(Atlantic, IA) – The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce welcomed members, community leaders, and partners to its Annual Dinner and Awards celebration, an evening dedicated to recognizing the people, partnerships, and progress shaping Atlantic’s future. This year’s event was especially meaningful as the Chamber celebrated 85 years of serving the Atlantic business community.

Executive Director Kelsey Beschorner shared highlights from the past year, recognizing the continued support of Chamber members, sponsors, volunteers, and community partners. Over the past year, the Chamber organized and promoted 22 community events, celebrated 11 new business openings through ribbon cuttings, launched a new Chamber website, and continued successful programs such as AtlantiCash to support local businesses.

During the evening, Chamber Board President Anne Quist shared a high-level overview of the Chamber’s strategic planning process.

Julie Waters (Community 1st Credit Union), Kelsey Beschorner (Executive Director), and Anne Quist (Chamber Board President)
— at The Venue.

The strategic plan focuses on four key priorities: strengthening the business community, elevating Atlantic’s signature events, building strong partnerships, and leading with focus and accountability to ensure the long-term sustainability of the organization. “These priorities will guide our work as we continue building momentum and delivering meaningful value to our members and the broader Atlantic community,” said Quist.

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Chamber’s Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor presented by the organization. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a career of outstanding service, leadership, and dedication to the Atlantic community. Julie Waters was named the 2025 Distinguished Service Award recipient. Waters was recognized for her extraordinary volunteer spirit and consistent support of community events and initiatives.

Known for her willingness to step in wherever help is needed, Waters regularly volunteers at community events, Chamber activities, and local service efforts while encouraging others to get involved as well. Throughout the evening, attendees also celebrated the success of local businesses and the efforts of the Chamber’s Ambassador program, which supports member businesses through ribbon cuttings, milestone celebrations, and community engagement.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce expressed gratitude to the many volunteers, sponsors, and members whose support makes the organization’s work possible. “As we celebrate 85 years of the Chamber, it’s clear that Atlantic’s strength comes from the people who continue to show up, support one another, and invest in our community,” said Beschorner.

For more information about the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce or upcoming events, visit www.atlanticiowa.com.

(Radio Iowa) – The Northwest Iowa Corridor Habitat for Humanity has purchased two lots in Spencer that had been vacant for over 50 years. The property is near an old auditorium and the Spencer Community School Board has approved the sale. Joe Bjornstad is Executive Director for the Habitat for Humanity chapter that serves Clay and Dickinson Counties.

“The lots are in a perfect situation,” Bjornstad says, “tons of amenities around downtown and then close to walking distance between the high school and middle school.” The group plans to build two homes for families impacted by the massive flooding that hit Spencer in the summer of 2024. Bjornstad says they anticipate receiving 200-thousand dollars from Home Depot, which is awarding grants to areas recovering from forgotten disasters. Bjornstad says they’ll use the traditional Habitat model for the homes to be built on the site.

“We’ll get volunteer groups out — businesses, school kids, churches whatever we can do or however many people we can get out there,” Bjornstad said, “and having them volunteering then see people drive by and say: ‘Maybe I’d like to volunteer.'” Both homes will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Northwest Iowa Corridor Habitat for Humanity is actively looking for applicants who’d commit to at least 360 hours of sweat equity by helping build their future home. They’d be able to buy the home at a significantly reduced interest rate on their mortgage.

(Radio Iowa) – The maple syrup season is underway in Iowa and warmer temperatures have not helped. Eric Hart at the Indian Creek Nature Center in eastern Iowa says sap production is down. “It’s going to be less than most years because just the weather’s been unusually warm this year. And so that we haven’t had, we didn’t have a lot of days where the sap was flowing,” he says.

He says they need the normal cool spring temperatures for the best sap production. “It’s when the weather gets above freezing during the day, usually around 40 degrees. And then at night below freezing, somewhere in the 20s usually, makes it so that sap flows really well up and down the tree and it keeps the conditions prime so that the tree doesn’t switch over into growing leaves quite yet and it can let the sap flow for a while,” Hart says. Hart says you can visit the Nature Center and see how the whole process works.

“So we have public programs where people can come and try out different tools that people have used for maple syruping throughout the years,” he says, “from how the Native Americans did it to how colonial settlers did it, to kind of more modern tools today. And then they can even get inside a sugar house to see how that sap that’s been collected this year, how that’s getting boiled down into real maple syrup.” He says they’ve collected around 600 gallons of sap so far this year, and a good year is around one-thousand gallons.

Hart says it takes about 40 gallons of sap from Iowa trees to boil down into one gallon of maple syrup.  “Other regions, like in the northeast of the United States, the sap is just naturally sweeter there, so it can be 20 or 30 gallons for them, but around in Iowa, it’s about 40,” he says. You can find the full schedule for the public programs on the maple syrup process on the Center’ website at: indiancreeknaturecenter.org.

The maple syrup season will culminate with the annual Maple Syrup Festival on March 28th and 29th.

(Radio Iowa) – An American flag on a global journey has made its stop at the Iowa Capitol. Polk County Sheriff Kevin Schneider says the National Sheriff’s Association is part of the project to mark this year’s 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. “It reminds us not only where we have been as a country,” he said, but also the responsibility we carry to preserve what generations built before us.” Schneider spoke during a ceremony in the governor’s office and he led a moment of silence for the Army Reservists from Iowa who were killed in the Middle East on March 1st.

“The strength of this country has always come from ordinary citizens — people who believe in service, who respect the rule of law, who work every day to leave their communities stronger than they found them,” Schneider said. “Today as we gather around the flag we honor the sacrifice of the past, the service of the present and the promise of generations who will carry this country forward.”

The flag was flown from the Iowa Capitol’s Golden Dome this (Monday) morning, then Governor Reynolds hosted a brief ceremony in her statehouse office. She used her remarks to honor Sergeant Declan Coady of Des Moines, Major Jeffrey O’Brien of Waukee and Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, former Iowan, who were among the six Army Reservists from a Des Moines-based unit killed in Kuwait.

“It’s their heroism in answering the call of duty, their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice that are the reasons that our flag still flies,” Reynolds said. “It flies across the Middle East where their brothers and sisters in arms continue to fight for freedom and peace abroad.” The flag’s first stops were at the 26 U.S. military cemeteries in 10 other countries and now it’s being flown in all 50 states. The flag’s final destination will be at America 250 events in Washington, D.C. on July 4th.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig is vice chair of Iowa’s “America 250” Task Force. “I hope this event and the nationwide Flag Sojourn serves as another inspriration for Iowans, for organizations…communities across the great state of Iowa to find their own meaningful ways to celebrate America 250 in the months to come,” Naig said.

The flag’s final stop will be in Pennsylvania, then the American Legion Riders will escort the flag to the U.S. Capitol.

(Greenfield, IA) – The Adair County Engineer’s Office reports a bridge 1 mile south of Stuart on Stuart Road is scheduled to be replaced with a box culvert. The project is expected to start March 16th, 2026. During construction, Stuart Road will be closed to through traffic from 130th St. to 110th St. A signed detour route will be in place. Closure is expected to last 3-5 months.

(Atlantic, IA) – An Atlantic man who – late last month – plead guilty to Class-B felony charge of Child Endangerment resulting in death, was sentenced today (Monday, March 9th) in Cass County District Court, to a mandatory minimum of 15-years in prison, which is three tenths of what could have been a maximum of 50-years. 26-year-old Corbin Loudermilk must also pay $150,000 in restitution. The charge and sentence was with regard to the death last year, of one-month old Kahlani Loudermilk.  A plea agreement called for a Class-A felony charge of Murder in the 1st Degree, to be dismissed.

Court documents charged Corbin Loudermilks, through an intentional act or series of intentional acts,  used unreasonable force that resulted in the death of the child.

(Radio Iowa) – A new survey done for the Iowa Food Bank Association finds one in eight Iowans is food insecure, as is one in six Iowa children, and there’s strong support for finding more ways to help. Katie Sorrell, the association’s executive director, says 71-percent of respondents said food insecurity is a problem in Iowa, and half said the state isn’t doing enough to support people facing hunger.  “Choose Iowa is a program where food banks can buy directly from local farmers, and 80% of Iowans think there should be increased state support for that program,” Sorrell says. “So through Choose Iowa, when Iowans go to food pantries, they will have access to fruits and vegetables produced by local farmers.”

The survey, done by the research firm Murmuration, found 77-percent of those questioned say they support universal school food programs that fund free breakfast and lunch for all students, not just those from lower incomes. She says all Iowans are being impacted by rising food costs, some more than others. “Seventy-seven percent of Iowans have had to change the amounts or types of food that they purchase just because food is more expensive. So we’re all feeling the pressure of increased food costs,” Sorrell says, “and I think Iowans want to help each other out, and they see that for their neighbors that are struggling, food insecurity is an issue.” The survey found 71-percent of respondents agree the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program helps those experiencing food insecurity, while 64-percent say SNAP helps the Iowa economy.

“Double Up Food Bucks is a program where when people use their SNAP card to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, the amount is doubled. So if you buy $15 in fruits and vegetables, you get $15 back on your SNAP card to buy additional fruits and vegetables,” she says, “and the support for that program is huge in Iowa.” The Iowa Food Bank Association is comprised of Iowa’s six Feeding America food banks: Food Bank of Iowa, Food Bank for the Heartland, Food Bank of Siouxland, HACAP, Northeast Iowa Food Bank, and River Bend Food Bank. They collectively distributed more than 54-million meals through 15-hundred partner agencies in all 99 Iowa counties last year.

More at www.iowafba.org

(Des Moines, IA) – Southwest Iowa Representative Tom Moore (R-Griswold), in his weekly electronic newsletter, covered a list of bills passed by the Iowa House during the eight week of the 2026 Legislative Session, March 2nd through the 6th. Bills that passed included those pertaining to:

• Play Based Learning: HF2652 Says Pre-kindergarten shall include at least 90 minutes of play-based learning during each half school day and at least 180 minutes of play-based learning during each full school day. Kindergarten shall include at least 45 minutes of play-based learning each school day. The measure passed on an 89-0 vote.
• Athletic Sit-Out Period: HF2591 changes the 90 school day sit-out period to 140 calendar days for open enrollment and transfers. Moore says “Due to the increase in schools participating in 4 day school weeks, this was a better and more fair solution to solving open enrollment and student transfers.” Vote 90-0.
• Foster Parent Training: SF2096 strikes specific hour training requirements from code for foster parent licensure and renewal. Instead, this bill allows DHHS to determine the need for training based on the experience and training of the individual foster parent and the needs of the child being placed in their care. Vote 80-10.
• Right to Repair for DEF Systems of Farm Equipment: HF2529: The major part of this bill provides that the original farm equipment manufacturers must make available, for farm equipment, diagnostic and repair information regarding the operation of a diesel exhaust fluid system (DEF), including technical updates, and software updates, “for no charge or in the same manner as the manufacturer makes such information available to…authorized repair providers…” Moore says “This bill will provide significant economic relief for our Iowa farmers when it comes to operation and repair of an EPA mandated DEF system on farm equipment.” Vote 57-33.
• Governor’s MAHA Bill: HF2676 is the Governor’s Make America Healthy Again bill. It does the following:
  • Requires nutrition continuing education for certain doctors and physician assistants. This was a component of Iowa’s RHTP application.
  • Requires healthy foods for SNAP and summer EBT.
  • Allows pharmacists to distribute ivermectin for human consumption as an over-the-counter medicine without liability.
  • Prohibits schools from providing food and beverages with certain ingredients starting July 1, 2027.
  • Requires Iowa to join the Psychology Compact with 43 states, including all states surrounding Iowa.
  • Amendment 8090 requires Iowa medical school students to complete at least 40 hours of coursework on nutrition and metabolic health prior to graduation, starting July 2028.

Representative Moore says he “Voted for this bill because of the good provisions that provide for improvement of Iowans health, but there were some amendments attached that I was not completely in favor of but the overall benefit of the bill led me to a yes vote.” Vote 65-30.

• Legal Tender as Form of Payment for Interscholastic Athletic Contests: SF274 a public school must accept legal tender as a form of payment for entry to an interscholastic athletic contest. “This solves one of our most heard complaints,” Moore said. Vote 83-13 as amended.
• CTP Access to ITG: HF2250 allows an Iowa student who is admitted and in attendance as a student in a CTP and post secondary program that has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education and is provided by the following:
  • An accredited private institution
  • A community college established under Chapter 260C
  • An institution of higher learning governed by the state board of regents.
  • They may receive tuition grants for not more than 8 semesters of study. Vote 96-0
• Supplementary Weighting for CTE Instructors: HF2492 adds CTE instructor to the list of shared operations with a weighting of two pupils. Vote 95-1
• ESA Flow Through for General Fund: HF2684 allows public schools to use the ESA flow through funds (approximately $1,600 per student) for general fund purposes. This allows these funds to be used more flexibly by our public schools rather than be siloed into categoricals. Vote 96-0
• Social Studies Standards: HF2510 prescribes specific social studies standards by grade level with specific people, events, documents, etc. Moore said “I was a NO vote because the standards prescribed in this bill are way too prescriptive and we need to have a slate of people that actually instruct social studies in schools to prepare appropriate social studies standards, NOT the legislature.” Vote 60-36.
• One Unit of US Government: HF2244 changes the 1/2 unit of U.S. government requirement to 1 unit of U.S. government. “This was an amendment Representative Ingels and I had on a bill last year and has come to the floor as a standalone bill this year which I fully support, Moore said, “because it increases the civic engagement of our students.” Vote 70-26.
• Protected Speech and Expression Rights for Students: HF2336 prohibits schools from discriminating against or penalizing a student or student club engaging in religious, political, or ideological speech. “I am a NO vote,” Moore said, “because it is duplicative of federal law, it would create a heavy administrative burden, and it’s in conflict with HF2512 which we will probably see on the floor for a vote again. Vote 63-33.
• Child Endangerment: HF2360 clarifies that a child is anyone under 18 for purpose of child endangerment. This was an important bill, according to Moore, “because there was a conflict among law enforcement to what the actual age of child endangerment was.” Vote 97-0.
• Suspended Special Minor’s Restricted License: HF2628 states that if a juvenile with a Special Minor’s Restricted License violates the restrictions on driving with that license and it is suspended, this bill establishes that they can get an instructional permit during the suspension period. Moore said “This would limit their ability to drive to only when accompanied by an adult. This is a fair solution to mistakes made by young Iowans.” Vote 91-6.
• Human Trafficking Prevention Training for CDL Holders: HF2598 requires those obtaining a class A, B, or C CDL to receive at least 30 minutes of approved human trafficking prevention training. This will aid over the road truckers with their ability to recognize when human trafficking might be taking place. Vote 97-0.
• Anti-Red Flag Gun Seizure Act: HF2718 bars state and local agencies, as well as their employees, from enforcing red flag laws regardless of their origin. It also prohibits state and local entities from accepting federal funds specifically for enforcing red flag laws. This protects lawful gun owning Iowans from having their 2nd Amendment protections violated, suspended, or removed without due process. Vote 67-29.
• Minor Consent to Pregnancy: HF2564 allows a minor to consent to pregnancy care when a parent is not reasonably available. This provides for prenatal as well as postnatal care for a minor who doesn’t have a parent available to consent to that care. Vote 94-2.
• 3 Strikes Habitual Offender: HF2542 implements a “three-and-done” strike system. Moore says “If you choose a lifestyle of crime, you will be removed from society and incarcerated for at least 20 years. Under current law, repeat violent offenders are released back onto the streets where they become a risk to our children and loved ones. By using “half-strikes” and clear warnings, we give individuals every opportunity to change their path. This isn’t about one mistake; it’s about a proven pattern of dangerous behavior. We hope the threat of 20 years in prison will prevent future crimes from ever being committed. This system is a common-sense, fair system that ensures that once an individual chooses a pattern of dangerous criminal behavior, they are removed from society and unable to continue to wreak havoc on our communities.” Vote 68-23.
• Judicial Performance Information: HF2719 will create a dashboard to provide Iowans with objective data on how judges exercise their discretion. Currently, when Iowans head to the polls for retention elections, they are often flying blind, forced to rely on hearsay rather than facts. “By making this information clear and accessible to Iowans” Moore says, “we are empowering voters with an accurate understanding of how a judge manages the people’s business. This isn’t about telling judges how to rule; it’s about ensuring that when they use their discretion, they do so in the light of day.” Vote 73-19.
• Removing Affirmative Action in Iowa Code: HF2711 removes affirmative action requirements in Iowa Code. It ends preferential treatment for individuals based on their race. This will ensure all Iowans are treated equally and decisions for hiring and licensing are not based on the individual’s race. Vote 64-29.
• Community Colleges 4-Year Degrees: HF2649 creates a pilot program for community colleges to create degree programs that lead to 4 year degrees if they meet certain requirements for high demand field in their area or if it is one of the following: education, nursing, information technology, public safety, business, health care management, agriculture, or dental hygiene. “This will greatly enhance the ability of non-typical students in the 8 major areas of need to be able to access a 4 year degree while maintaining their personal and professional responsibilities at home,” according to Rep. Moore.  Vote 55-36.
• Prohibiting Intentional Emission of Air Contaminants to Impact Weather: HF2640 would prohibit any means of attempting to affect the weather, whether temperature, climate, intensity of sunlight or moisture, etc. Current law does not address this. It passed with an amendment prescribing this not applicable to agriculture of agribusiness. This is affectionately known as the “Chem Trail” bill. Vote 58-26
• Animal Torture: HF2348 clarifies the definition of animal torture and increases the penalty. It also increases penalties for other types of second offense animal abuse. This brings Iowa up to speed with the other 49 states. Vote 85-0.

Moore highlighted in his newsletter, to visits to the Capitol in Des Moines last Wednesday: Steve and Barb Baier, of Griswold. Moore said he was “…honored to be a part of his announcement that he (Baier) will be running for Senator Tom Shipley’s District 9 Senate seat. Steve and Barb were at the Capitol to file his nomination papers with the Secretary of State. ” Wednesday afternoon, members of the Southwest Iowa Civil Air Patrol – led by Ben Bartholomew – visited the Capitol.

Barb & Steve Baier w/Tom Moore

SW IA Civil Air Patrol w/Rep. Moore and Ben Bartholomew in the center of the 2nd row.