Absentee voting in Pottawattamie County has already passed the total for the entire 2022 midterm election, and voters have until 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, to cast an absentee ballot in person at the courthouse before Tuesday’s general election. County Auditor Mary Ann Hanusa, who also serves as the county’s commissioner of elections, said absentee ballots passed the 2022 total by the morning of Oct. 23, with more than a week of voting still remaining. In-person absentee votin

Mark Shoemaker spent more than 30 years with Pottawattamie County Conservation, about 26 of them as its executive director, and worked with every Board of Supervisors since 1997. Now he hopes to join one. Shoemaker is one of five candidates seeking three seats on the board in the Nov. 3 general election, along with Susan Miller, Jeff Jorgensen, Shawna Anderson and Dennis Gunderson. One seat is open because Supervisor Keith Jones, who was appointed to the board in December, is

For more than five years, Shawna Anderson has watched the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors from the public seating. Now she is asking voters to move her to the other side of the room. Anderson is one of five candidates seeking three seats on the board in the Nov. 3 general election, along with Susan Miller, Jeff Jorgensen, Mark Shoemaker and Dennis Gunderson. She said her interest began during community town halls on how the county should spend its federal American R

Pottawattamie County Supervisor Susan Miller says the hardest part of running for re-election has been deciding where to spend her time. Miller, first elected four years ago, is one of five candidates seeking three seats on the Board of Supervisors in the Nov. 3 general election, along with Jeff Jorgensen, Mark Shoemaker, Shawna Anderson and Dennis Gunderson. “Both of them could be full-time jobs, and I kind of lean towards I’m going to do what I was elected for, and I will c

A Masonic lodge that once stood along Highway 6 east of Council Bluffs can trace its history to the vanished community of Quick, Iowa, and a group of rural Masons who wanted a meeting place closer to home more than 120 years ago. Fred Gach, a member of Cobia Lodge No. 631 in Council Bluffs since 1980 and a former dual member of Cobia and Amber lodges, began researching Amber Lodge after being asked about its history. Much of what he found came from materials preserved in a ti

NAMI Southwest Iowa will have a new executive director at the end of 2026, when longtime leader Anna Killpack retires and current program coordinator Amy Sherer takes over the organization serving nine counties across southwest Iowa. Killpack announced that she will step down at the end of December after more than six years leading the organization. Sherer, who originally joined NAMI Southwest Iowa as a peer support specialist, will take over following Killpack’s retirement.

From youth leagues to high school and college athletics, CB Journal highlights the people, teams and moments that make our local sports community special. Sports are an important part of life in Council Bluffs and the surrounding communities. From young athletes learning the game to high school rivalries and college competitions, there's no shortage of stories worth sharing. CB Journal will spotlight local sports through season recaps, team accomplishments, athlete features,