The Red Oak Police Department has released details on two recent arrests.

On Monday evening at 8:25 p.m. Officers arrested 47-year-old Ian Joseph Haas of Red Oak following a traffic stop at the intersection of N 8th Street and Ratliff Road. Haas was arrested for Driving while License Revoked by the State of Iowa. Haas was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

On Saturday, July 2nd Red Oak Police arrested 21-year-old Bailey Ann Poe at 6:25 p.m. for Domestic Abuse Assault- 1st Offense. Poe was booked in to the Montgomery County Jail and held on no bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council is set to meet 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, in their chambers at City Hall. Under their Consent Agenda, the Council is expected to approve street closure permits for: the Christian Motorcyclist Association’s “Chariots of Faith #301 Bike Night.” The event is planned for the second Thursday of each month, through October, beginning July 14th, in conjunction with Produce in the Park, on the east side of the downtown City Park. They propose naming the event “Thunder N2 (into) Atlantic,” and closing Chestnut from 7th Street to 6th Street during the hours of 4:30-to 6:30-p.m. (The same hours as Produce in the Park).

The Council will also act on approving a request for a street closure in advance of the Nishna Valley Family YMCA’s Food Truck Battle & Community Appreciation event, which takes place on September 10th, from 10-a.m. until 6-p.m., on 6th Street.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on passing a Resolution approving the transfer of funds for the 4th Quarter of Fiscal Year 2021-22, that allows for two new, capital project funds that were not outlined in the FY2022 or FY 2023 budget: the Splash Pad Project Fund and Inclusive Playground Project Fund. City Administrator John Lund says he created the two new funds to allow for the reasonable transfer of resources to capital project funds from the General Fund, without resulting in a noticeable dip in that collective fund balance.

The Council will also act on a resolution clarifying which meetings Council members will be paid to attend. Lund’s recommendation is for the City Council to move to a salaried system, as is done for the Mayor and City Department Heads, State Legislators, members of Congress, and the President. They will also act on approving the third and final reading of an Ordinance adopting the proposed amendments to the City’s Zoning Code, 2018. It is with regard to signage for a local church in a residential zone.

The Planning & Zoning Commission has recommended permitting “Two identification signs, per each street frontage, not to exceed 24-square feet in surface area, displaying information of churches, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, clubs, offices, libraries, similar uses, or conditional uses. Such signs may be illuminated.”

And, in his report to the Council, City Administrator John Lund will discuss matters pertaining to the Community Protection Committee, a Liability Insurance Increase, changes to LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) payments, and Council Work Session(s).

(Radio Iowa) – Large areas of Iowa remain abnormally dry or in moderate-to-severe drought, and Estherville Fire Chief Richard Beaver is urging Iowans to use extreme caution when it comes tonight’s (Monday) fireworks shows in backyards and driveways. “It’s still dangerous,” Beaver says. “The best thing I can say is if you’re going to light them, be very, very, very careful. Have a water hose handy and watch what’s going on.” For Iowans who intend to shoot off some bottle rockets and anything bigger, Beaver’s advice is to do so in an open area where you can see where they land.

“If you can’t see where they’re coming down at, they can land in the grass and lay there and smoke for a long time and then all of a sudden, you’ve got a fire after you’ve went to bed,” Beaver says. July 4th isn’t just the busiest day of the year in Iowa for fireworks, it’s also the busiest day of the year for fires. About 40-percent of Independence Day structure fires are the result of fireworks, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Fire prevention specialist Nick Hutchinson says safety concerns continue -after- the fireworks are used.

“Be cautious of disposal of them,” Hutchinson says. “That’s probably our biggest issue, putting hot fireworks into a garbage can and then the garbage can catches fire, which catches the garage on fire, the house on fire, that kind of thing.” Sparklers are considered to be safer than things that shoot off and go boom, but Hutchinson says sparklers can be dangerous, too, because they get very hot and stay that way long after the sparkle goes away.

“A lot of times, we just tell people just make a pile, cool them off with some water,” he says, “and then after they’ve cooled off for a while, then you can throw them throw them in the trash can and be okay.” According to the National Fire Protection Association, sparklers account for more than 25-percent of emergency room visits for fireworks injuries, as they can quickly ignite clothing and cause severe burns.

(Radio Iowa) – Well over half of the purchases for food, beverages and other items at last year’s Iowa State Fair were done electronically — and Gary Slater, the General Manager and C-E-O of the fair, says expects that to increase for this year’s event. “It was last year that we went to a system for every vendor to have a cash register to at least took credit cards,” Slater says. “because not every vendor took credit cards up until last year and so you have the option of paying cash or credit card or debit card.”

In 2014, there was significant push-back when the Iowa State Fair announced a cashless system for buying food during that year’s Iowa State Fair and the plan was abandoned eight years ago. Various surveys indicate at least 80 percent of Americans make cashless purchases today. And, according to Pew Research, a third of people under the age of 50 make no purchases with cash in a typical week. Slater says the pandemic accelerated that trend.

“We’re doing so much more online,” Slater says. “We’re buying our groceries online. All that’s with credit cards now.” People who’ve purchased tickets for shows during the 2022 Iowa State Fair have the option to show a Q-R code from their smart phone at the Grandstand entrance. The State Fair starts August 11th. COUNTY fair season is well underway. Tom Barnes is executive secretary of the Mighty Howard County Fair, which was held in June. He’s also executive director of the Association of Iowa Fairs.

“We’re seeing especially with the younger generations that we draw want some sort of credit card payment,” Barnes says. “The problem that we have with our county fairs is the infrastructure isn’t in place in many areas.” That lack of high-speed WiFi prevents vendors at many county fairs from processing electronic transactions. According to Pew Research, a third of people under the age of 50 make no purchases with cash in a typical week.

“But you look at the demographics that the county fairs pull…you’ve got grandma and grandpa in their 80s and their great grandkids in their teens and that’s quite a wide range of what these people expect and how they’re going to pay for their goods,” Barnes says. “Cash is still king at the county fairs.” Barnes and Slater made their comments during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.