Middle/High School has been designated as a “targeted” school, meaning increased monitoring from education officials and additional reporting requirements for the next year. For more detailed statistics on CR-B performance in 2024, follow the link included with this story on our website.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is warning Iowans of a surge in social media account takeovers, with nearly 400 incidents reported to her office in 2024. These takeovers, often involving stolen login credentials and passwords, enable scammers to impersonate users, exploit personal information, and target friends and family for scams. Bird says, “Many Iowans spend years building networks and profiles on social media. When a scammer takes over, masquerading as these Iowans or sabotaging their hard work, it is easy to feel helpless. The good news is we can take action to stop it. My team is committed to helping Iowans recover their accounts and preventing future takeovers.” Businesses are particularly vulnerable, as they rely on social media to engage with customers. In one case, hackers hijacked an Iowa woman’s personal and professional Facebook accounts, including the Iowa Hall of Fame and Racing Museum page. Locked out for nearly a year, she faced significant disruptions to fundraising and outreach efforts. She regained access only after contacting the Attorney General’s office. To protect accounts, Bird urges Iowans to use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, avoid suspicious links, and monitor account activity. Iowans facing account takeovers can contact the Attorney General’s office at 888-777-4590 or file a report online using the link included with this story on our website.

Two of the area’s representatives in the Iowa Legislature will serve as committee leaders during the upcoming session that begins in January. On Thursday, House Speaker Pat Grassley announced committee leadership positions for the 91st Iowa General Assembly. Representative Mike Sexton of Rockwell City will continue to serve as chair of the House Agriculture Committee, which he chaired during the 90th General Assembly and served on during the 86th, 87th, 88th, and 89th General Assemblies. Representative-elect Craig Williams of Manning, a newcomer to the Iowa House but not to the Iowa Capitol, has been tapped to act as vice chair for the House Local Government Committee. Williams served on the Senate Local Government Committee during his time in the upper chamber from 2021 to 2023. The 2025 Iowa Legislative Session is scheduled to begin Jan. 13, 2025.