Voters casting their ballots Tuesday during a Special Election for a Voter Approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (VPPEL) have said YES to a request by the Atlantic School District to have an income surtax blended with the property tax the District collects, to fund school infrastructure, equipment, repairs, purchases and improvements over $500 or for capital improvement projects.

Unofficial results from the Cass County Auditor’s Office show there were  351 Yes votes (61.63%) and 221 NO votes (38.64%). A simple majority was needed in order for Public Measure B to pass. The results will be canvassed during a meeting of the Cass County Board of Supervisors next Monday morning.

School officials had said in the months leading up to Tuesday’s vote, that if they would have been able to use an income surtax for the VPPEL in the past, it would’ve reduced the property tax by 60-cents per $1,000 of taxable valuation. Approval means patrons of the district will pay no more than 85-cents per thousand dollars of taxable property valuation each year annually (for up to 10-years), plus up to 20-percent of an Iowa Income Surtax for each individual income taxpayer in the district, with the amount of the surtax to be determined by the School Board each year. The total taxation cannot to exceed $1.34 per $1,000 of assessed property value in any one tax year.

The Income Surtax will begin December 31st for each calendar year, commencing with the 2017 calendar year, and the PPEL itself will begin with the levy of property taxes for collection in the fiscal year that begins July 1st, 2017. School Board Vice President Kristy Pellet said back in July, that the combined PPEL and Income Tax Surtax would essentially make it fairer, because more people would contribute to the PPEL, not just property owners.

A similar Measure placed before the voters last fall, failed.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will hold its regular monthly meeting Wednesday evening at the High School. During the 5:30-p.m. session in the Media Center, the Board will hold an election among its members, for Board President and Vice President, and act on appointing the Board Secretary and Treasurer, followed by the administration of Oath of Office for those individuals. They’ll also act on possible changes to the date, time and place of Board meetings for the 2016-17 School Year

In regular business, the Atlantic School Board will hear from Justin Williams during the Public Comment portion of the meeting. They’re also set to hear special presentations from Williams with regard to the Cass County Educational Opportunity Center (CCEOC), and Dan Vargas, with regard to the Costa Rica trip.

The Board is also expected to act on approving various teacher contracts, the appointment of John Becker as volunteer Middle School Football Coach, the resignation of Justin Williams as Archery Club Sponsor, and other, administrative matters.

Prior to concluding their meeting, the Atlantic School Board will discuss progress on the search for a new Superintendent, and Instructional/Athletic Facilities.

CARROLL, Iowa (AP) — The Carroll schools superintendent says administrators are investigating bullying text messages written by students last week about a gay classmate chosen for the homecoming court. Carroll Community Schools Superintendent Rob Cordes told The Carroll Daily Times Herald that administrators were talking with students included in group text messages and would decide how to respond.

Cordes learned of the messages after they were printed out and left on windshields of the school’s football coach’s car and other players’ vehicles. Some of those receiving the texts were football players. Among the texts were comments that the gay student should kill himself.

Cordes says the incident falls within the school’s anti-bullying and anti-harassment policy. He says some students involved are remorseful and wish they’d acted differently, but “you can’t un-ring the bell.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Seven Midwest governors have sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency seeking regulation changes intended to increase sales of gasoline blended with a higher percentage of ethanol. The governors of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota sent a letter Tuesday to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy requesting new standards that would allow stations to sell more gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol rather than the current standard of 10 percent ethanol.

The letter says the current setup “is stifling the widespread adoption” of E15 ethanol blends. The governors — five Republicans and two Democrats — are all from leading ethanol-producing states. The letter was also sent to President Barack Obama.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office today (Tuesday) issued a report on recent arrests. Officials say last Friday, 30-year old Ivan Antonio Cervantes, of Omaha, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Cervantes was taken to the Cass County Jail and was later released on his own recognizance.

On Sunday, 69-year old Arma Re Fouts, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of Driving While Barred. Fouts was taken to the Cass County Jail and was released later that day on her own recognizance. Also arrested Sunday, was 21-year old Corey Allen Lee Whitt,  of Walnut, on a charge of Public Intoxication. Whitt was taken to the Cass County Jail where he later pled guilty and was released.

And today (Tuesday), Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office arrested 20-year old Andrew Jacob Roach, of Missouri Valley, on a warrant for Probation Violation. Roach was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $2,000 bond.

Thousands of people across the country are expected to participate in the inaugural Bike Your Park Day on Saturday, Sept. 24. This new national event promotes exploration of parks and public lands by bicycle. Iowa’s state parks make beautiful biking destinations for families and friends, especially now, with cooler temperatures and changing seasons. Many state parks connect to more extensive bike trail systems, giving cyclists choices of distance and difficulty.

Worth a consideration next time you want to pedal a park are the following:

Big Creek State Park is one Iowa state parks’ best biking destinations. Located just north of Polk City, the park hosts miles 23-26 of the Neal Smith Trail. Riders can explore the wooded areas, prairies and shorelines in the park or continue on to downtown Des Moines. From the parking lot at Big Creek Beach, riders can go two miles east on 142nd Avenue to access the High Trestle Trail. The park’s location between these trails makes it an ideal park for bicycling opportunities.

George Wyth State Park makes a great biking park because its trails adjoin the Cedar Valley Trail system with more than 100 paved miles. There are many looped routes ranging from 6.2 miles to 50+ miles. The park also has 10 miles of soft trails for biking.

The main “stem” of the Iowa Great Lakes Trail system is a 14-mile, ten-foot-wide, hard surface trail with many arteries to explore Iowa’s Great Lake and the vast array of parks, beaches, lakeshores and other public areas that surround them.

Green Valley State Park’s 3.5-mile paved trail starts in the campground, follows much of the lake’s east side and finishes near the Green Valley Lake dam. The trail connects with 3 miles of other paved trails south of the lake traveling through a wildlife management area, past Southwestern Community College and ending in the town of Creston. Other grass multi-purpose trails in Green Valley State Park also offer bikers a soft-trail experience.

Pine Lake State Park has 2.6 miles of beautiful paved bike trail connecting its cabins and campground to its beach and fishing accesses on the Upper and Lower Pine lakes. Bikers can add about 3 more miles to their ride by starting at Deer Park in the town of Eldora, crossing the Iowa River and heading north on the park’s bike trail to Hwy S56. The road will take riders to two Hardin County areas, where the bike trail picks up and goes through Tower Rock to Pine Ridge Park

Honey Creek State Park and Resort Guests at Honey Creek Resort, on Lake Rathbun, can choose from a variety of bike types to rent or bring their own to enjoy the surrounding beauty of the resort. The whole resort is bike-friendly. On the wooded peninsula across from the resort is Honey Creek State Park with miles of paved roads inviting cyclists to tour the 800-acre park and catch a glimpse of the wildlife it holds.

Discover new parks or experience your favorites in a new way. Whatever the case, celebrate them as great bicycling opportunities, on Bike Your Park Day, Sept. 24.

For more information about Iowa’s state parks visit www.iowadnr.gov/parks To find a nearby Bike Your Park ride, publicize your own ride for others to join, find a Bike Your Park ambassador for answers and suggestions.

MAXWELL, Iowa (AP) – The men and women who are growing what’s expected to be the biggest corn crop the United States has ever seen won’t benefit from the milestone. Prices are so low that for the third consecutive year, most corn farmers will spend more than they earn. It’s a similar story for soybean producers.

That’s left farmers across the country cutting costs, dipping into savings or going further into debt to make it through the year. Federal crop insurance and government payments will offer some help, and most farmers have an off-the-farm job or a spouse who supplements the family’s income.

But the drop in farm profits raises questions about agriculture’s boom-and-bust cycles and why people adhere to what at times is seemingly not a sustainable business model.