(Adel, Iowa) – The Atlantic High School Speech Team is very proud of their success at State Individual Contest held at ADM on Saturday, March 12th. High School/Middle School Spanish Instructor Co-Head Speech/Debate Coach Trisha Niceswanger reports Atlantic took 26 entries who performed in front of a panel of three judges. Performances covered a wide variety of categories from Acting to Musical Theatre, Poetry and After Dinner Speaking. A total of 19 of the entries received a Division I rating from the judges; 10 of those were a straight 1 rating, meaning all three judges awarded a I rating.

Coach Niceswanger said “I am so proud of our success! We have grown our program immensely this year with more entries than ever before. It is very promising to see the younger performers with lots of talent for the future as well as the senior leadership we have in upperclassmen. Being able to have an in-person contest again this year really felt great to let these kids compete and meet fellow performers.”

Brandon Baggett, Coach, said “These kids have put in the work and it paid off big time! I cannot say enough about the drive of our young talent and the upperclassmen leading by example. Since we are back to in-person competitions, the events have been so much fun this year and our team is learning so much by watching fellow competitors. As our numbers have grown again this year, the future is very bright for our speech program!”

What’s next: All-State Nominations were posted online the afternoon of Monday, March 14th. These students chosen are the best in the state in their categories. In order to receive this honor, at least two of the three judges must nominate the performer. These students will perform one last time on the UNI Campus at the All-State Festival held on Monday, March 28th. Students awaited the postings excitedly in Niceswanger’s room while repeatedly refreshing the web page.

Three students earned All-State honors this year from Atlantic.

• Charlotte Saluk for Poetry
• Reese DeArment for Prose
• J Molina for After Dinner Speaking

(Radio Iowa) – After announcing she was running for governor seven months ago, Democrat Deidre DeJear has now submitted 66-hundred signatures on nominating petitions, to place her name on Iowa’s June Primary ballot. “We just made history,” DeJear said, to cheers. If elected, DeJear would be the first black Iowan to serve as governor. She addressed a crowd of supporters in the Capitol rotunda. “It’s the type of history that outlines possibilities for not only our young people, but each and every one of you all,” DeJear said. “We’re seeking to run for this office because we want to see change happen in this state, the type of change that impacts y ‘all’s pocketbooks, your communities, your counties and the better life that we can all have in this state.”

DeJear is a native of Mississippi who graduated from Drake University and settled in Des Moines, where she runs a small business. DeJear grew emotional as she and her supporters waited for staff in the Secretary of State’s office to review her nominating petitions. DeJear told reporters it’s because she was surrounded by mentors. “Some really strong women who have helped me chart this path and reminded me of what I was capable of,” DeJear says. “And I just hope I’m emotional because I hope to do that for other young women and young boys, to help them understand whatever they dream is possible.”

Deidre DeJear and supporters. (RI photo)

DeJear’s name has been on Iowa’s statewide ballot before, as the Democratic Party’s 2018 nominee for Secretary of State. DeJear lost that race by eight points. A recent Des Moines Register Iowa Poll found DeJear trailing Republican Governor Kim Reynolds by eight percent. “We’ve got a lot of work to do in the governor’s office,” DeJear says. “(As a candidate for) Secretary of State, my focus was on small businesses and voting. Well, small business and voting is still a point of interest, but we’ve got a lot of other things we’ve got to conquer, too.”

Last week, Kim Reynolds formally kicked off her campaign for a second full term as governor with a rally on the state fairgrounds. Reynolds and her husband delivered nominating petitions with 16-thousand signatures to the Secretary of State’s office last Thursday. Reynolds has not commented on DeJear’s candidate, but a spokesman for the Iowa G-O-P says freedom is on the ballot in November and Reynolds is the only candidate in the race who will defend it.

(Atlantc, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday (Today) held a Public Hearing on the published, Fiscal Year, 2023 Cass County Budget, during which there were no comments from the public. The Board then voted to adopt the resolution as proposed. The Board also acted on a Resolution to reduce by half, the percentage of Elected Officials compensation that had been recommended by the Cass County Compensation Board, effective July 1, 2022.

Board Chair Steve Baier noted the revised amounts.

Approved salaries (which are also less than what the Compensation Board recommended), will be as follows:

• Cass County Attorney: $124,081 (This year’s salary is $120,467)
• Cass County Auditor: $65,433 (Compared to $63,527 in the current year)
• Cass County Recorder: $65,433 (This year, $63,527)
• Cass County Treasurer: $65, 433 ($63,527)
• Cass County Sheriff: $94,167 (Compared to $83,334 in the current year)
• Supervisors: $32,759 ($31,805 current year)
• Board Chair, $33,759 ($33,805 currently)

Supervisor Mark O’Brien was in disagreement with the Supervisor’s Board Chair compensation…he said it should be more, wanted to increase it, based on the responsibilities that come with the position. The others agreed, but Supervisor Steve Green said “The law doesn’t allow us to go higher.” Green and Baier advised the issue should be “left alone.” Supervisor Hartkopf reminded the public that neither the Supervisors nor the Compensation Board have a say over the final outcome, because the State regulates some areas.

In other business, the Supervisors approved a Resolution to use ARPA funds to purchase election equipment. Deputy Auditor Sheri Karns explains…

The cost is $108, 624, with no maintenance or annual license fees included. The old equipment will be included in a trade-in deal. Board Chair Baier said in previous discussions, it was agreed purchasing election equipment would be a good use of the recovery act funds the County has received. The new election machines will not be available for the June Primary, and it’s questionable if they will be available for the November General Election.

The Atlantic Police Department reports two separate arrests took place, Sunday:

• 39-year-old Mike Henson, of Atlantic, was arrested for Disorderly Conduct. He was taken into custody and transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked in and held.
• and, 23-year old Jake Olsen, of Atlantic, was arrested for Operating While Under the Influence 1st. He was taken into custody and transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked in and held.

(Elk Horn, Iowa) – The Exira-EHK School Board, Monday evening, approved renewing an agreement for a School Resource Office (SRO), paid for through a grant. Superintendent Trevor Miller…

Miller said also, the District will hold a Public Hearing on the Budget April 11^th. In other business…

He said “Financially, our District’s working well and our staff’s really working hard” in this fourth-quarter of the school year. The Board approved also, salaries for Support Staff and Administration.

(Anita, Iowa) – There will be a change in location for Kindergarten students in the CAM School District, beginning with the 2022-23 School Year. Their action came during the Board’s regular monthly meeting, Monday (March 14).

That’s Superintendent Paul Croghan, who says also, there were about a half-dozen or so people who spoke about that topic and others.

He said discussions with regard to any future changes that may be necessary, are expected as the school year continues and the new school year begins.

The CAM School Board also approved contracts for the 2022-23 school year., and the proposed ’22-’23 School Calendar.

They also discussed the 22-23 Budget.

A public hearing on the Calendar and Budget will be held during the Board’s meeting next month. The school board also accepted the resignation of Art teacher Dana Kunze, half-time physical education instructor, Jennifer Weisenborn, Middle School Education instructors, Danika Kentner and Samantha Rosenbeck, and Ag Instructor, and FFA Advisory Gary Miller.

(Radio Iowa) – The Federal Reserve meets this week and is expected to raise the interest rate to try to cool down inflation — and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the move is long overdue. “They’re about a year late, at least eight months late, realizing how bad inflation was going to be,” Grassley says. When the economy slows, the Federal Reserve typically lowers interest rates to spur growth. The rate has been around zero since March of 2020. All signals point to a quarter of a percent increase. “Inflation’s a very important issue to Iowa families because I hear about it all the time from Iowa families,” Grassley says, “so I’m glad that The Fed is finally waking up.”

Grassley supports not only the rate hike, but the expected move to start reducing the amount of bond debt the Federal Reserve took on as a way to spur the economy during the pandemic. “They have ballooned their balance sheet from $4 trillion prior to the pandemic to about $9 trillion and they need to back that off,” Grassley says. “I’m not saying do it dramatically, but they need to back that off in conjunction with the interest rates.”

Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell has been nominated for another term and Grassley says he’ll likely vote for Powell to stay on. “The alternative that they were suggesting, the person that’s going to be voted in as vice chair, would be worse,” Grassley says. “I approved of his policy until he started talking about inflation being transitory and even after it looked like it wouldn’t be transitory, they still talked about it.”

Grassley, a Republican, says there is one other Biden nominee for the Federal Reserve that he’s likely to support. It’s Lisa Cook, an economist from Michigan State University, who would be the first black woman to serve as a Federal Reserve governor.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Two public hearings will kick-off a meeting of the Atlantic School Board, Wednesday evening. The hearings, followed by the regular school board meeting, begin at 5:30-p.m., and will be held in the Schuler Elementary School Media Center (The meeting will be streamed live at https://youtu.be/zsV817Nvmks). The first public hearing is with regard to the 2022-23 School Calendar. The second pertains to the High School south parking lot and driveway improvements.

During the Board’s regular session that follows, they will receive a Special Presentation from the Archery Club. Later on during the meeting, the Board will act on approving an Archery Club out-of-state trip to Salt Lake City, UT, for the National Archery Tournament. At the State Tournament, the Club finished as State Champions out of 28 teams and fourth out of 21 teams in 3D archery. In addition, Coach Roland was Coach of the Year in Iowa.

In other business, the Board will act on resignations, which include: Dave Erickson, Substitute Bus Driver; Rachael Maxwell and Emily Hanson, WA Food Service; and Janet Adams, HS Food Service. They will then turn to Contract Recommendations and act on approving:

• Rachel Tener, Internal Transfer from Special Ed to ESL Paraeducator
• Erica Vandevort, Preschool Para
• Kerri Denison, WA Para
• Marti Hobson, Volunteer Coach (Boys/Girls Golf)
• Josh Rasmussen, and Roger Warne, Vol. Coaches (Boys/Girls Track)
• James Northwick, Vol. Tennis Coach
• Cal Heuton, Vol. Boys Soccer Coach.

Action items include: approving the 2022-23 School Calendar; a Resolution approving the Plans, Specifications and Forms of Contract for the HS South Parking Lot, and a Resolution award the project contract to the low bidder, United Construction Services Corp, in the amount of $429,733 (paid for through the PPEL/SAVE funds).  The Atlantic School Board will also act on approving 2022-23 Contracts for: Non-Union Employee (Central Office, Technology, Directors) – a 3% salary increase amounting to $17,762 altogether; Social Workers $21,427 ($6,100 each) – a 14.91% total increase; Principals & School Business Official contracts (3% salary increase, for a total of $22,965); 2022-23 Medical Insurance Premium Increase (amounting to an estimated $35,000), and an AEA Purchasing Agreement.

The Board will act on passing resolutions: For the 2022-23 Board approved PPEL and General Fund to Activity Fund Transfer for Protective Equipment ($2,650 for helmet reconditioning, $6,110 for the purchase of new helmets/pads). For more details on the Board’s agenda, click HERE.