The Atlantic City Council will hold a special session 6:15-p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, to make a decision with regard to ownership of the Atlantic Senior Center. City Administrator John Lund says the Council has three options to consider before making their decision.

Option 1 – Eliminate the 13.5-cent per $1,000 property valuation tax levy from the budget, and Solicit Sealed bids for the building “As-is”. (Under this option, the Council cannot later change its mind and sell the building without leaving the roof to deteriorate, until July 2020).

Option 2 – Maintain the tax levy; Solicit sealed bids for the building with a repaired roof; Repair the roof in July 2019; collect taxes to repair the roof throughout the FY 2020 cycle; and sell the building in July 2020. Lund notes the Council cannot deactivate the levy or sell earlier than July 2020 under Option 2, but they can choose to reject all bids and keep the building without consequence.

Option 3 – Maintain a Tax Levy; Choose to keep the building; repair the roof in July 2019; and Collect taxes to repair the roof through the FY 2020 cycle. The Council may choose to sell the building anytime after July 2020, but may not sell it sooner, under this option.

Not an option: Eliminate the tax levy from the budget AND decide not to sell the building OR solicit bids…but reject all bids and reconsider the sale. Expect roof to be repaired by the City prior to July 2020 if the levy is not activated (Which is a decision that must be done Feb. 20, 2019).

Lund says “If the Council remains uncomfortable committing to the sale of the property, no action needs to be taken, but the budget will retain the property tax levy and the earliest date the City could sell the property if it reconsiders the decision, would be July 2020. Lund will recommend the Council act on Option 1, which will restore the Employee Benefits Levy to its current rate. If a motion to that effect fails, he will interpret it to mean the City wishes to maintain ownership and wishes to see the roof repaired. If the Council wishes to sell the building but fix the roof first, that will bind them to that decision, as the levy will remain intact and the sale delayed until repairs are completed.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say they were notified at around 5:45-a.m. today (Tuesday), about a County Secondary Roads dump truck that had rolled over on 200th Street, about one-quarter of a mile west of Q Avenue. The driver had been clearing snow from the north shoulder of the road and got too close to the ditch. As the driver nearly stopped all forward motion, the truck tipped over into the ditch and came to rest on the driver’s side.

When the truck was removed from the ditch, it was determined that the snow had prevented any significant damage to the truck, and there was minimal damage to a fence, due to the fact sand was dumped onto it from the truck’s box. Damages amounted to less than $1,000.

The Harlan Police Department reports three people were arrested on drug charges last Thursday: 29-year old Brett Fredrick Mohr, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. Mohr was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with driving while barred, prohibited acts penalties, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia; 38-year old Brianna Lynn Shinrock, of Elk Horn, NE, was arrested following a traffic stop. Shinrock was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia; and, 35-year old Jason R Hutfless, of Omaha, NE, was arrested following a traffic stop. Hutfless was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and carrying weapons.

This past Sunday, 32-year old Blake Ashley Behrens, of Omaha, NE, was arrested in Harlan, following a call for a disturbance. He was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with public intoxication.

(Radio Iowa) — Drivers in Iowa who linger too long in the left-hand lane of an interstate or four-lane highway could face a one-hundred-dollar fine under a proposal that has advanced to a House committee. Representative Gary Worthan, of Storm Lake is a truck driver and he often sees motorists driving way below the speed limit in the left-hand lane. “I have followed two cars driving side-by-side for miles that I wanted to pass with a truck…You get close to that road rage type situation where you just want to strangle somebody,” Worthan said, with a laugh. Many trucking companies now install a device on a semi to control the truck’s speed in an effort to save fuel costs and Worthan expects more trucking firms go that route.  “One guy’s truck will go 65 and the other one will go 66. It takes about four miles for a truck to pass and that backs up traffic,” Worthan says, “so the problem’s going to get worse instead of better.”

Susan Cameron Daeman, a lobbyist for the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association, says the group backs establishing a new fine for loitering in the left lane. “Law enforcement isn’t interested in this so that they can write tickets,” Cameron Daeman says. “They’re interested in this so that the roadways can be safer and we’ve all been on interstates, especially Interstate 80, where you have truck traffic side-by-side and then you’ve got someone that is pushing them.” Representative Jon Thorup of Knoxville is a state trooper and he says a hefty fine might help spread the message that the left lane is for brief use while passing. “It is astounding how many people will not move over out of the lane even if I’m driving and I have my lights and siren on,” Thorup says. “It is amazing how many people do not look in their rear view missor or maybe they have their radio on so loud they can’t even hear the siren.”

Legislators working on the bill may add language to make it clear driving in the left lane on an urban freeway during crowded, rush-hour traffic would be permissible for longer periods of time. The State of Illinois recently established a 120-dollar fine for motorists who hang out in the left lane.

A Council Bluffs man is in custody following the theft of a vehicle that was left running this (Tuesday) morning. Officers were called to the American Inn on S. 24th Street in Council Bluffs, at around 5:35-a.m., for a stolen vehicle report. The vehicle had been left running unattended while the 29-year old male owner was obtaining items from his motel room. With the assistance of Pottawattamie County Communications monitoring the roadways, officers were able to establish an area to search where the vehicle was last seen. An officer located the occupied vehicle in the area of the 300 block of McGee.

Jesse Joseph Poore

The officer watched as the suspect (31-year old Jesse Joseph Poore, of Council Bluffs) exited the vehicle and attempted to walk away. The officer ordered Poore at gunpoint, to stop. The officer then called the man back to his cruiser and to put his hands on the cruiser. Poore initially complied, but when the officer holstered his gun and told Poore to place his hands behind his back so he could handcuff him, Poore refused to comply and then actively resisted. As he struggled with the officer, Poore is alleged to have purposely jabbed his finger into the officer’s eye. He then slipped out of his coat and then ran from the officer.

As the officer chased Poore, the man turned and charged the officer. The officer was able to get Poore on the ground, where he was able to be subdued and placed under arrest with the assistance of another officer who had arrived on scene. Poore faces numerous charges, including:

• Theft 1st (for the stolen vehicle)
• Theft 3rd (for stolen property found in the vehicle)
• Carrying Weapons (for a handgun that was recovered)
• Interference with Official Acts (for actively resisting arrest)
• and, Assault on a Police Officer

The officer who was assaulted was treated for minor injuries. Poore was also treated at the hospital and released before being transported to Pottawattamie County Corrections without further incident. The Council Bluffs Police Department would like to remind everyone: “Don’t make yourself an easy target for thieves. Don’t leave your cars running unattended with the keys in them. It only takes a few seconds for your vehicle to be stolen.”

SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) — A former football coach and teacher already serving Nebraska prison time for child sex offenses has pleaded guilty in an Iowa case. Osceola County District Court records show 40-year-old Kyle Ewinger entered the plea Monday to sexual abuse and was sentenced to 10 years. The records say the former Sibley-Ocheyedan coach was fired after the district superintendent found him sleeping in his classroom next to a 10-year-old in October 2015.

Last April Ewinger was sentenced to 55 to 85 years in a Nebraska prison after an Omaha jury found him guilty of sexual assault of a child. Prosecutors say he assaulted the 9-year-old son of a woman he was dating in 2012 and 2013.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has approved an education funding measure that provides a 2 percent increase in state per-pupil funding for the budget year beginning in July. The bill approved Monday night would boost per-pupil support from the state general fund to nearly $3.3 billion, but education advocates say at least a 3 percent increase is needed to keep up with inflation. Democrats proposed an amendment to the Republican-led bill that would have provided the 3 percent with some of the money going to increasing teacher pay. The proposal was rejected.

State enrollment, on which the figures are based, is expected to increase by 1,387 students this year to 487,652. The school funding package includes teacher salary supplements, professional development and teacher leadership compensation. The Senate hasn’t yet approved an education funding bill. Lawmakers approved a separate bill to provide schools $21.3 million, including funding for transportation in districts where the cost of busing students is higher.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has repaid $1,900 to the Office of Tax and Revenue after a newspaper questioned her about a tax break she had been claiming on her condo in Washington for years. The Des Moines Register , which brought the issue to Ernst’s attention, reports that she wrote a check to the agency’s Washington, D.C. office last week. A spokesman for the first-term Republican says the homestead tax credit claim was made in error and immediately returned when it was brought to the senator’s attention.

The credit only applies to a homeowner’s primary residence, and Washington’s homestead tax application instructions specify that Congressional members are generally ineligible. Public records show Ernst had claimed the exemption in Washington and Iowa since 2016. It’s unclear if Ernst will face any penalty for the claim.

(Radio Iowa) — A new study that details how poorly electric cars perform during extremely cold weather likely isn’t a surprise for anyone who already drives one of the plug-in vehicles. Nick Jarmusz, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says this season of sleet, snow and super-low wind chills has a drastic impact on an electric car’s performance. Jarmusz says, “Our study found that electric vehicles can lose up to 41% of their driving range when temperatures dip below 20-degrees Fahrenheit.” That means the colder the weather, the shorter distance the car will go on a charge. “On average, it’s about 100 miles that’s typical for right now,” Jarmusz says. “You’re talking about a 41% reduction so you could be getting as few as 60 miles on a single charge when temperatures are dipping into the sub-freezing range.”

The report finds the decrease in an electric vehicle’s range is compounded by switching on the heater, something you’d likely want to do when it’s 20-degrees or colder.  “On a standard gas-powered engine, you’re going to be actually drawing the heat from the engine as the air passes through into the cabin,” Jarmusz says, “whereas in an electric vehicle, it has to artificially generate more heat than what the engine is creating in order to push it into the cabin.”  The motor club is not against electric vehicles, Jarmusz says, but believes Iowans who might be car-shopping likely would want to know how the cold weather effects them. Jarmusz says, “We do think it’s important for consumers who might be considering EVs to know the limitations so they can factor that into their calculations of whether an EV would be a right fit for their lifestyle and their needs.”

Coincidentally, the report also found extreme heat can hurt an electric vehicle’s range, too. He says if temperatures are heating up to 95-degrees and air-conditioning is used, the driving range decreases by 17-percent.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following an accident this (Tuesday) morning, between Hastings and Emerson. Authorities say a 2015 Chevy driven by 26-year old Katie Johnson, of Shenandoah, was traveling west on Highway 34 at around 6:20-a.m., at the same time a 2005 Chevy driven by Rick Neuman, of Omaha, was traveling eastbound. When the wheels on Neuman’s vehicle dropped off the shoulder of road, he over-corrected and crossed the center line of the road. His vehicle then spun-out due to snow on the road, and was struck in the rear of by Johnson’s vehicle. No injuries were reported. Both vehicles were a total loss.

The Sheriff’s Office reports also, 31-year old Jack Ray Winchel, of Hastings, was arrested Monday evening for Public Intoxication. His bond was set at $300.