A public hearing was held during a regular meeting of the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening. During the hearing, there were no comments, either written or spoken, in opposition to the sale of City-owned real estate at 403 W. 14th Street. The property was acquired by the City under authority of the Iowa Code, with regard to abandoned property. The owners of an abutting property submitted a bid of $10,000 to acquire the property. The Council voted unanimously to approve the transaction.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council held 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. The Council waived the third and final reading and approved both of the latter Ordinances.

Their final order of business was action on approving a change order in the amount of $3,545.60, for the Atlantic Downtown Revitalization Project. The additional cost brings 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. The property owner and City pay 25% of the cost each, while the Feds pick up the remaining 50%.

In this case, the change order was with regard to the Brymon’s Home Furnishings building at 412 Chestnut. The funds 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.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former official of a large grain warehouse in Iowa has been sentenced to three months in prison for his role in a scheme to blend lower value oats into soybeans and then sell the mixture as soybeans to unsuspecting buyers. The U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release that 60-year-old Calvin Diehl of Aberdeen, South Dakota, was also fined $7,500 in addition to the prison term.

He pleaded guilty in June to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Diehl was the assisted general manager at the Sioux Center grain cooperative.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -A Judge in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, Wednesday, sentenced a southwest Iowa woman to prison, for her role in the distribution of meth. The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports 36-year-old Elizabeth Villanueva, of Lenox, was sentenced to 46 months (nearly 4-years) in prison, for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Villanueva was ordered to serve a period of supervised release of five years to follow her prison term and pay a $100 special assessment payable to the Crime Victims’ Fund. There is no parole in the federal system.

On January 8, 2020, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on Villanueva as she drove into Taylor County, Iowa. During a search of her car, approximately a half-pound of methamphetamine was discovered and seized. Villanueva pleaded guilty on October 16, 2020, to the charge.

The case was investigated by the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Iowa 3rd District Democrat Representative Cindy Axne has entered a precautionary self-quarantine, after a member of her staff tested positive for COVID-19, and began experiencing symptoms of the virus while with the Congresswoman on her 16 county Iowa tour.

According to a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Axne will receive a COVID-19 test soon. She is not currently experiencing any symptoms. The events held last week were done with strict COVID-19 protocols in place, including face masks for every attendee and social distancing at all stops, and Axne’s team contacted everyone who attended with this staffer earlier this week to inform them of the possible case of COVID-19. All attendees are being updated with this new information.

The Congresswoman is participating in the regular business of the U.S. House of Representatives remotely this week – casting her vote and attending hearings virtually and continuing her work for Iowa’s Third District while observing proper health protocols.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police in Cedar Rapids say they have arrested a man wanted on suspicion of trying to murder his girlfriend last year in Wisconsin. Cedar Rapids police say in a news release that its officers and U.S. Marshals arrested 37-year-old Canyon Thixton, of Portage, Wisconsin, at a home in Cedar Rapids, Wednesday morning. Police say Thixton was wanted in Wisconsin, where police say he stabbed his 28-year-old then-girlfriend in the face and neck multiple times as she slept early the morning of Sept. 11. Police say Thixton fled the home on a motorcycle. Police in Iowa said a handgun was found on Thixton when he was arrested, and investigators determined it was the victim’s gun taken from her home after she was stabbed.

(Radio Iowa) – A group of senators is working on a bill aimed at unscrupulous recruiters who supply workers for taxpayer-funded construction projects in Iowa. Felicia Hilton of the Carpenters Union says they’ve documented cases of labor brokers who pay substandard wages to workers — or don’t pay them at all. “Right now, they’re hidden,” Hilton says. “We’re not talking about the workers. We’re talking about the broker, the coyote, the people trafficking or bringing people into the state of Iowa to perform work this way and to leave them unpaid.”

Peter Hird, a lobbyist for the Iowa Federation of Labor, says people who aren’t involved in the construction industry probably don’t understand how prevalent the problem is on private and public projects. “These people can hide in the shadows and exploit workers,” Hird says. Brian Ewing, an assistant director of organizing for the Carpenters Union, is based in Altoona. He says when workers brought in by so-called coyotes are paid in cash rather than by check, proper payroll taxes aren’t being paid.

“We see it every day. We have affidavits. We tons of proof of guys not getting paid,” he says. “We help people file mechanics liens. They are totally taken advantage of and the reason they’re taken advantage of is because they can.” The bill would require that the names and contact information of labor brokers involved in publicly-funded projects be filed with a state agency.

Three senators have voted to make the bill eligible for committee consideration, but the group is planning to make changes to it. Associations representing the state’s construction industry oppose the bill. A lobbyist for the Master Builders of Iowa says the subcontractors hired by general contractors to work on public projects are licensed by the state, but GENERAL contractors may not know all the people the SUB-contractors hire to finish a job.

(Des Moines, IA) The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), in partnership with Walgreens and CVS, Wednesday, have announced the availability of COVID-19 vaccine for approximately 32,000 Iowans age 65 and older. Unused vaccines which were originally allocated to the Long-Term Care Pharmacy Partnership Program have been redistributed to a limited number of Walgreens and CVS stores in select Iowa counties, and reserved for Iowans age 65 and older. This is a one-time, additional allocation of vaccine.

Iowans age 65 and older can register online for a vaccine appointment at a participating Walgreens or CVS location near them. Appointments are limited to the number of vaccines available at each location. If you are not able to secure one of these vaccine appointments, be assured that more vaccines are coming to the state on a weekly basis.

Walgreens: Beginning today (February 3rd), Iowans age 65 and older can sign up to schedule an appointment at a Walgreens store location in one of the counties listed below. Register online here. View the registration guide here.

• Black Hawk
• Cerro Gordo
• Des Moines
• Dubuque
• Johnson
• Linn
• Polk
• Pottawattamie
• Scott
• Woodbury

CVS

Beginning February 4, at 8:00 a.m., Iowans age 65 and older can sign up to schedule an appointment at a CVS store location in one of the counties listed below. Register online here. View the registration guide here.

• Black Hawk
• Dallas
• Linn
• Polk

Iowans are encouraged to remain patient as more vaccine arrives in the weeks and months ahead. It is also critical to continue practicing the mitigation measures that can slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus:

• Wear a mask or face covering
• Practice social distancing with those outside your household
• Clean your hands frequently with soap and water
• Stay home if you feel sick
• Get tested if you are exposed to, or have symptoms of COVID-19