Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber, today (Friday), said a student with the Atlantic Middle School brought a backpack to school containing a knife and an unloaded BB gun. School Administrators were alerted and handled the situation according to school policy, which also involved contacting the Atlantic Police Department. Barber said “At no time was there a threat made toward my students and their safety.” The incident remains under investigation.

Cass County Public Health is now accepting registrations for their fall sessions of A Matter of Balance. A Matter of Balance is a program designed to reduce the fear of falling and increase activity levels among older adults. It includes 8 two-hour sessions for a small group of 8-12 participants led by trained facilitators. If you are interested in attending this free course, please contact Cass County Public Health at 712-243-7546.

Officials with Dollar General are looking into building a store on the eastern-most city limits of Griswold. Cass County Zoning Administrator Rich Hansen told the Board of Supervisors during their meeting this (Friday) morning, that company officials are asking for a zoning change in order to build a store on about 2.5-acres of land they want to purchase, just north of Highway 92. He said the land is located across from the Little League Field. Company officials are requesting the land be rezoned from “General Ag,” to “Business.” They’ve started with the paperwork. The next step is a Zoning Hearing.

Because the property is in a Flood Plain, they’ll have to build-up the property by about two-feet. Hansen said that will require approval of the DNR. The Supervisors took no action of the request, as that’s up to the Cass County Zoning Board. Hansen just wanted to keep them up to date on the project. In other business, the Cass County Supervisors approved the abatement of taxes on parcels of land owned in both the City of Atlantic and Anita, after those properties were abandoned. The tiny parcel in Atlantic at 604 Cedar Street, no longer exists and has been given a new number. Taxes on it are just $40. Total assessment is $1,740.

The parcel in Anita is at 507 Main Street. Taxes amount to $298.

(Radio Iowa) – Children of divorce are less likely to earn a four-year college degree or beyond, according to an Iowa State University study co-authored by I-S-U sociology professor Susan Stewart. “We tracked young adults into their 20s and 30s and we looked at the families that they were from,” Stewart says. “We found that children with divorced parents were about half as likely to complete their college degree and about half as likely to go on to graduate school than children with continuously married parents.”

The study found 27-percent of children with divorced parents had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 50-percent of those with married parents. One of the more likely reasons for the findings, she says, is simply financial. “After divorce, incomes go down and it takes a long time to recover that and sometimes, parents never recover that loss in income,” Stewart says. “They might have saved for college for their children, but then that money might get eaten up when the parents have to pay for the divorce and form a new household.”

The study looked for any differences in outcomes when the child was under 18 versus over 18 at the time of the divorce and found no variation. “Divorce, whether in childhood or young adulthood, has long-lasting effects on childrens’ lives,” Stewart says, “even into their late adulthood.”  With the divorce rate continuing to hover around 50-percent of all marriages, Stewart says the impact on a child’s higher education is undoubtedly being felt in the bigger picture of the workforce. “Getting a college degree has become pretty much a requirement for getting a job and reaching the middle class,” Stewart says. “Increasingly, a graduate degree is important even for relatively low-paying fields like social work and education.”

A federal report predicts jobs requiring a master’s degree are expected to grow by nearly 17-percent between 2016 and 2026. The I-S-U study is being published in the Journal of Family Issues.

(Radio Iowa) — The chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, Patrick Hoye, is hoping this holiday weekend is a lot safer for motorists in Iowa than it was in 2017. “Last Labor Day (weekend), we saw 10 traffic fatalities, which was the highest Labor Day count we’ve had since 1995,” Hoye said. “So, coming off of last year, we have some real serious concerns.” Labor Day marks the traditional end of summer and this weekend is typically one of the busiest travel times of the year. According to Hoye, too many motorists get behind the wheel after celebrating the holiday with alcohol. “One of the trends we saw over last Labor Day was that about 40-percent of those fatalities were alcohol related,” Hoye said.

Police in Iowa are taking part in a national campaign that involves an increase in law enforcement officers on roadways through this coming Monday. Among other things, they’ll be looking for impaired drivers, so Hoye is encouraging Iowans to plan ahead. “We always tell people, ‘hey, if you’re going out and you know you’re going to be drinking, have a plan on how you’re going to get home – whether it be a designated driver, Uber, Lyft, or a taxi,'” Hoye said. “Have in mind, before you leave the house, what your plan is to get home safely.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that during the 2016 Labor Day weekend, there were 433 crash fatalities nationwide with 36-percent involving drivers who were drunk.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Police in Creston report 44-year old Cassaundra Marcum, of Creston, was arrested at around 2:25-p.m. Thursday. Marcum was taken into custody following a traffic stop, on charges that include Driving while Suspended, Failure to provide proof of financial liability, and Registration violation. She subsequently bonded out on a $300 bond.

(7-a.m. News)

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Mason City man accused of sexually assaulting two of his caretaker clients has made a plea deal. Cerro Gordo County District Court records say 19-year-old Wasfie Alshara filed written pleas of not guilty Wednesday to two counts of misdemeanor assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. Prosecutors lowered the charges of felony sexual abuse in exchange for Alshara’s pleas.
His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 5.

The court records say Alshara raped one of his dependent adult clients on Nov. 21 and sexually assaulted the other in a group home on June 8. The records also say Alshara worked for an unidentified company that provides caretaking services.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday, that officials with the City of Lorimor reported earlier this week, that sometime after last Friday afternoon (Aug. 24th), someone broke into the city’s maintenance building. Damage to the door was estimated at $200. No items other than some receipts were reported missing as of last report.