(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass-Atlantic Development Corporation (CADCO) Executive Director Jennifer McEntaffer, Wednesday, spoke with the Atlantic City Council about a Business Plan Competition proposal. The City Administrator John Lund noted the City budgeted $10,000 in the FY 2026 Budget to CADCO from the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Progress Fund under “Commercial Development Services,” for CADCO, which is looking at a grant from Wells Fargo and City participation that would benefit the competition application.

McEntaffer said “As of this year, there are almost 300-thousand small businesses in the State of Iowa, and most of those business are under 50-thousand employees.” There are regional competitions that don’t include Cass County, and most competitions are run through universities. She said the proposed Business Plan Competition is an event designed to inspire entrepreneurs to compete for seed funding or business expansion funds.

The competition is designed to encourage viable business ideas.

Wells Fargo, McEntaffer said, awarded $250,000 to the Iowa Rural Development Council (IRDC), to continue its support for businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs.

The Rural Business Initiative (RBI) will provide grants of at least $30,000 to community organizations that work with small businesses, dollars that can be directed to the businesses themselves for capital costs, soft costs, training or strategic planning. The application window opened September 29, 2025, for non-metro communities under 20,000 who are at least within 50 miles of a Wells Fargo Bank branch.

McEntaffer said officials with Wells Fargo in Atlantic have expressed an interest in participating in the program.

The Businesses Plan Competition incorporates several facets.

After receiving her presentation, the Atlantic City Council passed an Order to provide the requested $10,000 from the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Progress Fund to begin the application process.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, passed a Resolution “Designating Mental Wellness Checks as a Health & Wellness Benefit for Atlantic Police Department Employees,” and the 3rd and Final Reading of an Ordinance amending the City’s Code of Ordinances, by adding a new chapter regulating the use of electric scooters, motorized scooters, and low-speed vehicles.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Newly appointed Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kelsey Beschorner, Wednesday, updated the Atlantic City Council on Chamber promotion development and economic activities that have taken place. Beschorner was appointed by the Chamber Board on Oct. 10th. She’s been part of the Chamber team since 2020 as Program Director, where her energy, creativity, and leadership have shaped many of Atlantic’s most beloved traditions — from AtlanticFest and Christmas in Atlantic to the work of the Ambassadors and Atlantic Rising.

She started-off by saying she was grateful for the amount of support and encouragement she has received in assuming the Chamber Executive role.

Kelsey Beschorner addresses the Atlantic City Council, 10-15-25

She said the Chamber has incorporated about 1,360 media buys into the promotion of Atlantic and the area, including through local radio and print. The new Community Guide, she said, is another great promotion tool.

There’s also on online interactive guide that provides detailed information to prospective visitors and those looking to have a business here.

The Chamber’s social media platforms, she said, are also growing in reach.

She said, “…behind every click, every view, is a real person discovering Atlantic.”

DES MOINES, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports David C. Waterman was sworn-in Wednesday as the United States Attorney for the District of Iowa. Waterman was nominated by President Trump on March 31, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on October 7, 2025. Chief United States District Judge Stephanie M. Rose administered the oath of office to United States Attorney Waterman.

“I am honored to be confirmed as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. I am grateful to President Trump for the nomination and to Senators Grassley and Ernst for their steadfast support. I also extend my heartfelt thanks to my family, friends, and colleagues for their unwavering encouragement,” U.S. Attorney Waterman said. “Having been born and raised in the district, I am committed to upholding justice and safeguarding the community I proudly call home. I look forward to joining the many dedicated members of the United States Attorney’s Office and working with federal, state, and local partners to strengthen public safety and serve all Iowans.”

US ATTY Southern District of IA

The United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Iowa prosecutes federal crimes in 47 counties in Iowa. The office also defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

Waterman was most recently employed at a private law firm in Davenport. Waterman spent four years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Michael J. Melloy, with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the Honorable John A. Jarvey, with the Southern District of Iowa, and the Honorable Mark W. Bennett, with the Northern District of Iowa.

(Adair County, Iowa) – A motorcycle crash early this (Thursday) morning near Adair, claimed the life of a man from Adair. The Iowa State Patrol reports 20-year-old Devon Michael Ernst was riding a 2006 Suzuki GSX-R600 RS motorcycle westbound on Interstate 80 at around 12:45-a.m., and navigating the Exit 75 off-ramp, when the accident occurred. The Patrol says Ernst was traveling too fast to negotiate the curve of the ramp. His cycle left the roadway to the left and struck a culvert, causing Ernst to be thrown from the motorcycle.

The Patrol says Ernst was not wearing a helmet or protective clothing. He died at the scene. The Patrol was assisted by the Adair County Sheriff’s Office and Adair Fire & Rescue.

(Radio Iowa) – Public health experts who attended the Iowa Cancer Summit in Ankeny this week say raising the tobacco tax and putting more money towards radon mitigation can help address the state’s high cancer rates. Iowa Cancer Registry director Mary Charlton says the state lawmakers need to raise the tobacco tax by at least one dollar.  “We see lots of counties in Iowa where the lung cancer rates are increasing. That is unheard of in the rest of the country, that lung cancer rates are increasing anywhere. And we have many counties in Iowa where they are increasing,” she says. The 2025 Iowa Cancer Registry estimates lung cancer will cause the most cancer deaths in the state this year Lung cancer is also the third most common type of cancer for new cases in the state. The report estimates there will be more than 25-hundred new cases of lung cancer in the state this year.

Charlton says radon is a mitigating factor for lung cancer. “If you smoke and your house has a high level of radon, you have an exponentially higher risk of getting it. It’s not one thing at a time, and so we cannot, to the detriment of other risk factors that we know cause cancer, only focus on one,” she says. Charlton says the public needs to understand environmental and agricultural exposures are important but so are lifestyle habits like smoking, drinking and using tanning beds.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (KCRG) – John Deere announced that some jobs at the Ottumwa and Des Moines plants would soon be relocated to other facilities in Iowa and Illinois. Deere says its product verification and validation testing from both Ottumwa Works and Des Moines will be moved to “reduce overhead expenses and improve efficiency.”

It’s unclear how many positions will be impacted at this time, but the company said some employees will have the option to relocate. The changes will take effect in fiscal year 2026.

In September, John Deere also announced that 101 workers in Waterloo will be laid off, citing decreased demand and lower order volumes.

(Radio Iowa) – A new report shows well over 33-THOUSAND people were working in Iowa’s clean energy sector in 2024, nearly three percent more than the year before. Micaela Preskill) is director of state advocacy for E-2, a national group that advocates for environmentally-friendly policies and issued the report showing the number of jobs in clean energy businesses in Iowa set a record last year.

“The 12 Midwest states that we looked at all experienced growth in the clean energy industry several times faster than overall employment growth,” Preskill says. The report indicates the pace of job creation in Iowa’s clean energy sector last year was six times faster than in the overall job market. The group warns the clear energy industry is facing headwinds this year, however.

Preskill says the “One Big Beautiful Bill” President Trump signed in July phases out federal tax credits for renewable energy projects and the group estimates 22 BILLION dollars worth of clean energy projects in the United States have already been delayed or cancelled this year. “This comes at a time when we’re in an energy emergency,” Preskill says. “Demand is rising fast, so making it harder to deploy clean energy which is the cheapest, fastest source of new power is bad for the economy and, of course, bad for jobs.”

Preskill says action at the state level is key. “This report shows that clean energy is a bright spot in the Midwest economy,” Preskill said, “and the future of the Midwest’s clean energy economy depends on state leaders acting with urgency.” The group’s report says Iowa lawmakers should fast-track renewable energy deployment before the federal solar and wind tax credits expire and enact state tax incentives that help fill some of the void when the credits do go away.

The group says the rapid rise in data centers is contributing to unprecedented demand for electricity and states like Iowa should prioritize low-cost, clean options like solar and wind power to meet that demand. There are more than two dozen data centers in Iowa now and Microsoft, Google, Apple and Meta all plan to build more here.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council, during their meeting this (Wednesday) evening, discussed and then recommended for future action, continued funding of the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, with the understanding the Chamber Board will provide better oversight of their accounts, to prevent future financial issues of the type that resulted in the arrest of the former Chamber Director.

Prior to their making their decision, the Council heard (during the Public Comment portion of the meeting) from NishnaNet owner Scott Bennett, who urged them to continue supporting the Chamber, despite the recent legal matter involving the former Director Bailey Smith, because the Chamber does a lot for the community.

The Council was of unanimous consensus that the services provided by the Chamber are worth continued funding at some level to be determined. Mayor Garrett pointed out that the City provided the Chamber with $7,725 per month ($92,700 annually). In order to continue with that or some level of funding, “there must be corrective action” in oversight for the future.

Council members offered their thoughts on the future of the City/Chamber relationship. Councilman Jim Behrens…

He said now’s not the time to make the situation worse. Councilman Dana Halder said he was angry, and upset that the matter was even on the Council’s agenda for discussion.

Councilman Jeremy Butler…

Councilperson Elaine Otte..

And, Councilperson Emily Kennedy said she has confidence in the new Chamber Executive Director Kelsey Beschorner, who was previously the Chamber’s Programs Director…

In other business, the Atlantic City Council acted to reappoint Mark Smith to the Airport Commission. Smith currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Commission, with his term expiring on November 1st. Members of the Airport Commission serve six-year, staggered terms.

DES MOINES (News Release) — In May 2025, Iowa HHS released a Request for Proposal for the Early Childhood Continuum of Care grants. Grants of up to $300,000 over three years will support partnerships between Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP) sites and licensed child care centers to offer seamless, full-day care for 4-year-olds. The first round of grants generated more than 120 applications resulting in 19 awards announced in July.

Today, Governor Kim Reynolds announced her commitment of an additional $5M to further expand child care and preschool program partnerships with a second round of Continuum of Care grants for child care and preschool expansions to begin during the fall 2026/2027 school year.

“The Continuum of Care grant program incentivizes child care providers and preschool programs to work together to better serve Iowa families,” stated Governor Reynolds. “While preschool is widely available across the state, some children are unable to participate if programs aren’t daylong or if child care providers don’t offer transportation. These grants facilitate solutions that support working parents.”

By encouraging partnerships between child care providers and preschools, the program helps ensure full days of care for 4-year-olds and strengthens school-aged readiness through expanding the number of children served through supportive staffing, hours of operation, and transportation options for child care and preschool programs.

The funding opportunity has been posted to IowaGrants.

(Radio Iowa) – The state Transportation Commission has approved funding for rail improvements for a business in northeast Iowa and two in western Iowa. D-O-T spokesman Jim Glaspie says International Paper received a nearly one-point-five million dollar grant for its project near the Waterloo airport. “So they’re going to build a new facility in that area so they can expand what they’re going to do. They have 129 jobs currently, the move to the new facility will keep those 129 jobs in Iowa, in Waterloo and the local area. And they had the capacity to create 72 new jobs,” he says.

Glaspie says the building is under construction and the rail line will follow. “The dual rail line that’ll come off the main, and then it’ll go down to one track and then when it gets right up by their property, it’ll split again into two tracks and actually go inside the building so they can unload inside,” he says. The grant is a 50-50 split with the company on the cost. Floyd Valley Transload won loans for improvements at two locations in Sioux City.

The first loan is for 830-thousand dollars for rail improvements at the Lewis Boulevard facility. “They were going over to local meat processor, and they were taking byproducts from the meat processing business and they were trucking that out of state,” he says. “What this allows them to do is to truck this to their facility, put it on rail cars and send it out on rail cars, instead of having truckers doing that.” The company got a 256-thousand dollar loan for its nearby location where they handle grain.

“They’ve purchased some grain storage facility…. it wasn’t used to its capacity, so he’s the people from Floyd Valley have purchased that and they have a lease with the B-N-S-F, which owns some property adjacent to it. And that’s to remove some track and upgrade some tracks so that it can hold heavier rail cars,” Glaspie says. He says the track will be brought back up to standards. “It kind of fell out of use and the switches are not in good condition ,and they’re going to add some additional track to get some better use out of that,” he says. “Like I said, they’re coupled with B-N-S-F so that this is kind of a joint project with them, but they’ll own the they’ll own the property that the track is on.”

The BJRY Transload company won a loan of 792-thousand dollars for rail improvements in an area of the Le Mars industrial park. The company has a load transfer yard where they handle lumber brought in on rail cars.  “This is a new property that the city has acquired. The city owns the main spur through the industrial Park, and BJRY will own and operate the transload that’s going to come out there to switch in for them. And there’s going to be a another lay down area, what we call that so they can unload the load, the train cars and then use it to put also put it back on semi,” Glaspie says.

Glaspie says the loans are for 80 percent of the projects, and the businesses put up the other 20 percent.