(Radio Iowa) – It is the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Europe. Iowa Goldstar Museum curator Mike Vogt says Iowans participated in many different phases of what is the largest military amphibious landing in history. He says the war was the first time many of them had traveled out of the state, and they were very young with the average age of a World War Two soldier was about 21-22 years old. One of the soldiers, John Marshall, wasn’t in the fight long after parachuting into Normandy with the 82nd Airborne Division. Vogt says Marshall landed and looked up and there was a German soldier there. Marshall spent the rest of World War Two in a German prison camp. Vogt says D-Day was a major event in deciding the fate of the world.

“It was certainly the turning point once we had boots on the ground in Europe the invasion forces pushed inward and it was just a matter of time before Germany would be defeated,” he says.
The Goldstar Museum at Camp Dodge in Johnston has a special display on the Iowans who participated in D-Day. Vogt says some Iowans were in the very thick of combat. “Tech five Cecil Breeden from Council Bluffs, he served with company A 116th Regimental Combat Team of the 29th Infantry Division. He was wounded on Omaha Beach in the first wave on D-Day, and his unit suffered the highest losses of any U-S unit that day,” Vogt says. Another soldier from northeast Iowa took care of the wounded.

Iowa Gold Star Museum

“Captain Lawrence G Shafferly from Gladbrook, Iowa. He earned his medical degree in 1936. When the war started, he enlisted in the U-S Army, as all doctors were, he became a captain once accepted into the U-S Army,” he says. “And he went in with the first wave of D-Day at Omaha Beach, and as you can imagine as a surgeon had his hands full that day.” Other Iowans were in the air or climbing the cliffs.

“Lieutenant Blaine Swift from West Des Moines was a P-47 pilot, flew P-47 Thunderbolts. We have his log book on exhibit in our D-Day display. He has two entries for D-Day, the first says ‘first day of D-Day.’ The second line says ‘shot up trains in France.’,” Vogt says. “Another Iowan that served, first lieutenant Elmer H. Vermeer from Pella. His nickname was Dutch and he served with the Second Ranger Battalion that was assigned the daunting task of assaulting the 100 foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc on the western edge of Omaha Beach. And we have on display his combat knife he strapped to his leg that day.”

The Goldstar Museum is free and open to the public.

(Neola, Iowa) – An accident this (Wednesday) afternoon in Neola claimed the life of a child. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2024 Chevy Equinox driven by 67-year-old Rebecca Wood, of Walnut, was slowly moving through the parking lot of the Kum & Go, past the fuel pumps, when a two-year-old toddler from Omaha ran across the path of the vehicle and was struck. The accident happened at around 2:30-p.m.

The toddler was transported to Mercy/UNMC in Omaha by Neola Fire/Rescue, but died from their injuries. The name of the child was not immediately released.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening (June 5th), set the dates for citizens to use fireworks over the Independence Day Holiday. By a vote of 6-to 1, with Councilman Gerald Brink voting no, the Council set Wednesday, July 3rd through Saturday, July 6th, from Noon until 11-p.m. each day, as the dates and times for fireworks to be allowed within the City Limits.

Brink said he had received comments from people who wanted the fireworks to be reduced to two nights only. Councilperson Emily Kennedy said the Community Protection Committee felt most people will have get together’s over the weekend, because people do celebrate Friday and Saturday. The Council has essentially the same discussion last year at this time. According to City Ordinance (Chapter 41.13):

• A person shall only discharge a fireworks device on real property they own or on property where consent has been given.
  (1) Exceptions: Snakes, sparklers, or caps can be discharged on a public place so long as all trash, wrappers, and wires are properly disposed of.
• Sky lantern open flame devices are not permitted to be released within the city limits, except if tethered by a retrievable rope so long as the person discharging has control over the sky lantern.
• No fireworks of any time shall be discharged within 300 ft. of any Public school building, assisted living facility, or hospital.

Any person who violates the provisions of the fireworks discharging ordinance or without reckless intent causes injury, property damage or a fire shall be guilty of a scheduled municipal infraction punishable by a $250 fine in addition to established court costs. Persons who violates the discharging fireworks ordinance after having been found guilty of a previous municipal infraction involving fireworks shall be cited for a municipal infraction with a fine of $600 plus associated court costs.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council heard from officials with Vision Atlantic with regard to a proposal to utilize Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for the Camblin Hills Development and Child Development project. During their meeting on May 15th, the Council adopted a resolution to sell City-owned property purchased from the Comes Family Trust in 2022, to Vision Atlantic for the sum of One-dollar, in exchange for what City Administrator John Lund says is “A tremendous amount of capital investment into the area”: More than $4.1-million in infrastructure; $48.8-million in housing, and a $10.7-million child development center on the land. Part of the proposal includes a TIF rebate not to exceed $10.5-million over a period of 15-years. Lund says “This would be the largest project, and the largest multi-entity partnership ever seen in Atlantic’s history. The scale of capital investment is enormous.”

Atlantic City Council mtg., 6/5/24

Following discussion, the Council acted on approving on an Order allowing for a Low-to-moderate Income (LMI) Reduction Waiver Request to be filed with the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), on behalf of Vision Atlantic and the aforementioned development project.

The Council also approved a Professional Services Agreement with Snyder & Associates (at a cost of $25,000), for a Downtown Treescape Improvement Master Plan, which includes options, public engagement and Budget estimates.

The Council set June 19th at 5:30-p.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on an Amended FY2024 Budget. The hearing takes place in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall.