The City of Atlantic’s Community Protection Committee (CPC) met Tuesday evening (June23rd), to discuss the City’s Code of Ordinances with regard to: Truck and Large Vehicle Parking; Parking for Personal Vehicles, and, the Zoning Code pertaining to the location of boats, boat trailers, campers and travel trailers. City/Zoning Administrator John Lund told KJAN News their recommendation to the full City Council during their next regular meeting, will be to allow parking of boats, boat trailers, campers, RV’s, etc. on a property owner’s front yard, but with some stipulations.

An “improved surface” includes grass, all gravel or limestone. Owners of corner lots will need to check with the Atlantic Police Department to make sure your camper, etc., isn’t creating a visual hazard for motorists. The CPC voted to repeal a redundant section of the Zoning Ordinance that addresses those issues.

Lund says the CPC discussed requiring property owners to park their vehicles and other such large items on a concrete, asphalt or limestone, but there wasn’t a lot of support for that.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha man has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison and ordered to pay more than $809,000 in restitution for Medicare fraud he conducted in 16 states. Federal prosecutors say Nereus Sutko visited assisted-living facilities, retirement centers and low-income housing complexes in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and 12 other states. Prosecutors say he held pizza and ice cream parties at the facilities and convinced elderly people to sign up for Medicare-funded products he never delivered. Prosecutors say Sutko was paid more than $1.8 million by Medicare, Nebraska Medicaid and Iowa Medicaid, much of it based on fraudulent claims. Sutko pleaded guilty in December to health care fraud.

In an update to our report last week about a winning Lucky for Life ticket sold in Atlantic, officials with the Heritage House in Atlantic announced on their social media page one of their team members, Delbert Littleton, of Atlantic, was the person holding the lucky ticket. He purchased his winning ticket at the Casey’s central store in Atlantic on June 12th for the June 15th drawing, and won a prize of $25,000 per year for life. He elected to take the cash payout option for $390,000 before taxes, or about $277,000 after taxes.

Delbert Littleton (Heritage House Facebook photo)

He’s indicated he and wife will split the prize money. He says they will purchase a new car, sell their old house and buy a new one, and invest whatever is left over. Littleton works as a housekeeper at Heritage House.

The Iowa Department of Public Health reports as of mid-day today (Wednesday), the number of Iowans who have tested positive for COVID-19 is up 259 from Tuesday, to 26,601. Of that total, 6,803 patients have a pre-existing condition. Authorities said also, two more people died from the virus since Tuesday, for a total of 690. Officials say 486 of the persons who have died also had a pre-existing medical condition.

The number of Iowans who have tested negative is 241,463. Of those who had the virus, 16,727 have recovered. A total of 268,435 tests have been completed, while completed assessments number 775,933.

COVID-19 outbreaks at Long-Term Care facilities (LTC’s) is down to 30. Health officials say 895 staff/residents of those facilities have tested positive for the virus, 558 have recovered and 356 have died.

In southwest/western Iowa RMCC Region 4, seven patients are hospitalized (1 more than Tues), two are in an ICU, there were two new admissions, and one person remains on a ventilator. Statewide the numbers continue to decline, with 140 hospitalized, 43 in an ICU, and 25 on ventilators. Seven people were admitted to a hospital over the past 24-hours, for a total at 21 new admissions.

In the immediate KJAN listening area, the only changes in positive COVID-19 cases and the number of persons who have recovered since Tuesday, are as follows:

• Shelby County: 85 cases (an increase of 2 positive cases from Tuesday) 49 recovered (3 more than yesterday)
• Pottawattamie County: 626 cases w/427 recovered.