(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council will gavel-in to a regular session this evening. Their session at City Hall begins at 5:30-p.m., and includes the following action items:

• Passing a resolution “Approving the Plans and Specifications for the West 22nd Street Improvements.” City Administrator John Lund says the project has a forecasted cost of slightly more than $1.32-million, and is one of 67 street improvement projects set to take place during the Spring and Fall of 2025. The new year marks the first new cycle of street improvement projects in the City’s 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Lund says the FY 25-26 CIP projects a total investment of more than $3.4-million. In his agenda notes, Lund says “Due to careful and precise timing of the City’s Debt Management Plan and 10-Year CIP, West 22nd Street and the Downtown Project should be financed by Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenue, making it not a factor in the debt service levy, and not require[ing] property taxes service the debt.”
• The Council will act on passing the 3rd and final reading of an amended ordinance pertaining to ATV’s and Snowmobiles (As we’ve previously reported).
• And, following a public hearing, the Council will act on passing a resolution approving a Development Agreement with Vision Atlantic, Inc., authorizing annual appropriation Tax Increment Payments, and Pledging certain Tax Increment Revenue to the payment of the agreement. The agreement pertains to Vision Atlantic’s Development Project that includes more than $4.1-million in infrastructure, $48.8-million in housing development, and $10.7-million for a child development center on land the City purchased from the Comes Family Trust. That land was sold in 2022 to Vision Atlantic, for One-dollar, as part of their development proposal.
• In other action, the Atlantic City Council will act on passing a resolution that will set the date for a Public Hearing on a proposed ordinance “Vacating the street located between 3009 Palm Street and 3101 Palm Street.”
  

  Atlantic City Hall building

Following the conclusion of their regular meeting, the Atlantic City Council will hold a work session to report on issues Councilpersons encountered during their listening sessions. They will discuss those issues and come to a consensus on how to proceed with addressing the issues. The Work Session is scheduled to begin at 6:15-p.m.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold a Special Meeting at 9-a.m. Thursday in their Board Room at the Cass County Courthouse, to act on approving a resolution “Allocating the ARPA Fund Balance from the Ambulance Purchase Project toward Emergency Medical Services Training,” in the amount of $31,831.51. They will then act to pass a resolution “Allocating ARPA Funds for Cass County Libraries,” in the amount of $20,291.91.

During their regular meeting Tuesday morning, the Board had discussed and generally agreed on making the allocations, but a resolution to that effect needed to be drawn-up for an official vote. Parts of their discussion had included allocating funds for the Sunnyside Park Splash Pad and School Resource Officer (SRO) radios, but those projects do not appear in the final allotted amount resolutions.

(See below for other meeting information)

(Radio Iowa) – A model train enthusiast who grew up in the northwest Iowa town of Sanborn has donated his large, multi-train display to a museum there. Rob Balt, curator of Yesterday’s Memories & Truck Museum, says they’re thrilled to take in the extensive exhibit from Michael Johnson, who now lives in West Des Moines. “His dad worked for the railroad two generations before that, as well,” Balt says. “As he got older, he decided to start collecting Christmas houses, and then he started adding train sets to it, and it kind of expanded and expanded. For about 14 years, he put it up in his house. Well, as he got closer to 80, he decided, ‘I just don’t want to do this every year.’”

KICD photo

Johnson is a 1963 graduate of Sanborn Community High School. He and his wife decided they wanted the display to be available to a larger group than just family and friends. Plus, it had grown to be a huge undertaking. Balt says Johnson had to make several trips to Sanborn to bring up and assemble the complete display. “He’s come up here for about three days at a time, and he’s made about seven trips, so quite a bit of time, because it’s on platforms,” Balt says. “He expanded it a little bit and had to cut a few things, and he put a plexiglass divider along the front so the kids couldn’t grab it.”

The museum is hosting a free open house on Wednesday from 5 to 8 PM to promote the new exhibit, and Johnson will be there to answer questions.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are dreaming of a white Christmas, may have to head further north. National Weather Service meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff says the long-range forecast now reaches December 25th, and it does -not- appear there will be any measurable snowfall on the ground during the middle of next week. “We’re looking at chances for above-normal temperatures,” Hagenhoff says, “so while we can’t completely rule out an outlier event with some snow in there, it certainly looks unlikely that we’ll have a white Christmas this year.” While school kids and anyone with nostalgic memories of snowy holidays may be disappointed, the news is likely welcome for anyone who will have make a long drive, but Hagenhoff says there’s still a chance of snow, though it’s slim.

“At this point, it’s hard to pin down what exactly the temperatures will look like, but this time of year, average temperatures are in the mid to upper 30s across the area,” Hagenhoff says. “So if we’re looking at above-normal temperatures, we could certainly see temperatures in the 40s or maybe close to 50, depending on how the pattern plays out as it gets a little closer.”

NWS graphic

Scattered snow is in the forecast for tomorrow (Thursday), but little accumulation is expected, and whatever snow does fall is likely to melt before the 25th, if temperatures warm.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Two people were arrested on separate charges Tuesday night, in Montgomery County. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports 44-year-old Lisa Mae Harper, of Osceola, was arrested at around 7:25-p.m., following a traffic stop at Highway 34 and 200th Street, east of Red Oak. Harper was charged with Driving Under Suspension. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $491.25 bond.

And, at around 8:30-p.m., Tuesday, Red Oak Police arrested 41-year-old Tracy Ross Cowen, of Red Oak, for Disorderly Conduct (A Simple Misdemeanor). He was taken into custody in the 200 block of E. Prospect Street,and held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Neola, Iowa) – A man from Minnesota man suffered serious injuries during a single-vehicle crash Monday morning on westbound Interstate 80 near Neola. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 63-year-old Michael Knutti, of Ely, MN, was driving a 2004 Ford Ranger, when the pickup went out of control and struck a guardrail before coming to rest in the median. The accident happened at around 7:15-am., at around mile marker 28.

The accident was one of several that occurred in western Iowa due to wet roads that quickly changed to a sheet of ice as temperatures suddenly dropped from around freezing to just below freezing.

Knuutti was flown by helicopter Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha. The crash partially blocked the inside line until emergency crews cleared the scene.

(Clive, Iowa) – Police in Clive took to social media, Tuesday, to warn anyone who may have dropped-off mail at the West Suburban Post Office in Clive Sunday night into Monday morning, will want to follow up with the addressee. Authorities said a mail dropbox was vandalized, and mail was stolen. The incident happened sometime between 5:30-p.m. Saturday and 7-a.m. Monday, when employees got to work.

Police are working with Postal Service inspectors and local businesses to find the person responsible. If you think your mail has been stolen, you’re asked to contact Clive Police.

Theft or possession of stolen mail is a federal offense punishable by a $250,000 fine and five years in Federal Prison.

(Ogden, Iowa) – The Ogden Police Department posted pictures to social media, Tuesday, of damage to the cemetery property in Ogden. The pictures show obvious tracks where a vehicle or vehicles have torn through the grass in several areas. Chief Ethan Bailey said:

“This is unacceptable. Last year we had an issue with someone tearing up the south lot of the Glenwood Cemetery. People traveling to visit the final resting places of their loved ones were greeted with senseless acts of vandalism. Unfortunately, it has happened again. Not only is this a criminal act, it is beyond disrespectful.”

Chief Bailey said also, if anyone knows who is doing the damage: “Educate them on why this is wrong. Encourage them to take ownership and repair the damage done. Notify the authorities so we can address this as needed.” (Pictures via the Ogden PD Facebook page)

(Radio Iowa) – A report from the State Auditor’s Office indicates faulty computer programming in the state’s court system has been fixed for the CURRENT year, but court officials say they do not have the authority to reallocate funds to correct about 27 MILLION dollars worth of errors in previous years. Some court fines and fees are to be distributed to cities, counties and a variety of state programs, like victim services and road construction.

Lawmakers changed the formulas a few years ago, but programming errors meant the state courts were forwarding the wrong amounts. State Auditor Rob Sand held a news conference yesterday (Tuesday) about his report — and the distribution errors. “It should be fixed going forward,” Sand says. Iowa Department of Management director Kraig Paulsen says court officials recently told him they believe the problem has been fixed.

“They’re still going through testing, so it hasn’t been finalized,” Paulsen says. “Until we have an audit, it’s hard to know for sure anyway.” Sand says court officials recently sent his office the data about where the funds had been misdirected. “They are accurate. This is the actual number for how much this account has been over-funded and how much that account has been underfunded,” Sand says. “Now that we know that, the legislature can make those adjustments.” Paulsen, the governor’s budget director, says the auditor’s office needs to dig deeper.

“Can we actually say that everythng is 100% correct? I don’t think so,” Paulsen says, “because I’m not even sure we have looked at it going back far enough yet.” Paulsen, a former Republican legislator, and Sand, the only Democrat in statewide office, have been publicly feuding about the situation since October. Paulsen says Sand failed to notify the executive branch once Sand’s office was told there might be a problem.

Sand says Paulsen’s office knew D-O-T funding was affected before the auditor’s office learned of it.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Council Bluffs man was sentenced today (Tuesday) to 180 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to public court documents, in December 2023, law enforcement identified Dennis Earl Page, Jr., 56, as the driver of a truck that struck a parked vehicle in Council Bluffs. A search of Page’s person and truck resulted in the seizure of approximately 14 grams of methamphetamine, 32 grams of marijuana, a loaded pistol, ammunition, and cash. Page was convicted of methamphetamine delivery charges in January 2018 and again March 2018 in the Iowa District Court for Pottawattamie County, and was discharged from state parole in August 2022.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Page will be required to serve an eight-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department and Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force.