😁 Happy Friday! No extra day this year... we checked! Every four years, February gets a little overachiever moment and sneaks in an extra day. But not this year— no February 29th, no bonus time, no magical extra 24 hours to organize that junk drawer. Consider this your official notice to work with what we’ve got.

Weekend Weather:
Today ☀ Hi 60, Sat ⛅ Hi 34, Sun 🌨 Hi 28, Mon 🌥 Hi 36

B&A Club:
🎂 Happy Birthday
none reported
🥂 Happy Anniversary
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Last Friday, OpenAI launched a new public dashboard tracking global non-enterprise messages on ChatGPT sent between the summer of 2024 and the end of 2025.

Among the 118 countries analyzed, the US ranked 25th by number of messages sent per capita, with a little over three-quarters of all conversations clustering around just three subjects: practical guidance (29%), writing (27%), and seeking information (19.6%). Zooming into the state level, it becomes clear that not all regions are using the chatbot in quite the same way.

DC topped the list of ChatGPT messages per capita — echoing patterns seen in the use of Anthropic’s Claude — and it’s not hard to see why. The capital, dense with federal agencies, think tanks, and law firms, runs on drafting documents, from memos and policy briefs to endless email chains. It makes sense, then, that nearly a third (32%) of DC users lean on AI for writing, above the national average of 27%. The pattern holds across other top-ranked states, too: New York (No. 3), California (No. 4), and Washington (No. 8), for instance, all show writing as their top use case.

Flip to the other end of the rankings, where the states that use ChatGPT the least sit, and the picture looks different. In West Virginia (No. 51), South Dakota (No. 48), Mississippi (No. 46), and Arkansas (No. 45), practical guidance is the dominant use case, often accounting for 33% to 35% of all prompts.

Leadership from the Kuemper Catholic School System welcomed community members last (Monday) night to the annual town hall meeting offering insight into information, specifically geared toward the uKnighted Capital Campaign. A group gathered at SideTracked Taproom, meeting with building principals discussing enrollment trends, a new traffic circulation plan once construction starts of the new building and more. Kuemper President John Steffes says enrollment continues to increase, as Kuemper reached a record of 1,278 students enrolled from preschool to 12^th grade in 2024-25. With more students, the parochial school was needing to expand to accommodate all grade levels, and Steffes says they have made significant headway in donations toward the campaign, with potential construction starting next month. Steffes says the outside donations showcase how Kuemper Catholic is a large part of stimulating economic success in Carroll. With the passing of the Student Education Savings (ESA) accounts, an average of $7,618 was offered to roughly 77 percent of the student body, which encourage most, if not all, of the increased enrollment reported over the past two years. Steffes says the uKnighted: Building a Future in Faith” project is the most work the campus has done since the high school was built in 1954, and shared a letter from then-priest Frank Greteman, that believed another expansion of Kuemper Catholic would need to happen someday back then. Following the presentation, a short video was played showcasing rendering drawings of the interior renovations of the new addition to elementary building, with the new gymnasium and skywalk connecting the entire campus together. More details on the uKnighted- Building a Future in Faith capital campaign can be found included with this story on our website. Steffes also encourages everyone to mark their calendars for the official kickoff to the 42^nd Annual Kuemper Ball on Wednesday, March 4 at the Cupola. See Photos

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😺 Glidden-Ralston (G-R) Community School District is partnering with the Lil’ Wildcat Education Center to provide extended childcare services for school-aged children. With the recent approval for G-R to transition to a four-day instructional week for the upcoming 2026-27 school year, daycare was a concern that was routinely brought up. Currently, the center serves young children not yet enrolled in school, as well as a three-year-old preschool. Starting next year, Lil’ Wildcats will extend services to children four to ten years old, with sharing of staff and building space with G-R. Anyone interested in childcare services through Lil’ Wildcat Education Center is asked to fill out an online School Age Childcare Need form, which will help the two organizations develop a program that meets the needs of the community. A link to the survey can be found included below. Information regarding specific location, costs and openings for children will be available in the upcoming weeks depending on approval with the Department of Health and Human Services, and other state agencies. Anyone with additional questions is asked to contact the center by email at [email protected].

🏫 Due to a resignation, the South Central Calhoun (SCC) Community School District is looking to appoint a new member to its Board of Education. The new appointee will represent District 2, which encompasses Lake City, Lohrville, Lanesboro and Yetter along with rural residents around those communities. A map of SCC’s D2 is included with this story on our website. Anyone with further questions or wishes to apply is asked to contact Carol Collins, the Board’s Secretary at 712-297-7341.

🚨 An Arcadia man was arrested early this (Wednesday) morning by the Carroll Police Department after making threats of violence. According to Carroll County District Court records, 34-year-old Joseph Dijango John was booked into the Carroll County jail for first-degree harassment. According to a Carroll Police Department affidavit, officers were contacted at approximately 11:21 p.m. Tuesday by the victim, who reported John had made repeated threats against their life and provided video evidence of the claims. The information was relayed to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, which took John into custody without incident. He was booked into the Carroll County jail on the aggravated misdemeanor charge, where he remained in custody as of this (Wednesday) morning.

Wendl’s Weapons Indoor Range has created this special feature to honor local veterans in a meaningful way and so we can celebrate them for their years of service and dedication for protecting our freedoms. Each month there will be a special featured veteran that will be highlighted right here on this page, plus you will see it on Carroll Broadcasting’s social media accounts, and hear about it when there is a new feature. But we also want your participation as well. Please take a moment to nominate a veteran that you would like to highlight using the simple form below. Together with Wendl’s Weapons Indoor Range let’s recognize our local veterans in a way that our local communities can acknowledge them in an impactful way by highlighting their Branch of Service, Year’s of Service, Photos and their Story. NOMINATION FORM

At the start of each week the Carroll Broadcasting Sports Network Crew catches up with area high school coaches to recap their previous weeks events and preview the match ups that are happening for the week ahead. Listen here and subscribe.

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If you want the latest local sports anytime when you want it, download our APP to read, listen, and watch everything our local sports department has to offer!

Linh Ta

The city of Des Moines wants to install lights on nine holes at Waveland Golf Course to extend playing hours into the evening.

Why it matters: The project would open up tee times and generate more revenue, city staff say, though some nearby residents are concerned about light pollution and transparency.

State of play: The nine holes are by the west and north sides of the course near I-235, 56th Street and University Avenue, Jenny Richmond, assistant parks and recreation director, tells Axios.

How it started: Musco Lighting approached the city about the project a year ago and offered to front the estimated $1.5 million installation cost, after installing a similar project in Conrad.

Yes, but: Some residents near the course say they are concerned about light pollution and its impact on wildlife, as well as the Drake Observatory.

Between the lines: Residents also question the transparency of the process — the City Council approved a 15-year contract with C-Corp last December and granted an exception to bypass competitive bidding.

What they're saying: Richmond says the city has worked with C-Corp since 2006, and no competitors expressed interest in managing the courses.

What's next: People are encouraged to attend an open house detailing the project tonight at 6pm at the Waveland clubhouse.

More State Headlines:

✅IOWA NICE: Things Iowans do that no one else understands.

✅READ: Traditional Chinese Medicine is trending right now.

✅GREEN THUMB: Even indoors, just adding greenery boosts mood and helps purify the air in your home.

✅PLAN AHEAD: Spring is just around the corner. Here’s a weeks worth of Spring Cleaning ideas!

✅FRIDAY: Tony Bohnenkamp Music Night at Carroll National!

✅SATURDAY: Midwest Style & Co Turns 1!

-Splash Learn

Word Search: For those of you that wake up each morning wanting a challenge —how fast can you complete this mini-crossword. Ready, set, go.

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