(Atlantic, IA) – The Atlantic City Council, as part of their regular meeting Wednesday evening (Dec. 17), received Annual presentations from the Director of the Atlantic Public Library, Produce in the Park Market Manager, and a representative from the Meals On Wheels program. Library Director Michelle Andersen said the City’s Return On its Investment (ROI) in the Library, in-part, comes in the form of many different programs and events that promote literacy and opportunities to learn about new hobbies.

The Library Houses the Cass County Genealogical Society, so people can learn more about their family’s history. The Atlantic Carnegie Public Library serves as a public meeting place. It offers digital and home delivery service of printed material. Its staff attend community events, such as Produce in the Park. Michelle Andersen says the Library is supported financially by the City through property taxes, and the County, and those funds are important to keeping-up the services offered.

She mentioned also, the Carnegie Foundation has granted $10,000 to community to cities that still operate and maintain libraries established under the Andrew Carnegie name. Overall, last fiscal year, she said, the Library spent $476, 833, not including Capital Expenditures. She thanked the City for its continuing level and interest of support. Produce in the Park Market Manager Ciara Hoegh reminded the Atlantic City Council about this Saturday’s Christmas Market at the Nishna Valley YMCA in Atlantic, from 10-a.m. until Noon.

Atlantic City Council meeting 12-17-25

Produce in the Park…in partnership with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce…began in 2012 as a monthly market , and grew to a weekly market in 2013 and in 2014 a Harvest Market was added. The organization became a stand-alone own non-profit in 2020. Some year-around markets continue to be added. The City has provided PIP an annual subsidy of $8,500 since 2024, with the funds coming from the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) Progress Fund. Other funding comes from sponsors and vendors.

Hoegh said there are usually more than 30 vendors at the various markets offered throughout the year, along with opportunities to learn about new recipes and cooking from guest chefs.

There’s also more live entertainment being offered as the events continue to grow. Produce in the Park accepts SNAP cards for the purchase of qualifying items, such as produce. The Council heard also from local Meals-On-Wheels representative Sue Mosier. The City provides an Annual subsidy of $8,000 to the program, which also comes from the LOST Progress Fund. Mosier explained how the “Common Sense” program operates.

Clients are charged $3.50 per meal. Meals are prepared by the Heritage House for $4.15.

The only other funding source for fixed-income clients, is from Medicaid, if the client is on a waiver. There are currently six clients served that way. Meals On Wheels has been available in one form or another, for more than 50-years.

(Radio Iowa) – Daily commercial air service will end at the Dubuque Regional Airport next month, leaving travelers searching for alternatives. Realtor Ann Williams tells K-C-R-G T-V she uses the service monthly for work and to visit family around Chicago. “It was just the easiest way to get from here to there and then onto my next destination with no trouble at all. I’m really going to miss it,” Williams said. January 15th will be the last day passengers can board a Denver Air Connection jet at the Dubuque Regional Airport. The city of Dubuque decided not to renew the three-million dollar contract for flights after they didn’t become profitable. Williams says said the community will suffer without the flights.

“I think that would have been a time-limited investment, and what relevant city in the world these days doesn’t have an airport?,” she says. The loss of air service will affect local institutions and families. Clarke University’s Andy Bellings said losing the flights could make it tougher to bring in new students. “We recruit a lot of students from Texas, Florida, and California and it makes it really hard for them to come here and go back home,” Bellings said. Bellings said the loss of air service will also affect his family. as his daughter attends college in New York. Without daily local air service the alternative is more travel time to airports in Cedar Rapids or Chicago.

“Chicago is six hours roundtrip, inconvenient time of day. I’m older. I don’t want to drive late at night or early in the morning,” Bellings said. The airport will continue operations with the University of Dubuque Aviation program and occasional charter flights, but the passenger terminal will remain largely empty. City leaders said they are working to find ways to make daily air service sustainable in the future.

(Radio Iowa) – MidAmerican Energy is pulling the plug on a wind farm it had proposed in northwest Iowa. Woodbury County Board of Supervisors chairman Dan Bittinger says he’s been notified of the company’s decision. “They called and they said they that they are terminating all easements for that project and that the project is shutting down,” Bittinger said.

MidAmerican’s proposed Siouxland Wind Farm would have had about 60 wind turbines. At times, crowds of over 100 people had attended Woodbury County supervisors meetings to express their opposition to the project. “Thank you to all our citizens for their support and just their feedback regarding that project over the years,” Bittinger said. “That’s just a good win for the county.”

Woodbury County Supervisor Mark Nelson says the intense public debate about the project turned out to be a positive.  “Although they were trying to stop something, it was very uniting and I heard from a lot of people that they didn’t know that their neighbors or the guy down the road or that this person over here cared so much about the future of the county,” Nelson said. “And it has made a lot of friendships of people that have otherwise would have never met, or had a conversation about the future of Woodbury County.”

MidAmerican unveiled plans for the wind farm in late 2021 and began acquiring easements in early 2022. Some landowners have already received annual payments for those easements and a MidAmerican spokesman says they’ll be able to keep that money. MidAmerican owns and operates more wind energy than any other investor-owned utility in the nation. The company says it considers a number of factors when deciding whether the continue projects, including acceptance from the community and increases in costs.

(Radio Iowa) – A ceremony was held in Delaware yesterday (Wednesday) as the bodies of two Iowa soldiers who were killed Saturday in Syria were returned to American soil. Sergeant Nate Howard of Marshalltown and Sergeant Edgar Torres-Tovar of Des Moines were among the 18-hundred Iowa National Guard soldiers who deployed to the Middle East in May. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, who retired from the Iowa National Guard in 2015, flew to Germany to accompany the soldiers’ remains back to the United States.

“Members of congress typically don’t go over, but many of the people I’ve served with are serving right now in the Middle East and it was just really important that I make sure everything go well and they didn’t need to worry,” Ernst said. “I wanted the families to know that their loved ones would be cared for on their journey back to the United States.” Ernst says a handful of Iowa National Guard soldiers had accompanied the bodies of Howard and Torres-Tovar from the battlefield to Germany. Two of those soldiers were on the flight from Germany to Delaware. Sergeant Howard’s brother, who’s also been serving in the Middle East, was also on the flight to Dover Air Force Base.

President Trump, Gov. Reynolds, Iowa National Guard leadership and other officials observe the dignified transfer of Sergeants Nate Howard and Edgar Torres-Tovar at Dover Air Force Base on Dec. 17, 2025. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Zach Sheely)

“He knelt down by that transfer case and wept,” Ernst said, her voice breaking with emotion. “It’s just really hard.” During yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) ceremony in Delaware, Governor Reynolds, Senator Ernst and other Iowa elected officials stood on the tarmac alongside military officials and President Trump — facing the seating area for the soldiers’ families. Ernst says watching the flag draped coffins carried off the plane was heartbreaking. “That’s when it really hits you,” Ernst said. “And I think for all of us it was a very moving and meaningful moment.”

Delaware Senator Chris Coons attends every one of the ceremonies when soldiers’ remains are flown from overseas to the Dover Air Force Base. He told Ernst yesterday (Wednesday) that it’s because often there are no elected officials present. “He said, ‘The entire time I’ve been in the senate, I’ve done this and I have never seen a group like this,'” Ernst said. “Everyone showed up. Iowa shows up. We were there for our fallen. They are our sons and we are going to take care of them and we are going to take care of their families.”

Congressman Zach Nunn of Ankeny, who served 20 years in the Air Force, was also on the tarmac for the ceremony.  “The incredible courage and heroism of young people who have stood up to defend this country and, in this case, given their all, so that their battle buddies and the home front can be safer pierced the air of being out there,” Nunn said. Nunn also visited with the families of the two Iowa soldiers. “They were so proud of the sons that they had raised, their boyfriend they had, the husband they had and that this was something they had given their life for both for their family,” Nunn said, “but because it was something bigger than themselves.”

Nunn, a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, is also a former active-duty officer in the Iowa National Guard.  “Both of these young men — they’re going to leave a gap in their community and their family,” Nunn said, “but they’re also going to leave just a really important chapter in their family’s life of what they sacrificed for those who stayed behind: our family, our friends, our community here in Iowa.” Ernst is encouraging Iowans to line the streets and salute the funeral processions for the two slain soldiers. “As we’re approaching the holiday season it’s going to be very difficult for these families. They will have a hole that wasn’t there before and so they just need to know we take their service very seriously and we appreciate their sacrifice.”

Senator Chuck Grassley, Congressman Randy Feenstra and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson also attended yesterday’s (Wednesday’s) ceremony. Feenstra says it was a solemn and deeply moving experience. Hinson says words cannot fully capture the weight of the moment or the depth of gratitude Iowans owe the slain soldiers and their families.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The newly elected Mayor of Atlantic was sworn-in this (Wednesday) evening, during a meeting of the Atlantic City Council. Current Mayor Grace Garrett issued the Oath of Office to Rob Clausen, who succeeds Garrett, who chose not to run for re-election.

Mayor Elect Rob L. Clausen, Jr., is sworn-in by Mayor Garrett.

Garrett officially became Mayor in January, 2022, after winning a run-off election in November, 2021 by a razor thin margin. She reflected back on her experiences over nearly the past four-years and what’s to come.

The Mayor extended seasons greetings to the Council and community, before closing out her elected career.

Clausen takes over the center seat on the Council’s table, effective January 1st, 2026. Also sworn-in this evening, was Jeremy Butler, who was appointed by the Council to fill the seat left vacant in September by the resignation due to health concerns, of long-time Councilman Gerald Brink. Butler was unopposed for the seat during the November 4th, 2025 elections.

Jeremy Butler is sworn-in as At-Large Atlantic City Councilman.

Incumbent 2nd Ward Councilman Jim Behrens was also unopposed in November, and was re-elected to his seat. Behrens was also sworn-in, Wednesday.

2nd Ward Councilman Jim Behrens is sworn-in by Mayor Garrett

In other business, the Atlantic City Council received reports from Atlantic Public Library Director Michelle Andersen, Produce in the Park Market Manager Ciara Hoegh, and Meals on Wheels representative Sue Mosier. We’ll have details on their reports in a later post.

And, the Council passed a resolution “Authorizing the use of a preliminary official statement for the sale of General Obligation Corporate Purpose Refunding Bonds, Series 2026.” A similar resolution was adopted April 2nd (2025) by the Council for the 2025B G.O. series.

(Red Oak, IA) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a Pottawattamie County woman was arrested today (Wednesday) on a warrant for Failure to Appear on an original – Possession of Methamphetamine/1st offense – charge. 44-year-old Heather S. Caddell, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at around 3:10 p.m.

Caddell was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Attorney General Brenna Bird says Iowa is part of a multi-state settlement with the home improvement chain Menards. A statement from the Attorney General says the settlement resolves 2020 claims the company incorrectly marketed its 11 percent rebate program.

Menards has agreed to clearly communicate the rebate limitations, and to let customers have one year from the purchase of an item to apply for the rebate. Menards has also agreed to update their online rebate tracker information within 48 hours of the application and include updates on how returns will impact a rebate. Iowa is receiving nearly 447-thousand dollars from the settlement.

Attorney’s General from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, and South Dakota also joined in the settlement.

(Radio Iowa) – President Trump, Governor Reynolds and five members of Iowa’s congressional delegation were part of a silent, somber tribute today (Thursday) to the two Iowa National Guard sergeants who were killed last Saturday in Syria.

Twenty-nine-year-old Nate Howard of Marshalltown, 25-year-old Edgar Torres-Tovar of Des Moines and a civilian interpreter from Michigan were killed by an ISIS gunman who tried to ambush a meeting of U-S and Syrian forces. Their caskets were draped in American flags and carried off a plane to a vehicle on the tarmac at Dover Air Force base, then transferred to the Air Force mortuary where they will be prepared for their final resting place.

The Iowa National Guard says throughout their journey home, Howard and Torres-Tovar are being escorted by fellow Iowa National Guard soldiers.

Governor Reynolds, U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst and U.S. Representatives Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra joined a line of military officials and President Trump who saluted as the caskets were carried off the plane. Ernst and Nunn are both former members of the Iowa National Guard.

(Radio Iowa) – A county courthouse in the northwest corner of Iowa was vandalized overnight. Lyon County officials say someone broke into the courthouse in Rock Rapids last night or early this morning and caused significant damage. Officials found broken glass and things written on the walls.

State troopers have joined the Lyon County Sheriff’s office to investigate. Officials say the courthouse will be closed to the public for the rest of the week to preserve the integrity of the crime scene and allow time for cleaning.

According to the Iowa Judicial Branch website, the courthouse in Rock Rapids was built in 1916 at a cost of nearly 110-thousand dollars. The outer walls are made of limestone lined with brick. Italian marble floors lead to the rotunda inside.

(Creston, IA) – Sheriff’s officials in Union County say a woman driving an SUV lost control of her vehicle while attempting to negotiate an ice- and snow-covered curve in the road, causing the vehicle to enter a ditch and strike a tree. The accident happened as 39-year-old Melissa Cruz, of Creston, was traveling east on 160th Street, at around 1:10-p.m., Wednesday (today).

Authorities say Cruz’ 2019 Jeep Wrangler sustained an estimated $10,000 damage. No citations were issued.