The Cass County 4-H Endowment committee has made the decision to postpone the 4-H Pancake Supper scheduled for Thursday, March 7th, due to incoming weather. Shelby Van Horn, Cass County Youth Coordinator says “Last year we had over 500 people come out and support this great organization. Due to the amount of youth and adult volunteers we have coming to volunteer their time and efforts we erring on the side of safety, and rescheduling.” The event has been rescheduled to March 26 from 5:00-7:30 PM at the Cass County Community Center.

The Pancake Man will still be dishing up fresh pancakes; with 4-H members serving juice, coffee and more. Supporters can enjoy all you can eat pancakes for $6. Make plans to come out and enjoy this fun event and support Cass County 4-H. There is also a silent auction during the supper. The 12 4-H clubs in Cass County, as well as additional friends of 4-H and local business supporters donate items.

Van Horn says “This is a great part of the pancake supper,” and “It is exciting to see all the items that are up for auction this year!” If a community business is interested in supporting the Pancake Supper through the Silent Auction, please contact the Extension Office. To view silent auction items visit the Cass County Extension Facebook page. They will be updating the page over the next couple of weeks with all the auction items. For more information on the Pancake Supper, Endowment or 4-H contact Shelby Van Horn, Cass County Youth Coordinator, at 243-1132 or xcass@iastate.edu.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is considering new rules to limit school districts from using padded seclusion rooms to discipline children following a violent outburst. The Des Moines Register reports that the proposed changes seek to limit the frequency rooms are used and implement a better system to notify parents. The rules also seek new specifications for the wooden rooms, which are typically 6-by-6-foot.

The ACLU of Iowa and Disability Rights Iowa helped draft the changes. They say some districts have used the rooms too frequently, particularly with students with disabilities and African-Americans.
School officials say they’re concerned the rules are overly burdensome. The rooms have come under scrutiny in recent years. The state Department of Education determined in 2017 that the Iowa City Community School District improperly used the rooms.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce reports Atlantic Rising will be host the 6th Annual Awards Luncheon and Dessert Gala on April 26th, 2019, and they are seeking community-wide nominations for the awards. The awards are designed to recognize the achievements of young professionals who demonstrate a commitment to excellence and innovation in their profession and within the community. The awards are open to any Young Professional that meets the following criteria: the professional is between the age of 21-45 years old as of January 1, 2019, and the professional either works or resides within Cass County.

Young Professionals will be nominated for their excellence in four different categories: YP Newcomer, YP Entrepreneur, YP Business Leader and YP Public Servant. There will also be one YP Choice Workplace Award given. The YP Choice Workplace Award recognizes a company who effectively attracts, retains and develops young professionals. Individuals can either nominate their company or another company. Companies must be Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce members. You can check the membership directory at www.atlanticiowa.com for eligibility. Nominees for Newcomer, Entrepreneur, Business Leader, and Public Servant do not need to be members of Atlantic Rising to be eligible for nomination.

To submit a nomination, go to www.atlanticiowa.com for a nomination form or pick one up at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Office (102 Chestnut, Atlantic, IA 50022). All nomination forms must be submitted by Wednesday, April 3rd, 2019 by 5 PM. The Atlantic Rising nominations will be reviewed by a selection committee including: an AR Representative, an Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Board Representative, a member of CADCO, an Atlantic City Official and an out of town guest.

The winners for the Young Professional Awards in 2018 included: Anthony Smith – Public Servant of the Year, Dr. Zach Bandow – Newcomer of the Year, Amanda Graham – Entrepreneur of the Year, Dr. Kate Hoffmann – Business Leader of the Year, and Nishna Valley Family YMCA – Choice Workplace of the Year.

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About: Atlantic Rising is a social group who meets throughout the year for networking and social events, as well as civic projects to help the community. Their mission is to connect, engage and attract young leaders into the community while promoting the greater Atlantic area.  Members are young professionals between the ages of 21-45. Any interested individuals can contact the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 712-243-3017 for more information on joining. Atlantic Rising is sponsored by Cass County Health System.

Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson is warning the public about some new twists on a couple of old “Grandchild in trouble, need money” phone scam. One is supposedly from a law enforcement person who has a bad voice due to a “cold.” The caller says the grandchild was in an accident and drugs and a weapon were found on them. They ask the potential victim to send an exorbitant amount of money [such as $5,000] to a post office box so the grandchild can get out of jail. They also say “But don’t tell anyone.” Erickson says “That’s a scam. We don’t call people to them their kids are in jail, that they need to bring money to us or anything like that. That’s up to the defendant.”

Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson (file photo)

The second scam has a person claiming to be a grandchild, and asks the potential victim “Do you know which one [their name] it is?” If the grandparent answers who they think it is, the caller says “It’s about time you recognized my voice. I’m in trouble. I’m in jail and need [a specific amount of] money to get out. You need to send it Fed Ex to a post office box. Erickson says it doesn’t work that way in real life. In real life, you have to deliver the funds to the jail or a bail bondsman must handle the funds. The scams have been around for a long time, but Erickson says the scammers are making changes to how the scams are carried out.

The Chief says they add different elements to the call to trick grandparents, and he’s getting the word out so people don’t fall for it. If you receive such a call, report it to the police department. Even if you’re not sure whether the call is real or not. Erickson says as far as he knows, no one locally has fallen for the phone scam, but they are being received by area residents. He said a lady called the the Police Department a few days ago after receiving a scam call. Authorities told her he was not on the jail roster and had never been arrested. Erickson said “We don’t want the public to be losing their money out there.”

In the past, he said some people have fallen for the scam in various forms. One person was even at the bank ready to send the money, but couldn’t figure out how to do so. Fortunately, the individual checked with local authorities and was informed about the scam. “Just be aware of what’s going on out there,” he said. “Watch the scams.” Erickson, who himself is a grandparent, says the scammers are betting on the kind hearts of the elderly to fall victim to the scheme.

The Atlantic RAGBRAI Committee is currently seeking sponsorships from local businesses to support RAGBRAI 2019. Nick Harris, Atlantic RAGBRAI Co-Chair, says “The funds donated will help cover the cost of hosting RAGBRAI. A lot goes into being a host community and the funds will help pay for law enforcement, showers, bathrooms, signage, advertising, beer garden supplies, entertainment, etc. It will also be a great opportunity for local businesses to gain national exposure, the chance for 15,000 cyclists to see their name and an opportunity to support their community.”

Sponsorships are broken down into four main categories:

Platinum Sponsor = $5,000
Gold Sponsor = $2,500
Silver Sponsor = $1,000
Bronze Sponsor = $500

Bailey Smith, Atlantic RAGBRAI Committee Member , says “Each sponsorship level has a different amount of benefits based off the cost. The more you donate, the more benefits you will receive. Each sponsor will receive logo placement on signage, advertising, social media posts and the Atlantic RAGBRAI website. They will also receive VIP admission to Hairball, the headlining entertainment act. The amount of exposure given will depend on the sponsorship level.”Sponsorship Flyer

There are also sponsorship opportunities to help welcome and send-off cyclists as they arrive and leave Atlantic. For $1,500, businesses can sponsor the Grand Entrance or Grand Farewell. Each sponsorship comes with logo placement on signage, social media posts and the Atlantic RAGBRAI website. Sponsors will also receive VIP admission to Hairball. A Sunblock/Aloe sponsorship for $750 will also be available. The sponsor has the opportunity to provide sunblock and aloe to cyclists while gaining exposure through signage, social media posts and the Atlantic RAGBRAI website. The final opportunity is a simple donation sponsorship. For $50, a business or individual can donate to Atlantic RAGBRAI and have their name listed on the Atlantic RAGBRAI website.

Atlantic will host RAGBRAI Sunday, July 21st. To be involved as a volunteer or for a complete list of sponsorships and benefits, visit www.atlanticragbrai.com or contact Nick Harris at nickh@brockerkarns.com or Kipp Harris at kipph@brockerkarns.com.

HYATTSVILLE, Md. (AP) — A white principal at a private school near Washington says she regrets using a racial slur referring to black people during a Black History Month assembly. Citing a release from New Hope Academy Principal Joy Morrow, news outlets report a keynote speaker had canceled just before the school’s annual assembly, so Morrow decided to give a talk she gave 25 years ago about what Martin Luther King Jr.’s teachings meant to her.

A native of Dubuque, Iowa, she says she warned the children in grades 6 to 12 that she would use the slur to explain what she “experienced growing up in an all-white, racist community.” She said the word inadvertently distracted some students, so she regrets using it. The school has since held discussions with students and faculty.

(Update 11-a.m.) OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — A south-central Iowa sheriff says a garbage truck driver was killed when he got caught by his truck’s compactor mechanism. The Mahaska County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that deputies and medics were sent late Tuesday morning to a rural location a few miles east of Oskaloosa to check a report about the man. They discovered that he’d already died. He was identified as 39-year-old Robert Evans, of Oskaloosa.

Sheriff Russ Van Renterghem said today (Wednesday), that Evans had stopped the truck on the rural road, climbed up the frame to a spot between the cab top and the compactor and then was caught and crushed by the mechanism. An autopsy was ordered.