Council Bluffs Police are investigating what’s been deemed a “suspicious death.” Authorities say at around 11:30-a.m. Tuesday, officers were dispatched to the area of Lookout Point, Fairmont Park, in the 1200 block of Fairmont Avenue, after a decomposing female body was found. As of late tonight (Tuesday), additional information was not available, except to say, this is an ongoing investigation. Authorities say additional details will be released after an autopsy is performed, Wednesday.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic School Board, Tuesday evening, held a special meeting to discuss the goals and ultimately approve a plan ( see details here: scan_ssheeder_2021-08-03-20-07-05) for transitioning students from the Atlantic Middle School (AMS) to other District sites. The change is necessary due to a fire on July 27^th that left the building with substantial water damage. Superintendent Steve Barber said last week, the building cannot be occupied when school starts August 23^rd. The building is currently being cleaned, he said, and restoration will follow. Barber said “although those working on the building are making good progress, the process should take a whole year.”

Atlantic School Board meeting 8/3/21 via Zoom.

Barber said he and AMS Principal Josh Rasmussen got together and came up with three goals the district must accomplish to serve the students in light of the current situation.

(To serve each of the middle school grades together; finding a plan that was logical and doable, making it the least disruptive to middle school students and staff; and developing a plan that would disrupt the least amount of individuals or programs in the school district.)

He said the proposed plan is divided into three sections. The first is with regard to 8^th Grade students. The High School Media Center will be used for classrooms, with the goal of keeping MS students as separated as possible from 9-12^th graders

The second concerns 7^th Grade students. They will be housed in the eastern third of the District’s Achievement Center, in Atlantic.

The 6^th Grade students will be served in the developed western third of the Achievement Center building. EOC (Educational Opportunity Center) students will be relocated to two classrooms at Iowa Western Community College, in Atlantic.

Links program students and staff will find a temporary new home in the Early Learning Center, where the Home school Assistance program is located.

Before the plan is put into action, there are several necessary steps: It must first be approved by the State Fire Inspector; A plan will also be developed to determine transportation needs; The back end of the Achievement Center will be cleaned-out and another location found to safely store the equipment; Technology must be ordered, also, and the necessary access points to provide internet access; They will also need to begin to furnish the spaces with the necessary equipment to conduct classes; and Mr. Rasmussen will collaborate with teachers at the Middle School to determine their needs and the best ways to educate in the new setting.

In addition to approving the Transition Plan, the Atlantic School Board approved the purchase of certain pieces of technology in the amount of $80,140, from 2ndGear in Temecula, CA.

The National Weather Service in Omaha reports a severe thunderstorm caused microburst wind damage south of Persia, in Harrison County (Iowa), last Friday, July 30th. The extent of damage suggested wind speeds around 100 mph. Several grain bins and barns sustained damage from this intense but fairly narrow wind event. Most of the damage was concentrated in a 1.15 square mile area. There were no injuries reported.

The Ottumwa Police Department announced an arrest took place Tuesday morning, in connection with the death of a woman found in the Des Moines River in Wapello County. Police charged 61-year-old Gregory Allen Showalter with first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the death of his wife, 60-year-old Helen Elizabeth Showalter.

Helen Showalter’s family reported her missing Saturday. Her body was located one day later. Police said Gregory Showalter turned himself in to authorities and that a preliminary investigation found his wife’s death was “the result of foul play.”

The death remains under investigation by the Wapello County Sheriff’s Department, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Ottumwa Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – What was billed as the state’s first-ever cryptocurrency summit was hosted in Sioux City Monday by the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce. Bitcoin Foundation chairman Brock Pierce met with leaders of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota to discuss the multi-TRILLION dollar bitcoin industry. Pierce says Wyoming has already passed 19 laws regarding cryptocurrency and he talks with a lot of states about the issue.

“I’ve been spending time with legislators in Alaska, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Florida, all over the place, and that’s part of why I am here,” Pierce says, “is to make sure these three states understand A — what is happening, what is this all about what does it means? And to hopefully provide them with knowledge of what the opportunity is here and how that could benefit the states.” He says while some are still unsure of bitcoin — the newness has worn off and the number of investors has surged.

“This thing is going mainstream right now. There are hundreds of millions of people now who have cryptocurrency — probably ten percent of the population of the United States. And when bitcoin hits a hundred thousand dollars, a majority of the world’s billionaires will have made their money from bitcoin. Kind of a big deal,” Pierce says.

Pierce got his start in videogaming and when they became networked like World of Warcraft, he started a company to mine the virtual currency. He is considered one of the foremost national authorities on cryptocurrency and is a member of Forbes’ list of the richest in crypto.

(Radio Iowa) – At least four Iowa counties are now calling themselves Second Amendment “sanctuaries,” but there’s also at least one county where the leaders say they will -not- be going that route. Dan Campidilli, of Webster City, is chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors and says the panel reached a decision on this sanctuary fad. “We don’t feel there’s any need to take action,” Campidilli says. “From our understanding, it’s largely symbolic. It’s just a gesture. There’s no teeth behind it.

The Drake Constitutional Law Center says it’s not legally binding.” In some counties, the sanctuary resolution aims to keep law enforcement from enforcing state or federal laws which may be viewed as infringing on gun rights. Hamilton County leaders say there’s no need for such measures.

Campidilli says, “We don’t feel, at this time, that it would have an impact or there would be any need to put any resolution in place that basically amounts to nothing, in my opinion.” The Hamilton County board is supportive of the Second Amendment, he says, but there’s no practical reason to declare the county a sanctuary as it’s just an attempt to scare gun owners.

“We went through a similar situation when Barack Obama was elected president. I still have my guns at home,” Campidilli says. “I feel that it’s just an extension of the election.” The four sanctuary counties in Iowa are: Cedar, Hardin, Jasper and Madison.

(Radio Iowa) – Tickets to next week’s Major League Baseball game at the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville are a hot commodity some Iowans have found out they were chosen in a drawing for tickets. Nikki Glatt of Dubuque is one of them.

“I was shocked and then I immediately called my nephew because he was the one who said ‘you need to register,’ and he is actually out at Yellowstone National Park right now visiting,” she explains. “So, I was like ‘sorry to interrupt your vacation, but guess what I qualified for?’ He was like, ‘that’s awesome, sell them’ but I can’t because they are non-transferable. He was like ‘okay take me’.”

Iowa residents had from July 16th through the 23rd to enter a lottery drawing for a chance to purchase tickets for the highly-anticipated game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. They’ll be playing in Iowa’s first Major League Baseball game under the lights in the newly-constructed stadium near the Field of Dreams Movie Site next Thursday night, August 12th. Glatt had an appointment to try to purchase tickets at 11 a-m – and was able to get two tickets for 375 dollars each. She says she’s had a lot of people reaching out to her willing to buy them – even though it appears tickets are non-transferable.

“It’s crazy how many people are Facebook messaging me, saying…’hey this is my story, can I please purchase your ticket?’ It’s insane. Or the number of text messages I’m getting saying from people like ‘hey I’ll go with you.’ Strangers on Facebook, and then it’s friends and family texting me,” Glatt says.

Eight-thousand fans will be at the game itself – and the Dyersville Chamber says Major League Baseball isn’t even sure how many people will be coming to Dyersville for the event or the “Beyond the Game” two-day festival that the community will be hosting next Wednesday and Thursday. Glatt says she’s not looking forward to the crowds, but she is excited for the game itself – even though she’s a Braves fan.

She says her cousin sent her photos saying she had Yankees stuff, but Glatt says she will probably wear her Braves stuff. The Field of Dreams game between the Yankees and the White Sox will be aired live on FOX next Thursday night, August 12th at 6 p-m, with an official M-L-B viewing party at the “Beyond the Game” Festival in Dyersville’s City Square. For more information on the “Beyond the Game” festivities, check out beyondthegameiowa.com/schedule.

(By Janelle Tucker, KMCH, Manchester)

Officials with The Iowa Commission on the Status of Women, Tuesday, announced four women will be inducted into the 2021 Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame inductees. The 2021 Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame honorees include Donna Reed, from Denison. Reed was an actress, Academy Award Winner, Advocate for Peace. Donna Reed is celebrated for her successful career in entertainment, and as a trailblazer for women in television, as well as a humanitarian who advocated for social justice and world peace. Posthumous Award (January 27, 1921-January 14, 1986).

Actress Donna Reed

The other inductees are:

• Dr. Roxann Marie Ryan, Ph.D. (Cresco, IA): Former Iowa Commissioner of Public Safety, Assistant Iowa Attorney General, Educator & Scholar.  Dr. Ryan is noted for her vast contributions in academia, groundbreaking work in public service, and celebrated leadership among students, colleagues, and citizens across the country.
• Cornelia Clark (Grinnell, IA):  Nature Photographer, Academic Contributor, Book Illustrator.  Cornelia Clark’s photographic legacy appeared in children’s books, scientific journals, newspapers, science magazines and encyclopedias all throughout the nation. Posthumous Award (1884-1936)
• Jan Mitchell (Des Moines, IA):  Educator, 1997 Iowa Teacher of the Year, 2019 Iowa Latino Hall of Fame Robert D Ray Award for Equity and Justice recipient. Over the course of her career, Jan Mitchell has been instrumental in assisting the education and social mobilization of hundreds of Iowa’s Latina students, championing women’s rights, and prioritizing service-led compassion into her work with the community.
  To highlight women’s heritage and recognize their important contributions to society, the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women established the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 1975. Each subsequent year, the Commission and the Iowa Department of Human Rights welcome four women into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame, paying tribute to them and setting them forth as role models for others.

As of 2021, 188 women will have been inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame. For more information about the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame, visit the Iowa Department of Human Rights’ website on the Office on the Status of Women. In lieu of an in-person ceremony, the Commission will honor inductees in a virtual ceremony.  Details and dates of this ceremony will be announced later this month.

Atlantic Police report 10 arrests took place from July 20th through August 2nd. Most recently:

• On Monday (8/2), 24-year-old Andrew Malloy, of Audubon, was arrested on an Audubon County warrant for Violation of Probation.
• Last Saturday, 57-year-old Rodney Hansen, of Irwin, was arrested for OWI/2nd offense.
• On Friday, 42-year-old Christopher Knight, of Atlantic, was arrested on an Audubon County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault.
• On July 28th, 29-year-old Stephen Root, of Atlantic, was arrested on a Cass County warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order.
• There were three arrests in Atlantic on July 23rd: 40-year-old David Thomas, of Atlantic, was arrested (and subsequently cited) for Disorderly Conduct, and then released; 29-year-old Anthony Asay, of Atlantic, was arrested for Simple Assault; and, 24-year-old Brittany Ruhr, of Griswold, was arrested for Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness.
• On the 22nd, 20-year-old Rachael Stanley and 33-year-old James Erickson, both of Atlantic, were arrested on charges of Disorderly Conduct (Fighting/Violent Behavior).
• And, on July 20th, 26-year-old Phillip Reed Thompson, Jr., of Atlantic, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault/2nd offense.

With the exception of David Thomas (who was cited and released at the scene), and Phillip Thompson, Jr., each of the other persons were booked into the Cass County Jail and later released. Thompson remained in the Cass County Jail as of today (Tuesday).

Page County Sheriff’s Deputies, Monday, arrested a Council Bluffs man at the Pottawattamie County Jail. Authorities say 25-year-old Dylan Elwood Taylor was arrested on Page County Warrants for Violation of Probation, stemming from original charges of Theft 3rd degree & Eluding, as well as another warrant for Violation of Probation from an original charge of Driving while License Barred – Habitual Offender.

Dylan Elwood Taylor (Photo courtesy Page County S/O)

Taylor was transported to the Page County Jail where he was being held on $10,000 bond, pending further court proceedings.