DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines leaders intend to bar people from loitering on medians at about 200 city intersections. The City Council voted Monday for an ordinance that takes effect next month. It bars people from “standing, sitting or staying on a median for any purpose other than to cross the street.” It won’t apply to medians that are 6 feet or wider. Officials cited safety reasons for the proposal.

The council voted more than six months ago to rescind its ordinance barring panhandling without a city license. That decision came after the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa urged Council Bluffs, Des Moines and Grimes to repeal their panhandling restrictions. Panhandlers holding signs asking for money often are seen standing on the medians at some of the 200 intersections included in the new Des Moines ordinance.

A Special Meeting of the Griswold School Board was held Monday evening to discuss the process used to fill a job vacancy. Superintendent Dave Henrichs told KJAN News the meeting was called with regard to the hiring to fill a Softball Coach vacancy and any other vacancy for that matter, where timing is of the essence. Some wondered why a committee wasn’t formed to select a candidate. Henrichs said both Mrs. Elwood and Mr. Horton noted that based upon some jobs and on the timing, they do use committees at some point, but it was not used in this case because Mr. Gross’s resignation came not long before Spring Softball practice is set to begin May 6^th. The Board agreed there is a need to get more stakeholders involved in the selection process when opportunities present themselves.

During their meeting April 15^th, it was noted the position of head softball coach was offered and accepted by an individual prior to that meeting, but during the Public Comment period, a number of people in attendance voiced their displeasure with the selection. Henrichs said during the Board’s next regular meeting in May, they will review some of the policies involved in hiring. The Board Monday night, learned there were two candidates for the Head Softball Coach, but as of last Thursday, one of the candidates asked to withdraw from consideration. A vote was held following a closed session to discuss the remaining candidate. When the open session resumed, the Board voted 5-2 to hire Jody Rossell as the Head Softball Coach. Heather Pelzer and Scott Peterson voted No. Rossell is the current head high school volleyball coach, and has served as assistant high school softball coach.

Now the search begins to fill the assistant softball coaches position at Griswold. The District will advertise for the post. Henrichs said also, an item was added to the agenda with regard to an offer having been made on the Elliott Building, which is listed for sale by Bergren Real Estate in Griswold. Discussion followed as to whether to negotiate with the potential buyer, or accept the proposal. He said they will discuss that more during a special meeting Monday, April 29^th. Henrichs said it appears a group of people with multiple plans may be investing in the building. That might include using a couple of rooms for a daycare, a couple for a boutique, the gym for an auctionhouse and/or events center, the kitchen for a catering business, and maybe even a teen center.

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

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Members of the Atlantic School Board will meet 5:30-p.m. Wednesday in the High School Media Center. On their agenda is discussion with regard to:

• A timeline for the financing of General Obligation Bonds
• The Washington School Parking Lot Project (W/Snyder & Assoc. Engineer Dave Sturm present)
• A synthetic turf field at the Trojan Bowl
• The FY 2018 Audit Report
• and, a Board Policy Review.

The Atlantic School Board will also act on;

• Contract recommendations for Katy Kuiper (5th Grade Teacher) and Emily Krummel (MS Math Teacher)
• The tentative 2019-2020 Master Contract w/the Atlantic Education Assoc. (which costs the District $144,782, or an increase of 2.14% on the salary). The current salary schedule it was noted, does not include a Teacher Salary Supplement (TSS) payment that is paid to all teachers. Atlantic’s new money for FY 2020 is expected to show a net loss of $126,689.
• Setting a Public Hearing on the 2018-19 Amended Certified Budget for the Board’s regular meeting on May 8th at 5:30-p.m. If approved, the FY 2018-19 Budget would increase from a little more than $1.54-million to $2.04-million, due to unexpected Capital Project expenditures. There will be no increase in taxes to be paid in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2019.
• and a contract with FRK architects.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Police in Creston report 29-year old Trevor Jack Dillon Loudon, of Creston, was arrested Monday morning on drug charges. Loudon was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and on two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $10,000 bond. And, Monday afternoon, 41-year old Tasha Susanne Moore, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on a charge of Child Endangerment. She was later released on a $2,000 bond.

A woman from Creston reported to police Monday morning, that someone had broken the rear window of her vehicle. The incident happened sometime between 8-p.m. Sunday and 7:30-a.m. Monday, in the 400 block of N. Walnut Street, in Creston. The damage was estimated at $500.

(7-a.m. News)

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City woman has claimed her $1 million Mega Millions lottery prize. Iowa Lottery officials say 27-year-old Angelica Chavez turned in her winning ticket Monday at lottery headquarters in Clive. She’d bought the ticket at Fleet Farm Fuel in Sioux City and came within one number of winning Friday’s $175 million jackpot. Her ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Mega Ball number.

Chavez says she played numbers she’d written down a few years ago. She wants to put some of the money aside for her daughter’s future and is considering buying rental properties.

(Radio Iowa) — During the springtime, Iowans will occasionally come across a nest of bunnies or a lone fawn in their back yards, even in town. This is the time of year wildlife rescue centers get a flurry of orphaned animal calls. Humane Society spokeswoman Marissa DeGroot says many of these calls can be false alarms, especially when you’re talking about species like rabbits and deer. DeGroot says, “Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if the baby animals are in need of assistance, if they’ve truly been orphaned, or if maybe mom is just keeping her distance in order to keep her babies safe.”

Baby squirrels, raccoons and even opossums can look cute and helpless, but you likely won’t be doing them a favor to pick them up and try to nurse them in a shoebox. For several species, DeGroot says the parents will keep their distance from the nest in order to protect their babies. “For a lot of animals, the parents might only come and visit the young maybe at dawn and dusk,” DeGroot says. “So you just want to be aware that even with the best of intentions, sometimes you end up almost kidnapping a baby wild animal.”

If you do think you’re dealing with an orphaned animal, contact your local animal rescue and don’t handle things yourself.  “Identify if an animal is in immediate need of help or if it’s a situation where you might want to take a step back and observe.” An Iowa D-N-R official says many wildlife babies die soon after being “rescued” from the stress of being handled, talked to, and placed into the unfamiliar surroundings of a slick-sided cardboard box. Should the animal survive, they often succumb to starvation from improper nourishment, pneumonia or other human-caused sicknesses.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has passed a bill that legalizes for the first time in Iowa betting on sporting events and fantasy sports. It passed 67-31 on Monday night. The Senate gave its approval last week and the bill now goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds who has said she’ll await the final version of bill to decide whether she’ll sign it. The bill authorizes the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to establish rules for betting on professional, collegiate and international sporting events, including motor racing. It excludes betting on some events, including minor leagues and in-state college team players. The bill also legalizes fantasy sports contests and internet fantasy sports betting but delays betting based on college sporting event statistics until May 2020.

Sports betting would be limited to those 21 and older, and the bill sets a 6.75% tax on net receipts. Taxes and licensing fees could bring in estimated annual revenue of $2.3 million to $4 million annually. The Senate approved the bill Wednesday 31-18 with no debate. Twelve Republicans and six Democrats voted against it. States began legalizing sports gambling last year after the U.S. Supreme Court ended Nevada’s monopoly.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says it will “backfire” against Democrats if “far left” members in the U.S. House pursue impeachment against President Trump. “I think it will solidify a lot of the folks here in Iowa that continue to support President Trump,” Ernst says. “…I think they’re going to overplay their hand here and I think it will seal the deal for a Trump presidential win here in 2020.”

Ernst, a Republican, will be on the 2020 ballot, too, as she seeks a second term in the U.S. Senate. Ernst plans to use her annual “Roast and Ride” fundraiser on June 15th of this year to formally launch her bid for reelection. By the end of March, Ernst already had two-point-eight-million dollars in her campaign account for her 2020 campaign. “I feel that I am well prepared to take on this challenge,” Ernst said.

This Wednesday in Williamsburg, Ernst will participate in a town hall meeting about the impact Trump Administration tariffs have had on Iowa manufacturing companies. “The tariffs that we’ve had have been really hard on a number of not only Iowa farmers and ranchers, but also our manufacturing businesses,” Ernst says, “so hopefully as we continue to move forward in the trade space, hopefully we will start to see those tariffs lessen or be removed completely.”

Ernst predicts “a number of trade deals” will be completed before the 2020 election.