The Atlantic City Council will meet in a regular session 5:30-p.m. today, at City Hall. During the meeting, the Council will hold the third and final reading of an Ordinance amending the current City Code, with regard to parking regulations. Police Chief Dave Erickson and Code Enforcement Officer Kris Kardell-Erickson proposed the change, due to ambiguity on where trailers can be parked, depending on the zone or use of a property.

During their last meeting, the Council requested certain changes be made to the amendment, especially with regard to the hours for loading and unloading a camper, from 24-to 48. In other business, Mayor Dave Jones is expected to make an announcement with regard to a Mediacom Fiber Community Presentation that will be held at City Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 7^th, beginning at 6-p.m.

With Veterans Day approaching, new efforts are being made to encourage those who served — and their families — to pursue their dreams for opening or expanding small businesses. Darcella Craven is director the Veterans Business Outreach Center in St. Louis, which serves veteran entrepreneurs in Iowa and four other states. Craven explains the goals of this week’s National Veterans Small Business Week. “It’s helping to ensure that veterans and military families are educated on the number of resource partners that are out there and available for them to use, many times free of charge,” Craven says, “and that they are still moving down their road map of their business plan for their small business.”

More than 98-percent of the businesses in Iowa are small businesses. Craven says veteran-owned businesses are a critical pillar of the U-S economy as they contribute more than a trillion dollars to the nation’s annual total sales and receipts. “Many of those men and women and their families do come back after having served in the military,” Craven says, “they come back with so many valuable resources and experiences that they make really great small business owners because they can put the discipline and the dedication they had in the military into a small business.”

The outreach center is working with the Iowa District Office of the U-S Small Business Administration to offer veterans across Iowa both local and virtual events. “We do in-person seminars, and that could be something as simple as how do I choose the right marketing for my small business,” Craven says. “We also do webinars. We have a webinar series we conduct with the SBA every Wednesday at 11 AM. That covers a variety of topics from financing your small business to work-life balance.”

She notes veterans continue their service by contributing to the economy and by creating economic opportunities for other Americans.

(Radio Iowa)

Republican Governor Kim Reynolds says a small number of Iowans are going overboard by targeting her family with partisan sniping. “I’m the governor of everybody, so I want to make that clear,” Reynolds said, “but I’m probably talking about a very small, minute population.” Back on October 21st, Reynolds told a crowd that she and her fellow Republicans needed to “double-down” because of what she’s seen as she travels the state. “The liberals are unhinged and they are out for us,” Reynolds said last month.

During her weekly news conference yesterday in Ames, Reynolds was asked what incidents may have occurred to lead her to reach that conclusion. Reynolds says there’s more than one, but cited as an example negative comments on social media about two of her grandsons after she posted a photo of the boys. “I signed up for this. You can come at me all you want. I’m tough. I know what this job entails and I guess, in some sense, my family did, too, but not to that extent,” Reynolds said. “This is a six-year-old little boy and his brother, playing soccer on a football field and to me, that’s unhinged. That’s over-the-top and they don’t deserve it.” Reynolds says “all of us” should take steps to improve the political climate.

“There is no civil discourse left and it is really sad,” Reynolds says. “We ought to be able to talk about ideas. We ought to be able to debate ideas because that’s how you get to consensus and that’s how we move this country forward and that’s how we move this state forward. And we do a better job of it in Iowa. We do, but it is just so…vicious right now. I hope we can get back to having a discussion.”  Tess Seger, a spokeswoman for the Iowa Democratic Party, says it’s unfortunate the governor chose to the word “unhinged” to describe a “wide swath of Iowans” 11 days ago, but Seger says Democrats respect the office and “strongly condemn any threatening comments directed” at the governor’s family.

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of business leaders suggests economic conditions continue to improve for nine Midwest and Plains states. A report released Wednesday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index rose to 58.8 in October from 58.2 in September. The August figure was 57.5. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says national and regional indices indicate the manufacturing sector is expanding at a very healthy pace.

The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth in that factor. A score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:15 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One of three private insurance companies that help run Iowa’s Medicaid program plans to withdraw in a month. The Iowa Department of Human Services announced Tuesday that AmeriHealth Caritas will end its Medicaid coverage at the end of November. The state agency also announced it would spend more money as part of new contracts with the remaining companies, Amerigroup and UnitedHealthcare. The move means about 215,000 Iowans will transfer to the remaining companies.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say slippery conditions from rain and snow likely caused a rock climber to fall to his death from the First Flatiron in Boulder. Carrie Haverfield, a spokeswoman for the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, says investigators believe deteriorating weather conditions caused 31-year-old Erik Kleiber to fall about 430 feet from the iron-shaped rock formation Thursday. The Daily Camera reports it does not appear that the Boulder man was using any climbing equipment.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The FBI credits a new computer algorithm for identifying more than 200 previously unknown bodies found in locations throughout the country since the 1970s. The new system is able to make matches from low-quality prints or even a single finger or thumb. The cases range from a Texas man found in the mid-1980s in Iowa to an 18-year-old runaway who was found shot to death in 1999 in Arizona. Many of those identified died in the desert after crossing the border from Mexico into the U.S.

NEW VIENNA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are blaming a manure runoff from a dairy farm for killing about 60,000 fish in eastern Iowa. The fish kill was reported Oct. 9 in two creeks in Dyersville. The farm is about 3 miles east of New Vienna. The Iowa Natural Resources Department has issued a notice of violation and is expected to seek restitution for the fish, including minnows, white suckers and creek chubs.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One of three private insurance companies that help run Iowa’s Medicaid program plans to withdraw in a month.

The Iowa Department of Human Services announced Tuesday that AmeriHealth Caritas will end its Medicaid coverage at the end of November. The state agency also announced it would spend more money as part of new contracts with the remaining companies, Amerigroup and UnitedHealthcare.

DHS described the additional spending as a 3.3 percent rate increase, but officials did not provide more specifics. Department director Jerry Foxhoven says the extra spending will be funded through existing agency dollars.

The move means about 215,000 Iowans enrolled in the health care program for poor and disabled people will transfer to the remaining companies. DHS then plans to hire another company to offer coverage beginning next summer.

The Harlan Police Department reports two recent arrests. On Sunday, 38-year old Christopher Thomas Hanshaw, of Council Bluffs, was arrested following a traffic stop at the intersection of Hwy 59 and Cyclone Ave.  Hanshaw was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while suspended, financial liability coverage, windshield requirements, and careless driving.

And, on Oct. 25th, 45-year old Larry Monroe Lange, of Harlan, was arrested following a report of disturbance in the 1400 block of 7th Street.  Lange was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with assault with bodily injury and trespass.

Last Saturday, 29-year old Charlie Bennett Hadfield, of Earling, was cited by Harlan Police, for possession of drug paraphernalia following a traffic stop in the 1600 block of Willow Street.

Harlan Police report also, that on Saturday, Larry Wingert, of Avoca, was driving a 1996 Ford F-150 pickup and pulling up to the Harlan Kwik Rx Pharmacy.  When Wingert tried to stop, his brakes failed, causing the vehicle to strike the front door of the business. No dollar amount of the damage was reported, and there no injuries reported.

An investigation into a reported underage drinking party in Page County resulted in three citations being issued. Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports deputies responded at around 11:40-p.m. Saturday to a party at the corner of 5th and Washington Streets, in Yorktown. During the investigation of the underage drinking party, 20-year old Christopher Monaghan, 18-year old Haileigh Cavin, and 18-year old Emily Bahn were cited for Persons under legal age. Two Juvenile males were referred to Juvenile court for Persons under legal age. Their names are not being released at this time. More charges are pending at this time in regards to this incident.

The Atlantic Police Department reports one arrest and several accident investigations took place over the past few days. On Monday (10/30), 18-year old Travis Osborn, of Atlantic, was arrested for 5th Degree Theft and Public Intoxication. Osborn was booked into the Cass County Jail. At around 7:35-a.m. today (Tuesday) Atlantic Police responded to an accident at 7th and Linn Streets. Vehicles driven by Carter Hoffman, of Atlantic and Tina Olson, of Audubon, collided when Olson was slowing to turn right onto Linn Street from eastbound 7th Street. Her vehicle was struck from behind by Hoffman’s vehicle, causing $2,000 damage altogether. Olson complained of whiplash, but was otherwise uninjured. Hoffman was cited for Failure to Maintain Reasonable/Proper speed.

Two accidents happened Monday, in Atlantic, just minutes apart. At around 3:32-p.m., and accident at 10th and Mulberry Streets occurred when a vehicle driven by Danielle Young, of Atlantic, backed out of a private drive and struck a vehicle on the passenger door, as the vehicle – driven by Danielle Meek, of Atlantic – was traveling east on 10th Street. Damage from the collision amounted to $2,000. The second accident at around 3:34-p.m. happened at the west driveway entrance to the Wal-Mart Store. A vehicle driven Shirley Johnson, of Atlantic, was southbound in the entrance, with a vehicle driven by Hanna Layland, of Atlantic, directly behind her. Authorities say Layland looked at another vehicle and when she looked back, saw Johnson’s vehicle had slowed. Layland tried to turn left to avoid hitting Johnson’s vehicle, but struck it in the left rear corner, causing $2,100 damage altogether.

At around 5:50-a.m. Saturday, a vehicle driven by Kasey Juhl, of Atlantic, was traveling south in the 1300 block of Chestnut Street, when he lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle hit a light pole, snapping it off. Juhl then left the scene of the accident. No injuries were reported. Damage amounted to $14,000. Juhl was cited for reckless driving, operating a vehicle without a registration card or plate, and driving or towing an unsafe vehicle.

And, at around 9-a.m. Friday, vehicles driven by Roger Denison, and Crystal Schelle, both of Atlantic, collided at 11th and Chestnut Streets. The accident happened as Denison was traveling north on Chestnut and Schelle was traveling east on 11th. The A-PD says she proceeded through the intersection after failing to yield, and was struck by Denison’s vehicle. Damage amounted to $4,500. Schelle was cited for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign.

Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones has announced the City of Atlantic has officially launched SeeClickFix, an app you can download to your mobile device to report issues such as debris in the road, junk piling up, or other eyesores and/or other matters, like pot holes. The program allows you to report issues that are routed instantly to the appropriate City personnel. You can then track the progress of your submission and receive feedback directly from City staff.

If you have not yet downloaded the SeeClickFix mobile app from the Apple Store or Google Play Store, you may do so at any time. You can also access the program directly from the City’s Website (coming soon). After you have SeeClickFix, comment or vote on an issue today! Don’t forget to share the news with your friends and neighbors.