(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests and incidents that took place from Dec. 12th through the 19th. Authorities say on Monday, Dec. 19th, the Sheriff’ Office received a report about a hit and run that occurred on Highway 148 and 6th Street, in Corning, and a person had been injured. The male subject was transported by Adams County Ambulance to CHI in Corning. On Wednesday, Dec. 21st, Deputies arrested 38-year-old Tara Squibbs, of Corning, following an investigation into Monday’s incident. Squibbs was booked into the Adams County Jail, on charges  that include: Failure to Provide Aid or Information; Death or Personal Injuries; Leaving the scene of an accident; 3 counts of Driving While Suspended; Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree, and Proof of Financial Liability – Accident (related).

On Dec 18th, Adams County Deputies initiated a traffic stop at around 12:42-a.m., on the driver of a vehicle who failed to maintain his lane at Quincy and 10th Streets, in Corning. Upon further investigation, Lincoln Alan Calvin, of Lenox, was arrested for OWI/1st offense. His BAC registered .218. Calvin was also cited for Open Container.

On Dec. 17th, Adams County Deputies arrested 50-year-old Jamie Calkins, of Corning, for OWI/1st offense, following a traffic stop at Chestnut Avenue and 160th Street. Calkins later posted a$ 1,000 bond and was released. On Dec. 16th, Deputies in Adams County responded to a reported incident of Assault at the Corning Hy-Vee store. An investigation resulted in the arrest of 52-year-old Rhonda Thompson, of Corning, on charges that include Assault Causing Bodily/Mental Illness, and Harassment in the 2nd Degree/Hate Crime. Thompson was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $3,000 cash-only bond.

And, on Dec. 12th, Kelley Malone, of Corning, was arrested for Driving While Suspended. She was also cited for Fraudulent Use of Registration, and Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability. She was released on her Own Recognizance, pending a court appearance.

**”Any potential criminal charges identified above are merely allegations, and any defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”

(Radio Iowa) – An orchestra from Ukraine will be performing in Iowa next year. The Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra will be touring in the United States — and David Stuart, board chairman of the Ames International Orchestra Festival Association, says they’re booked for March 3rd in Ames.

“We appreciate not only what they’re going by going through, but what they are doing to responding to that by going out in the rest of the world and performing concerts as ambassadors from the Ukraine,” Stuart says. Two months after Russia started its offensive in Ukraine, the orchestra had just finished performing “Prayer for Ukraine” at an outdoor concert in Lviv when air raid sirens went off. The video of that moment was widely shared online.

Stuart says one way of preserving culture is performing music and the orchestra from Lviv is doing that in the midst of war.   “I think artists of all sorts — musicians, orchestras, actors, actresses, opera companies — go perform when they can,” Stuart says, “in spite of the difficulties in what may be going on around them.” One of the pieces the Lviv orchestra will perform in Ames is from Dvorak’s New World Symphony, which many believe has a connection to a small northeast Iowa town.

“Rumors, so to speak, are he did a lot of work on that symphony when he was in Spillville,” Stuart says. The Lviv orchestra’s concert in Ames will be held March 3rd in C.Y. Stephens Auditorium on the Iowa State University campus. Tickets went on sale Wednesday.

(Radio Iowa) – Gas prices continue to fall in Iowa, with the price for regular unleaded well below three dollars in most Iowa cities. According to Triple A, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was two-86 ($2.86) on Wednesday. That’s a nickle below the average price in the middle of last week and 17 cents lower than it was a year ago. Diesel prices are also declining in Iowa, down to an average of four-dollars-and-33 cents a gallon ($4.33). While that’s 16 cents lower than last Wednesday, it is still 23 percent higher than a year ago.

According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture, propane and heating oil prices dropped in the past week, too.

(Updated) [Atlantic, Iowa] – The Atlantic City Council met Wednesday evening, and adopted two Resolutions. The first was for the Final Plat associated with the Prairie Hills Development Subdivision, in Atlantic. The second Resolution was to Amend the City of Atlantic’s Personnel Policy, “By repealing and replacing Series 100 and Series 200 Codes through 206, with New Codes numbered as the same.”

City Administrator John Lund says he and Mayor Grace Garrett spent a considerable amount of time the past Spring, Summer and Early Fall, going through the City’s Personnel Policy, and the Personnel and Finance Committee met in September and reviewed the proposed changes. The Committee has endorsed the proposed amendments as written. In his report to the Council, John Lund, who conferenced-in by phone, said “Everything now is really about budget. I will be working on that over the next week.” He said they hope by then he has more more concrete numbers to work with.

The State Legislature convenes January 9^th. The Council will have to digest all the information Lund will have available, when they meet in January (2023). Mayor Grace Garrett reminded the Council of the importance of getting to Des Moines in January and having Council persons get to know the “decision makers, and what it’s going to take to continue to allow a rural America, specifically Iowa, to continue to thrive.”

In other business, the Council heard from Atlantic native Ali Pieken, with regard to the development of a Splash Pad. Ali is a member of the Splash Pad Executive and Fund Raising Committees tasked with overseeing the project. She was also at a meeting of the Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Tuesday afternoon. Pieken said what’s been decided so far, is for a bean-shaped splash pad area with 5,000-square feet of play space.

Ali Pieken speaks about the Atlantic Splash Pad project (12-21-22)

The facility will have features for all ages and water comfort levels, including a “toddler bay,” shade and seating. The bean-shaped space calls also for a sand volleyball course, dual-play playground equipment that will compliment the Splash Pad.

Splash Pad layout, 12-2022

In other news, Mayor Grace Garret reported that in-person interviews with two finalists for the Parks and Rec Director’s job will take place on December 29th.