(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, is expected to receive an update from Housing Committee Chair Kathy Somers, with regard to progress that’s being made in addressing the critical shortage of single-family residential homes in the community. Along those lines, the Council – later on in their meeting – will act on passing the second reading of an Ordinance amending the City Code, with regard to changing the Zoning Classification of certain real property (the Redwood Subdivision) from R-4 (Multi-family use) to R-2 (Low Density/Single Family use), and changing the official Zoning Map to reflect the change.

They will also hold the second reading of an Ordinance that also amends the Code, with regard to changing the area at 705 W. 8th Street from R-3 (High Density/Single Family Residential District) to C-1 (Highway Commercial District), and making the change to the Zoning Map. In other business, the Council will act on an Order to approve the City’s application to the Iowa Economic Development Authority, for a Destination Iowa Grant associated with the Prairie Hill Development project in the area of 22nd and Olive Streets. The City of Atlantic’s Housing Committee hopes to receive up to 25% of the project cost through IEDA, or about $710,000. The total project price tag is expected to be around $2.8-million, and would help to create 34 lots for the development of single-family homes, the necessary infrastructure, and a trail.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on a Resolution establishing an updated Credit Card Policy, replacing authorized users, new credit limits, and improved controls over use of the credit card. Mayor Grace Garrett is expected to announce a proclamation recognizing the week of May 1st through the 7th as the 53rd Professional Municipal Clerk’s Week, in Atlantic. Among their final items of business, is to set the date for a Public Hearing on Amending the FY 2022 Budget, as May 18, 2022. A full explanation of changes made to the FY22 Budget will be included in the Agenda notes for the 18th.

The Council’s meeting takes place in their Chambers at City Hall, beginning at 5:30-p.m. Wednesday (May 4th).

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Chuck Grassley says it’s no secret he has hoped Roe v Wade would be overturned. as a draft U.S. Supreme Court opinion seems to indicate is imminent. “I’ve let people know for 40 years where I stand on Roe,” Grassley said this morning. “I’ve had the same position for decades.” But during his weekly conference call with radio reporters from Iowa, Grassley said there’s no way to predict any of the Supreme Court nominees he’s supported recently would vote to overturn the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion. “It is possible that they would and that’s it,” Grassley said, “but there’s no way members of congress can control what people do once they get on the bench.”

Grassley led the Senate Judiciary Committee as it refused to consider President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court and then confirmed two of President Trump’s nominees. “You don’t aim for any outcome in choosing anybody to be on the Supreme Court,” Grassley said this morning. “I look for strict constructionists. People who are going to interpret law, not make law.” Last night, Politico published the leaked draft of an opinion indicating five justices had voted to overturn Roe v Wade. “The leak was surely a monumental breach of trust within our judicial system and hasn’t happened within my years in the Senate,” Grassley said.

Grassley would not “speculate” on what abortion-related restrictions Republican-led congress might pass if the leaked document matches up with the opinion the court releases. Grassley drew cheers a month ago in a speech to the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition when he discussed his influence in shaping the Supreme Court. “You know we might have an opportunity here before the end of June for the Supreme Court either by a 6-3 vote or a 5-4 vote to overturn Roe v Wade,” Grassley said April 9. “You probably my remember my role in not moving ahead with the Garland nomination, not holding a hearing on it because we were hoping we’d get a Republican president and we did get a Republican president…and overturning Roe v Wade is a real possibility now.”

Two of the Democrats who hope to run against Grassley in the General Election say the future of women’s rights is at stake. Mike Franken said the “pending” decision is not a “partial rollback,” but “one of the most disastrous decisions the court has ever made.” Abby Finkenauer said like “millions of women across the country,” the news Roe is likely to be overturned “makes me scared and sick” and “ready to defend reproductive rights.”

(Radio Iowa) – A doctoral student at Iowa State University is gathering signatures to challenge budget cuts that would cause the history department to end its graduate program. Michael Belding says the program has a unique focus on rural history as well as agriculture, technology and the environment. Belding says ending it would mean lost expertise on topics that are central to Iowa’s culture and economy. Belding says, “Based on the facts and based on the facts at other institutions, we know that ISU’s department becomes a lot more generic, a lot less focused on stuff that Iowans need.”

Kevin Mason, an I-S-U history alum and a professor at Waldorf University in Forest City, is one of more than 60 alumni who have signed the petition. Mason says cutting the program would be shortsighted because Iowa State is one of the top universities training experts in rural and agricultural history. “And a lot of that work has to do with being at one of the premier agricultural universities in the world,” Mason says, “and I think that’s an important piece of it that’s different than anywhere else.”

Iowa State is looking to make up for lower enrollment and increased costs by cutting 15-million dollars overall from the budget of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences by 2026. The cuts range from around 70-thousand dollars in computer science to nearly one-million in history.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, passed an ARPA Daycare Funding Resolution, using a portion of the more than $1.2-million the County received from the Federal Government, for COVID Relief. Board Chair Steve Baier read from the Resolution which listed daycare’s in the County and how much each would receive.

Funding for the Anita Daycare Center and a request for playground equipment funding, was tabled until the Board receives additional, necessary information. The Supervisors then discussed possibly providing funding for the Head Start school north of Atlantic, for hard surfacing so the children have space to ride bicycles and develop motor skills.

The Supervisors also signed a letter of support (with no financial commitment required), for the Land Committee, which is a subdivision of the City of Atlantic’s Housing Committee. Committee representative Christina Bateman the City has agreed to exercise its option to purchase land from Jim Comes family off of Olive and 22nd Street. The agreement will close on or before Oct. 3rd.

The letter of support she requested is so that it many be included with an application for a Destination Iowa Grant from IEDA for the Prairie Hill Development Project, which is estimated to cost over $2.8-million. That includes the cost of land acquisition ($830,000), infrastructure needs in the area ($1.8-million), and $200,000 for a trail. The application seeks to obtain up to 25% of the project cost from IEDA (The Iowa Economic Development Authority).

Bateman says they look to submit their grant application online, on May 9th. The Board also heard from Cass County Veteran’s Affairs Coordinator Mitch Holmes, with regard to funds flowing into the County from the Veterans Administration to assist local Veterans.

Holmes said also, there are other benefits, such as Veteran’s burial, that are one-time pay outs.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Healthy Cass County is celebrating by promoting mental health events scheduled for May 2022. All events below are free and open to the public. Following the list of events is information on the partner organizations that make these events possible, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness Southwest Iowa (NAMI Southwest Iowa), Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region, Senior Life Solutions, and Angels Care Home Health.

May 2022 Cass County Mental Health Events (Free and Open to All)

All month: NAMI’s “Meet Little Monster” a mental health activity and coloring book will be available as take-home packets for youth at all Cass County libraries. Provided by NAMI Southwest Iowa.

• May 3: 6:30 PM -NAMI Southwest Iowa Virtual Family Support Group (Register at www.namisouthwestiowa.com/calendar)
• May 5: 2 PM – Connection Recovery Support Group hosted by NAMI Southwest Iowa (Location: United Church of Christ, 1607 Hazel St., Atlantic, IA 50022)
• May 6: 5-6 PM – “Ending the Silence” mental health training for teens and those who support them presented by NAMI Southwest Iowa. (Location: Nishna Valley Family YMCA, 1100 Maple St. Atlantic, IA 50022 – open to non-Y members)
• May 9: 3 PM – Anxiety and Depression in Older Adults presented by Angels Care Home Health (Location: Nishna Valley Family YMCA, 1100 Maple St. Atlantic, IA 50022 – open to non-Y members)
• May 10: 10:30 AM – Physical Signs of Depression and Anxiety presented by Senior Life Solutions (Location: Atlantic Public Library, 507 Poplar Street, Atlantic, IA 50022)
• May 12: 6 PM – Virtual 8-Week Family to Family Class Kickoff hosted by NAMI Southwest Iowa (Register at www.namisouthwestiowa.com/calendar)
• May 14: 11 AM – 2 PM – NAMI Southwest Iowa Annual Meeting and Family Fun Day Free food, bingo, games! (Location: Narrows River Park, 2500 North 25th Street, Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501)
• May 17: 10:30 AM – Caregiver Stress presented by Angels Care Home Health (Location: Atlantic Public Library, 507 Poplar Street, Atlantic, IA 50022)
• May 19: 2 PM – Connection Recovery Support Group hosted by NAMI Southwest Iowa (Location: United Church of Christ, 1607 Hazel St., Atlantic, IA 50022)
• May 20: Wear green to show your support for Mental Health Awareness Month!
• May 24: 8 AM- 1:30 PM “Mental Health First Aid” In-depth training to help you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge or crisis. Presented by the Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region. Pre-registration required at www.swiamhds.com/events (Location: Iowa Western Community College,
  705 Walnut Street, Atlantic, IA 50022)
• May 31: 10:30 AM – “What is NAMI?” presented by NAMI Southwest Iowa (Location: Atlantic Public Library, 507 Poplar Street, Atlantic, IA 50022)

These programs are made possible by Health Cass County partners:

• Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region services a nine-county area.Its mission is “to provide a responsive and welcoming system of support for overall mental
  wellness.” www.swiamhds.com 712-328-5645.
• NAMI Southwest Iowa is an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), which is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Contact: www.namisouthwestiowa.com 712-542-7904.
• Senior Life Solutions is Cass Health’s intensive outpatient group counseling program designed to meet the unique needs of older adults over the age of 65 struggling with depression and anxiety often related to aging Contact: 712-250-8100 www.casshealth.org/patients/ourservices/ senior-life-solutions/
• Angels Care Home Health www.angelscarehealth.com Contact Jessica Duncan for more information at 712-318-3080

Healthy Cass County is sharing a series of press releases for Mental Health Awareness Month. The next update will highlight free mental health programs and training available to businesses
and organizations in Cass County on request. To see that information and access additional mental health resources now, visit https://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/ or call the Cass
County ISU Extension Office at 712-243-1132.