(Atlantic, Iowa) – The American Legion Building in Atlantic – known to most as the Old National Guard Armory – sustained damage on December 15, 2022, due to a Derecho that blew out several windows over the Drill Floor and caused other damage. Atlantic Rock Island Society Enterprise (A.R.I.S.E) President President Steve Livengood says irreplaceable artifacts are in danger of being damaged or destroyed.

The boarded-up windows, he says, won’t prevent damage from weather extremes.

The American Legion Building (Photo taken before the 12/15/22 Derecho damage)

The windows aren’t easy to get to. Livengood says they are on the second floor or above, and are they’re not accessible from the outside. Fortunately, Atlantic Glass will take on the project as soon as possible, at an estimated of about $80,000. The cost was estimated at around $60,000 previously, but the cost of materials has increased exponentially since then. Livengood that’s why it’s important to get the work done as soon as possible.

The historic building – which is nearly 100-years-old, has served as the center for many community events and presentations since it was retired as an Armory.

The building currently houses two museums.

It’s a meeting site for many groups and organizations. Steve Livengood says the ARISE Board is asking for your help in helping to defer the cost of the window replacement and related repairs. Insurance won’t cover all of the cost. You can donate to the cause by sending your check, payable to ARISE, to: ARISE, P.O. Box 1, Atlantic, Iowa, 50022.

Your donation is tax-exempt.

LE MARS, Iowa (KCAU) — One person was hit by a vehicle in northwest Iowa Sunday night, and police are looking for the driver. Officials with the Le Mars Police Department said that officers were called around 7:24 p.m. to the intersection of 6th Avenue and 4th Street SW for a hit-and-run. The police said in an updated release that a 45-year-old woman was walking westbound into the north crosswalk when she was hit by the vehicle

The victim was taken to a local hospital and then airlifted to a Sioux City hospital for serious injuries. The vehicle then left the scene. It is described as a newer model red, four-door pickup.

An investigation is ongoing.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie Center Community School District’s Board of Education will hold an organizational and regular meeting beginning at 7-p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15th, at the AC/GC High School Media Center. Their session begins with the Annual Meeting of the Retiring Board, followed by an Organizational meeting of the new Board, and a regular meeting of the Board. The agenda for the meeting is as follows:

I. Annual Meeting of Retiring Board
A. Call to Order/Roll Call
B. Approve Meeting Agenda
C. Action Items
1. Board Meeting Minutes (10/18/2023 & 11/01/2023)
2. Bills
a. Prepaid
b. General Fund
c. Management Fund
d. PPEL/SAVE Funds
e. Student Activity Fund
f. Nutrition Fund
g. VISA Credit Card
3. Little Charger Early Learning Center Land Improvements
4. Abstract of Votes – 11/07/2023 School Election
5. Early Retirement Policy
D. Recognition of Retiring Board Members
E. Retiring Board Adjourns

II. Organizational Meeting of New Board
A. Call to Order (Board Secretary presiding)
B. Administer Oath of Office to Newly Elected Board Members
C. Roll Call
D. Approve Meeting Agenda
E. Election of Board President & Vice-President (Oath of Office)
F. Appoint Board Treasurer & Board Secretary (Oath of Office)
G. Appoint Guthrie County Conference Board Representative
H. Appoint Title IX/Equity Coordinator
I. Adopt Rules & Procedures for Conducting Board Meetings
J. Set Regular Meeting Date, Time & Place of Board Meetings
K. Resolution – Name Official Publication
L. Resolution – Appoint Legal Counsel
M. Adjourn Organizational Meeting

III. Regular Meeting
A. Call to Order/Roll Call
B. Approve Meeting Agenda
C. Welcome Visitors/Public Comment
D. Principal Reports
E. Superintendent Report
F. Board Report
G. Financial Reports
1. Cash Balances & Bank Reconciliation
2. Nutrition Fund Monthly Report
3. Student Activity Fund Monthly Report
4. All Other Funds Monthly Report
5. General Fund: Line Item Budget Monthly Report
6. General Fund: Year-to-Date Revenue/Expenditure Summary
7. General Fund: Salaries & Benefits Comparison Report
H. Consent Items
1. Open Enrollment
a. IN- Adair-Casey CSD- Kindergarten
2. Special Education Contracts
a. Adair-Casey Special Education Contract
3. Resignations
4. Contract Recommendations
5. Gifts, Grants & Donations
6. Approved Fundraisers
I. Discussion Items
1. Early Retirement Policy
J. Upcoming Dates
1. IASB Annual Convention & Trade Show – November 16th
2. Thanksgiving Break- November 22-27
3. Regular Board Meeting- December 20th
K. Action Items
1. 2023-24 Depository Limits
2. Resolution Authorizing Payments
L. Adjourn Regular Meeting

[CORRECTION TO MEETING TIME: 5:30PM….NOT 4-P.M.; ERROR ON THE AGENDA!]

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic will meet Wednesday, beginning at 4-p.m., in their Council Chambers, at City Hall. On their agenda is approval of a permit request to close certain streets for the Lighted Christmas Parade on December 2nd. Line-up for the Parade begins at 5-p.m., at 6th and Walnut Streets. The parade gets underway at 6-p.m.

The Council will also discuss and act on an Order to approve termination of tenancy at 11 Locust Street, in Atlantic. City Administrator John Lund notes the City entered into a lease agreement with Dick Cook (dba as Cook Hauling & Tree Service), for the property, on Dec. 21,2010. Since then, he says, the City has had to go through legal counsel to obtain the delinquent rent which to date, amounts to $3,219.39. In addition, Code Enforcement records show the City began receiving complaints about garbage/junk on the property since Aug. 17, 2019. The complaint said the accumulated junk produces an odor. Since the City is pursuing a formal eviction of the tenant at 11 Locust Street, the City Attorney says formal action is required by the Council to proceed further within the legal system.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on an Order to approve the 2023 Street Finance Report (as required under the Code of Iowa), and the second reading of an Amended Ordinance regarding a section pertaining to the duties of the City Administrator.

OMAHA, Neb. — An Iowa man was charged in federal court after screaming about God and demons, attempting to open the cabin doors of a plane before takeoff at Omaha’s Eppley Airfield. Wesley Orban is charged with interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants. According to court documents, Orban was aboard a plane that was about to depart from Eppley heading to LaGuardia Airport in New York on Thursday.

A passenger told authorities that Orban began yelling “God is real” and spoke of demons, then jumped from his seat and ran toward the front of the plane, according to court documents. Flight attendants heard Orban yelling, “open the doors” and he started pounding on the cabin doors, attempting to open them, according to court documents. A flight attendant and four other passengers were able to subdue Orban, who then said, “I’m embarrassed, I don’t know why I did that,” court documents state.

The flight was suspended and the airplane was returned to the gate, with Orban being taken into custody by the Omaha Airport Authority Police Department.

(West Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with Hy-Vee announced Monday, that all Hy-Vee locations will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. In a news release, Hy-Vee says the stores plan to close so that the company’s more than 75,000 employees can “enjoy the holiday with friends and family.” .

All Hy-Vee grocery stores, Dollar Fresh Markets, Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh, Wall to Wall Wine and Spirits, and Hy-Vee Wine and Spirits will be closed, but customers will still be able to pay at the pump for fuel at the Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh locations.

Jeremy Gosch, Hy-Vee’s CEO, said in a statement, “As we head into the holiday season, we want to once again show our appreciation for all our hardworking employees by providing them with quality time to spend with their loved ones.By closing our stores on Thanksgiving Day, our employees can focus on and enjoy their own celebrations.”

The company said that customers who buy holiday meal packs will be able to schedule a time to pick up their order before the holiday or by curbside pickup from 8 to 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak arrested two men on separate charges late Monday night. At around 11-p.m., Officers conducted a traffic stop near Broadway and Maple Streets, in Red Oak. They arrested 18-year-old Michael David Johnson, of Red Oak, on two active warrants: one out of Page County for Violation of Probation ($2,000 cash-only bond), and on a Taylor County warrant for Theft in the 2nd Degree ($5,000 cash-only bond). Johnson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail.

And, at around 11:25-p.m., Monday, Red Oak Police arrested 52-year-old Philip Luke Turner, of Red Oak, in the 1400 block of Miller Avenue. Turner was taken into custody for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st Offense. He was being held without bond, in the Montgomery County Jail, pending an appearance before the Magistrate.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest U-S-D-A crop and weather report shows Iowa’s soybean harvest is nearly complete and 94 percent of corn that’s harvested for grain is out of the fields. The 2023 corn harvest in Iowa is about 10 days ahead of the five year average.

According to the U-S-D-A, 58 percent of Iowa’s topsoil is short or very short of moisture. Subsoil moisture levels are worse, with only 30 percent considered adequate. Just one percent of subsoil in the state is considered to have excess moisture.

Temperatures over the past week averaged seven degrees above normal across the state. The high spot for precipitation was Clinton County, which recorded two-tenths of an inch.

(Radio Iowa) – An advocacy group for older Iowans is raising concerns about Alliant Energy’s proposal to raise its natural gas and electric rates. Brad Anderson is state director for A-A-R-P. “We look at pocketbook issues that impact older Iowans,” Anderson says,”and we have determined that now is just not t e right time to be raising rates on older consumers.”

Alliant has asked the Iowa Utilities Board to approve a five percent rate increase for its 250-thousand natural gas customers. Alliant is seeking a seven-point-seven percent increase in rates for its half a million electric customers in Iowa. Anderson calls that excessive.

“The proposal will raise residential natural gas and electric rates by nearly $300 million over the next two years,” Anderson says. “…This amounts to around $250 per year for residential customers.” Anderson says A-A-R-P is urging the Iowa Utilities Board to carefully review Alliant’s application, including its return on equity, which is a measure of its profitability.

“AARP certainly is paying attention to utility rates across the country because of the fact that older Iowans on a fixed income have been struggling over the last several years with inflation and that means that older Iowans have had to choose between paying for prescriptions or paying for food and rent,” Anderson says, “and we don’t want to add utilities into the mix here.”

Alliant says it needs to modernize and strengthen its energy grid by moving overhead power lines underground — and that will reduce power outages. About 20 percent of the company’s lines are underground today. Alliant’s last rate hike was in 2019 and since then the company says it has dealt with inflation and the repair of infrastructure damaged by the derecho in August of 2020. The Iowa Utilities Board has held four public hearings this month on Alliant’s rate hike request.