(Atlantic, Iowa) – Kelsey Beschorner, Programs Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce said Wednesday, Atlantic Rising, in partnership with Hy-Vee, will continue to lead the Christmas Box Program this holiday season. The program was originally started by West Central Community Action over 20 years ago. The Jaycees took the program over soon after it started and then passed the program to Atlantic Rising in 2018.

“This program helps families and individuals in need of a Christmas dinner,”  Beschorner said. “Atlantic Rising members, along with volunteers, delivered boxes to 165 individuals and families last year. With the continued challenges of COVID-19, we are expecting to see yet another increase in nominations this year,” she added.

Kelsey said also, “Trivia Night was the organization’s main fundraising event, and all participants had a fun night in October. With the projected numbers of families served, we will be reaching out to businesses and community members asking for donations and volunteers to help serve as many families as possible. Any time our community needs us, we are there to put in the work.”

On December 16th, members of Atlantic Rising will help fill and deliver boxes of food items to families and individuals who can then use them to cook Christmas dinner. Beschorner said “Atlantic Rising is proud to carry on this tradition of the Christmas Box program, and we are thankful that we are able to partner with HyVee and give back to the community in such a great way.”

To nominate a family or individual, or if you are interested in volunteering, contact Atlantic Rising at 712.243.3017 or chamber@atlanticiowa.com.

(Adair, Iowa) – One person was injured and flown by helicopter to Des Moines, following a crash Wednesday afternoon in Adair County. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident happened just before 1-p.m. on I-80 eastbound, about two-miles west of Adair.

Authorities say a 2019 Freightliner semi driven by 50-year-old Geno Khorava, of Palm Coast, FL, a 2007 Freightliner semi driven by 50-year-old Nicholas Cates, of Nampa, ID, and a 2007 Kenworth semi driven by 59-year-old Jeffrey Mokol, of Lenexa, KS, were all eastbound at the 73.5 mile marker.

Half of Cates’ semi was in the right lane with its hazards on for slower speed due the weight of its load. The semi driven by Khorava was behind Cates in the right lane. Khorava attempted to change lanes to avoid a rear end collision with Cates’ semi. The Kenworth was in the left lane near Khorava’s semi. The Kenworth went off the road to the left and struck a high tension cable barrier.

After Khorava’s semi rear ended Cates’ Semi, both rigs came to rest on the traveled portion of I-80. The Patrol says Geno Khorava, who was not wearing a seat belt, was transported by Mercy One helicopter to Mercy Hospital, in Des Moines.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council breezed through their scheduled session Wednesday evening. They approved several matters, including

• The Street Finance Report for Fiscal Year 2020-2021
• An Order to Approve the FY21 Urban Renewal Area Report
• The third and final reading of an Ordinance pertaining to the Fire Department and how volunteer personnel are appointed.
• An Order to Appoint Geoff Barrick to the Planning & Zoning Commission, for a term of five-years. Barrick replaces Rich Tupper, who is resigning from the seat on the Commission.
• The Council, Wednesday, passed a Resolution “Obligating funds from the Hotel Whitney Urban Renewal Area Revenue Fund for Appropriation to the Payment of Annual Appropriation Tax Increment Financed [TIF} obligations,” that are coming due in the next fiscal year.
• And they passed a Resolution “Providing for [the] Reduction of [the] Interest Rate on [the] Taxable Sewer Revenue Bond.” John Lund says the City received word a few weeks ago from its creditor on the Wastewater Treatment Plant project [the State Revolving Fund] that they were reducing the interest rate from 3-percent to 1.75-percent for the remainder of the loan, thereby saving the City $922,300 over the next 16 years. In June, 2011, the City issued debt for the WTP project for slightly more than $11.7-million.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council set their meeting on Nov. 17th as the date for a public hearing on the sale of City-Owned real estate at 901 Birch Street. A local person looking to start a “House-flipping” business is interested in purchase the dilapidated home and giving it renewed life before selling it. The interested party has proposed paying fair market value for property and investing a significant amount of money to properly restore the home. The individual’s credentials and presentation to the Personnel & Finance Committee, were impressive, according to John Lund.

In his report to the Council, Lund said a meeting was held last week with the City’s contracted Retail Coach, and that he’s “absolutely in love with their data base.” The information it revealed, among other things, who the people were from outside of Atlantic, who visited the most.

The day after Christmas and an extended period in late January are the lowest periods of visits from out-of-towners. Lund says the Retail Coach had some “good news and some great news” for Atlantic.

During the Council Committee reports, Councilman Pat McCurdy said beginning next year, the City’s refuse will be transported to a site in Glenwood. He credits Councilperson Kathy Somers for helping negotiate the arrangements with a local sanitation provider.

Earier this year, the Cass County Landfill had sought bids for hauling services as they convert from a landfill to a transfer station.

(Area) – Area residents have been receiving text messages regarding “Limited edition” t-shirts. On Tuesday, a text for the Anita Fire Department was circulated. On Wednesday, the Adair,  Audubon, Avoca, Bayard and Bagley Fire Departments were mentioned on the text messages. The sender asks you to click on a link or send a text to “Opt out.”

This is a SCAM. Do not click on any link. Anita Fire Chief Eric Steffensen said his department never sends texts messages to the public. Do not respond to the message. Simply delete it. (Sample text messages received 11/3/21 shown below)

The Shelby County Auditor’s Office has updated the results from Tuesday’s elections. Only partial results were available late Tuesday night. (additional results can be found HERE)

City of Harlan Public Measure TE:

Shall the following public measure be adopted? “Shall the Board of Trustees of Harlan Municipal Utilities, City of Harlan, in the County of Shelby, State of Iowa, be authorized to discontinue and dispose of the municipally-owned communications utility by sale?” YES 449             NO 281

The following are result from cities where there were contested races in Shelby County:

Defiance:

Mayor – No Candidates ( 9 write-in)

City Council At Large (elect 3) – No Candidates; (23 write-in)

Panama

Mayor – No Candidates; (25 write-in)

City Council At Large (elect 3) – No Candidates; (64 write-in)

Earling

City Council At Large (3) –

Troy Langenfeld, 27

Jackie Frum, 30

No candidate. (13 write-in)

Elk Horn

City Council At Large (2) –

Jerry Hoffman, 28

Derick Hogberg, 66*

Nolan Teegerstrom, 76*

Kirkman

Mayor – No Candidates; (5 write-in)

City Council At Large (2) – No Candidates; (9 write-in)

School Board candidates/Public Measures:

Harlan School – District 1: Alan Hazelton [I], 885*                    Missy Cox, 363

Harlan School – District 2: Mathew Worthey, 478                    Jade Albertsen, 722*

Harlan School – District 3:

Seth Piro [I], 595

James Reischl, 651*

Harlan School – District 4:

Gregory Bladt, 832*

Chris Swensen, 436

IKM-Manning – Director At Large (2):

Phil Stracke,127*

Luke Potthoff, 56

Sam Hansen, 60*

Mike Blum, 53

IKM-Manning – Director District 1B:

Megan Reis, 76

Amy Ferneding, 77*

IKM- Manning – Director District 2B:

Josh Linde, 82*

Steven A. Wiskus, 81

ATLANTIC- The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now available to children aged 5 to 11 years old. Cass County Public Health is holding vaccination clinics for children on November 10^th and 17^th from 2 to 6 pm at Cass Health.

Appointments are required. Parents and guardians can schedule appointments online using the link at casshealth.org/covidvaccine. The required checklist and consent form are available on the same web page; paper copies will also be available the day of the appointment.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to park in Lot C and use the Rehabilitation Services entrance for these appointments.

Please note that after the vaccination, patients will need to be monitored for fifteen minutes. During the monitoring period, snacks will be provided in the Cass Health cafeteria.

Patients are always encouraged to talk to their primary care provider about their questions and concerns regarding vaccines. More information about booster shots can be found at cdc.gov, vaccines.gov, or casshealth.org/covidvaccine.

Voters in the AHSTW school district unofficially approved a bond referendum Tuesday night that will allow for bonds not to exceed $12,900,000 to fund remodel, repair, and improvements to the existing K-12 facilities; and to build, furnish, and equip additions to and renovations of learning environments, including related site improvements. AHSTW Superintendent Darin Jones was thrilled and thankful for the result.

Jones spelled out what these funds will allow them to do.

A second referendum question for $6,750,000 additional dollars to build a new auditorium received over 50% support but didn’t reach the 60% threshold to pass. Jones said that shows promise for further discussion.

All voting results from Shelby County were slow to officially come in but there won’t be any significant changes to the results for the district vote.

(Radio Iowa) – Former Iowa Congressman Neal Smith of Des Moines has died at the age of 101. Smith, a Democrat, was first elected to the U.S. House in 1958. During an appearance on Iowa P-B-S in 2013, Smith said during his 36-year career in the House, he never personally asked for a campaign contribution. “In my first election, I was elected on $10, 300,” he said. Smith, an attorney and a farmer, was a key architect of several federal Farm Bills and he secured funding for two of Iowa’s federal flood control reservoirs — Saylorville and Red Rock. “When I was there, we put coalitions together on every bill. We just expected to,” Smith says. “I mean we had southern Democrats, northern Democrats, Republicans.”

Smith was born on a Keokuk County farm in 1920 and he served in the Air Force during World War Two. His plane was shot down and he received the Purple Heart.  “I don’t ever talk about it,” Smith said six years ago. “I was in the Pacific. I came back and many of my friends did not come back.” During an appearance on Iowa Public Radio when he was 95, Smith said he may have been the first candidate in Iowa to buy T-V advertising. He spent 75 dollars buying time on three television stations during his first campaign in 1958.

“I wasn’t expected to win, of course,” Smith said. “There had only been one Democrat who had ever represented Polk County before and he only lasted one term back in the ’30s.” Smith is among a core group credited with helping Iowa Democrats gain traction in state that had been dominated by Republicans for decades. The National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City in Jasper County is named for Smith, who worked to secure its creation. The federal buidling in Des Moines is also named in his honor.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman, Wednesday, confirmed that “Election night results for the City of Atlantic clearly show that no candidate for mayor received more than 50 percent of the votes:

• Grace N. Garret 463 votes for 37.58% of the votes.
• Pat McCurdy      80 votes for  6.49% of the votes.
• Kathy Somers    165 votes for 13.39% of the votes.
• Tim Teig        523 votes for 42.45% of the votes.

Therefore, a runoff election will be held on November 30, to determine who will become the mayor of Atlantic. Persons on the ballot will be Grace N. Garret and Tim Teig.”  Sunderman says   Absentee ballots may be requested now.  Ballots will be mailed on or after  November 9 as soon as ballots are available.  Deadline to request an Absentee Ballot to be mailed for City Runoff is
Monday, November 15. Absentee voting in the auditor’s office begins on or after November 9 as soon as ballots are available.  Last day to vote in the auditor’s office is Monday, November 29.

City Runoff Election Voter Pre-registration Deadline is Monday, November 15. Voting sites for this election will both be at the Cass County Community Center at 805 W 10th St.  Atlantic 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Wards will use the main entrance; and Atlantic 4th and 5th Wards will use the south entrance. Polls will open at 7:00 A.M. and close at 8:00 P.M.

(UPDATE: 4:30-p.m., 11/3: Jury released for the evening. Will return 8-a.m. Thursday to resume deliberations)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The fate of a Cass County woman charged with Murder in the 1st Degree and Child Endangerment – Resulting in Death, is in the hands of the jury. The case was turned over to the 12 members at around 1-p.m, Wednesday, after the Prosecution and Defense attorneys made closing statements, followed by a rebuttal to the defense closing argument.

Alison Dorsey, of Anita, has pleaded not guilty to both charges associated with the death of 11-week-old Luka Hodges, whom she cared for at a home in Massena, where as many as 11 children stayed at some points in time, including the day Luka suddenly stopped breathing. Prosecutor, Iowa Attorney General 3 Monty Platz, presented his closing statement Wednesday, saying that Luka “Should have had a fighting chance…he should be here alive.” He characterized Dorsey as being less than truthful or at least accurate, in her account of what happened Oct. 7, 2019.

Platz also tried to debunk testimony/theories by some experts last week (who are not pediatric doctors), that Luka’s death was not caused by Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS), when five other experts suggested the injuries the child suffered could not have occurred any other way. The jury he said, needed to reconcile those differences. He said “Shaken baby is real.” Platz said Luka’s death was “No tragic accident.”

Defense Attorney DeShawne Bird-sell said the real story, as stated by Defense witness Dr. Dragovic, is that “There is no evidence of a purposeful act.” Dr. Kelly Kruse, who performed the autopsy on Luka, concluded the matter of death was undetermined. Bird-sell said said one of the bigger issues, was the rush to judgement on how Luka’s injuries occurred, leading up to his death, instead of waiting on the full autopsy results.

The jury was sent home at 4:30-p.m. Wednesday, and are set resume deliberations at 8-a.m. Thursday. It’s not clear how long the deliberations may take. The jury has several, lesser degrees of charges that could consider under both Murder in the 1^st and Child Endangerment resulting in death charges, including 2^nd Degree Murder, Malice aforethought, and of course, acquittal.

KJAN News will be there when the verdict is handed down in Cass County District Court.