(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, voted on readings of recently amended ordinances, and while the readings passed, some were met with opposition. The Council held the second reading of an amended Ordinance (#1021), with regard to panhandling, and passed it 7-0. The Ordinance (when passed after 3 readings) would ban panhandling in all public spaces. Panhandling on private property is handled through trespassing laws.

The Council then acted on the first of three ordinance changes relating to Code Enforcement. They voted to approve the first reading of an amended Ordinance (#1022), with regard to the mowing of properties. Councilman Lee Sisco suggested the Ordinance incorporate the removal of grass and/or weeds that completely cover a sidewalk, to the point where the sidewalk is fully visible, and not partially concealed beneath a mowed layer of grass or weeds. Mayor Grace Garrett said as written, the Ordinance simply covers mowing, and the costs of mowing assessed to the property owner, if the City has to handle the job.

The first reading of an amended Ordinance (#1023), pertaining to the removal of solid waster, passed by a vote of 6-to-1, with Councilman Sisco opposed. He was of the opinion the ordinance should be more specific about what constitutes an “accumulation” of solid waste. It was pointed out that the Code Enforcement Officer has the discretion on determining what is an excess/eyesore, and will issue a notice to the property owner as such. From that point, the individual has seven-days to take care of the mess.

And, the Atlantic City Council passed by a vote of 4-to-3, the first reading of an amended Ordinance (#1024), with regard to the removal of accumulated snow and ice. The “no” votes came from Councilmen Behrens, Sisco and McCurdy. Councilman Sisco asked if the Ordinance specified the width and depth of snow removal. Mayor Garrett said the Ordinance states snow and ice must be removed from sidewalks within 24-hours of the end of the precipitation. She said that means “The entire sidewalk,” down to the concrete – not just a single path – and the full width of the sidewalk(s) on your property. McCurdy, who owns several rental properties in Atlantic, said “We’re getting to nitpicky on this, I feel.”

In other business, the Council held a Public Hearing on a proposed amendment to the plan for the Atlantic Urban Revitalization Area. The Council previously passed a Resolution providing notice of the hearing on August 17th. The hearing  was followed by approval of a Resolution to Adopt the URP as amended. The only change would be to remove the expiration date, as the Council has not shown an interest in ending it, and “The sunsets are proving to be a bureaucratic burden,” according to Lund.

And, the Council passed a Resolution setting Sept. 17th as the date for a public hearing on [a] proposal to enter into a General Obligation Land Acquisition Loan Agreement, and to Borrow Money thereunder in a principal amount not to exceed $700,000.” Their action is with regard to the purchase of land intended for housing development. City Administrator John Lund said the actual borrowing amount would likely be closer to $500,000, with a locked-in 4% interest rate over a period of 20-years, to keep the costs down as much as possible.

(Radio Iowa) – Federal officials have announced a plastic surgeon in Des Moines has agreed to pay 800-thousand dollars to settle allegations he improperly billed government health care programs.  The government’s allegations covered a seven year period, from 2013 to 2020, and a whistleblower who prompted the investigation will get part of the settlement.

Dr. Ronald Bergman, who operates Bergman Cosmetic Surgery, was accused of billing Medicare and Medicaid for services performed by others. In some instances, federal investigators say medical fellows did the work without Bergman present as their teaching physician.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bergman was also accused of billing Medicare for medically unnecessary and unreasonable applications of skin substitute products which are used in surgery and for treating wounds.

Bergman’s attorney says his client is a well-known plastic surgeon who focuses on serving others while his office staff manages the billing side of the practice. The doctor’s attorney did not name the whistleblower, but said it’s both interesting and suspect that the person who sparked the federal investigation worked in Bergman’s office for 12 weeks and notified authorities of improprieties in another medical office where she worked.

(Radio Iowa) – The statewide median home sale price in July was nearly 240-thousand dollars — a record high. Iowa Association of Realtors data shows just over 37-hundred homes were sold in the state in July. That’s a nearly 29 percent drop in sales volume compared to the same month last year. There also was a 22 percent drop in the number of Iowa homes listed for sale in July. Those trends fueled the record median price for an Iowa home sold in July.

It was up 17 percent compared to July of 2021. The Realtors’ report indicates Iowa homes are selling quickly — averaging just 24 days on the market in July — and that’s 20 percent faster than July of last year. However, the president of the Iowa Association of Realtors says the housing market is cooling off, as home prices and mortgage rates rise.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – Syed Ben Al-Amin, age 34, of Saint Paul, Minnesota, was sentenced on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, to over eight years in prison (100 months) following his plea to a charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

On August 7, 2020, Al-Amin was involved in a hit and run accident on Interstate 80. Iowa State Patrol located Al-Amin driving on Interstate 80 and attempted to stop the vehicle. Al-Min refused to stop his car and a chase ensued into Council Bluffs. Al-Amin drove into a hospital parking lot where he lost control of his vehicle. Al-Amin then fled on foot before being arrested.

In the center console of Al-Amin’s vehicle, law enforcement located baggies of pills containing methamphetamine, which Al-Amin planned to distribute.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Iowa State Patrol, the Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force investigated the case.

(Radio Iowa) – A man involved in a nearly seven-hour standoff with law enforcement in a small northwest Iowa town has been transferred into federal custody. Late Friday afternoon, the Clay County Sheriff’s Department located 46-year-old Timothy Steinbeck, who was wanted on a federal warrant for a narcotics violation. Authorities say Steinbeck barricaded himself in his home in Royal.

Steinbeck finally emerged and was arrested at about 11 o’clock Friday night after law enforcement released tear gas into his home. Steinbeck was treated at a local hospital, then held in the Clay County Jail until his transfer into federal custody yesterday (Tuesday).

In June, Steinbeck was arrested and charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver.