(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue, Friday (Today), released a report on arrests that took place from Sept. 1st through the 16th.

• On The 16th, 46-year-old Amanda Bashor, of Atlantic, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order.
• On the 15th, 23-year-old Austin Dusenberry, of Atlantic, was arrested for Driving While Barred.
• There were two arrests in Atlantic on Sept. 12th: 62-year-old Mark Armstrong, of Wiota, cited for OWI and released; 27-year-old Sakios Yleiza, of Atlantic, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order.
• On Sept. 11th, Atlantic Police arrested 33-year-old Tyler Crawley, of Atlantic, for Domestic Abuse Assault, Harassment in the 1st Degree, Child Endangerment, Going Armed with Intent, and Assault while participating in a felony, as well as Interference with Official Acts.
• There were two arrests in Atlantic on Sept. 6th: 35-year-old Kisauo Stephen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication. (Stephen was previously arrested Sept. 4th, on the same charge); 26-year-old Cendejas Saul Vazquez, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.
• On the 5th, 43-year-old Jason Britten, of Des Moines, was arrested in Atlantic for Public Intox.
• On Sept. 4th, 35-year-old Aaron Lentz, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Violation of a No Contact Order.
• On Sept. 3rd, the A-PD arrested 19-year-old Owen Hensen, of Atlantic, for Disorderly Conduct. And,
• On Sept. 1st, 22-year-old SK Kovac, of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intox.

All subjects with the exception of Mark Armstrong, were booked into the Cass County Jail, and held.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion is proposing an increase in the federal child tax credit as part of a package she says will support women during and after their pregnancies.

The 2021 American Rescue Plan that Hinson opposed raised the tax credit for low and middle-income parents of kids under the age of 17. Hinson’s bill would raise the credit even higher than last year’s levels — a 20 percent increase for parents with kids under five and 15 percent more for parents with kids between the ages of six and 16.

The legislation would let parents withdraw their future Social Security benefits for three months, to support parental leave after the birth of a baby. The bill would make is easier for faith-based organizations to secure federal grants for social service programs, including those that advise and support pregnant woman. Abortion rights advocates say some of the centers seek to delay and confuse women considering an abortion. Hinson says all institutions helping pregnant women should live up to what they’re promising.

Hinson’s bill also would make the federal adoption tax credit refundable.

Hinson’s bill in the U.S. House is identical to one Florida Republican Marco Rubio introduced in the U.S. Senate. Hinson did not indicate the bill is an alternative to another senator’s proposed national ban on most abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. Hinson described her bill as a value statement and said now is an important time to present it to the public. Liz Mathis of Hiawatha, is the Democrat who is running against Hinson in Iowa’s second congressional district. Mathis says Hinson’s plan rings hollow and is an attempt to hide her record of supporting a nationwide ban on abortion.

(Radio Iowa) – A Dubuque County driver has died after hitting a house south of Sageville on Thursday afternoon.The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office says they responded to Highway 3 where a vehicle has struck a house before colliding with a retaining wall.

The driver and sole occupant in the vehicle, died at the scene. The investigation is ongoing, and the name of the driver will be released at a later date.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Andy Sondag and his team on Thursday, September 15th, 2022, to welcome the new owner of Midwest Monument Co. in Atlantic.

Andy Sondag spent 15 years as a Funeral Director when he entered the granite headstone business and has been expanding ever since. Andy owns a total of 8 locations in Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota with over 30 full time employees. Andy re-opened the Atlantic location in March of 2022 after taking ownership and doing some remodeling to the building.

Midwest Monument Co specializes in headstones that feature customized, free-hand etched designs such as scenic views, portraits, cars, tractors, etc. The company manufactures the headstones in Harlan and ships them to all their locations. When modifications to the headstone needs to be made, the team comes to the site to finish the project. Midwest Monument Co. takes pride in having a large stock of granite on hand to ensure the family has as the headstone in place in a months’ time verses a year.

Midwest Monument Co.’s Atlantic location is managed by Megan Petersen. Megan helps families choose the material, design, and layout of the project that best fits their needs. Midwest Monument Co. has regular business hours of Monday through Friday, 8 AM – 4 PM.

Midwest Monument Co. is located at 1912 E. 7th Street in Atlantic. To learn more about Midwest Monument Co., call 712-250-8565.

(Radio Iowa) – The two candidates running to be Iowa’s top election official for the next four years are quarreling over a variety of issues — including recent changes in absentee ballot rules and how to combat election misinformation. Linn County Auditor Joel Miller, the Democratic candidate, says Republican incumbent Paul Pate should have pushed back on the legislature’s move to shorten the early voting period from 40 to 20 days.

Pate, who is seeking a fourth term as Iowa Secretary of State, says Miller misrepresents the role.

Pate says Miller failed to follow state law in 2020 when he sent out absentee ballot request forms with Linn County voters’ personal information filled in.

Miller says more than 100 Linn County voters mailed their absentee ballots for the Primary this past June, but the ballots weren’t delivered by the new deadline.

Miller accuses Pate of failing to push back against people who dispute the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Pate says he is speaking out on a regular basis.

Pate and Miller made their comments during a joint appearance on “Iowa Press” that will be broadcast tonight (Friday) at 7:30 on Iowa P-B-S.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Governor Kim Reynolds, today (Friday), announced $12.9 million in grant funding for three projects through Destination Iowa. The $100 million program, announced in April, invests in transformational attractions that will bolster the quality of life in Iowa communities and attract visitors and new residents. The City of Council Bluffs and the Southwest Iowa Nonprofit for Collaborative Impact have been awarded $4,900,000 toward phase four of the Iowa Riverfront Development project. This phase includes a treetop walk, a pier and a 138-foot-tall observation tower with an adventure course. The award represents 15% of the total project investment of $32,827,000.

The Great Outdoors Foundation has been awarded $7,000,000 for the Scott Avenue site portion of the Iowa Confluence Water Trails project. The project is creating a regional water trails network in central Iowa with more than 80 planned improvements across 150 miles of waterways. The award represents 13% of the Scott Avenue site investment of $53,500,000.

The Val Air Ballroom has been awarded $1,000,000 toward the overhaul of the historic ballroom into a music venue that can host up to 2,400 patrons. The project proposes to rehabilitate elements of the facility that are historically significant, such as signage, dance floor, and exterior features, while bringing more modern amenities to the facility. The award represents 8% of the total project investment of $12,718,138.

IEDA began accepting applications on May 9 and will continue to review applications as they arrive through December 31 or until funding runs out.  Applications are scored based on eligibility, completeness, and the project’s ability to meet the program goal of creating transformational tourism attractions. Cities, counties, nonprofits and other organizations can apply for Destination Iowa grants through four separate funds: Economically Significant Development, Outdoor Recreation, Tourism Attraction, and Creative Placemaking. To date, a total of $50 million has been awarded to 13 projects throughout the state through Destination Iowa grants.

Funded projects must be completed by June 30, 2026. For more information on the Destination Iowa program, visit iowaeda.com/destination-iowa/. Funding for this program is being made available through the federal American Rescue Plan Act.