Visitors to the Cass County Courthouse in Atlantic will be limited to one point of entry in the near future. Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren asked the Board of Supervisors about courthouse security during their meeting this (Wednesday) morning. Supervisor Gaylord Schelling said the same matter came up during a recent meeting of the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC). Schelling said at the ISAC meeting, it was suggested courthouses be limited to one access point for the public, so the areas where a potential active shooter can enter is limited and easily observable.

The Board, Sheriff, and Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon agreed the best plan is to make the rear double-doors to the courthouse as the only access point. All other doors will be locked, and signs will be posted on those no-access doors to alert the public. The two, south entrance doors are visible from a security camera that’s monitored in the Communications Center.

As part of an “Active Shooter” scenario designed to alert courthouse staff to the sound of gunshots on each level of the building, Supervisor Gaylord Schelling went to each floor and fired a “Starter’s Pistol,” that replicated that type of situation. He fired one shot on each floor Wednesday morning, beginning with the third floor.
Shot1 :03

The sound was clearly audible on the second floor. Another shot was fired on the second floor, where the courtroom and other legal offices are located. The third shot was fired on the Main floor, where the Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder and Clerk of Courts offices are found. Regardless of where the shot rang out, it clearly echoed throughout the building. Other measures will be taken to ensure the safety of courthouse personnel, such as reinforcing some offices and the use of “Safe Rooms,” some of which are already available.

GREENFIELD, Iowa (AP) – School officials have issued an apology to victims of a 2011 hazing incident at a Greenfield high school. The apology came as part of a settlement Tuesday from the incident in the high school’s wrestling room.

Two students were originally charged with second-degree sexual abuse, but the charges were reduced to first-degree harassment. According to online court documents, the students pleaded guilty to the harassment charges.

KCCI-TV reports the apology by Nodaway Valley Community School District was issued by superintendent Casey Berlau. He said in the statement that the district wants to apologize to the victims and their families for the assault that occurred while they were in the wrestling program.

Berlau said the district is making efforts to ensure another incident will not occur.

A Creston Woman reported the theft of a FedEx package from her home at 601 E. Page Street on November 13th sometime between 11:55am and 5:32pm that day. The package contained an Ipod Nano and the loss was estimated at $140. The Creston Police Department took the report at 5:20pm Tuesday, November 18th.

Progress is being made in reducing the number of preterm births in Iowa, as the state earned a grade of “B” in this year’s report card from the March of Dimes. The report shows the national preterm birth rate is now at 11.4 percent. In Iowa, it’s a little lower at 11.1 percent, although Michelle Gogerty, state director of programs and advocacy with the state chapter of the March of Dimes says, “We have a long way to go. Our goal is for every baby to get a healthy start in life,” says Gogerty. “We won’t stop until we eliminate this problem and certainly, we’re striving for an “A” on the report card.”

Gogerty says the goal is to reduce the preterm birth rate to 9.6 percent or lower by 2020. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death, and babies who survive often face the risk of serious and sometimes lifelong health issues. Gogerty notes they often also spend the first weeks or months of their lives hospitalized in intensive care.

“We have some babies that are March-of-Dimes families that have had medical bills over a million dollars,” says Gogerty. “So, it’s huge in comparison to a normal, healthy birth.” Often, the specific cause of premature birth isn’t clear, but factors that may increase the risk include smoking, some infections and chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

(Iowa News Service)

More than 12-hundred people representing most of Iowa’s 340-some school districts will be gathering in Des Moines today (Wednesday) for the Iowa Association of School Boards convention. Members of the Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will attend the convention Thursday, from 7:30-a.m. to 9-p.m.

Association spokeswoman Tracy Bainter says this 69th annual convention will center on how the internet and various computer advances have changed the modern classroom.Bainter says, “We’re going to be focusing on all of the changes in technology and the opportunities that unlocks for students, staff and education leaders like school board members.”

Bainter says technology continues to evolve and so does the way students learn.  “We’re looking at being able to connect with students in their homes,” Bainter says. “For their homework, they’re able to connect with schools all around the country. If they’re doing a report on European history, they can connect with a museum in Europe to learn first-hand from historians.”

One of the convention speakers is a “futurist” who will be talking about a re-imagining of the entire concept of school, while there will be a range of workshops during the three-day event.  “We’re going to have some on technology, we’re going to have some on school finance, which is always an important issue for school board members,” Bainter says. “We’ll have a few on legislative issues that are coming up. We’re going to talk with working with a variety of personalities and creating a cohesive team on a school board.”

The convention runs through Friday at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Learn more at www.ia-sb.org.

(Radio Iowa)