With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director Bryant Rasmussen says “With plenty of snow to go around we have tried to put together a pop-up program getting people outside to enjoy the winter and making some art.  It is a great way to work on the 120 hour challenge and to see just what you can come up with.” Details about the 1st annual Snow Sculpture contest details were posted on Facebook Sunday and already they have had several submissions.

Snow sculpture example

Throughout the month of February, create youR best snow sculpture and submit a photo for your chance to win $25 worth of Chamber Bucks. After the submission deadline, judging will be open virtually to the public, online through the Parks and Rec Facebook page. Photos must be submitted by private message on Facebook, through the atlanticparksandrecreation page, or email to: brasmussen@cityofatlantic.com.

Please be sure to include the title of your sculpture, the name of those who created it, and of course, the picture. By participating in the contest, sculptors agree to have their submission photos on Facebook and other media outlets.

With KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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A public hearing will be held during a regular meeting of the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday. The hearing, at 5:30-p.m., is with regard to the sale of City-owned real estate at 403 W. 14th Street. The property was acquired under authority of the Iowa Code, pertaining to abandoned property. The owners of an abutting property have submitted a bid of $10,000 to acquire the property, which exceeded the last recorded assessment value.  The City, in April 2019, adopted a resolution for the disposition of City-owned properties, that outlines how properties may be disposed of. Part of that process involves a public hearing.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will hold the third and final reading of an Ordinance with regard to the Collection of Solid Waste, and the second reading of an Ordinance amending sections of the Code of Ordinances entitled “City Clerk,”and “City Attorney,” that would eliminate the current two-year reappointment schedule, and make the City Clerk and Attorney permanent employees.

Their final order of business is action on an order to approve a change order in the amount of $3,545.60, for the Atlantic Downtown Revitalization Project. If approved, the additional cost would bring the contract price up to $452,874.60, which is still within the scope of the projected amount. The cost of the change orders are not shouldered by the City itself. City Administrator John Lund points out that for every additional dollar of cost the property owner commits to the project, the City matches that with a dollar, and the federal government’s match is two-dollars.

In this case, the change order pertains to the Brymon’s Home Furnishings building at 412 Chestnut, and will be used for the addition of door hardware, and a hardware revision to bring the building facade in line with the project intentions of renovating the historic downtown area.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa sports gambling market is rapidly expanding as the biggest game in sports is set for this coming weekend. Iowa Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says all of the state’s casinos now have sports gambling operations — and many are adding on. “A number of the casinos that got into the game early with online sports wagering are starting to shop their second individually branded website,” Ohorilko explains.

He says it is a natural progression of the 18-month old industry. “Each casino can have three individually branded websites…they all have one and many of them are now entering into their second agreements,” he says. Ohorilko says other sports gambling businesses are now looking at Iowa as the requirement that you go to a casino to sign upended on January 1st. “This market has been inundated with new applications — companies that are wanting to enter the market,” Ohorilko says.

Ohorilko says sports gambling is a bright spot for the industry hit hard by the pandemic. “We’re seeing really good numbers right now and I think we’ll continue to see market growth in the next few months. We are not seeing obviously as related to the pandemic — we are not seeing any Superbowl parties. That’s something we are missing this year,” according to Ohorilko. He says the loss of those parties is part of an overall impact of the pandemic that has hit the general casino business this year. “Attendance is still off significantly from what it was last year at this time. Revenue is starting to fall a little bit,” Ohorilko says.

Ohorilko says attendance will not improve until people feel better about getting out and doing things in public. He does say that the casinos should have the benefit of operating this year in months where they were shut down last year by the pandemic restrictions.

(Radio Iowa) – A Webster County man died in a weekend snowmobile accident. Thirty-one-year-old Noah Ferguson of Lehigh was pronounced dead at the scene after a snowmobile crash early Sunday morning. The Webster County Sheriff’s Office says they received a report of the accident shortly after 2 AM Sunday. The sheriff’s office says the accident occurred when Ferguson hit a utility pole near the Lehigh fire station. The crash remains under investigation.

A traffic stop early Monday morning in Red Oak resulted in the arrest of a man on a drug charge. Red Oak Police say a vehicle was stopped at around 12:07-a.m. at the intersection of W. 2nd and W. Coolbaugh Streets. Upon further investigation, 50-year-old Todd Allen Konz, of Red Oak, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine-3rd or subsequent offense. Konz was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted with the arrest.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann says it would be a relief to have 87-year-old Senator Chuck Grassley run for reelection in 2022. “I will tell you this: that if he does run, I will be smiling,” Kaufmann says. “…Look, the guy can out-think me, out-work me and out-run me literally. I’m sure that he could be a United States Senator for six years and I mean that sincerely.”

Grassley has said he’ll make his decision public later this year. If he does win re-election and serves all six years, Grassley would be 95 at the end of his eighth term in the U.S. Senate. Kaufmann says he hopes voters who became Republicans because of Donald Trump turn out to vote in 2022. “He had coattails in Iowa. I know there were some states he didn’t. I know there some states that maybe there was a backlash, but in Iowa, it’s irrefutable,” Kaufmann says. “…I want to hold the Trump voters, most of whom — the vast majority of whom — believe in the same things that Republicans believe in and are very peace-loving individuals.”

Kaufmann says while officials in other states should deal with the perception their election laws are flawed, Kaufmann says it’s clear Trump lost the 2020 election, since Joe Biden was sworn into office. As for the NEXT presidential election in 2024, Kaufmann says he’ll lobby against any effort to hold Iowa’s Caucuses, New Hampshire and South Carolina’s Primaries and the Nevada Caucuses all the same day. It’s something Democrats have discussed.

“It defeats the purpose,” Kaufmann says. “The purpose of starting with Iowa is so that a Rick Santorum or a Barack Obama can actually go out there and actually campaign face to face,” Kaufmann says. And Kaufmann says another complication is the New Hampshire Constitution requires that state to host the nation’s first presidential primary. Kaufmann made his comments this weekend during an appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Democratic state lawmaker says she has tested positive for COVID-19 and thinks she was infected with the virus at the Iowa Capitol, where Republicans have refused to mandate masks or require people to disclose positive cases. The announcement by Rep. Amy Nielsen of North Liberty on Saturday night marked the first confirmed case among legislators, but there have been three other positive cases among people associated in the House since the legislative session began three weeks ago. One of those additional cases was announced by the House’s chief clerk Saturday. House Speaker Pat Grassley says he cannot force members to wear masks. House rules do require men to wear a tie and jacket when in session and blue jeans are prohibited.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa reported a record 250 deaths linked to the coronavirus Sunday, which is the biggest one-day increase the state has recorded. The state reported 4,901 deaths linked to COVID-19 on Sunday morning. That was 250 more than what the state reported Saturday, and the figure is significantly higher than the average of 23.43 deaths reported per day over the past week. But the 250 deaths reported Sunday didn’t occur within the last 24 hours. The deaths included many from the end of December and early January because it often takes more than a week for deaths to be added to the state totals after a person has died.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped trespassing charges against an activist who secretly recorded Iowa’s largest pork producer using heat to kill hundreds of pigs last year as the pandemic devastated the industry. Matt Johnson, an activist with the group Direct Action Everywhere, had been scheduled to stand trial Monday in Grundy County, Iowa, on two counts of trespassing at Iowa Select Farms properties. County prosecutors dismissed the charges Thursday at the request of Iowa Select, whose personnel had been subpoenaed to testify. A company spokeswoman says it “cannot be distracted by individuals who choose to break the law and grandstand.” Johnson is an Iowa native who now lives in Berkeley, California. He says the company is “desperate to conceal their abhorrent and criminal conduct.”

(Corrects Sherry Toelle’s phone number) In an on-going effort to engage the voting public in understanding the policies, procedures, and growth of the Iowa Democratic Party, the Cass County Democratic Party will be holding meetings open to registered Democrats in February and March; people can register as Democrats prior to the meetings. Both meetings will be held virtually. Notices will be emailed to those interested in attending either meeting, regarding sign-up.

County Party Chair Sherry Toelle says on February 16 at 7 PM, the 2021 Odd-Year Caucus will be held. The purpose of this caucus is to nominate committee persons to fill precinct vacancies and to begin precinct-level planning for the remainder of the year. Also discussed will be constituency caucus groups within the IDP, such as Labor, Veteran, LGBTQ, Women, Senior, etc. Planning topics will include growing the party, maintaining relationships within the party, and local races for which to recruit candidates.

March 16th at 7 PM will be the 2021 Biennial Organizational Meeting at which time the Cass County Executive Committee will be elected/re-elected for a two-year term. Democrats who wish to be considered for nomination as Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer or other positions, should contact current County Chair Sherry Toelle at shtoelle@gmail.com or 712-243-4861 for further information.

These two events signal the beginning of the 2022 election season. It is a great time for Democrats or would-be Democrats to become involved within the party. Questions can be directed to Toelle via email or phone.