HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) — A judge has set a February trial starting date for a Charles City man’s second sex abuse trial. Court records say the new date of Feb. 20 was set Thursday for 61-year-old Douglas Lindaman, who’s pleaded not guilty to a sex abuse charge. The trial had been scheduled to begin Oct. 30 in Franklin County, where the trial had been moved because of pretrial publicity. But he was granted a continuance.

Lindaman was sentenced last year to 10 years. The Iowa Supreme Court later vacated the conviction, because Lindaman was allowed to represent himself without knowingly waiving his right to an attorney. Lindaman is accused of performing a sex act on a 17-year-old without the boy’s consent. Lindaman was running for a school board spot when arrested in 2015.

Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce remind area residents that the annual Lighted Parade will fill downtown Atlantic with holiday cheer this Saturday, December 2nd, beginning  at 6-p.m. Each float will have a holiday theme, lighting and music. Awards will be given for: Best Overall, Best Holiday Spirit, presented by McCurdy Investments and Twinkle Twinkle, presented by Atlantic Feedwater Systems.

AtlantiCash will be given for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Winners will be notified before the parade. Fireworks, sponsored by A.M. Cohron & Son and Meyer & Gross Real Estate, kick off the Christmas magic over the Rock Island Depot, starting at 6 PM.

Before the parade, Santa will be in his Cabin at City Park from 3 – 5:30 PM. Santa’s Reindeer as well as free Carriage Rides will also be at City Park from 3 – 5:30 PM. Santa’s Cabin is presented by the Atlantic Rotary Club.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber stopped by the KJAN Studios, Thursday, to talk about “SAVE,” funds for which were appropriated by the Iowa Legislature in 2008. He says SAVE is an acronym for Secure and Advanced Vision for Education. It was previously known as LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) and SILO (School Infrastructure Local Option) tax. It originated at the County Level and eventually became the Statewide penny on purchases that’s used for school districts. Barber says the Atlantic School District has benefited from the sale tax fund to upgrade its facilities and technology. It’s even been used to purchase 11 buses (six of which are propane), four cars, and two suburban’s, along with property upkeep equipment, such as mowers and a utility tractor.

From 2009 through 2017, the District has received SAVE monies amounting to slightly more than $10.9-million. The bill is slated to sunset in 2029. Barber says School officials across the state are urging Iowa lawmakers to extend the bill to 2050. Mr. Barber says there has been conversation at the State level for the past few years with regard to extending the sunset. It’s important to continue it, according to Barber, because some of the money the district receives each year is bonded and goes toward paying for the renovation projects

He says if District patrons happen to hear talk in the news during the legislative session about “SAVE,” listen closely to what direction the conversation is going, because it’s important to maintaining District facilities and without the use of property tax money. Barber said if the SAVE funds were reduced, the Atlantic School District would have to ask more from the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL).

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Economists say a business conditions index for nine Midwest and Plains states dropped over the past month but also say it still suggests that regional economic conditions continue to improve. A report released Friday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index slipped to 57.2 in November from 58.8 in October. The September figure was 58.2 in September.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the manufacturing sector has reported consistent growth over the past several months. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth in that factor. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.