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Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s auditor is calling on other state officials to join him in refusing to pay appeal costs in a lawsuit filed against former Gov. Terry Branstad, who was found by a jury to have discriminated against a former state official. Auditor Rob Sand says in a letter to the Iowa Executive Council he plans to vote against any appeal costs in the lawsuit filed by former Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey against Branstad.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines group is announcing preliminary plans for a public market at the downtown site of a high-profile but struggling arts organization. The group, which includes business organizations, the city of Des Moines, Polk County and Drake University, announced Wednesday it would study how to turn the Des Moines Social Club’s building into a public market featuring food, art, entertainment and educational programs. For decades, the building was headquarters for the Des Moines Fire Department.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The FBI has named a 20-year veteran of the bureau as the new special agent in charge of the Omaha Field Office, overseeing Nebraska and Iowa. A news release Wednesday from the FBI named Kristi Koons Johnson as the new special agent in charge of the two-state office. She had been serving as chief of a section that investigates transnational criminal organizations at FBI Headquarters in Washington.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police in eastern Iowa say they’ve arrested a woman suspected of being an accessory after the fact in the May shooting deaths of two teens in Cedar Rapids. The Des Moines Register reports that 24-year-old Alexandra Lanee Nicole Smith was arrested Monday on the charge. Police say Smith helped a man charged in the May 18 shooting deaths of Matrell Johnson and Royal Abram, both 18, outside the Iowa Smoke Shop in Cedar Rapids.
Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County, Wednesday, arrested a Red Oak woman on an active Montgomery County warrant. Authorities say 33-year old Sara Sue Batten was taken into custody on the warrant for Failure to Appear on a Driving While Barred, charge. Batten was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 cash bond.
Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones read from a proclamation Wednesday evening during the City Council’s regular meeting. The proclamation recognized Sept. 21st at Alzheimer’s Awareness Day. The City will join in the International community in bringing awareness of the disease.
The City Council then unanimously approved an Order allowing an Administrative Contract with SWIPCO (The Southwest Iowa Planning Council), for the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) Downtown Revitalization Project. Alexis Fleener, Community Development Team Leader for SWIPCO, will be the grant administrator for the project, the services for which will cost $30,000. All of the costs are part of the grant itself, and are not part of the grant match, according to City Administrator John Lund.
The City Council also approved the final design contract for the CDBG project, the architectural and construction aspects of which will be handled by RDG Planning and Design. The total cost of their services is $130,000, $80,000 of which is from the grant, with the remaining $50,000 part of the City’s match. Eight downtown businesses are participating in the business revitalization program, with a combined share cost of $171,375.
The Council heard from Brown’s Shoe Fit owner/manager Brian Ruge, with regard to his request to close-off a parking stalls directly in front of his store at 502 Chestnut, for a Summer/Fall Clearance sale. Originally, the idea was to use both the sidewalk and street for his sale, but Ruge purchased a 10-foot by 20-foot tent to cover the parking stalls, instead. The tent will go up Wednesday night, Sept. 11th and be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the sale ending 4-p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14th. The Council approved the request.
The Council also passed a Resolution setting the salary of the Parks & Recreation Director Bryant Rasmussen at $47,600. The increase was requested by the Parks Board, following Rasmussen’s change of employment status on August 19th from Interim Parks & Rec Director, to permanent Parks & Rec Director.
Police Chief Dave Erickson announced Wednesday, that the Deer Deprivation Program that begins Oct. 1st, will be open up to bow hunters who wish to apply for the the taking of deer within the City Limits of Atlantic. Applications are available at the Police Department. Only 10 Does be harvested this year inside the City. The Bow Hunting season ends on Dec. 6th or when the 10th deer is harvested. There are restrictions on where you can an cannot hunt. That includes any City Park, and 150-feet from any structure (unless you have a landowner’s permission), and no cleaning of the deer on private property. Tags will be provided.
Erickson says they estimate around 200 deer are around town at any given time. He said “If you take out one Buck out of the system, you’ve eliminated one deer – that’s it. You take out one Doe, you’ve eliminated 21.” The deer may still reproduce, but there won’t be as many if the Doe are harvested.
Members of the City of Atlantic’s Community Development Committee received a proposal for consideration, for a Housing Rehab Project from non-profit Shift ATL founders Jessie Shiels and Alexis Fleener, during their meeting Wednesday evening.
Alexis Fleener (Center) & Jessie Shiels (right) speak with the Atlantic CDC
The organization purchased the former Downtowner Restaurant building on 4th Street, with hopes of converting into office space on the lower floor and an apartment or BNB-type living area, on the top floor. They recently demolished some of the building’s interior in preparation for renovation.
During their meeting with the CDC, Alexis Fleener said the Downtowner was purchased as just the first step in furthering community development, involvement and economic development. She said in speaking with City Administrator John Lund, Mayor Dave Jones and Councilman Pat McCurdy, “it was brought-up that the City may have some funds available to put towards housing, but we didn’t know how to move forward or approach that.” City Administrator John Lund said there is $36,000 in LMI (Low-to Moderate Income Housing) money that may used as seed money, along with $55,000 from the sale of the Senior Center that could be used for the pilot project. He said in all, there is more than $20,000 and less than $100,000 that might be available.
She said their are other, similar organizations across the State that are addressing housing, economic and retail development. Shift ATL aspires to model itself after those models in establishing a housing rehab project for their growing organization and its partners to become involved with. The rehab project would focus on older housing stock available for sale.
Shiels said housing stock for young professionals looking to make Atlantic their home is in short supply, especially in the $100,000 to $150,000 range (dual-income family), which realtors have told her they would have a list of 10 potential owners ready to jump on a home in that price range. The organization hopes the City will be willing to chip-in with the seed money.
Shift-ATL is working with T-S Bank for the financing of a low-interest loan to purchase the house plus construction cost. You can learn more about Shift ATL during a block party/fundraiser planned for October 26th on 4th Street, between Chestnut and Walnut. There will be a band, food truck, beer garden and more. Expect further details in the weeks ahead.
(Radio Iowa) — A man accused of beating his wife in Michigan was taken into custody on a western Iowa highway after a nearly 10 hour stand-off with Iowa and Nebraska authorities. Early Wednesday morning, the Iowa State Patrol got a tip that 45-year-old Eric David Kramer of Stanton, Michigan would be driving near the Bellevue Toll Bridge over the Missouri River. Trooper Scott Miller, a spokesman for the State Patrol, says at 5:30 a.m. a trooper tried to stop Kramer’s vehicle in that area.
“Mr. Kramer did not stop right away. His car rolled to a stop probably about a quarter of a mile away…Mr. Kramer stopped his vehicle in the middle of Highway 370 in the eastbound lane and brandished a gun and put the gun to his head,” Miller says, “and the standoff started.” The area was closed to traffic for much of the day as Kramer and police negotiators talked by phone.
“Mr. Kramer had a weapon and was acting erratically and we didn’t know exactly what he was going to do,” Miller said. “…We decided that the safest thing to do was shut down that road until Mr. Kramer gave up.” A passenger in Kramer’s vehicle was able to escape during the stand-off. Kramer surrounded at about 3:15 in the afternoon.
“The tactical team was called in and tear gas was put in the vehicle and I think that prompted Mr. Kramer to give up a little quicker, thank goodness,” Miller said. Kramer’s wife told police her husband put a gun to her head early Monday morning in their home and threatened to kill her. She says Kramer assaulted her before she was able to escape in her own car.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s auditor says a state panel should stop paying appeal costs in a lawsuit filed against former Gov. Terry Branstad, who was found by a jury to have discriminated against a former state official. Auditor Rob Sand says in a letter given Friday to the Iowa Executive Council that he will vote against any appeal costs in the lawsuit filed by former Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey against Branstad.
A jury awarded Godfrey $1.5 million in July after finding Branstad and a staffer discriminated against Godfrey in 2011 because he’s gay and retaliated against him. Attorney costs to taxpayers could reach $6 million and are climbing as Branstad’s attorneys continue to file motions attempting to overturn the verdict.
Sand is a member of the Executive Council, which is responsible for authorizing the state’s litigation expenses. Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, also a council member, has voted recently not to pay legal bills in the case. Both are Democrats. Branstad is a Republican.
Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports the Adair County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at around 7:10-a.m. today (Wednesday), with regard to an airplane crash. An adult male walked to the caller’s residence to report the crash.
Photo courtesy the Adair County S/O
First Responders from the Fontanelle Fire and Rescue Department, Fontanelle Police and the Adair County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene located about one-mile northwest of Greenfield. The pilot of a 1966 Piper Cherokee 140 aircraft was identified as 59-year old Eric William Chrystal, of Jefferson. He was transported to the Adair County Memorial Hospital in Greenfield, for treatment of suspected minor injuries, and later released.
Vandewater said the plane crashed into a corn field, coming to rest on its top. An investigation into the cause of the crash was underway. The Adair County S/O is assisting the FAA and NTSB in their investigation.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The FBI has named a 20-year veteran of the bureau as the new special agent in charge of the Omaha Field Office, overseeing Nebraska and Iowa. A news release Wednesday from the FBI named Kristi Koons Johnson as the new special agent in charge of the two-state office. She had been serving as chief of a section that investigates transnational criminal organizations at FBI Headquarters in Washington.
Johnson joined the FBI in 1999 as a special agent in Chicago, where she spent a decade investigating organized crime and public corruption. She was promoted to supervisory special agent and led a public corruption squad in 2007. In 2010, Ms. Johnson was named the chief division counsel for the Omaha Field Office and promoted three more times before her latest assignment.
Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a law degree from the University of Detroit-Mercy.
Atlantic, IA –The Cass County Health System (CCHS) Board of Trustees approved a master facility plan on August 21, 2019. During the last eight months, the board worked with doctors, staff, administrators, and others to identify key areas of the CCHS building and grounds that need to be repaired, remodeled, or relocated.
Brett Altman, CCHS CEO, said “In an era where rural healthcare is increasingly unsteady, we’re incredibly blessed to be in a position where we can invest in our health system to help us achieve our mission of providing a superior experience to everyone that we are privileged to serve. Our board is very committed to these projects because they can envision the long-term benefits to our patients. At the same time we plan to make these improvements, we’re just as committed to moving forward without incurring debt.”
While plans are still in the earliest stages, the board expects to let bids in the summer of 2020, with hopes to have all phases of the master facility plan completed by the end of 2022. The anticipated improvements include:
Work on the facility plan, timeline, and bidding process are expected to progress over the next six months to twelve months.
Cass County Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns reports Kevin Littleton has filed papers to run for Anita City Council. On Aug. 30th, Mark Harris also filed papers to run in the November City/School Elections, for Anita City Council. As of today (Wednesday), no one had filed to run for the Mayor’s position.
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