(Atlantic, Iowa) [updated] – The City Council in Atlantic will hold their regular bi-weekly meeting beginning 5:30-p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 5), in their chambers at City Hall. On the agenda, is an Order to appoint Elaine K. Otte to the vacant, At-Large Council seat created by the election of Grace Garrett as Mayor. Otte will be brought before the Council Wednesday to be confirmed, followed by administering of the Oath of Office.

In other business, the Council will hear from SWIPCO Community Development Director Alexsis Fleener, with regard to the submission of applications for the following:

• A Downtown Housing Grant application by Paul Gude for 300 Chestnut Street. The grant requires a 25% local match provided by the property owner – not the City – and is for a 24-month period.
• and, a Community Catalyst Building Remediation Program Grant for 207 Chestnut Street, from Peter Hopley.

Fleener requests the Council support the applications in writing, so that they may be submitted to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). The Council is expected to pass a Resolution approving the transfer of funds from one the City’s 65 separate funds, for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2021-22, which is a routine matter, and “reconciles accurate cost-accounting, while creating transparency on what is being spent in each line item in each fund,” according to City Administrator John Lund.

The Atlantic City Council will also act on passing a Resolution “Establishing the use of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Special Fund.” Lund notes legislation expressly forbids the money to be used for debt payments or tax relief of any kind. He says one of the purposes for the funds, is for investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure, which would include the Bull Creek restoration/reconstruction project to help eliminate erosion on properties nearest the creek. The cost of the project was budgeted at more than $985,331, which according to Lund, makes the $974,157 from ARPA able to finance 98.87% of the project.

The Council’s final order of business, is to approve the City’s Official Newspaper for legal publications, and the official bank for the City’s checking account.

The 8:05-a.m. broadcast News from Ric Hanson.

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(Creston, Iowa) – Three people from Creston arrested on court orders, late Monday. Taken into custody for Violation of a No Contact Order, was:

• 38-year-old Lee Ryan Fowler
• 42-year-old Robert Todd Jackson
• and 44-year-old Deanne Michelle Jackson.

All three were being held without bond pending an appearance before the Magistrate. Fowler and Robert Jackson were being held in the Union County Jail. Deanne Jackson was being held in the Adams County Jail.

The 7:07-a.m. News from Ric Hanson.

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(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Board of Directors, Monday night, voted to table action on a facility programs/services plan agreement with the Nishna Valley YMCA. At the beginning of the meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Bryant Rasmussen and Board member John Krogman mentioned that at recent meeting with YMCA representatives, discussion revolved around the possibility of having a consulting firm conduct a study on factors affecting what projects are most feasible, how much it could cost, and the means to fund those projects.

Rasmussen said the YMCA has proposed splitting the cost the study with Parks & Rec.

That was Board member John Krogman, who made the motion to table any action. City Council Liaison Gerald Brink said one of the things that needs to be addressed before any improvements or additions are made to Park and Rec attractions, is an increase in the Hotel/Motel tax, which some local hotel and bed/breakfast owners have been in opposition to since the tax was first debated.

(That’s Parks Board member Jolene Smith) Additional discussion and possible action on the agreement is expected to be on the agenda for Parks and Rec Board’s regular meeting at 5:15-p.m. On January 17^th. That meeting will be held in the City Council’s Chambers at the City Hall.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports four arrests occurred from Dec. 22nd through Jan. 3rd. Most recently, on Monday, Deputies arrested 38-year-old Mandy Marie Knapp on a valid Adams warrant, following a traffic stop. Knapp was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

On Dec. 26th, Adams County Deputies responded to a fight at the Casey’s store in Corning. Upon further investigation, Juan Antonio Gonzalez, of Bridgewater, was arrested for Assault Causing Bodily Injury. Also during the incident, Gregory Dale Welcher was arrested for Harassment in the 1st Degree, Assault while Displaying a Dangerous Weapon, and Disorderly Conduct. Welcher was transported to the Adams County Jail. Gonzalez was transported to the Adams County Jail, also, and later released after posting bond.

And, on Dec. 22nd, a traffic stop on a speeding vehicle resulted in the arrest of 42-year-old Nicholas Lee Huston, of Grand Island, Nebraska. Huston was taken into custody on numerous arrest warrants from eastern Iowa agencies. He was also charged with Possession of Marijuana/3rd offense, Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia, and two counts Possession of a Firearm by a Felon. Huston was also cited for speeding 74 in a 55 zone. He was transported to the Taylor County Jail and held on a $12,300 cash-only bond.

(Radio Iowa)- Iowa’s economy made healthy gains during December and mirrored strong growth for the nine-state Midwest region, according to a monthly survey from Creighton University. Despite climbing manufacturing numbers, Creighton economist Ernie Goss says supply chain delays worsened during the last month of the year, and the picture for the months ahead isn’t very bright. “Approximately one out of three supply managers expect supply chain bottlenecks to get worse in the first half of 2022,” Goss says, “and more than half of the supply managers reported that the Omicron variant was slowing deliveries, so that’s another concern out there.”

The Midwest’s G-D-P, or gross domestic product, rose during December, although hiring numbers fell during what’s typically one of the strongest months of the year for jobs. “Regional employment is still down about 2.6% from pre-COVID-19 levels,” Goss says. “The U.S. employment is likewise down by about 2.6% from pre-pandemic levels and all nine states are recording employment levels below pre-pandemic levels.”

In the latest figures from Iowa Workforce Development, the state’s unemployment rate fell during November to three-point-seven percent from three-point-nine percent in October. The Creighton survey’s wholesale inflation gauge for December dropped, but Goss says inflation in Iowa and the region remains at its highest levels in more than a quarter of a century of conducting the survey. Looking forward, Goss says several key challenges are emerging. “Economic growth will slow with employment gains slowing for the first quarter,” Goss says. “Short-term interest rates will begin rising and pretty quickly, I think. Supply chain bottlenecks and labor shortages and inflation will be the chief economic impediments in the first half of 2022.”

Since the start of the pandemic, Goss says Iowa’s average hourly wages advanced by only eight-tenths of one-percent.

(Radio Iowa) – The Biden Administration is providing another 800 million dollars to support smaller scale beef, pork and poultry plants and is establishing a new tipline for whistleblowers from the meatpacking industry. President Biden says the four largest meat packing companies are distorting prices for farmers and for consumers. “Capitalism without competition isn’t capitalism. It’s exploitation,” Biden said. “That’s what we’re seeing in meat and poultry — in those industries now.”

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the goal with this new batch of federal grants and loans is to invest in at least 15 small packing plants and to take steps to recruit and train new workers for the industry. “Then $50 million of it is going to be utilized for technical assistance and research,” Vilsack says. “We’re going to need a lot of innovation in this industry. We’re going to need to new business models…and small and mid-sized facilities need to have this opportunity, as opposed to the ‘big four.'”

The ag department and the U.S. Justice Department are creating a new portal to handle reports of anti-competitive behavior in the meatpacking industry. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland says the agencies are committed to vigorous enforcement of anti-trust laws. “When we talk about promoting competition in the agricultural sector, we are talking about whether a farmer or rancher will be paid a fair and competitive price for their goods and labor,” Garland says. “When we talk about protecting consumers in this context, we are talking about whether food will be affordable for everyone in America.”

Iowa Farm Bureau president Brent Johnson participated in yesterday’s (Monday’s) White House forum. Johnson urged Biden to work with Iowa’s congressional delegation on a price transparency bill to ensure farmers are paid an honest price for their cattle, hogs and poultry. Several of the Iowans who serve in the U.S. Senate and House said via Twitter that they were pleased to see the bipartisan bill was highlighted during Monday’s summit.

(Mt. Ayr, Iowa) – The drivers of two vehicles that collided Monday morning in Ringgold County were transported to the hospital following the crash that took place west of Mount Ayr. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2012 Buick Enclave driven by 40-year-old Alemu Enguday Temesgen, of St. Joseph, Mo., was traveling north on Ringgold County Road P27, when the SUV ran a stop sign at the intersection with Highway 2.

The SUV struck a 2005 Dodge van on its passenger side, as the van was traveling east on Highway 2. The driver, 18-year-old William Allen O’Conner, of Clearfield, was transported by Ringgold County EMS to the hospital in Mt. Ayr. Temesgen was flown by Life Flight helicopter to a hospital in Kansas City.

The crash happened at around 8:27-a.m.