The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Board of Directors will hold their regular monthly meeting 5:15-p.m. Monday, in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. On their agenda are updates from Parks and Rec Director Seth Staashelm, with regard to the Schildberg Recreation Area Development Project, and a water quality project update at Nishna Park.

Staashelm will also discuss with the Board a proposal pertaining to Board member terms. And, in his Director’s report, Seth is expected to discuss the status of the Ice Rink, the closing of the Schildberg campground on Nov. 26th, and he’ll make a public announcement that park restrooms are closed for the season, but the parks themselves remain open for the winter.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:45 a.m. CST

GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa (AP) — Preliminary autopsy results show four people who died in a small plane crash in central Iowa earlier this month were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. Television station KCCI reports that the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office report said all the victims died from “multiple blunt force injuries in the setting of carbon monoxide toxicity.” The crash happened the night of Nov. 9 after plane passengers reported the pilot had had an apparent heart attack.

OSCEOLA, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says a pregnant woman and her 2-year-old stepson have died in a crash in south-central Iowa. Television station KCRG reports that the crash happened Friday evening in Clarke County, about 9 miles south of Osceola. The patrol says 22-year-old Bethannie Kennedy, of Osceola, was driving south on U.S. 69 when she lost control, went sideways and was broadsided by a northbound pickup truck. Kennedy and 2-year-old Michael Dohrn Jr. died from injuries received in the crash.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former northeastern Iowa high school teacher arrested in April for being drunk at work has had his teaching license suspended. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported Friday that Daniel Reisner’s license was suspended for two years by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners. He must complete at least 15 in-person class hours of an ethics course before his license is reinstated. He also received a written reprimand.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is giving up the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress. Instead, he will chair the Senate Finance Committee. That means Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina will take over the chairmanship of the Judiciary panel. Graham has become a close Trump ally and was a vocal supporter of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.

(Radio Iowa) — Democrats who’ll be serving in the Iowa House next year met Saturday and elected State Representative Todd Prichard of Charles City as their new leader. “The message was unity,” Prichard said. “Let’s work together as a team. Move the state forward. We’re looking to work with Republicans when we can, in ways that we can. We’re looking to stand on principle when we disagree.”

Prichard was re-elected to a fourth term in the Iowa House this month. He’s replacing Mark Smith of Marshalltown as House Minority Leader. Smith did not seek reelection AS A LEADER after Democrats picked up suburban seats in the Des Moines area that were held by Republicans, but failed to win enough races to regain majority control of the Iowa House. Republicans have held a majority of seats in the Iowa House since 2011.

Prichard rejects the idea he’s been elected to help Democrats rebuild the party in rural Iowa. “This isn’t an urban-rural job. This is an all-Iowa job, so we’re looking to connect with people wherever they are,” Prichard told reporters Saturday afternoon. Prichard put 40-thousand miles on his car traveling the state before abandoning his campaign for governor in the fall of 2017 and seeking reelection to the House instead.

Prichard says he’ll ask his fellow House Democrats to travel the state, too. “I’ve got to have a collaborative effort from a team of Democrats and I think when we engage all of our resources of people, people will be impressed with what the Democrats offer and what we stand for,” Pricahrd says. Prichard, who is an attorney, is also a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves, with tours of duty in Kuwait, Iraq and Egypt. Prichard is among four men and two woman who were elected to leadership roles for Democrats in the Iowa House next year.