The Atlantic Community School District Board of Education met Wednesday afternoon in the Middle School Library, and voted unanimously to extend the current district-imposed mandate with regard to face masks/facial coverings, until Dec. 10th. The previous mandate was set to expire on the 23rd of November. (The recorded meeting can be viewed HERE)

The Board will meet again on Dec. 9th to revisit the policy, which the Board agreed has reduced the need to quarantine students and staff, and cut down on the number of active cases of COVID-19. Superintendent Steve Barber said the first week the district was affected by a positive case was the week of September 24th. The was the high water mark for cases in the district.

From Oct. 1st through the 22nd, Barber said the cases ranged from 3-to 4 cases. Since then, it’s been from 1-to 4 each week on a Thursday. “We ranged from quarantined staff pre-face mandate (requirement), from 3-to 11, and quarantined students from 35-to 93. Since then,” he said, “our staff has ranged from 2-to 7 quarantined , and from 24-to 61 students quarantined. On the 29th of October, our county (Positivity rate) was 22.1%, and as of this (Wednesday) morning,” he said, “It was 18.8%.”

Barber said also, “There’s been cases where we’ve had a positive case, where masks have prevented quarantine of some students or staff for that matter, so that has happened.” The problem area is at Washington Elementary School where masks must be worn the most out of all district buildings, because there is no room to social distance like there is with other facilities. The Board was unable to come to a consensus on how to relax or improve upon those conditions. Face coverings are still required in all buildings where social distancing is not possible.

In discussion over the matter, Board member Josh McLaren expressed gratitude to teachers, staff and administrators for their efforts to contain and control the spread of the virus, because “What we’re doing is working” inside the schools. McLaren said he’s not in support of a mask mandate to go any further but “I do still hold the position that [The governor] hasn’t changed anything with regard to quarantine and those types of things. My belief is that I think we have to keep it going through this semester just because strictly based upon the quarantine.”

Board President Jenny Williams said she has a hard time wearing a mask and doesn’t have to wear one at work. She said she’s been opposed to a mask mandate from the beginning, but “Had to compromise because of all of the communication the Board was getting [from the public] via text, e-mail, walk-ins.” She said extending the mask mandate was “not an easy decision.”

Superintendent Barber said administrators will continue to try and find a better solution for the Washington School, in the interim between now and Dec. 9th.

City of Atlantic officials announced Wednesday afternoon that the city yard waste site is closed until further notice. The closure is due to the high winds in the area and word will be passed on as soon as the site reopens. They apologize for any inconvenience.

DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Police have charged the parents of a Dyersville toddler, saying the boy accidentally shot his mother with an unsecured gun he found in the family home. Police say 21-year-old Meriah Carlyle and 23-year-old Logan Keller have each been charged with child endangerment for leaving a loaded handgun on a bedside table on Nov. 4. Investigators say the 2-year-old found the gun, then accidentally shot his mother, who had to be flown to an Iowa City hospital for life-saving treatment. Police say in a criminal complaint that both parents were in the room with the child where the gun was, but didn’t notice the boy had picked up the gun until it fired.

**UPDATE: Montgomery County Authorities report Janice Sue Allen has been found safe and sound. They thank the public for their help.**

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office issued a Missing Person Alert for 74-year old Janice Sue Allen, of Stanton. She was driving a silver, 4-door 2020 Hyundai Sante Fe (SUV), with Iowa license plate number 158 ZNO. Her last known location was in the 100 block of Centennial Road, in Papillion, NE. She apparently got lost on her way from South Dakota to Stanton.

The vehicle is similar to the missing SUV

Anyone with information on her location is asked to call your local law enforcement agency or the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, at 712-623-5107.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Department reports three people were arrested Tuesday. 59-year-old Rodney Russell Smiley, of Logan, was arrested following a traffic stop on Highway 34. He faces charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance and Failure to provide proof of financial liability (insurance). Bond was set at $1,000. And, 51-year old Julie Ann Wiggins, of Glenwood, was arrested following a traffic stop on Highway 34. She was charged with 2 counts Possession of a Controlled Substance, and Forgery. Bond was set at $12,000.

Tuesday morning, 41-year old Christina Mae Robbins, of Glenwood, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on warrants for 2 counts of Probation Violation. Bond was set at $20,000.

(Radio Iowa) – The margin in Iowa’s undecided second congressional district race has changed, by three votes, after ballot recounting started yesterday (Tuesday) in Scott County. All 24 counties in the district will be recounting the nearly 400-thousand ballots cast in the contest over the next 10 days. As of now, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks leads Democrat Rita Hart by 50 votes.

The recount in Johnson County started this (Wednesday) morning. It may take days for the three-member Recount Boards in some of the district’s larger counties to complete the process. The secretary of state will certify statewide election results on November 30th. The re-checked results in the second congressional district are due on the weekend after Thanksgiving.