(Atlantic, Iowa/updated – The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Board of Directors, Monday evening, accepted with thanks for her nearly three-years of service on the Board, the resignation of Board Member Ashley Hayes, who has accepted a position with SWIPCO, that would put her in a conflict of interest when it comes to her new position on the organization’s Community Development Team.

Parks Board member Ashley Hayes (Center).

Her resignation went into effect at the conclusion of the Board meeting. Parks & Rec Board Chair Jolene Smith…

The Board opted to find a person to fill the seat by appointment, rather then call for a Special Election. The person appointed will only serve until the next election. In 2023, the seat will be filled by election and is for a period of two-years. The Atlantic City Council is expected to accept Hayes’ resignation and approve whomever the Board selects. Resumes for the Parks Board seat will then be accepted from August 18th through the 24th. Persons wishing to serve on the Board must include a letter indicating why they want to fill the vacancy. With whomever the Board appoints, citizens have the right to petition for an election.

In other business, Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen reminded the Board and residents, the last day for swimming at the Sunnyside Pool in Atlantic is August 28th.

Brad Rasmussen presents checks to the Parks & Rec Dept. (8/15/22)

And, Brad Ramussen provided the Parks and Rec Board with a handful of checks. The first was for next year’s youth Art in the Park.

(Carolyn Bruck provided the $50 donation). Brad Rasmussen writes children’s books, and turned over the profits to the Parks and Rec Department.

(He contributed $500 to help defray the cost of the Block Party.) Two other checks totaling $1,000, will be used toward the restoration of the Bandstand at Sunnyside Park.

And, the Board approved updating a study for expanding the Atlantic Sports Complex to include additional soccer space, as long as the cost for the Snyder and Associates’ Engineers study does not exceed $11,150. The last time a study was conducted was at least five-years ago.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Monday, said there were six separate arrests conducted over the past week. On Monday (8/15), 26-year-old Gustavo Angel Gomez-Perez, of Fall City, NE., was arrested at around 5:08-a.m. on I-29 at mm 32, for OWI/1st offense. (Bond $1,000)

Sunday night, 50-year-old Clint Thomas Curtis, of Des Moines, was arrested at Highway 34 and 221st Street, for Domestic Abuse Assault, Obstruction of Emergency Communication and Driving with an obstructed view. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

Saturday evening, 45-year-old Justine Elaine Gregory, of Glenwood, was arrested on Highway 34 for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Poss. of drug paraphernalia, with bond set at $1,300.

There were two arrests Friday, in Mills County: 30-year-old Davonte Laronne Clark, of Omaha, was arrested on I-29 at mm 48, for Theft in the 1st Degree, Poss. of a Controlled Substance, and Eluding. (Bond $16,000); and, 43-year-old Deanna Lyn Hamilton, of LeMars, was arrested at around 2:21-a.m. Friday for Domestic Abuse Assault. (No bond).

And, on Aug. 10th, 50-year-old Brian John Beebe, of Hastings, was arrested on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Failure to Appear (Bond $25,000), and on on Mills County Poss. of a Controlled Substance charge. (Bond $1,000)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Healthy Cass County and Cass County ISU Extension have released an updated version of the Cass County Urgent Need Community Resource Guide. The guide lists Cass County resources under categories such as Crisis, Abuse, Financial, Legal, Food, Health, and more.

The Cass County Urgent Need Community Resource Guide can be found on the Cass County ISU Extension website. Print copies of the guide will be distributed throughout the county at locations such as public libraries and are available for pick-up at the Cass County ISU Extension Office at 805 W. 10th St. Atlantic, IA 50022. The Cass County ISU Extension Office
can be reached at (712) 243- 1132.

Healthy Cass County logo

The organizations collaborating on the document ask for assistance in making sure the document is available to all people in Cass County. For more information on local health and wellness events or resources, follow Healthy Cass County on Facebook @HealthyCassCounty.

(Radio Iowa) – Classes will start one week from today (Monday) at Iowa’s three public universities, and students who are on their own for the first time may be tempted by those plentiful credit card offers, but they’re warned to beware. Consumer advocate Lara Sutherlin says those pre-approved credit card deals often come with a lot of strings attached.  “Some of these offers may look really good,” Sutherlin says, “but they also can include really high annual percentage rates — APRs, or hidden fees that can increase the amount that you owe, if you’re not careful.”

Sutherlin says even taking one of those “fantastic plastic” offers could affect your credit score.  “You should really think clearly about whether you want a credit card or whether you need more than one,” she says. “It’s probably unlikely at that stage in the game.” Sutherlin says many businesses will offer credit cards to college kids who aren’t truly ready to handle having that sort of easy access to money.

“Be very wary of those credit card companies that are posting up at your colleges and trying to encourage you to take out one or two credit cards,” Sutherlin says. “They may have high APRs and they may have high interest.” Sutherlin says if you do need a credit card, you should shop around at trusted banks that you or your parents have used in the past, and make sure to shred or rip up credit card junk mail.

(Radio Iowa) – A Council Bluffs man who has run for congress four times before is running this year in Iowa’s new fourth congressional district. Bryan Jack Holder spoke at the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair this weekend. “This is the last time I’m going to run for congress,” Holder said, “but it’s not the last time I’m going to run for public office.”

Holder has run as a Libertarian candidate in the past. The legislature changed the requirements for how federal candidates who aren’t Republicans or Democrats could get their names on the 2022 General Election ballot, so Holder went another route. He is listed as a Liberty Caucus candidate on the 2022 ballot. “No one in Iowa has gotten on the ballot in Iowa for congress as a ‘Caucus’ candidate,” Holder said, “so I created my own organization and I started caucusing back in December.”

Holder’s ran five years ago for a seat in Iowa House. Holder has suggested it’s time to increase the number of members in the U.S. House as well as the number of members in the Iowa legislature. “Let’s get smaller districts and government closest to us,” Holder said. “…Our current state House districts are about 33,000 people. Our current state Senate districts are about 60,000-some people…It’s ridiculous to think one person can adequately represent tens of thousands of people.”

During his speech at the State Fair, Holder said politicians should talk about “controversial and divisive issues” and reach a compromises.“I want the common ground for us to reach to not to be Lexington Green and Concord Bridge and Antiedam,” Holder said. “Whether you disagree or agree with some person or politician or policy, we all have to live together. You know, the election’ll be over on November 8th and November 9th we’re all going to have to join together.”

Holder is among four candidates listed on the General Election ballot in Iowa’s fourth congressional district. Ryan Melton of Nevada is the Democratic candidate. Kyle Grossman of Lake City is running as a Libertarian and Ryan O’Leary of Auburn is an independent candidate in the 4th district.

(Radio Iowa) – Rick Stewart, the Libertarian candidate for governor, says ending the nation’s war on drugs is his “most important” priority. “It’s the worst mistake this country has ever made,” Stewart said during a speech on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. “If you want to argue that point, the only thing that could possibly be worse is the Civil War, but the Civil War only for four years. The Drug War has lasted for over 100 years.”

Stewart told the crowd he spent much of 2017 helping a relative with a mental health emergency try to navigate Iowa’s health care system. He suggested the state’s mental health crisis could be dramatically lessened if drugs like LSD and  magic mushrooms were legalized. “This is where it gets a little bit controversial, but for me it’s extremely important,” Stewart said. “Let’s use the most effective psychiatric medicine in the world. It’s called Psychedelic Assisted Therapy.”

Rick Stewart – campaign photo

Magic mushrooms, also known by the name psilocybin, have been illegal in the United States since 1970. LSD was outlawed in 1968. Stewart said it’s “immoral…and unethical” to ban these hallucinogenic drugs. “I’m going to make it legal in Iowa and I don’t care what the feds say,” Stewart said. “You’re going to be able to Psychedelic Assisted Therapy in Iowa as soon as I’m the governor.”

This spring, Stewart briefly suspended his gubernatorial campaign after he was arrested in Washington, D.C. at a protest outside the Drug Enforcement Agency. Stewart was there to call for legalizing magic mushrooms as an experimental treatment for terminal illnesses.

In 2020, Stewart was the Libertarian Party’s nominee for the U.S. Senate. He ran for state ag secretary in 2018 as a Libertarian.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Two arrests took place in Glenwood, Saturday. The Police Department reports 35-year-old Jeffrey Neppl, of Glenwood, was arrested for Criminal Mischief 4th and Public Intoxication. His total bond was set at

$1,300. And, 65-year-old Lloyd Wynn, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Violating of a no contact order, with bond set at $300 cash only. Wynn was also arrested on a Pottawattamie County Warrant that came without a set bond.