Atlantic Zoning Commissioner John Lund says the City of Atlantic’s Board of Adjustment will meet 7:30-a.m. Monday, Jan. 13th in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. The purpose of the meeting is to hold a Public Hearing, and consider granting a permit for – surface mining near the current Schildberg Construction mining operations at 2307 SW 7th Street. The property currently allows for underground mining of road- and other types- of rock. Approval of the request is necessary as Schildberg looks to expand their existing surface quarry, as existing pits become exhausted of material.

Owner Mark Schildberg and Tim Teig, representatives of the Teig’s family interests in Atlantic, have stated changes to the area will be minimal and gradual, over the course of 20-to 25-years. Over that period of time, the open pit will be moving west towards Highway 6 and then north, parallel to the highway. As each pit becomes depleted, it will be filled-in and another pit mined. John Lund says Schildberg Construction has been working with Snyder and Associates Engineers to develop concept plans for a “Visual buffer” to the mining area, similar to what was seen in the 2003 conditional use permit.

Lund says Mark Schildberg has expressed an interest in continuing his company’s history of civic generosity, by allowing a filled-in site to be transformed into a multi-use area, that could serve both private commercial businesses and/or public recreation. The Board of Adjustment has the authority to grant the permit, but also place restrictions on the nature of what can be done through the permit.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says an Atlantic man was charged with OWI/1st offense, following an investigation into a single-vehicle, property damage accident near Lewis, Wednesday afternoon. Emergency crews were called to the scene at around 4:12-p.m.  Authorities say 67-year old Joseph Francis Emert was traveling on Highway 6 at the At&T curve, when he failed to negotiate the curve and lost control of his vehicle. The car went into the south ditch and came to rest upright near a building site. No injuries were reported.

Emert was being held on a $1,000 bond in the Cass County Jail, pending an appearance in front of the magistrate.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa election officials have stopped using a long-flawed database of felons who are ineligible to vote as they rebuild it from scratch. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office removed the database, which contained more than 100,000 entries, from the statewide voter registration system last week. Workers are recreating the list by reviewing each entry and adding back those that are verified felony convictions. They hope to complete the review before the November election. Pate spokesman Kevin Hall says newly registered voters, who must attest that they aren’t felons, will be compared against only the verified entries to check their eligibility.

This time of year, county and local governments are considering funding requests from various entities. In Adair County, the Board of Supervisors will meet 9-a.m. Friday, to hear additional requests for FY 2021. Requests include those from:

• The Adair County Fair Board – Brenda Meisenheimer
• Adair County Home Care – Jane Ernst
• Midwest Partnership – Sarah Gomez
• Environmental Services – Jotham Arber

Earlier this week, the Board heard from several other groups/entities serving Adair County.

(Radio Iowa) — The winner of Iowa’s 2004 Caucuses is traveling the state this week, campaigning for one of the candidates seeking the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination. John Kerry is reminiscing about the campaign he ran here 16 years ago. “I had the best time criss-crossing this state, measuring my life by the height of your corn…I spent New Year’s Eve in Sioux City with my 300 new best friends, celebrating the New Year,” Kerry said.

Kerry was trailing in the polls in December of 2003, but wound up winning with 38 percent. “We had a hell of a good time, folks, and nothing was better than turning the tide in the Caucuses ” Kerry said. “And going on to win Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania and coming within half a football stadium of winning the presidency.” Kerry lost the state of Ohio in the General Election by about 60-thousand votes. Kerry’s on a bus tour of Iowa, traveling with Joe Biden’s sister and a few other Biden supporters from other states. “I actually thought about running and I’m not — because Joe is,” Kerry said, “and because I believe in his ability to be able to pull the country together, to win those critical states.”

Kerry, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate for 28 years, served as U.S. Secretary of State during President Obama’s second term. He told a crowd in Des Moines late Wednesday afternoon President Trump’s showdown with Iran is reckless, impulsive and has put us at odds with our closest allies. “The more I see of what is not happening in the world measured against what should be happening, the more I know we need to respect experience and value somebody like Joe Biden,” Kerry said, to applause.

Kerry will make stops in Fort Dodge, Algona and Mason City today (Thursday), with more stops in eastern Iowa on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

(Radio Iowa) — New Jersey Senator Cory Booker says he’s taking a gamble that he’ll be among the top three candidates when the Iowa Caucus results are announced. “We’ve said from the beginning that this is our state, that this is going to be the determining factor for us,” Booker says. “…We’re playing to keep here in Iowa, kind of Texas Hold ‘Em in some ways.” Iowans who watched seven of the Democratic Party’s OTHER 2020 presidential candidates debate in December saw Booker’s first campaign ad. He’s spending far more to buy time on Iowa T-V stations this month.  “I’m going to confess we have taken a risk in Iowa by pushing a lot of our resources that we might need to continue on into getting up on TV to compete with those people who are millionaires or who have more resources than us,” Booker told Radio Iowa.

Booker has not joined former competitor Julian Castro in criticizing Iowa’s role as the first voting event in the 2020 presidential selection process. Booker just launched “Black Americans for Cory” with a gathering of about 50 women in Des Moines and he says Iowa’s minority voters may be the deciding factor on February 3rd. “In a Caucus where the difference between finishing fifth and second is probably going to be a few thousand votes, those who appeal to the Sudanese community or can appeal to the Latino community, the black community, if you can generate support in those communities,” Booker says. “it’s the diversity that swings the hinge one way or the other.”

Booker says voters need to pick the candidate who is best able to motivate Obama-level turn-out among diverse communities. Booker’s duty as a U.S. Senator to sit as a juror in the expected impeachment trial for President Trump will take him off the Iowa campaign trail. He is also unlikely to meet Friday’s deadline for a strong enough showing in public opinion polls to be included in next week’s televised candidate debate in Des Moines. Booker returns to Iowa today (Thursday) with events scheduled in North Liberty and Mount Vernon.

Members of the Griswold School District’s Board of Education will meet this evening in a Work Session, to review Open Enrollment data. The meeting takes place in the Conference Room at the High School, beginning at 5:30-p.m.  No action is expected to be taken during their Work Session.

Officials with the Harlan Police Department have released a report on arrests dating back to December 28th. Most recently…

On January 1st: 34-year old Trent Allen Nielsen, of Avoca, was arrested on assault and lascivious acts with a child, charges. And, 52-year old Timothy Wayne Nevel, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. Nevel was charged with having no lamp or flag on rear projecting load, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance and prohibited acts penalties.

On Dec. 31st: 49-year old Bryan Allen Dennis, of Council Bluffs, was arrested by Harlan Police for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. And, 52-year old Brian Allan Sorensen, of Harlan, was arrested for Theft in the 5th Degree. On Dec. 30th, 50-year old David Lee Stout, of Harlan, was charged with domestic abuse assault following a call for service. Stout was arrested January 3, 2020 on an active Shelby County warrant and transported to the Shelby County Jail.

On Dec. 29th, Harlan Police arrested 22-year old Quentin James Briggs, of Harlan, for Domestic Abuse Assault. And, 20-year old Alexis Jean Sherer, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Harrison County warrant.  On December 28th, 41-year old Kari Jean Elizabeth Nordby, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. Nordby was charged with operating while intoxicated, possession of drug paraphernalia, fail to maintain control, and insufficient number of headlamps.

In an update to an earlier report, Harlan Police say no serious injuries were reported following a rollover accident Dec. 25th, at 7th and Victoria Streets. Authorities say Larry Kruse, of Harlan, was driving a 2004 Ford Taurus and was turning south onto 7th St. from Victoria. Kruse made a wide turn and over corrected to the left, just missing a tree, before sharply turning right causing the vehicle to overturn. The car came to rest on its top. Medivac and Harlan Fire Dept. personnel assisted Kruse out of the vehicle.

There were two, property damage accidents in Harlan on Dec. 29th, one on Jan. 4th and another on Jan. 7th.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department reports 43-year old Shawn Parmenter, of Creston, was arrested Wednesday afternoon, at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. Parmenter was taken into custody on a Union County warrant for Theft in the 3rd Degree. He was later released on a $2,000 bond. And, on Jan. 3rd, Creston Police arrested 44-year old Brad Reed, of Creston. He was also taken into custody at the Union County LEC. Reed was charged with OWI/1st offense, and later released on $1,000 bond.