(Atlantic, Iowa) – The latest addition to the Atlantic Police force will be sworn-in Wednesday evening, by Mayor Grace Garrett. Officer Jimmy James will receive and recite the Oath of Office. He replaces Officer Dustin Gelner, who left to serve with the Iowa State Patrol. City Administrator John Lund says this was the second of four openings for the Atlantic Police Department, a full third of the department. Officer James previously served as a Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy, and is returning to Atlantic from Polk County.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will hold a Public Hearing for the FY 2023 Maximum Property Tax Dollars for Certain Levies, followed by a Resolution on setting the Maximum Property Tax Dollars for those levies. John Lund says “The City’s proposed debt service levy of $4 is completely hidden from [the published] notice. On the property tax statements of properties where no changes in assessed or taxable value have occurred, the City will show an increase of 2.92%, not the 3.86% shown on the notice.” Lund says also, “While 2.92% is the increase in dollars generated, it is not going to be reflective of the impact on the property taxes levied against individual properties. There is no way to know, what the impact will be in the year-to-year impact on individual taxpayers.”

The Council will act also, on a Resolution “Adopting the Preliminary FY 2023 Budget,” and setting the date of March 16th for Adopt the FY 2023 Budget. John Lund says “A few non-substantive changes were made to correct unbalanced transfers,” resulting in an updated budget for FY23 that totals a little more $14.7-million, which is a decrease from FY 2022 of 1.78%, or $266,800. The bottom line, according to Administrator Lund, is the “The City’s combined property tax levy shall remain at the level set in the FY 2021 and FY 2022 Budget.”

The final order of regular business for the Council, Wednesday, is action on a Resolution setting March 16, 2022, as the date for a public hearing on adopting the FY 2023 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The Council’s meeting begins at 5:30-p.m., and is broadcast live on the City’s cable channel.

Ottumwa, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports Paul Lewis Wagner, who was convicted of Domestic Abuse Assault – 3rd or Subsequent Offense in Scott County, failed to report back to the Ottumwa Residential Facility as required, Saturday.

Wagner is a 60-year-old white male, height 5’10”, and weighs 245 pounds. He was admitted to the residential facility on September 22, 2021. Persons with information on Wagner’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Paul Lewis Wagner

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents has approved millions of dollars for the replacement of windows in the bridge between the Stead Family Children’s Hospital and the John Pappajohn Pavilion on the University of Iowa campus.

U-I senior vice president for finance and operations, Rod Lehnertz, says the windows have cracked, delaminated and developed blemishes. “The windows in that portion of the building need to be replaced at this cost $3.6 million. The cost for this project will be funded through the University Hospitals building usage funds as the university seeks reimbursement from the responsible parties,” Lehnertz says.

He says they are still trying to determine who is to blame for the faulty windows that were installed in 2017. “It’s not a simple matter. They are complex window systems and the components, the installation, the manufacture, and the design are all parties to the interests of that investigation,” he says. The work would start in September.

A drawing of the Hygienic Lab addition. (U-I drawing)

The Regents also gave the approval to hire a construction manager to deal with the windows in the Children’s Hospital. While all the windows are being replaced in the bridge, Lehnertz says they don’t know if that is the remedy yet for the hospital windows. He says they may not have to replace all the windows there and that is why they also requested to hire a construction manager at risk.

Lehnertz says that the construction manager will see them through the process and determine how to handle the windows, and that will ultimately determine how much is spent on the project. The windows of the Children’s Hospital are where patients view the waves of football fans at Kinnick Stadium after the first quarter of games — a tradition that has gotten nationwide attention.

The Regents also gave the go-ahead for the building of a two-level 7,300 square foot addition to the southeast corner of the State Hygienic Laboratory. “The budget that we are asking for approval for is ten million. all of those funds supported by and provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC,” he says.

Lehnerts says the new building is needed to handle the larger volume of testing brought on by the pandemic. “It also includes a new drop-off area for the public for dropping off samples. This would be a project that would start construction by May of 2022, this spring, and would complete construction by requirements of the grant by June of 2023,” Lehnertz says.

The Board of Regents gave approval for the projects at its meeting last week.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill to prohibit the state-run pension fund from owning stock in the parent company of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream has cleared the Iowa House and is scheduled for debate in the Senate today (Monday). In July, the founders of Ben and Jerry’s announced their ice cream would no longer be sold in disputed territories in Israel. Representative Carter Nordman, a Republican from Adel, was the bill’s floor manager in the House.

“The sole purpose of the ‘Boycott Israel’ movement is to economically destroy and cripple the State of Israel,” Nordman said. Nordman says 38 other states have taken similar steps to ban state pension funds from owning stock in Unilever. The company bought Ben and Jerry’s two decades ago, but agreed to continue the ice company’s social missions.

“This bill will ensure that our public investments are not funding companies that are participate in the boycott, divestment and sanction of Israel movement,” Nordman says. Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, says Ben and Jerry’s founders are respectfully disagreeing with Israeli policy. “This bill is…to bully a company, a small American company that’s owned by a British company for making a choice to refuse to participate in what they feel and what the UN has declared is an illegal occupation of Palestinian territory,” Wolfe says.

In September, New Jersey and Arizona pension funds dumped 325 million dollars worth of Unilever stock. Unilever. Unilever is based in London and owns 400 different brands, including Hellman’s Mayonnaise, Axe body spray and Q-Tips.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Members of the Audubon School District’s Board of Education will hold a Special Session beginning at 7:30-a.m. Monday (Feb. 28), in their Board Room at the High School. The only action item on their agenda is the Board’s Opening Bargaining Proposal to the Audubon Education Association.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their regular weekly meeting on Monday, of this coming week, instead of their normal, Tuesday. On their agenda for the 9-a.m. session in their boardroom at the courthouse in Atlantic, is:

• A Public Hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 Maximum Property Tax Dollars
• Action on approving a Resolution setting the Max. Prop. Tax Dollars, and the setting of a date for a Public Hearing on the FY 2023 Cass County Budget.
• Action on appointing Trustees for the Brighton and Marne Townships, if there are any applicants.
• The Board will also act on appointing a person/persons for the Condemnation in Eminent Domain Board, serving the Owner-Operators of Agricultural Property.
• The Supervisors will then act on the appointment of a Deputy in the Auditor’s Office, and,
• on 28-E agreements for: A multi-county agreement regarding Juvenile Detention Center and Emergency Service, as well as an ISAC (Iowa State Association of Counties) Group Benefits Program (effective 7/1/22).

(Winterset, Iowa) – A single-vehicle accident Sunday morning northeast of Winterset has claimed the life of a teenager, and resulted in injuries to two others and an adult. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2003 GMC Sierra pickup driven by a 17-year-old, was traveling at excessive speeds northeast in the 2400 block of 195th Trail at around 2:30-a.m., Sunday, when the vehicle went out of control, entered a ditch and struck a tree. The driver, who was trapped, died at the scene.

Two passengers, 15- and 16-year-old, plus an 18-year-old, were transported by Madison County EMS to the Madison County Hospital, in Winterset. Their names were withheld pending notification of family.

Authorities said none of the crash victims were wearing seat belts, and that alcohol was suspected as a contributing factor in the accident. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office and Madison County EMS assisted the Patrol at the scene.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a traffic stop just before 1-a.m., Saturday, resulted in the arrest of a man on a felony drug charge. Deputies arrested 60-year-old Jason Troy Waters, of Red Oak, for Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Deliver, a Class-B felony. Waters was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $25,000 bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Two people were injured during a collision in Atlantic Saturday night. Initial dispatch reports indicated “multiple vehicles” were involved in an accident in front of the Fireside Lounge at 504  W. 7th Street, a little before 8-p.m. Atlantic Police, Cass EMS and Atlantic Rescue responded to the scene.

Authorities say a 2018 Honda HRV was exiting the alley and attempting to turn west onto 7th, when it collided with a westbound 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. A passenger in the Jeep and the driver of the Honda suffered what were described as minor injuries. Both were transported to CCMH. No names were immediately released.

Both SUV’s were towed from the scene.

Police in Red Oak report two men were arrested Saturday, on drug charges. Authorities says 42-year old Victor William Vukonich Jr. and 42-year old Jason Michael Eppenbaugh, both from Red Oak, were arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance, with Eppenbaugh facing two counts. The men were being held in the Montgomery County Jail, on bond amounting to $300 for Vukonich, Jr., and $1,000, for Eppenbaugh.