The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Council Bluffs was arrested at around 2-a.m. today (Wednesday), for Possession of a Controlled Substance. 32-year-old Nicholas James Jensen was taken into custody following a traffic stop on Interstate 29. Bond was set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – Retired Admiral Mike Franken has filed more than 64-hundred signatures on nominating petitions in his bid for the Iowa Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate nomination. Franken says he could subtract all the signatures collected in Polk County, Iowa’s most urban county, and still have enough to qualify for the primary ballot — and that’s by design. “I would like to be over represented in rural Iowa. I would like to be fully saturated in the urban areas. I would like to have the voice that spans the needs of a large populous and also be the voice of pragmatic realism and I’d like to really energize the Democratic Party,” Franken says. “What I’ve seen is a sense of forlornness that I would like to erase.”

Former Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer of Cedar Rapids, Dr. Glenn Hurst of Minden and Bob Krause of Burlington have also said they’re running for a chance to challenge Republican Chuck Grassley’s bid for an eighth term in the U.S. Senate. Last Friday, Grassley emphasized that he will have the most seniority of anyone in the senator if he’s reelected this fall. Franken suggests voters should pay attention to policies rather than tenure. “There are things such as seniority and then seniority that leads to, perhaps, lack of verveness and initiative and perhaps lack of broad thought with what’s best for the state and the nation,” Franken says.

Franken’s campaign website is being revamped to include “more substance,” according to Franken, who recently hired a new campaign manager. Franken told reporters he is exceedingly happy with the changes. “In Iowa, you win support by seeing, talking, shaking hands, being part, listening and so we are working hard on that,” Franken says. “But to ensure also we’ve got the necessary finances in the end game to make sure we to ensure that we flood the state with name recognition and also platform positions, etc.”

Franken, who grew up in Sioux County, served 36 years in the military. Franken ran for the U.S. Senate in 2020 and finished second in the Democratic Primary. In other 2022 campaign news, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds is expected to kick off her bid for another term tonight (Wednesday). She’ll speak at a campaign rally on the state fairgrounds. The Des Moines Register is reporting businessman Fred Hubbell, who ran against Reynolds four years ago, has endorsed Deidre DeJear, the Democratic Party’s leading gubernatorial candidate this year.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County District 3 Supervisor John P. Hartkopf, today (Wednesday), announced his re-election campaign. Hartkopf is currently finishing his first term as a County Supervisor. His press release says he “has a long history of successful community service and has diligently worked as a Supervisor to enhance County government and to improve Cass County in general. Along with the normal Supervisor duties, John has focused on economic development and mental health services for Cass County.”

He also touted his success in leading “the negotiations to keep Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Zion in Atlantic, keeping services for 1,900 individual Cass County residents and saving 41 county jobs. Hartkopf assisted in the merger of these organizations into “Zion Integrated Behavior Health” for financial stability and enhanced service to the community.” Hartkopf also serves on the Governing Board of the Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disabilities Region providing extensive services to Cass County.

John P. Hartkopf (photo provided)

His bio states John Hartkopf also serves on the CADCO, CABEDA, and Valley Business Park boards. After several years of extensive research, investigations, updated surveys, and cost estimates it was clear that the interstate natural gas transmission lines, NNG’s encroachment regulations, and because of a number of other issues, that it was not economically feasible to develop the property. The Cass-Aubudon VBP Board unanimously voted to sell the property bringing in 2.55 million dollars. The Cass monies will go to the Glacier Road Business Park which already has the basic infrastructure and recently obtained the Altas Crane Company and is currently negotiating with other prospects.

A graduate of the University of Iowa, Hartkopf was President of Allied Engineering Company from 1984-2014, Chairperson of the Atlantic Municipal Utilities, Chairperson of the MBI Government Affairs and Director. Hartkopf co-founded the Iowa Competitive Bidding Alliance to protect tax payers in public works and has over 30 years experience in dealing with government at the federal, state, and local levels.

He says he “looks forward to serving Cass County in his second term.”

Atlantic, IA – SHIFT ATL, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, is closing out their engraved brick patio paver fundraiser on March 31, 2022. The nonprofit organization has been selling personalized engraved patio pavers for a year, and the fundraiser is wrapping up at the end of March. Individuals, families, organizations and businesses are all able to purchase a 4×8 paver with text, an 8×8 paver with text or an 8×8 paver with their logo to commemorate a loved one, celebrate your family or put your company/organization on display. All of these engraved pavers will make up a portion of the patio that will be built early summer 2022. These pavers will be a great keepsake for anyone to come visit and see their impact for the community of Atlantic.

Accompanying these patio pavers will also be a colorful mural on the side of The Telegraph building that celebrates Atlantic and how “good it is to be here”. Starting the first of March, renovation on the exterior of The Telegraph began and will continue this spring and early summer, with all projects being complete to reveal for their Summer Soiree fundraiser dinner and dueling pianos on July 16. McGill Restoration from Omaha is completing the brick work on the entirety of the exterior.

Werts Construction from Atlantic will be installing the new stone and awning on the front of the building, completing the renovation of the exterior. Following those projects, a community patio will be built in the courtyard space, and then two murals will be installed, one on the west side of the building and one on the east side with the patio!

SHIFT ATL recently completed the interior rehabilitation of The Telegraph building, located at 14 e 4th Street in Atlantic. They are managing a fully operating AirBnB on the upper story, and they are currently using the main level as commercial space for pop-up shops, local events or as a flexible community space while they work to find a permanent commercial tenant. If you are interested in purchasing an engraved patio paver or learning more about the fundraiser, you can visit shiftatl.org/bricks or contact Jessie Shiels at 712.304.2651.

For more information or any questions about this SHIFT ATL event, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/shiftatl, their website at shiftatl.org or by email at shiftatlantic@gmail.com.

Atlantic, Iowa ─ Jack and Jill Preschool, located at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, is accepting registrations for children aged 3-5 years old for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. Jack and Jill Preschool offers a unique learning experience in a safe, fun, and loving environment. The classrooms boast many different learning stations to foster a varied learning experience where your child can learn fine motor skills in one station, and then discover science-based activities in the next. Jack and Jill Preschool offers field trips to introduce your child to activities and opportunities in the community, including dance, gymnastics, festival of trees, and more! With Jack and Jill’s proximity to the YMCA, your child will get the added bonus of using the gyms for activities and the pool for swim days.

Three-year-old classes:
• $50 registration fee due at time of enrollment
• Tuition fee of $90/month (grants available on first come, first serve basis for those who qualify)
• Meet Tuesday and Thursday each week
o 9:00 am to 11:30 am
o OR 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Four-year-old classes:
• FREE*
• Choose from two schedules:
o Monday, Wednesday, Friday
▪ 8:10 am to 11:30 am
▪ OR 12:10 to 3:30 pm
o Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
▪ 8:10 am to 11:30 am*Your child MUST be four years old by Sept. 15, 2022 to qualify for free tuition.

Children who attend the Ann Wickman Center will be bussed to and from preschool. For all others, transportation will be your responsibility, or SWITA is available for transportation. Please call 712-243-4196 to set up arrangements. To register, call the YMCA or stop by and speak with Mrs. Haynes to get paperwork and information on classes. Spots will fill as registrations come in, so if you wish to enroll your child in a certain time slot, please get your registration in as soon as possible.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans and two Democrats in the Iowa Senate have voted to end the senate’s confirmation process for the governor’s appointments to more than two dozen state boards and commissions. Under current law, the governor’s nominees for nearly 140 boards, commissions and councils in state government must be confirmed by a two-thirds vote in the senate to serve. Republican Senator Roby Smith of Davenport says if 26 senators sign a petition, any of the nominees to the boards on this new list would be subject to the confirmation process. “If someone feels that someone’s not qualified or should not be confirmed…that sends them through the process to be reconsidered,” Smith says, “and then they have to get 34 votes.”

Senator Janet Petersen, a Democrat from Des Moines, says this gets rid of automatic checks and balances for important state boards. “We had somebody that was appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women not too long ago that was an absolute sexist pig,” Petersen says, “and we turned them down — all of us in here.” Members of the boards that oversee Iowa’s prison system and the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy are also among the groups that would no longer be automatically reviewed by senators and subject to a confirmation vote.

Senator Todd Taylor, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says this is the worst possible time to end confirmation for members of those boards. “We need more oversight, not less. We need more accountability, not less. We need more citizens’ involvement, not less,” Taylor said. “We need checks and balances. Everybody understands that.” Senator Smith says Democrats are exaggerating. “To say that the governor has full control if this bill is passed is not accurate,” Smith said.

Members of more than one-hundred other state oversight boards still would still have to get 34 “yes” votes in the senate in order to serve. There are currently 32 Republicans in the state senate. That gives Democrats in the minority the power to block confirmations supported by the G-O-P majority. That was the case last year with a person the governor had nominated for the Iowa Public Information Board. It’s one of the boards whose members would no longer be automatically reviewed by senators if the bill becomes law.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), acknowledged receipt of a letter from a rural resident with regard to noise from wind turbines. Board Chair Matt Wedemeyer….

The Board also acknowledged the receipt of three MMP’s (Manure Management Plan) updates, and the Adair County storm disaster declaration. In other business, Adair County Auditor Mandy Berg requested the Board approve an agreement with Neapolitan Labs out of Des Moines, for website development.

In other business, the Adair County Supervisors set March 30th at 9:15-a.m., as the date and time for a Public Hearing on a proposition to issue not more than $5.5-million dollars in General Obligation Urban Renewal Bonds. The Board also approved Board Chair Wedemeyer’s signing of various contracts and performance bonds.