Earlier today (Friday) The Red Oak Police Department reports arresting 22-year old Christopher Michael Tyner of Red Oak for Domestic Abuse Assault and Obstruction of Emergency Communications. Tyner was transported to the Montgomery County Law Center and held on $300 cash bond.

The cause of a fire late Thursday night in Atlantic is listed as “undetermined,” but considered to be suspicious. Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees said crews responded to a reported shed/garage fire at 403 Birch Street, at around 11:55-p.m.  He said upon arrival, an attached shed was fully engulfed in flames and the garage was becoming involved.

McNees said the contents of the nearby home had been removed earlier in the day because the residence had been foreclosed on. He asks anyone who may have seen anything suspicious late Thursday night to call the Atlantic Police or Fire Department’s non-emergency numbers.

He says the contents of the shed and garage were damaged by smoke and fire, and the garage is currently structurally unsound and most likely a total loss. A dollar amount was not immediately available.

McNees said they are looking into three possible causes for the fire, including a discarded cigarette, intentional, or electrical. The latter he says, is the least likely to have been the cause. The fire spread rapidly due to the number of accelerants stored inside the shed.

The deadline to file nomination papers for the September 10^th School Board elections in Cass County has passed. The deadline was Thursday, August 1^st. Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman reports there are will be very few contested races this fall.

Here are the candidates for their respective school district boards of education:

CAM Community School District:

North District – Chuck Kinzie (incumbent); South District – Gary Dinkla (Incumbent); At Large District – Nick Kaufman (Incumbant).

Atlantic Community School District:

At Large (elect 2) – Kristy Pellett & Josh McLaren (Incumbents), & Bob Reilly.

Griswold Community School District:

District 3 – Scott C. Peterson (incumbent); District 4 – Thomas Jay Moore (Incumbent); At Large  (elect 2) – Steve Baier & Robert Peterson (Incumbents), & Denise L. Bridges.

Iowa Western Community College Director:

District #4: Scott D. Robinson (Incumbent)

There are also two Public Measures on the ballot in Cass County pertaining to Iowa Western Community College:

Public Measure B asks if the college’s Board of Directors (which serves 13 counties in western & southwest Iowa) should be authorized to continue to levy a tax not to exceed 20.25-cents per thousand dollars of assessed property value, for a period of 10-years, beginning with collection for the fiscal year ending June 30^th, 2017. The renewed tax would be used for infrastructure and equipment purchases as needed.

Public Measure C asks if voters wish to continue a levy not to exceed six-cents per thousand dollars assessed valuation, for program sharing between community colleges or for the purchase of instructional equipment. If approved the renewed tax would be in effect for 10-years, beginning with the June 30^th, 2017 collections.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education held a special meeting Thursday night at the High School, to approve contracts for new staff coming on-board for the 2013-2014 school year, and some resignations.

Superintendent Mike Amstein told KJAN News the Board elected to hire:

Jessica Brocka, as a Middle School Art Teacher. Brocka comes to the district from Adel, and has formerly taught in Arizona;  Scott Yates was hired as a Physical Education teacher at Schuler Elementary School, and Assistant Football Coach; Tina Olson was hired by the district as a part-time Home School Program teacher, to work with Linda Nichols. The Home School Program is being expanded from three-to five-days per week, according to Amstein.

The Board also hired the following as coaches: Alan Jenkins was hired as the Middle School Football and Head Boys Varsity Track Coach, and Jordan Newburgh was hired as Assistant Varsity Wrestling Coach.

The Board also accepted the resignation of Jill Pollard, Remedial reading instructor at Washington Elementary, and Brandi Nielsen, who served in the Health Services Dept. as the Schuler and Middle School Nurse.

A revised version of the new voter registration forms are now available from the Secretary of State’s office. The Iowa A-C-L-U had raised concerns about the layout of the questions on the forms. Chance McElhaney, a spokesman for the Secretary of State, says they made changes so the voter eligibility question is the first thing on the new form. “There are three easy questions that we move to the very top, ‘ are you a citizen of the United States, will you be 18 before election day, and if you’ve been convicted of a felony, have your rights been restored?’ If you answer no to any of those questions you’re not eligible to vote,” McElhaney says.

He says it should make it harder to accidentally register to vote if you’re not eligible. “Nobody wants anyone to commit a felony mistakenly. How the previous form was set up, you got to those qualifications at the very end right when you were about to sign , and we want to make sure that right up front should I be filling out this form or not,” McElhaney says.

McElhaney says county auditors, the voter registration commission, and the secretary of state collaborated on the new form. The new version of the form has passed muster with the A-C-L-U.

(Radio Iowa)

A man was struck by a truck in a construction zone near Anita this (Friday) morning. According to reports, emergency crews were called to a construction site west of Anita on Highway 6, just after 9-a.m.

The man was said to be conscious and breathing. No other details are available at this time.

(Update at 9:57-a.m.: No injuries. Property damage accident only)

Rescue crews from Atlantic and Marne have been called to an accident this (Friday) morning on Interstate 80. The accident involving two motorcycles happened at around 9:50-a.m. on I-80 westbound, about a mile west of the Marne exit. Marne and Atlantic Fire and Rescue and Medivac Ambulance were called to the scene. No other details are currently available.

The Walnut City Council, Thursday evening, received a petition from citizens opposed to the possible installation of additional stop signs along Antique City Drive. City Clerk Terri Abel said there was a petition with 108 signatures of people who are opposed to the proposal. She said also,  Iowa DOT representative Red Allen, from Atlantic, explained why stop signs should not be used for speed enforcement. The Council then decided to have a speed study conducted on Highway 83 and Antique City Drive, to come up with recommendations for possible stop sign placement. But for now, no action was taken on the addition of any such signs within the City limits.

In other business, the Walnut City Council discussed matters pertaining to signage. One of the issues they’re having is with regard to the billboard along Interstate 80. Abel says the Iowa DOT has planted bushes which have overgrown to the point where they are blocking the sign informing visitors to the State about Iowa’s Antique City. She says since the DOT isn’t too keen on taking care of the overgrowth, the City will have to try and come up with a solution.

One of the options being considered, she says, is raising the sign above the bush level, because it’s difficult to get signage along the interstate in the first place, much less going through the process to move the sign to a better location. City leaders also talked about repairing both “Welcome” signs near the City, and the possible addition of a Welcome sign on the south side of Walnut, but no action was taken.

And, the City has announced three Council seats and the Mayor’s position will be on the ballot for the November 5^th elections. By announcing the open seats, it’s hoped residents will show an interest in running for City government.

(9-a.m. News)

w/ Ric Hanson

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