(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Community School District (ACSD) today (Tuesday), say conversations are continuing with the Nishna Valley YMCA and others, with regard to the announcement earlier this year, that ACSD intends to utilize district-owned space the Ann W. Wickman Daycare Center is currently using as an infant room, effective this December. The YMCA oversees the daycare center.

Towards the end of the 2023 school year, former ACSD Superintendent Steve Barber relayed communication on behalf of the ACSD School Board and ACSD District to Dan Haynes, the Executive Director of the YMCA which oversees the Ann Wickman Daycare Center. The communication outlined the need for ACSD to utilize the district-owned space that the daycare center was currently using, for the ‘baby room’.  ACSD is expanding its growing 3 year old preschool program which has shown positive results as well as an expressed need from the community for additional spaces within the program. The District says both sides know a resolution to the situation is of top priority.

School officials say both the Atlantic Community School District and the Ann Wickman Center have experienced exceptional growth over the past several years. The pressure points of growth are often just that for any organization – pressure to make adjustments, and ACSD and Ann Wickman are no exception. The District welcomed Dr. Beth Johnsen as the new Superintendent as of July 1, 2023.  One of her first items of priority, was jumping-in to connect with Dan Haynes, and Diana Williams Ann Wickman, Daycare Director. The goal  is to find a collaborative way forward that allows for the needs of both entities to be met.

ACSD Superintendent Beth Johnsen says “It’s paramount we find a way forward that is viable for both entities. Upon taking over as ACSD’s Superintendent, I immediately requested to sit down with Dan Haynes. During this meeting we began what I believe will be a strong partnership, talked through previous communications regarding this situation and started a collaborative conversation on potential ways forward.”

Dr. Johnson said also, “I look forward to continuing to work with Dan and the staff at Ann Wickman, along with my ACSD Staff and our School Board to find a positive resolution to these growth pains for both our Atlantic school district and Ann Wickman. In doing so, our collaborative relationship will continue to grow and it will allow us to both continue serving the next generation of Atlantic residents. That’s a goal I think the whole community can support!”

Additional details will be shared as they are confirmed.

Dallas County, Iowa – The Communities of Booneville and Van Meter are rallying around a beloved Booneville resident who lost her mobile home and pets, during a fire Saturday night. All that remained were a few family photos.

Joann Hanson works as a cook at University Preschool, in Van Meter. Her co-workers came out to help her on Monday.

After the fire Saturday night, phones were ringing though the night and into Sunday between workers at University Kids. They felt they should do something for their co-worker. Her co-workers were busy sorting through her photos trying to save what they could on Monday. Also they assisted her in getting in touch with the Red Cross.

A Go Fund Me page has been launched to help Joann Hanson getting through the fire.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A Montgomery County man was arrested on a Pottawattamie County warrant, Monday evening. Police in Red Oak say 27-year-old Dylan Elwood Taylor, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 6:15-p.m. near S. 2nd and Short Streets, in Red Oak. He was wanted for Domestic Abuse Assault w/injury or mental illness – 1st Offense. Taylor was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

BLOOMFIELD, Iowa – On July 26, 2023, at the request of Bloomfield Police Chief Zach Dunlavy, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Iowa State Patrol began an investigation into a non-fatal officer-involved shooting that occurred in Bloomfield that evening.

On July 26, at 9:32 p.m., Bloomfield Police Officer Jared Wittmaack, an officer with three years of law enforcement experience, stopped an erratic driver in the 400 block of East Arkansas Avenue. While Officer Wittmaack was speaking with the driver, a 17-year-old male approached the traffic stop from a nearby home. During a verbal and physical confrontation, Officer Wittmaack fired his duty weapon, striking the male.

The male was transported to a local hospital and then airlifted to a Des Moines hospital for further treatment. He is expected to make a full recovery. Officer Wittmaack was treated at a local hospital and released. He remains on critical incident leave.

This is an ongoing investigation. A complete report will be filed with the Davis County Attorney for review and determination.

(Radio Iowa) – A new report has found 33 Iowa counties are considered maternity care deserts. The report from the March of Dimes defines a maternity care desert as a county with no OB/GYNs and no hospital with a maternity ward. Jessica Dill, a manager with the March of Dimes, says Medicaid reimbursement rates play a big part in why many rural hospitals are closing their labor and delivery units.

“Hospitals can’t afford to stay open in places where the majority of families are coming to them with just Medicaid and not private care insurance,” Dill says. The state’s Medicaid program covered more than 40 percent of the births in Iowa in 2021. Mothers and babies in maternal care deserts face higher risk of poor health outcomes according to the March of Dimes report.

“Issues related to birth, maternal morbidity rates go up when families have to drive more than 30 minutes to get to a care provider,” Dill says. Dill says increased access to telehealth services could help give people in maternity care deserts more options to access care. The March of Dimes has found the number of babies born prematurely has increased over the past decade in Iowa.

According to the American Medical Association, the maternal death rate in Iowa more than doubled between 1999 and 2019.