(Atlantic, IA) – The Cass County Tourism Council’s annual meeting will be held at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Wednesday February 4th 9AM. The schedule is four meetings per year, with meetings at 9:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of the following months: February, May, August and November. Meetings will take place at the Atlantic Chamber unless otherwise noted, this will also be published on the Council’s webpage at: https://www.casscountyia.gov/county-departments/tourism/ . A new slate of officers will be elected for the 2026 year.

According to a report from Travel Iowa, the economic impact of visitors in Iowa is significant, including our own Cass County! Visitor spending in the State of Iowa for 2024 (the most current economic impact statement) was a whopping $7.5Billion, a 2.8% increase over 2023. We (Cass County) had $2.84 Million in Sales and Lodging tax collected in 2024. Sales and Lodging tax collected in 2024 in Cass County was slightly lower, as well as our total growth rate over all for 2024 was 5% lower. Our Retail and Transportation spending was higher in Cass County in 2024. Despite the losses, our share of the state in visitor spending remained the same. In Cass County, local sales taxes collected amounted to over $1,100,000! And state sales taxes collected in Cass County for the year was $1,620,000! Tourism is much more than fun and games…it means business!

“This year’s numbers reflect the continued strength of our tourism economy and the enduring appeal of our state’s destinations,” said Amy Zeigler, manager of the Iowa Tourism Office. “To keep this momentum going, we’ll continue to focus on understanding the evolving motivations of today’s travelers and helping Iowa communities connect with them in the most impactful ways.” The entire report is available at traveliowa.com.

If you’re interested in the future of Tourism in Cass County, please plan to attend the next Tourism Committee meeting Wednesday, February 4, 9:00 a.m. at the Atlantic Chamber.

DES MOINES, IOWA [Submitted by an Atlantic FFA reporter] —On Wednesday January 21st 6 members of the Atlantic FFA Chapter along with FFA members from across Iowa converged on the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines to build character and promote citizenship, volunteerism, and patriotism.

Atlantic FFA members Lauren Comes, Maddy Anderson, Hayden Kleen, Keston Schmitt, Frank Freund and Kayedance Sturm along with more than 500 high school students wearing blue corduroy from 88 schools visited the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines on January 21st. The students visited with legislators, exhibited skills learned in the agriculture classroom and learned the importance of citizenship. This was all part of the 41st Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol.

Left to right: Lauren Comes, Kayedance Sturm, Frank Freund, Maddy Anderson, Senator Shipley, Hayden Kleen, Keston Schmitt

Atlantic FFA members met with Senator Tom Shipley to discuss a variety of topics ranging from school funding to Eminent Domain and how it could affect Iowa agriculture. Representative Moore was unable to meet with us due to a committee meeting, but we did meet with his clerk Ella Stafford to discuss a few different legislative topics and how an FFA member could become a Clerk or Page in the future.

During the morning, FFA members gathered at the Downtown Embassy Suites for a brief greeting and tutorial. The program provided opportunities for FFA members to hear from Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, about the importance of agriculture in Iowa and abroad. Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Vice President, Brian Feldpausch, then delivered a message about the importance young agriculturalists can play in the agriculture industry. Jake Swanson from High Yield Strategies then spoke about the importance of advocating for the agricultural industry.

Seated Lauren Comes. Back row left to right: Frank Freund, Hayden Kleen, Keston Schmitt, Maddy Anderson Kayedance Sturm

The 41st Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol was made possible with support from Iowa Farm Bureau Federation through the Iowa FFA Foundation.

(Photos submitted w/the story)

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has completed a five-day tour of some of the sites in the Middle East where nearly 18-hundred Iowa National Guard soldiers are deployed. Reynolds and Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Stephen Osborn went to Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait. Reynolds presented the Purple Heart to an Iowa soldier who was wounded in the ambush in December that killed two Iowa soldiers. She also visited airmen deployed from a unit in Sioux City who provided medical care to Iowans after the attack. Reynolds praised their service last week during a speech to legislators.

Reynolds said “…Iowans taking care of Iowans, all in service of their country. Our State could not be prouder.” The two Iowa soldiers who were critically wounded are receiving outpatient care. The two soldiers who were killed were laid to rest in Iowa in late December.

In a recent speech to state lawmakers, Major General Osborn said the deployed Iowa soldiers are contributing to stability in the Mideast.

Osborn says most of the 18-hundred Iowa National Guard soldiers who are currently deployed in the Middle East are part of a unit based in Boone.

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Senate candidate Josh Turek of Council Bluffs says Thursday’s 53rd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America is a reminder that change can happen quickly. “I think there’s a generational chance for us to be able to actually win back elections and take back the House and take back the Senate,” Turek said. “And I think that gives us hope to actually see real change in being able to codify Roe v Wade.” Turek, who is currently a member of the Iowa House, held a round-table discussion yesterday (Thursday) with a Des Moines-based O-B-G-Y-N, two state legislators and two women who are former Planned Parenthood administrators.

Turek says Iowa’s six week abortion ban is contributing to the state’s health care crisis because it’s made Iowa a challenging and unattractive place for O-B-G-Y-Ns to practice. “I’ll tell you this that the single issue that I have heard the most in knocking doors and representing the reddest district in the state, the only issue actually that I found is unanimously supported is that our health care system is fundamentally broken,” Turek said. Turek says voters are worried about access to health care services – including abortion — as well as prescription drug prices, the closure of rural nursing homes and health care facilities and the skyrocketing premiums for over tens of thousands of Iowans who no longer qualify for Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies.

Turek faces a June Primary against fellow Democrats Zach Wahls of Coralville and Nathan Sage of Knoxville who are also running for the U.S. Senate. President Trump has endorsed Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson’s campaign for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by fellow Republican Joni Ernst.

(Clarinda, IA) – Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says with the weather forecast for tonight into Saturday morning indicating a probability of accumulating snowfall, the Clarinda Police Department would like to remind the citizens of Clarinda about the snow ordinance.

The ordinance states “No person shall park any motor vehicle or other apparatus upon any street of the city that will obstruct the removal of snow when there has been an accumulation of two inches or more of snow or ice. Any vehicle left parked on any street in violation of this ordinance may be impounded, and the registered owner of the vehicle will be subject to a $30.00 parking fine, and payment of all applicable towing and storage fees before the vehicle is released.”

The parking ban remains in effect until the snow ceases to fall, and the streets have been plowed from curb to curb.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court is upholding a district court ruling that says Iowa can sue the operators of the TikTok app for allegedly lying about its safety for kids. The state sued TikTok operators under the Iowa Consumer Frauds Act saying they kept a “12-plus” age rating on the app despite the presence of mature and age-inappropriate content. TikTok argued their terms of service agreement is a nationwide contract not directed specifically at Iowa customers.

The Supreme Court ruling says TikTok has entered ongoing contractual relationships with hundreds of thousands of Iowa residents where they actively curate content for users and in exchange they extract valuable data. It says intentionally conducting business within a state comes with the protection of the state’s laws, and the burden of being hauled into court to answer for misconduct related to its operations.

(Radio Iowa) – Case New Holland is laying off more than 200 workers at its plant in Burlington which makes construction equipment. Burlington Mayor Jon Billups says they worked hard to get the company to stay there. “We reached out to the state leaders, and everybody was trying to keep them here,” he says. Billups says the plant has been a point of pride for the Burlington community for generations.

“It stinks, because we’ve had years of investment in their plant, both as a city and as a state, and it’s just heartbreaking for the families that are going to be affected,” Billups says. The employees were given notice earlier this week and Iowa WARN says the layoffs will take effect in April and May. Case New Holland said its reason for the layoffs was a significant drop in loader backhoe demand. “I get they’re not selling as many backhoes as they used to, but they’re selling other equipment we could be manufacturing for them, and they’ve got a perfectly good plant here with a fantastic workforce, and they’re not taking advantage of it,” Billups says.

Local leaders and members of the United Auto Workers had been trying to convince the company to keep the plant open. U-A-W President Shawn Fain called the closure an example of corporate greed.

DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man was sentenced January 20, 2026, to three years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Areion Marshaun Watson, 29, possessed a loaded pistol, which was recovered during a traffic stop. Watson fled on foot from the passenger’s seat during the stop. He was prohibited from possessing firearms because he was convicted of a felony, including a 2020 conviction for felon in possession of a firearm in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

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

United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Davenport Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

(Radio Iowa) – In an update to our previous report on KJAN, the Iowa Republican Party has revealed President Trump will be speaking in a Des Moines suburb next week. The Iowa Republican Party’s Facebook page says Trump will be speaking in Clive on Tuesday afternoon. Trump’s chief of staff has indicated the speech will be focused on the economy and will kick-off weekly events to bolster Republican efforts to retain majority control of congress in the 2026 General Election.

The venue for Trump’s Tuesday appearance was the site of the Iowa Republican Party’s 2024 State Convention and is owned by David Barker, an Iowa City real estate developer who is a former economist for the Federal Reserve who moved back to Iowa in 1994 Barker is now serving in the Trump Administration as the U.S. Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary for Post-secondary Education.