Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The City of Atlantic’s enforcement of its Minimum Maintenance Code has resulted in a reduced number of dilapidated houses and community involvement in improving others over the past year, but there are some property owners who are or will be receiving “Not so friendly” notices from the City, to get perceived problems with their properties resolved. That was the word during Wednesday night’s City Council meeting, from Jon Lund, Assistant to City Administrator Doug Harris.

Lund said much of the credit for improving the look of the City, with respect to dilapidated houses, goes to Atlantic residents Pat McCurdy and Jennifer McEntaffer, as well as CADCO (The Cass-Atlantic Development Corporation. Together, they came up with a “Let’s Paint the town” idea, whereby three homes owned by low-income residents were painted. Lund says it’s hoped three more homes in disrepair can be painted this year. Lund said many local businesses and groups stepped forward to donate the paint and time for the effort. Other businesses donated food and beverages for the workers, or discounted supplies. Others businesses donated cash for the project. He says that demonstrates the best solutions to some of the problems facing the City are found in the compassion and generosity of the people, and not the government.

On a darker note, Lund said their were more complaints this past year about nuisance properties. He says more abatement notices and bills mailed to property owners who were not in compliance with the City’s Minimum Maintenance Code. When questioned by Councilman Steve Livengood about a decrease in the number of “friendly warnings” given last year as compared with the previous year, Lund said he’s not messing around with the warnings, after fair notice has been given to some repeat offenders. He said he’s jumping right to abatements.

Lund was praised by the Council for his efforts to make the process fair and logical, when it comes to identifying and warning about nuisance properties. He said “Atlantic is a good place to live. We just need to encourage some people to take a little more pride in their property.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa teenagers who want their intermediate driver’s license will have to wait a little longer under a bill signed into law by Gov. Terry Branstad. Branstad signed 13 bills into law Wednesday, including one that requires minors to have their learners permit for a year instead of the current six months. In Iowa, teenagers can get their intermediate license at age 16, and a full license at 17.

The new law also says minors with an intermediate license are only allowed to drive with one unrelated minor within the first six months of having it. But they could drive more if accompanied by a parent, guardian or driving instructor. Currently they’re allowed to drive as many passengers as there are seatbelts.

A lot in downtown Atlantic that has been on the real estate market since 2008 may be sold. During Wednesday night’s City Council meeting, it was revealed that a tentative offer has been made for site of the former Old Hotel, at 314 Walnut Street.

The lot at 314 Walnut Street owned by the City of Atlantic is for sale, and may be used for a sports bar/restaurant, office space and upscale condo’s.

Mayor Dave Jones explained why the structure was torn down to begin with a few years back.  He said it was because it was an eyesore and a dangerous, vacant building. The City had hoped to recoup the taxes it’s lost since the building was demolished and the site cleaned-up and made available for purchase.

The prospective buyer, Jacob Weitzel, told the Council he and his grandmother would like to build a structure on the site that could serve as a sports bar, restaurant, office space and upscale condominiums. Weitzel said the restaurant is sorely needed in the downtown area, due to the recent closure of the Main Street Grill on Chestnut Street and Farmer’s Kitchen, just across the street from the lot, on Walnut. He said the restaurant would “Provide customers with familiar favorites as well as diverse and modern cuisine found nowhere else in our area.” He said they would also like to enhance the downtown dining experience with “A premiere sports bar,” office space on the second floor, and six-to eight luxury condominiums, depending on how much space is available.

The offer of $30,000 for the land is $20-thousand less than the current listed price. Mayor Dave Jones said he would like the City to have the “First right of refusal” for the property, in the event the proposal failed to make it to fruition. He said the City should have the right to buy the land back if that happens, rather than having the land be resold as a parking lot or other eye sore.

Currently, the land is a trimmed, grassy area. City Councilman Shaun Shouse questioned why the City needed to “Control the offer” or attach strings to it, when it hadn’t done so previously. Councilman Chris Jimerson said the stipulation would also protect the potential property owners, in the event they didn’t have a buyer for the land if their plans don’t go through. City Attorney Dave Weidersteen will work with the prospective buyers to draw-up a purchase agreement. The next step would be a public hearing on the sale of the land, during a future City Council meeting.

A band of moderate to locally heavy snow is forecast to bring 3 to 5 inches across western to north central portions of Iowa this evening into Thursday morning. Some locally higher snow amounts are possible over far north-central portions of the state. Rain will gradually switch over to snow further southeast mid to late evening from Mason City to Denison line. All rain is expected across central to southern Iowa tonight into Thursday. Another round of snow is forecast to develop Thursday night into Friday over central and northern Iowa.

555 PM CDT WED MAY 1 2013 (SCROLL DOWN FOR ADDITIONAL COUNTY DETAILS)

AREA COUNTIES: MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS...

…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT THURSDAY…

Counties in purple are under a Winter Weather Advisory

* TIMING...RAIN WILL MIX WITH SLEET AND SNOW…THEN BECOME ALL SNOW THROUGH EVENING HOURS. SNOW WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT AND INTO THURSDAY MORNING…WITH SNOW DIMINISHING THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS ON THURSDAY.

* ACCUMULATIONS…SNOW ACCUMULATIONS COULD VARY SIGNIFICANTLY OVER SHORT DISTANCES DUE TO THE BANDED NATURE OF THE SNOW…AS WELL AS HIGHER ELEVATIONS THAT ARE SLIGHTLY COLDER AND ABLE TO ACCUMULATE MORE SNOW. STORM TOTAL SNOW OF 2 TO 5 INCHES IS POSSIBLE THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING…WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.

* OTHER IMPACTS…ROADS MAY BECOME SLUSHY AND SLICK…ESPECIALLY AFTER SUNSET WHEN THE SUN IS NO LONGER WARMING THE ROAD SURFACES. GUSTY NORTH WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH…WITH GUSTS UP TO AROUND 35 MPH…MAY CAUSE REDUCED VISIBILITY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW…SLEET…OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

COUNTIES: CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON… ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM CDT THURSDAY…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HEAVY WET SNOW…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM CDT THURSDAY.

* TIMING...RAIN WILL SWITCH TO ALL SNOW MID EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.

* STORM TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...2 TO 5 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO NEAR 2 INCHES PER HOUR CAN BE EXPECTED AT TIMES AND SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE QUICKLY.

* WINDS/VISIBILITY...NORTH WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN A HALF MILE AT TIMES WHEN THE SNOW DEVELOPS LATER THIS EVENING.

* IMPACTS…ROADS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLUSHY AS THE SNOW INTENSIFIES THIS EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

Officials in Montgomery County say a stabbing of a Red Oak woman that occurred in the early morning hours on Tuesday, turned out to be self-inflicted.Red Oak police were called to the intersection of North Broadway and West Oak streets around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. Officers found 19-year old Katty Perez lying in the street with a stab wound to the right side of her head. The woman was taken to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital, and then was transferred to Alegent Creighton Health Creighton University Medical Center by helicopter.

Perez later told personnel of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation that she had inflicted the injuries upon herself. The interviewed followed an investigation by the Red Oak Police Department and the DCI. A charge of making false reports to law enforcement may be filed at a later date on Perez. The investigation concluded around 12:25pm today (Wednesday). 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Dozens and possibly hundreds of Iowa teachers are receiving notices they could lose their jobs in the next school year.  School districts are sending layoff notices because of a deadline requiring them to notify teachers by April 30 of possible job losses.  District officials say they hope they won’t have to follow through on the job cuts, but the inability of state lawmakers to approve a general school funding level forces them to guess on their budgets for the upcoming year.

Galen Howsare, of the Iowa Association of School Boards, says the group knows of at least 83 teachers who have been sent layoff notices, and the actually figure is likely 150 to 250. This year, school funding has been mired in discussions about Gov. Terry Branstad’s proposed education reforms.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says after a more than two-year long investigation, two Pennsylvania residents who were part-owners of “Whitetail Fantasies,” a hunting guide business, have pleaded guilty to illegal deer hunting charges in Taylor County. Pursuant to a plea agreement, 48-year old David E. Ricker, of Harrisburg, Pa., pleaded guilty to one count of illegal taking of an antlered whitetail deer and one count of fraudulently obtaining a resident deer license. And, pursuant to an earlier plea agreement, 47-year old Jeffrey A. Mealey, of Dillsburg, Pa., pleaded guilty to an illegal possession of an antlered whitetail deer.

Through a jury trial, Ollie Odle Jr., of Bedford, was found guilty of two charges of aiding and abetting of illegal taking of antlered whitetail deer, based upon providing deer licenses/tags to out of state hunters. The defendants were ordered to forfeit the antlers and pay more than $22,600 in fines and liquidated damages. They are suspended from hunting or obtaining any licenses for one year.

The state of Iowa is a member of the Wildlife Violator Compact, which is an agreement between participating states that prohibits a person whose hunting or fishing privileges are suspended in one state from participating in those activities in 38 other states, including their home state of Pennsylvania.

Conservation Officer Andrea Bevington has been actively investigating cases of non-residents fraudulently obtaining resident licenses and illegally hunting game in Adams and Taylor counties. Changes in the residency laws were implemented in 2009 to identify a growing problem in Iowa of non-residents falsifying records to illegally obtain resident licenses.

Bevington said “The state of Iowa is known for their trophy whitetail deer. This natural resource attracts people from all over the United States and other countries. Unfortunately these trophies sometimes draw individuals here who exploit the resource and break Iowa laws.”