COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – State officials say the number of human cases of West Nile virus is down compared to last year. Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, state epidemiologist and medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health, says the state had 15 human cases of the mosquito-borne disease as of Oct. 31. There were a total of 44 human cases in the state in 2013.

Quinlisk says the drop is connected to the weather. Total rainfall numbers were below average in May and July and just above average in June, August and September.The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports of the cases this year, eight people were hospitalized. There were no reported deaths.

No injuries were reported following a collision Monday afternoon, in Creston. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says vehicles driven by 22-year old Garrett Schneider and 56-year old Patricia Kralik, both of Creston, collided at around 4:45-p.m., when Kralik failed to yield at the intersection of Maple and Summit Streets.

Damage from the collision amounted to $6,000. Kralik was cited for Failure to Obey a Traffic Control Device.

No injuries were reported following a rollover accident this (Tuesday) morning, about two-miles south of Stanton. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a pickup driven by 18-year old Jacob Baker, of New Market, was traveling north on O Avenue at around 8:10-a.m., when the vehicle began to slide on the icy roadway. The 1999 Chevy Silverado pickup entered the west ditch and rolled onto its top, causing an estimated $6,500 in damage. No citations were issued.

Deputies were assisted at the scene by crews from the Stanton Fire and Rescue Department and Bates Towing.

Congress returns to work this week after a long recess. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s confident he and his colleagues will tackle several issues in the short time remaining before year’s end, items ranging from the federal budget to funding fights against Ebola and ISIS. Grassley, a Republican, says he hopes for cooperation between Congress and the White House.  “I think that President Obama should work with Congress,” Grassley says. “We can do things without him but it’s a lot easier to do things with him.”

Grassley hopes President Obama was genuine in his post-election speech about wanting to accomplish a series of goals in doing the work of the American people, preaching cooperation between the executive and legislative branches of government. Grassley says, “What would he gain by vetoing bills that he might not like us to pass, whereas, if he would work with us and find consensus, he could sign bills and we could be very productive.”

When January arrives, Republicans will hold a majority of seats in both the U-S House and, for the first time in eight years, the Senate. Democratic Senator Harry Reid will no longer be the majority leader, which Grassley says clears a path for progress. “At least the Republican Congress is going to be able to move the ball down the court,” Grassley says. “Reid stood in opposition to it as evidenced by 380 bills passing the House of Representatives not being considered in the Senate.”

The lame duck session of Congress opens tomorrow (Wednesday) after a six-week break for the elections. Grassley says the priorities include a budget bill that will carry the federal government beyond the temporary spending measure which expires December 11th, as well as considering nominees for a new Attorney General and several judicial posts.

(Radio Iowa)

Celebrating 50 years of business, Schuler Manufacturing hosted an Atlantic Area Ambassadors visit last week. The family owned business was started back in 1964 by Dorland Schuler.

Pictured: Dorland Schuler, Jordan Schuler, Don Schuler, Gerald Brink, Pat McCurdy, Chip Hansen, Rich Perry, Nedra Perry, Crystal Christensen, Ouida Wymer, Tammy Waters, Sara Nelson, Renee Wilson, Dr. Mitch Peerbolte, Janet Cappel, Diane Gipple, Carole Schuler, JoAnn Runyan, Sue Muri, Keith Leonard, Dolly Bergmann, Arlene Drennan, Russel Joyce, Don Johnson, Scott Steffens, Joanne Mueller.

Schuler Mtg. specializes in the production of feed mixers, feed wagons and other contracted manufacturing services. The Ambassadors toured Schuler’s facility and learned about the production of Schuler products, learning about Schuler products used across the Midwest and throughout the world.

Firefighters from Harlan, Shelby and Portsmouth battled the frigid weather to fight a field fire Monday night, in Shelby County. The blaze, which was caused by embers from a fire over the weekend, was reported at around 9:15-p.m., Monday, at 717 Road M-16.

Quick action by the firefighters along with assistance from the land owner who used a disc implement to create a fire line, helped to contain the blaze. According to Fire Chief Roger Bissen, the high winds could have spread the fire very quickly, but with the response of the three departments and the farmer with the disk, the fire was put out before it got out of control.

The snow cover has since improved field conditions around the area.

(KNOD)

The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education, Monday night, approved an early retirement package similar to that which was offered last year at this time. Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein says the incentive allows the district to pay a third party vendor for insurance for all of the retirees over a three year period.

Amstein says last year they offered their certified staff an early retirement package. About a dozen of the staff accepted the incentive, which saved the district about one-half millions dollars on its payroll. He says they looked at offering it this year as a means of further reducing the budget for the 2015-2016 school year.

The Atlantic School Board also discussed their Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Priorities. Amstein said the discussion was a continuation of talks held during the Board’s Oct. 27th special work session, and formal approval of those objectives.

During the Board’s October meeting, Dr. Amstein led a discussion on decision analysis using the Trego Education Forum process. He also gave the board sample budget objectives, allowing them to set parameters for budget cuts and builds structure into the decision making process. The board will first set criteria and objectives and then weight the criteria on scale from 1-10. The board chose 9 objectives and weighted them.

The objectives chosen were: Comply with state and federal mandates; minimize impact on instructional programs; minimize impact on safety; minimize impact on student learning/achievement; minimize impact on district reputation; minimize impact on upkeep of current facilities; minimize impact on instructional tech support; minimize impact on fewest numbers of students; minimize impact on ability to effectively manage programs.

The area’s first snowfall of the season wasn’t too impressive, but the drop in temperature was. Atlantic topped out at 61-degrees during the mid-day hours on Monday, but by 3-p.m., the temperature had plunged almost 20 degrees, and by 5-p.m. we were at 33 here at the KJAN studios, your official National Weather Service reporting site for Atlantic. Our 24-hour low at 7-a.m. today, was 18.

Snowfall overnight included .3″ (three-tenths of an inch) at KJAN. The National Weather Service says Denison and Carroll both reported one-half inch of snow, while Jefferson recorded eight-tenths of an inch. Rockwell City had one-inch of snow.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) – A trial has been delayed for a 44-year-old northwest Iowa man accused of killing his mother. Court records say the trial of Jonathan Neunaber had been scheduled to begin Dec. 9. A new trial date hasn’t been set.

Neunaber has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in the July slaying of Esther Neunaber. Her body and that of her husband, 83-year-old Donald Neunaber, were found July 9 in the Akron home they shared with their son.

Authorities say Donald Neunaber died of natural causes. An autopsy determined that his wife died of blunt force injuries. Court documents say Jonathan Neunaber told investigators that he killed his mother on or about June 26.

With Ric Hanson.

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