The Atlantic Chamber of Commerce reports the Atlantic business community showed First Whitney Bank they accepted the Cash Mob challenge by adding 13 new businesses to the list of participants and generating nearly $3,500 in sales in under two months. First Whitney President Paul Gude said “This is exactly what we wanted to see happen, and I would further the challenge to say, we want to see more.” Forming a partnership with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, First Whitney Bank originated the idea of handing each of their 23 employees $20 and sending them to a local small business at the same time to “mob” them with cash sales.

The Chamber’s initiative to increase Local Option Sales Tax receipts and relaunch the +5 Grow Atlantic Campaign led to the team effort for the organized events. Cash Mobs have been hosted at Robinson’s Hardware, Sweet Joy Shoppe, Cappel’s and Bonnesen’s 5 & 10 in April and May. Chamber Executive Director Megan Roberts said the calls from businesses wanting to jump on board just keep coming.  Roberts says “The Chamber membership is embracing the program wholeheartedly. “The majority of those who attend are being given the $20 from their employer to spend and most of them spend a little of their own cash on top of that.”

According to Roberts, social media like Facebook, YouTube, email marketing and photos have helped spread the word. The First Whitney Bank Cash Mob Challenge video went viral, reaching 1,900 views in three days. Roberts says the Chamber will “Officially re-launch the +5 Grow Atlantic campaign in mid-June. The original +5 Grow Atlantic campaign started in 2005-2006 with a study done by Iowa State University Economist Dave Swenson. His research showed a number of jobs would be created, and the general economy boosted if Atlantic shifted a simple 5 percent of its leaked spending back to a local business.

The City of Atlantic’s resolution to distribute Local Option Sales Tax funds stipulates 25 percent of the funds will be used for a Recreation Center Fund, 40 percent to Capital Improvement/Streets, 7 percent to Community Promotion Fund, and 28 percent to Progress Fund including industrial, housing, commercial development, sidewalks/pathways and Bull Creek Storm Sewers.

The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a man from Shelby County was sentenced Thursday to 10-years in prison on a drug charges U-S District Court Senior Judge Robert Pratt handed down the sentence against 48-year old Jon Monte Rodacker, of Harlan. Pratt sentenced Rodacker to 120 months imprisonment for manufacturing methamphetamine. The judge also ordered Rodacker to serve a five-year term of supervised release following incarceration.

On September 5th, 2012, Rodacker pled guilty to a charge of manufacturing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The charge was the result of an investigation conducted by several law enforcement agencies into the manufacturing of methamphetamine in rural areas in and around Shelby County. The investigation revealed that Rodacker was actively producing methamphetamine from as early as July of 2009, up to March 6th, 2012, using pseudoephedrine pills purchased in Iowa and Nebraska.

The investigation was conducted by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Harlan Police Department, Iowa State Fire Marshal, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case was prosecuted by the U. S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a call requesting an officer Thursday morning resulted in the arrest of a Corning woman. Deputies responded to 1006 8th Street in Corning at around 7:15-a.m., and upon further investigation, arrested 24-year old Katherine Coleman, of Corning.

Coleman was charged with felony Theft, Harassment and Trespassing, both of which are simple misdemeanors. She was being held in the Adams County Jail on $5,000 bond. Officials say the case remains under investigation, with additional charges currently pending.

The Iowa Supreme Court has reversed a district court ruling in a case involving the duties of nurse practitioners. Several physician associations went to court seeking to throw out two administrative rules that permit advanced registered nurse practitioners to supervise technicians during fluoroscopy — a type of x-ray. The physicians argued the Iowa Board of Nursing and the Iowa Department of Public Health exceeded their authority in approving the rules to allow the supervision. The district court agreed, and threw out the rules.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruling says the district court erred in second-guessing the Department of Public Health and nursing board. It says A-R-N-P’s have been supervising the procedure for many years and nowhere in the voluminous record are there any reports of an injury resulting from the practice. The ruling went on to say the visual images provided by the fluoroscopy improve patient safety,  and the practice also improves access to health care for rural Iowans while  helping lower costs.

Justice Mark Cady wrote a dissent to the opinion, saying registered nurses may be qualified to supervise fluoroscopy, but the legislature has left it for the medical profession to make this decision, in partnership with the nursing profession and did not leave it to the nursing board to decide. Cady says the nursing board clearly acted well beyond its authority, contrary to a clear legislative directive.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass County Board of Supervisors have approved an agreement with the bargaining unit representing the County’s Secondary Roads Department. The action, which came during the Board’s meeting today (Friday) inAtlantic, essentially cleans-up the language in the agreement, and doesn’t make any monetary or policy changes. 

The Board also approved the abatement of taxes on a nuisance property belonging to the City of Anita since November, 2012. Auditor Dale Sunderman said the taxes amounted to $230. The Supervisors also approved the assignment of a County held tax sale certificate of purchase, to the City of Cumberland. Sunderman said in July 2012, the City acquired possession of the west half of Lot1 in block 14. The City decided it also wished to acquire an adjacent property that belonged to the same owner, inLot2 of block 14. Sunderman says the property had acquired last year had a total $108 in taxes due. The newest property has 3.5-years worth of taxes due, or $644.

Cass County Treasurer Tracey Marshall said the County is better-off giving the certificate and property to the City in exchange for the taxes being paid and the County abating $300 worth of those taxes. Part of the agreement stipulates the City of Cumberlandwill proceed to get both properties in the City’s name because they have been up for sale long enough, that they can immediately apply to have a tax sale on those properties. Once the City applies, it takes 90-days for the process to run its course.

The Board Friday also approved a 6-month agreement with Solution, LLC. for licensed County software code support and information technology services. The agreement will cost the County an additional $50 per month.  In other business, Supervisor Gaylord Schelling, members of the County Public Safety Committee and representatives with the City of Atlantic will take a tour next week of the former Sitel building at 1206 southwest 7^th Street. The tour is part of a fact-finding mission pertaining to the possible relocation of the County’s Communications Center to a building outside of the courthouse. No action will taken during the tour on approving the site. The tour begins at 9-a.m. Thursday, June 6^th, and will likely include other members of the Board of Supervisors, as well.