DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer says she will not seek re-election next year and plans to resign as speaker before lawmakers return in January. Republican lawmakers in 2015 chose Upmeyer to be the first woman in Iowa to hold the job as speaker of the House, the presiding officer over the legislative chamber.

The GOP lawmaker of 17 years says Monday she wants to step away from the legislature to spend more time with her family. Upmeyer, a nurse practitioner from Clear Lake, was first elected to the Iowa House in 2002. She became the first woman in Iowa to be elected House majority leader in 2010.

A date hasn’t been set for a House leadership election. Upmeyer’s father, Del Stromer, served as House speaker in the 1980s.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state panel has approved the latest bill for former Gov. Terry Branstad’s continued fight against a jury verdict that found he discriminated against a former state executive. The Iowa Executive Council approved payment Monday of a bill for over $488,000 to a Des Moines law firm. That raises the taxpayer costs of defending Branstad to $2.4 million.
Jurors unanimously found in July that Branstad, now U.S. ambassador to China, and his former legal counsel Brenna Findley discriminated against former Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey in 2011 because he’s gay.

State taxpayers also may end up paying Godfrey’s legal costs of $3.5 million if they’re approved by a judge as well as the $1.5 million in damages the jury awarded Godfrey. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Secretary of State Paul Pate and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, the Republicans on the council, supported paying the bills. Democratic Auditor Rob Sand also voted to pay the bill but says he won’t support paying appeal costs. State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald, a Democrat, opposed paying the latest bill.

DUNDEE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are trying to find the source of a fish kill at a state park in eastern Iowa. The Iowa Natural Resources Department reports that trout anglers reported spotting dead trout and other dead fish in Richmond Springs and Fenchel Creek at Backbone State Park. The park sits about 2.5 miles north of Dundee. Authorities found dead fish but also live fish in several sections of the stream on Saturday. The department says heavy rains Friday night might have washed contaminants into the streams.

Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman reports rules for the election of school board members changed July 1, 2019.  School Board elections changed from September to November.  On November 5, 2019, a county-wide election will be held at which both school board members and city officers will be elected.  New election rules require (1) that each voter will vote in his/her county of residence and (2) each voter is to vote at his/her voting precinct used in a GENERAL (Presidential, Primary or other county-wide) election (combining of precincts is permitted).  As a result, some polling places have changed.

This is a county-wide election and every voter in Cass County is eligible to vote.  Some will vote for both city and school offices/public measures (city residents); and rural voters will vote for school offices/public measures only.  Voting locations have changed for some voters. If you are unsure of your voting precinct for this election, please contact the Cass County Auditor or visit the county website – www.casscountyiowa.us

     The PRECINCTS to be used in CASS COUNTY at this COMBINED CITY & SCHOOL ELECTION which will be conducted on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 are as follows:

• Atlantic 1st Ward – Zion Lutheran Church (811 Oak St) (For voters in Atlantic Ward 1)
• Atlantic 2nd Ward – Atlantic Public Library (507 Poplar) (For voters in Atlantic Ward 2)
• Atlantic 3rd Ward – Cass County Community Center (805 W 10th) (For voters in Atlantic Ward 3)
• Atlantic 4th Ward – United Church of Christ (1607 Hazel) (For voters in Atlantic Ward 4)
• Atlantic 5th Ward – Heritage House (1200 Brookridge Circle) (For voters in Atlantic Ward 5)

City of Anita & Grant and Lincoln Townships – Anita Community Center (805 Main St) (For voters in Anita & voters residing in the CAM Community School District in the townships of Grant and Lincoln)

City of Cumberland & Union Township – Cumberland Community Building (200 W 2nd) (For voters in Cumberland & voters residing in the CAM Community School District in Union Township)

City of Griswold & Noble and Pleasant Townships – Griswold Community Building (601 2nd St) (For voters in Griswold & voters residing in the Griswold Community School District or the CAM Community School District in the townships of Noble and Pleasant)

City of Lewis & Cass and Bear Grove Townships – Lewis Public Library (412 W. Main St, Lewis) (For voters in Lewis & voters residing in the Atlantic Community School District, CAM Community School District or Griswold Community School District in the townships of Cass and Bear Grove)

City of Marne & Brighton, Grove, Pymosa and Washington Townships – Cass County Community Center (805 W 10th) (For voters in the City of Marne & voters residing in the Atlantic Community School District, AHSTW Community School District, Griswold Community School District or EEHK Community School District in the townships of Brighton, Grove, Pymosa and Washington)

City of Massena & Edna, Victoria and Massena Townships – Massena Public Library (122 Main St, Massena) (For voters in the City of Massena & voters residing in the CAM Community School District or Griswold Community School District in the townships of Massena, Edna and Victoria)

City of Wiota & Benton and Franklin Townships – Wiota City Hall (311 Center St) (For voters in Wiota & voters residing in the Atlantic Community School District, CAM Community School District, or EEHK Community School District in the townships of Benton and Franklin)

The Atlantic City Council will gather for a regularly scheduled session 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, at City Hall. During their meeting, Mayor Dave Jones is expected to announce Halloween Trick-or-Treating will be held in the city on Oct. 31st, from 5:30-to 7:30-p.m. Downtown Trick-or-Treating will be from 3:30-until 5-p.m., with the Atlantic News Telegraph Costume Contest registration at 3:45 and the contest at 4:10-p.m., Oct. 31st.

The Council will act on closing select streets on Oct. 12th, for the 6-p.m. Atlantic Fireman’s Parade. The route starts at E. 2nd and Chestnut Streets and proceeds south to E. 6th Street, before turning east onto E. 6th and north on Walnut to E. 2nd. Line-up for the parade will be on W. 2nd Street. In other business, the Council will act on an Order approving a contract with SWIPCO for Supplementary Services for the Planning & Zoning Commission.

City Administrator John Lund says serving as the Zoning Administrator for the past 8 1/2 years, he has observed several expensive infrastructure problems that could have been avoided with proper planning. Lund says “It is not the job of developers to look out for the broad picture of development of the community, that is the job of the Planning & Zoning Commission, but they are limited to the information provided to them by City staff.” Lund says the proposed contract with SWIPCO would provide the City with assistance from a professional planner on an as-needed basis at a rate of $50 per hour. SWIPCO’s Alexis Fleener would act as a consultant and provide an independent voice to the P&Z. Lund says based on an historic average of meetings with the Commission, he is forecasting a 10-year budgetary impact of $34,500. For the current fiscal year, he anticipates $3,000 in additional costs to the Finance and Administration Budget.

In his report to the Council, Lund will discusses a request for a Community Protection Meeting to address safety issues with downtown buildings. He’ll mention there was a second incident where parts of a downtown building have fallen off, this time with debris striking a local businesswoman. Lund says he’s concerned there is a risk to public safety that needs to be addressed. Last December, a section of brick facade on the north wall of a building at 500 Chestnut collapsed, showering bricks on the sidewalk. At the time, Police Chief Dave Erickson estimated two-to three tons of brick fell from a section of wall about 20-to 30-feet wide and about six-feet tall, near the top of the building. No injuries were reported during that incident, but three people who lived on the second floor of the building were evacuated for a time, and the street was cordoned-off while repairs could be made and the wall reinforced.

Prior to adjourning for the evening, the Atlantic City Council will enter into a closed session to discuss legal matters, with regard to real estate, and a dilapidated property.

Cases of severe respiratory illnesses associated with vaping continue to be reported in Iowa and across the U.S.   The Iowa Dept. of Public Health says nationwide, there are now 805 reported cases and 12 deaths associated with the outbreak. In Iowa, there have been 23 cases and no deaths. Most cases continue to report vaping THC products; however, an exact cause is still unclear. IDPH continues to work with clinical and public health partners at the local, state and national levels to investigate cases. Youth should especially be discouraged from using vaping or e-cigarette products of any kind, as the long term effects of these products are not yet clear.

Anyone who has been vaping or using e-cigarette products and is having trouble breathing should seek medical care. Healthcare providers should ask patients about the use of vaping and e-cigarette products and report suspected cases of severe respiratory illness associated with these products to IDPH at 1-800-362-2736 (State Patrol after-hours: 515-323-4360).
For more information, visit idph.iowa.gov/ehi/lung-disease-vaping.