The Board of Directors of the Atlantic Community School District will meet 7:30-a.m. Friday, May 8th a special board meeting.  Due to the State of Public Health Disaster Emergency issued by Governor Kim Reynolds that limits gatherings to less than 10 people, this will be an electronic meeting.  Board members will meet electronically and will NOT meet together in a physical location. Any member of public can view the meeting live on YouTube at the following link:  https://youtu.be/xqOV-etf4Ks

During their session, the School Board will act on approving 2020-21 Master Contracts with the Atlantic Education Association.

(Radio Iowa) — An Iowa native was one of three Marines who prevented a potentially dangerous situation from escalating on an international flight early Monday morning. Captain Daniel Kult, a 2011 Coon Rapids-Bayard graduate, was on a flight from Japan to Texas when he became aware of the disturbance. “I was actually like half-asleep, watching a movie, had my headphones in, started hearing some kind of like commotion…so it took me kind of a moment to kind of realize what was going on,” he says. “I took my headphones out and then that’s when I definitely heard there was someone screaming from one of the bathrooms in the middle of the plane.”

According to Kult, the shouts from the passenger were clearly threatening and he quickly joined two other Marines to assist the flight crew however they could. Once the man subdued in a seat, Kult says he and the other two Marines kept watch as the flight was diverted to Los Angeles. “Off and on he’d have some outbursts here and there,” Kult says, “and there were a couple of other times we had to work on re-restraining him because he slipped out of the duct tape that we used on his legs just because he was getting sweaty and moving his legs around, so he was pretty active throughout the hour it took to land at O an get the authorities on board.”

The passenger was taken into custody not long after landing and taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. The plane then took off for the flight’s original destination — the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. Kult is now back on base at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, but on a 14-day quarantine following international travel.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Investigators in Iowa have arrested a former long-haul trucker suspected of killing two women in Wyoming and a third in Tennessee in the early 1990s. Police arrested 58-year-old Clark Perry Baldwin on Wednesday at his home in Waterloo, Iowa, on warrants from Tennessee and Wyoming charging him in the three killings. He’s being held in the Black Hawk County jail pending extradition proceedings. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation says in a news release that “advances in technology” linked Baldwin to the crimes. He’s charged in the 1992 killings of two unidentified women in Wyoming and the 1991 slaying in Tennessee of a pregnant woman, Pamela McCall, and her fetus.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A 27-year-old Nebraska man who shot at an Iowa state trooper after a traffic stop has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Anthony Wells, of Omaha, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to five counts connected to the confrontation in December in Sioux City, Iowa. As part of his plea, an attempted murder charge was dropped. Prosecutors said Walls was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for a traffic violation. He fled on foot as the trooper was trying to arrest him for a domestic assault warrant. As he was being pursued, Walls fired twice at the trooper, who was not hit and did not return fire.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa residents will be allowed to resume dental appointments as Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds made more moves to ease restrictions that were imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Besides allowing dental procedures statewide, Reynolds on Wednesday also allowed public and private campgrounds to reopen, ended closure orders for tanning facilities and made clear that drive-in movie theaters were allowed to operate. The changes will be effective Friday morning. Reynolds signed her proclamation on a day when the state reported 12 new coronavirus deaths, bringing the state’s total to 219. Reynolds also joined President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss Iowa’s strategy to combat the spread of the virus.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa state health officials say the state has seen 12 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the state’s total to 219 by Wednesday. News of the deaths came as the Iowa Department of Public Health also announced another one-day jump in confirmed cases of the new coronavirus by 293. The increases were announced the same day that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was in Washington to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss Iowa’s strategy to combat the spread of the virus and to thank the administration for federal help to that end. Reynolds also planned to discuss Iowa’s response to outbreaks at meat processing plants, where employees word shoulder-to-shoulder and often live in tight quarters.

(Camp Dodge/Johnston, Iowa) — Officials with the Iowa National Guard said Wednesday evening, that as part of the U.S. Army’s ongoing operational requirements, several Iowa National Guard units will deploy overseas in the coming months.

Approximately 330 Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, will deploy in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Central Command is comprised of 20 nations in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and other countries.

The 1-194th Field Artillery is comprised of units in Iowa and Minnesota. The deploying Iowa National Guard Soldiers will depart from armories in Spencer, Estherville, Charles City, Fort Dodge and Johnston. Approximately 70 Minnesota Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to Battery C, 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery, will deploy from Alexandria, Minn.  Their deployments are expected to occur toward the end of July.

An additional 400 Iowa National Guard Soldiers received mobilization orders to support NATO’s ongoing Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission in the Republic of Kosovo.  Iowa units identified to support this mission include:

• Headquarters, 1st Squadron, 113th Calvary Regiment, Sioux City, Iowa
• Bravo Troop, 1^st Squadron, 113th Calvary Regiment, Johnston, Iowa
• Headquarters, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Boone, Iowa
• Company D (MI), 224th Brigade Engineer Battalion, Johnston, Iowa
• 334th Brigade Support Battalion, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• 135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Johnston, Iowa

This is the Iowa National Guard’s largest mobilization in support of KFOR since it first mobilized units there in 2004. Most of these units have mobilized previously in support of overseas contingency operations including deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo. These units have worked to increased readiness over the last several years in preparation for these deployments.  In July of 2019, they participated in an eXportable Combat Training Capability (XCTC) exercise, designed to train Soldiers and certify them on their military proficiencies.

The Iowa National Guard will hold send-off ceremonies for these units in August and September. Following the ceremonies, they will travel to their mobilization station at Ft. Bliss, Texas, to complete final training and readiness checks before deploying overseas. These deployments are expected to last approximately one year. Additional information regarding the send-off ceremonies will be published at a later date.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, passed by a vote of 6-to1, a “Resolution to require Employees and Visitors to City Buildings to wear face masks.” Councilperson Kathy Somers was the lone No vote. The move is essentially symbolic, and designed to further help prevent the spread of COVID-19, especially among essential city personnel, especially those who are in frequent, close contact with the public.

There is no State mandate for everyone, including local government employees, to wear face masks, but it is highly recommended by local, State and national health officials. Some City employees have voiced their opposition to such a requirement. Councilperson Somers said “The reality is that they’re a pain to wear….people with glasses get fogged over so they can’t see so they have to take it off. People who have health risks are going to be trying to do whatever they can to protect themselves.”

She also raised a question about whether or not an employee could be fired for refusing to wear a face mask. City Administrator John Lund said if employees choose not to wear a mask, the City’s not protected. They can still file [a] Workman’s Compensation claim. He said the Resolution that was ultimately approved Wednesday evening doesn’t address any punishment or other, similar policies. Councilman Pat McCurdy said he thinks City employees should wear a mask, but he would not fire someone for NOT wearing one.

The Resolution applies to the interior of City-owned buildings, only. It does not affect private property, both business and residential, City parks, trails or other City-owned grounds.It also does not result in a citation or penalty for failure to wear a mask. It would remain in effect only if the City Council feels it is necessary to protect employees and the public. The policy is not intended to continue indefinitely. Mayor Dave Jones said the City is expecting to receive enough masks for employees within two-to-three weeks.

In other business, the Council set May 20th as the date for a public hearing to amend the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, and the second reading of an Ordinance prohibiting parking on the north side of East 12th Street, as recommended by the Community Protection Committee. The Council passed the first reading on April 15th.

The Atlantic City Council also agreed to address drainage issues at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club, by having a Subsurface drainage tile installed at a cost of $49, 080. And, they approved a bid from Chris Heuton Earthmoving for $21,520, to address the Country Oak/Miller Storm Water Detention Basin Project.  Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm said Heuton’s bid includes seeding, which City employees could handle. A change order expected to be approved during the Council’s next meeting, would drop that price to around $15,000. City Administrator John Lund says the FY 2020 Budget has money in the reserves for such storm water projects.

The Council approved the following: Re-appointing Lloyd Munson to the Board of Adjustment; The re-appointment of Doug Bierbaum to the Planning & Zoning Commission, and an Order to Appoint Rich Tupper to the P & Z, as well.