Firefighters from Harlan, Shelby and Portsmouth battled the frigid weather to fight a field fire Monday night, in Shelby County. The blaze, which was caused by embers from a fire over the weekend, was reported at around 9:15-p.m., Monday, at 717 Road M-16.

Quick action by the firefighters along with assistance from the land owner who used a disc implement to create a fire line, helped to contain the blaze. According to Fire Chief Roger Bissen, the high winds could have spread the fire very quickly, but with the response of the three departments and the farmer with the disk, the fire was put out before it got out of control.

The snow cover has since improved field conditions around the area.

(KNOD)

The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education, Monday night, approved an early retirement package similar to that which was offered last year at this time. Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein says the incentive allows the district to pay a third party vendor for insurance for all of the retirees over a three year period.

Amstein says last year they offered their certified staff an early retirement package. About a dozen of the staff accepted the incentive, which saved the district about one-half millions dollars on its payroll. He says they looked at offering it this year as a means of further reducing the budget for the 2015-2016 school year.

The Atlantic School Board also discussed their Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Priorities. Amstein said the discussion was a continuation of talks held during the Board’s Oct. 27th special work session, and formal approval of those objectives.

During the Board’s October meeting, Dr. Amstein led a discussion on decision analysis using the Trego Education Forum process. He also gave the board sample budget objectives, allowing them to set parameters for budget cuts and builds structure into the decision making process. The board will first set criteria and objectives and then weight the criteria on scale from 1-10. The board chose 9 objectives and weighted them.

The objectives chosen were: Comply with state and federal mandates; minimize impact on instructional programs; minimize impact on safety; minimize impact on student learning/achievement; minimize impact on district reputation; minimize impact on upkeep of current facilities; minimize impact on instructional tech support; minimize impact on fewest numbers of students; minimize impact on ability to effectively manage programs.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) – A trial has been delayed for a 44-year-old northwest Iowa man accused of killing his mother. Court records say the trial of Jonathan Neunaber had been scheduled to begin Dec. 9. A new trial date hasn’t been set.

Neunaber has pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder in the July slaying of Esther Neunaber. Her body and that of her husband, 83-year-old Donald Neunaber, were found July 9 in the Akron home they shared with their son.

Authorities say Donald Neunaber died of natural causes. An autopsy determined that his wife died of blunt force injuries. Court documents say Jonathan Neunaber told investigators that he killed his mother on or about June 26.

DES MOINES, Iowa – A new study shows a tax credit helping many low-income working families keep more of their earnings is proving to be especially important in rural areas and small towns across Iowa, and the country. Jon Bailey, rural public policy director at the Center for Rural Affairs, is the author of the just-released Earned Income Tax Credit and Rural Households study. He says the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is one of the most effective anti-poverty policy efforts the nation has produced.

“The Earned Income Tax Credit was used by more people in rural and small towns, and small city areas than in big urban areas in the country,” he says. Bailey adds the increased use of the tax credit tracks right along with the other economic indicators that point to many rural families still struggling financially.

Nationwide, the number of those who claim the credit is less than 19 percent in metropolitan areas, versus more than 21 percent in rural areas, small towns and small cities. Bailey predicts that divide will continue to widen.

“The gap between rural areas and urban areas has been growing,” he says. “So if that trend continues, I would suspect more people are going to need to use the Earned Income Tax Credit. It’s going to be even more important.” Bailey says the increasing importance of the EITC to working families should send a message to federal policy makers to strongly consider proposals to expand its reach, making more people eligible.

(Iowa News Service)