ATLANTIC, IA — Atlantic Community School Board President Laura McLean, Sunday, released the following statement, with regard to the City-School Elections on Tuesday, November 4th:

“November 4 will be an important day for the Atlantic Community School District as voters consider approving three ballot measures that together would fund a plan to upgrade our schools for future generations of Trojans. Strong communities have strong schools. We believe these timely and strategic investments will allow Atlantic to continue being a regional leader in education by providing our students with an exceptional learning environment.

“Our Facilities Improvement Plan was developed during a deliberate process lasting more than a year. The board and administration worked with architects, engineers, and our staff to identify infrastructure needs throughout the district. Through discussions held both around the board table and in the community, we identified the most critical needs, the ones that our students shouldn’t have to wait for any longer. Then, after consideration of multiple projects and funding options, the board landed on a plan that would minimize tax impact while maximizing student impact.

“The three measures our community will vote on are a general obligation bond, a sales tax revenue bond, and the proposed adoption of a Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS).

“Public Measure DH is the $22.5 million general obligation bond, which would be used to fund extensive improvement and expansion work at Washington Elementary, and updates at Schuler Elementary, Atlantic Middle School, and Atlantic High School.

“Public Measure DI is an $18.5 million sales tax revenue bond that would allow us to build a new multipurpose activity center at AHS with money the district receives from the state sales tax fund for education known as SAVE. The third ballot question is Public Measure DG—a proposed RPS that would serve as a permission slip for spending SAVE dollars.

“We understand that seeking financial support for this vision is not welcomed by all community members. However, we firmly believe these facility updates need to be made for the sake of our current and future students. Furthermore, the board has a strong record of fiscal responsibility, lowering property tax rates and keeping our levies steady, demonstrating our commitment to good stewardship of resources. The proof” McLean says “lies in the fact that Atlantic CSD’s total levy rate is currently at its lowest point since 2002. In fact, our total levy rate has fallen by more than 20 percent since 2018, from $15.59 per $1,000 of taxable property value to $12.52 today.

“An approved sales tax revenue bond or RPS would not increase property taxes or create a new tax. However, an approved general obligation bond would raise our debt service levy by $1.10
per $1,000 of taxable value, bringing our debt levy to $2.50—still significantly lower than the average $3.10 levy we’ve had from 2020 to 2025.” Laura McLean concluded by saying, “On behalf of the rest of the board, thank you all for your thoughtful feedback and engagement in recent months. Your willingness to complete surveys, visit our project website, ask honest questions, and share your perspectives has made a meaningful difference. Because you took the time to lend your voice to this process, we are better informed and more prepared to move forward in a way that reflects our shared priorities and values.

Thank you for your consideration on election day, and for your continued support of Atlantic CSD and the students we serve.”

(Radio Iowa) – With an hour less of daylight that means it’s time to be more aware of deer moving across roadways. Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Paul Gardner says the end of the harvest is another signal that deer will be on the move. “As we wrap up the harvest season and since crops are being brought in that usually provide concealment for deer, they’re most active, and that means that they’re going to be more likely to be crossing the roadways at this time of year,” he says. You can see a deer on the roadway at any time, but the beginning and end of the day are often busiest. “Typically, they’re most active during the dusk and dawn hours of the morning and the evening, but gear crashes can happen anytime of day,” Gardner says.

Gardner says it’s best to be on the lookout and be able to slow down and avoid a deer. But if one catches you off guard, it’s best to stay the course. “If a deer runs out in front of you, avoid swerving to miss it, as this could cause you to lose control of your vehicle,” he says. “So if you do have to hit it, it’s best just to hit it straight on instead of veering for a deer. And if you do get into a crash involving a deer call law enforcement right away.”

(Iowa DNR photo)

Gardner says there were there were nine fatal car/deer accidents in 2024. There have been were just over five-thousand car/deer accidents so far this year in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – A new statewide initiative is being launched that will help support community gardens that donate fresh produce. The Iowa Donation Garden Network is designed to reach and link up garden organizers through expert-led education, shared resources and collaborative programming. Alicia Herzog, the Iowa Master Gardener program manager with I-S-U Extension and Outreach, explains how it’ll work. “The overarching goal of this network is to empower and connect community donation gardens across Iowa,” Herzog says. “It can feel like you’re an island, sometimes, trying to do this work of raising fresh produce to be donated to food pantries in the area and battling food insecurity in the local community.” There are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of community gardens across Iowa that are helping to feed people in their immediate areas. Through this new network, Herzog says they hope to get a handle on roughly how many gardens are doing this good work across Iowa, and how much produce they’re donating.

“We’ll be asking the member gardens to provide us some basic annual reporting metrics that then we can help create a statewide map,” Herzog says, “and we can show all of the communities, all of the counties that are impacted by these different gardens.” Exact locations won’t be published, she says, as they don’t want gardens being overrun. Funding will end this year for the U-S-D-A’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education, referred to as SNAP-Ed, so Herzog says the new network fills a critical gap in statewide support for donation gardens. “I’m sure that we won’t catch every donation garden that exists in Iowa, but we’re really trying to cast that net wide and far and let any donation garden that exists know that we want you to be a part of this story,” Herzog says. “We want to help tell your story about the good work that you may already be doing in your community and how that fits into the puzzle.”

Informational Zoom sessions to introduce the Iowa Donation Garden Network will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) at 9 AM, noon and 6 PM. Go here to register:
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener/iowa-donation-garden-network

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop Sunday night in Montgomery County resulted in the arrest of a man from central Iowa. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 23-year-old Ezwrin Riley Vance, of Grimes, was arrested at around 10:10-p.m., for Driving While Suspended (A Simple Misdemeanor). Vance was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on bond amounting to slightly more than $491.

KINGSLEY, Iowa (KTIV) – A new fire and EMS building in Kingsley, Iowa has gone up. KTIV reports Francis W. and Annola M. Schweitzberger lived their whole lives in Kinglsey, Iowa, and frequently gave back to the community. Upon their deaths in 2001 and 2010, the couple left behind their beloved farm. Their will directed proceeds from the sale of the farm to the Kingsley Fire Department and Kingsley Ambulance service, which used the funds for a new fire and EMS building.

Along with local financial support, the two organizations now have a state of the art facility, and multiple new trucks and rigs. They officially called it home in early October, and this past week, allowed the community inside for the first time.
The groups want to thank their Kingsley community, and hope to forever honor the Schweitzbergers and their legacy.

LE MARS, Iowa (KTIV) – A home in Plymouth County has been red-tagged as unlivable following a fire on evening of Saturday, Nov. 1st. Fire fighters with the Le Mars Fire-Rescue Department were called around 6:40 p.m. to a fire in a home on Sadona Hills South, on the southwest side of Le Mars. When they arrived, crews saw a large fire and heavy smoke coming from the back of the house. Crews were on the scene for more than three hours battling the blaze and investigating.

No one was home at the time the fire started. Authorities told KTIV the most likely cause of the fire was lithium batteries that exploded while being charged. The damage to the home and contents is estimated at $475,000.

Two fire fighters reportedly sustained minor injuries while fighting the fire.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KCRG) – President Donald J. Trump has endorsed Republican incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks for re-election in Iowa’s first congressional district.

In a statement released saturday, The President said, “Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks is an incredibly strong advocate for the great people of Iowa’s 1st Congressional District! A distinguished Medical Doctor and U.S. Army Veteran, Mariannette knows the America First Policies required to Defend our Country, Support our Brave Military/Veterans, and Ensure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH. In Congress, Mariannette is working hard to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Advocate for our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Champion American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our now very Secure Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!”

In response to the endorsement, Miller-Meeks released the following statement:

“It’s an incredible honor to have President Trump’s full support. Together, we’re leading the fight to grow an economy that benefits all workers, keep taxes low, restore American energy dominance, and stand up for the men and women who keep our country strong. I’ll never stop fighting for Iowa’s families, farmers, and small businesses, and I’ll keep working with President Trump to make sure Iowa, and America’s best days are still ahead.”

Democrat Christina Bohannan is running against Miller-Meeks for her seat for the third time. Democrats Travis Terrell and Taylor Wettach and Republican David Pautsch are also running for the seat.

CLIVE, Iowa — [KCCI] – A Drake University volunteer hockey coach has been dismissed, and a popular Clive bar is facing threats and backlash after images surfaced showing a man dressed as a Nazi at a business’ Halloween bash. The images — taken inside Miss Kitty’s Bar and widely circulated on social media — show the man wearing a swastika armband, an iron cross medallion, and a cropped mustache. In one photo circulating on social media, he raises his arm in a Nazi salute while posing beside two smiling women.

One of those women has been identified as Jessie Rudin, a volunteer coach for the Drake University Hockey Club and former Bulldogs player. Drake confirmed Saturday that Rudin has been removed from her coaching role, calling the behavior “completely inconsistent” with the university’s values.

Miss Kitty’s owner, who goes by E.J., but asked his last name not be shared because of death threats he’s received as a result of the incident, said he regrets not acting sooner but insists the man was asked to leave. He said Miss Kitty’s phone and social media pages were disabled after the bar was flooded with angry messages. A handwritten sign also appeared on the establishment’s exterior that read “we (heart) nazis.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines called the incident “antisemitism, not satire.” “Hitler is not a costume,” the organization said in a statement. “Free speech is not a shield for minimizing hate. We expect our community’s businesses and institutions to reject antisemitism clearly and immediately.”

In a message to the group’s community, the federation criticized what it called “a minimization of hate” and urged Iowans to reject antisemitism and the trivialization of the Holocaust. Rudin also appears on Easterseals Iowa’s employee website. The organization said the photo “does not reflect our values,” though it declined to say whether disciplinary action has been taken.

Meanwhile, Miss Kitty’s said costume policies will change for future events.