Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections, Friday morning, said 28-year-old Ronald Kelly, who was convicted of Robbery 2nd Degree in Polk County, failed to report back to the Fort Des Moines Correctional facility as required, yesterday (Thursday). Kelly is a Black male, 5-feet 9-inches tall. He weighs about 228 pounds. Kelly was admitted to the work release facility on Dec. 28th, 2021.

Ronald Kelly

Persons with information on Kelly’s whereabouts should contact local police.

The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors met with Bryant Rasmussen & members of the Parks & Recreation Board on Thursday February 10th, 2022, to celebrate staff milestones and the departure of a long-time board member. Bryant Rasmussen, Atlantic Parks & Recreation Director, shared his endless gratitude for the many employees and volunteers behind the scenes of the department. Stuart Dusenberry has served on the Parks & Recreation Board for the past 12 years and was awarded a plaque for his dedicated service. Bryant also recognized four employees that have achieved milestones and make his job easier is many ways.

“They always tell me, “We don’t have a problem, we have an opportunity” stated Rasmussen. And it’s with that mentality, the Parks and Recreation Department have been able to tackle anything that comes their way. Don Prall, Steve Harrington, Mike Waters, and Tyler Christensen bring over a combined 25 years of Parks & Recreation experience and positivity to the department, and Bryant Rasmussen could not be more appreciative to have them on his team.

(Article & photo submitted by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce)

Atlantic Parks & Recreation maintains 11 parks, 236 acres, and over 3,000 trees. The department also provides programming and special events for all ages. The department currently has 36 different types of recreation gear and activities for public use. Bryant Rasmussen shared that mental health resources was recognized as a top priority in the Cass County Health Needs Assessment, and the Parks & Recreation department is constantly thinking of new and innovative ways to gather people of all ages to share the endless benefits of getting outside and moving your body.

Atlantic Parks & Recreation Office is located at 1200 Sunnyside Lane in Atlantic. For more information about Parks & Recreation equipment rental please call, 712-243-3542. To keep up with Atlantic Parks & Recreation, follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/atlanticparksandrecreation or visit www.atlanticiowa.com/atlantic/city-departments/parks-recreation/

The Creston Police Department reports 34-year-old Jeffrey Michael Donald Drake, of Des Moines, was arrested at around 1-a.m. Friday, at N. Lincoln and W. Townline Streets, in Creston. Drake was charged with Harassment in the 1st Degree and two counts of Harassment in the 3rd Degree. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $2,000 cash-only bond, and no bond, on the respective charges, until seen by Judge.

(Corning, Iowa) – A man from Union County was arrested Feb. 5th on a drug charge. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office today (Friday) reports 18-year-old Caleb Comstock, of Afton, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, following a traffic stop on Highway 34 at Sycamore Avenue in Adams County, at around 11:20-p.m. Feb. 5th. Comstock was transported to the Adams County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond. Taylor County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted in handling the incident.

“Any potential charges identified above are merely allegations and any defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.”

(Radio Iowa) – A Senate panel has unanimously dismissed an ethics complaint alleging a state senator pressured officials to approve a state permit for his son-in-law’s cattle feedlot. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has approved the application for a company called Supreme Beef to feed up to 11-thousand-600 cattle in a lot near Marquette in northeast Iowa. The complaint against Republican Senator Dan Zumbach of Ryan was filed by the Committee to Save Bloody Run Creek — Bloody Run is the name of a trout stream that’s near the Supreme Beef site.

The group said Zumbach spoke with D-N-R staff at least twice about the project. The Republican chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee says Zumbach had every right to do what he did and legislators shouldn’t open the door to complaints like this. A Democrat on the committee says Zumbach’s actions were eyebrow-raising, but she joined with other members of the Senate Ethics Committee to dismiss the complaint.

Zumbach does not have a financial stake in the cattle lot. Zumbach has said his advocacy on his son-in-law’s behalf was the same as it’s been for any constituent trying to navigate the regulatory process.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill advanced by an Iowa Senate subcommittee would make it a serious misdemeanor for a teacher or school librarian to provide students with access to obscene material or hard-core pornography. A conviction could land an educator in prison for up to a year. Senate President Jake Chapman, a Republican from Adel who is the bill’s sponsor, held up a photocopied page from an illustrated novel during a hearing at the statehouse.

“We have fantastic teachers. That’s why my kids go to public education,” Chapman said, “but that does not negate those teachers that have advocated and distributed this type of material.” Several parents who support the bill read passages from books they want removed from schools. Opponents of the bill say obscenity law requires a book to be judged as a whole and Melissa Peterson of the Iowa State Education Association says the bill is unnecessary.

“We already have very clear definitions of what constitutes obscene materials,” Peterson says. “We already have severe penalties for our education professionals and employees should they happen to violate that existing standard.” The bill’s future is uncertain.

Governor Reynolds has proposed a bill that would send parents’ complaints about school materials to the State Board of Education if a local school board fails to respond within 30 days. The governor’s bill also requires all the titles of books in school libraries to be posted on the school district’s website.

(Radio Iowa) – Critics of masking and COVID vaccine mandates testified at a subcommittee hearing at the Iowa Capitol that was livestreamed for three hours, then extended into the nighttime hours. Jason Crawford of Ames told legislators that after the Supreme Court overturned the federal vaccine requirement for large companies, his employer still required workers to be vaccinated before they could return to the office.

“Treat people as people, whether they’re vaccinated or not,” he said. “Do not discriminate. Do not segregate.” Crawford told legislators he was fired Monday for being unproductive to the company’s culture. A bill which would prevent employers from asking if their employees are vaccinated is tentatively scheduled for debate in the House State Government Committee next Wednesday.

The legislation also forbids businesses, educational institutions and government agencies from requiring face coverings.

Atlantic, Iowa— Cass Health announced today it has been recognized as a 2022 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital. Compiled by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, this annual recognition program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX™.

“Over the last several years, we’ve faced a pandemic, construction, adding providers, adding services, and more. And yet, despite all of the changes and challenges we’ve worked through, we’ve come away again in the top tier of all critical access hospitals in the country. The only reason this is possible is because of our spectacular team; their resilience and passion for healthcare is unmatched. We are blessed with the best, and we’re proud to celebrate this achievement with the communities that we are privileged to serve,” said Cass Health CEO Brett Altman.

“Despite unprecedented adversity rural providers continue to display resiliency and a steadfast commitment to their communities,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “Honoring the Top 100 is one of the highpoints of our year. We are delighted to recognize the exceptional performance and innovation of this year’s recipients, particularly in light of the extraordinary challenges facing America’s rural health safety net.”

Over the course of the last 12 years, the INDEX has established itself as the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging publicly available data, the INDEX is trusted by rural hospitals, health systems with rural footprints, hospital associations and state offices of rural health across the country to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations and finance.

(Radio Iowa) – A man is facing charges after a standoff in the back of a police car near Sioux City Heelan High School this (Thursday) morning. Sioux City police sergeant Jeremy McClure says the officers had stopped a suspect possibly involved in an armed robbery near the high school around 11:30 and put him in the patrol car.

“He was handcuffed in the back of the squad car and indicated that he had a firearm. Officers checked and it turned out that he did have a firearm in his hand. And so, we backed up and began negotiating with him as he was threatening to do harm to himself,” he says. The sergeant says they tried for an hour to get the man to give up the gun.

He says they reached out to the man’s family members to help with the negotiations, but the man became more agitated, and tactical team officers moved in. “As they were moving up a shot was fired from inside the vehicle…the tactical officers used chemical munitions to make it an environment he did not want to be in anymore. At that point, he surrendered peacefully,” according to McClure. The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Bishop Heelan High School was placed on lockdown during the incident. Fourth District Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra was visiting the high school at the time of the incident and remained inside until the man was taken into custody.

(Radio Iowa) – Some major cellular service providers will switch off their 3-G networks on February 22nd and Iowans who have older phones may suddenly find their devices no longer work. Tom Kamber, executive director of Older Adults Technology Services at A-A-R-P, says he’s concerned for Iowa’s significant population of senior citizens, especially those in rural areas, who don’t use their phones very often.

“If you’ve got an old flip phone, you should figure out which provider you’re using and contact them and ask if that phone needs to be upgraded,” Kamber says. “If you have an emergency pendant for people who maybe had a fall and need to get help, you can actually just push the button and they will call you and you can ask if that button needs to be upgraded.” Iowans who have an older loved one should take the initiative and check the status of their phones and other devices, and if necessary, help them with an upgrade.

“About 20% of Americans are still relying on those 3G networks and about 10-to-15-million Americans still have 3G reliant phones, and that’s just on the phone side,” Kamber says. “You’ve got the alarms on top of that. The alarm industry is telling us they have millions of people across the country who may have 3G-reliant alarms.” Getting a new phone can be an expensive venture, but in the case of 3-G phones, the cost may not be an issue.

“Most of the companies that we’re hearing are offering free replacement services for 3G-reliant devices,” Kamber says, “so, there may be a very nominal or no-cost replacement available.” In general, most cell phones made before 2012 are relying on a 3-G network and will need to be replaced. The 3-G systems are being retired to free up the bandwidth for the newer 4-G and 5-G technology.