(Atlantic, Iowa) – Many people were caught off-guard this (Friday) evening, when the tornado siren blew in Atlantic. There was no prior warning from the National Weather Service. Instead, Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon said he too, was surprised when he received word from Marne Fire Chief Josh Krause, that he had observed a funnel cloud south of Marne, west of Atlantic.

Photo courtesy Jeremiah Bruning, of Atlantic, taken just west of Atlantic on June 28th

The sirens in Marne and Atlantic were set-off a little before 8-p.m. Kennon said he saw a lot of rotation in the clouds, a rope tornado that primarily maintained its form as a funnel cloud, but others saw the twister connect with the ground. Its movement was very slow, Kennon said.  The first warning from the National Weather Service was issued at 7:55-p.m.

“That was only the beginning,” he said. “Lewis had a lot of rotation in the clouds, so we set-off the sirens.” There were also reports of a funnel east of Atlantic. “A lot of people were watching it closely,” Kennon said, as “We were really prepared for setting those sirens off again if something came down.”

The sirens were then set-off for the communities of Wiota and Anita. Kennon said he stopped in Wiota. “I believe everybody in town was out watching the rotation as it spun on the south side of town.” He reported there  was also a funnel cloud or two by Lake Anita.

Funnel cloud taken from West 29th Street at 8:01 p.m. Friday night SW of Atlantic (courtesy Brett Altman)

Another Tornado Warning was issued for NE Cass County and NW Adair County, at 8:47-p.m.  There have been no reports of damage, as the weak tornadoes were mainly in the rural areas. Kennon said “There were a lot of people in their yards and a lot of people out, parked along the edge of the roads,” looking for rotation, and tornadoes on the ground. “With the sunset the way it was, you could really see what was going on, for sure.” Kennon says unless you are a trained storm spotter, being outside in the storm is “Not something I would recommend.”

Photos courtesy of Zach Ploen & Evie Scott, west of Anita at around 9:30-p.m. Friday

One of the questions KJAN was asked on our Facebook page, was why there was no “All Clear” siren given after the danger appeared to have passed. He said “It’s been some time since we’ve had an All-Clear. The reason for that was…in general, people don’t know what the “All-Clear” means. It’s just a siren that’s going off, so they take it as another warning of some kind.” He recommends have a way to receive emergency messages, whether it’s by radio, NOAA Weather Radio or phone app, so that you can get information and know when it is safe to get out of your shelter. (Sign-up HERE for emergency alerts on your cell phone, in Cass County).

Mike Kennon reminds area residents tornadoes can form any time of the year, including during the month of December, as was the case on December 15, 2021, when 63 tornadoes touched down that day, making it the biggest single-day tornado outbreak in Iowa’s recorded history, according to the Weather Service. His advice: “Be weather aware.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council will hold a Special Meeting at 9-a.m. Monday, July 1st, in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. The  only item on their agenda is a presentation, and discussion, with regard to a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) letter received from IEDA (the Iowa Economic Development Authority), as it pertains to the Vision Atlantic Housing Development project.

During their regular meeting on June 5th, the Atlantic City Council approved making an application to IEDA for a waiver to allow a more flexible use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funding to help pay for the proposed housing project. The TIF request  for $10.5 million, is the largest request in Atlantic’s history. TIF funding can be used for market rate housing, but due to regulations, a certain percentage of the TIF funding needs to be set aside for low to moderate income housing. That percentage for the city of Atlantic is 47%, but if the waiver is approved, that percentage could go to 10%.

The idea to use TIF funding was part of the original proposal from Vision Atlantic that included the sale of 48 acres of land for $1 from the city to the group.

As previously mentioned, the project will invest $4,129,597 in infrastructure, $48,800,000 into housing, and a $10,700,000 child development center on the land.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a proclamation for Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Floyd, Fremont, Harrison, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Lyon, Mills, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Pottawattamie, Sioux, Webster, Winnebago, Woodbury, Worth and Wright Counties in response to widespread flooding in Iowa.

The governor’s proclamation allows for the additional targeted suspension of specific regulatory requirements in affected counties to effectively respond to and recover from the effects of this event.

Suspend the regulatory provisions of licensed professionals who are acting on a temporary basis to aid disaster victims or provide emergency services for the following professions: architecture, engineering or land surveying, social work, psychology, marital and family therapy, and mental health counseling.

Suspend the regulatory provisions and administrative rules promulgated thereunder, requiring a current, active Iowa license to practice architecture and engineering to the extent that the individuals practicing architecture and engineering hereunder meet educational, experience, and training requirements to obtain an Iowa license and are acting on a temporary basis to aid disaster victims or provide emergency services.

Suspend the regulatory provisions requiring state electrical inspection fees be due and payable at or before commencement of the installation and requiring minimum fees when a state inspection is requested by a property owner to the extent said inspections are performed in response to and in aid of residential disaster victims.

(Radio Iowa) – The President and CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, Ruth Richardson had this reaction to the Iowa Supreme Court ruling on abortion. “Today’s decision marks a dark moment in Iowa’s history. Iowa’s freedom to control their bodies and their futures has been destroyed,” she says. Richardson says they have been planning for the decision and says they will continue to work to help Iowans travel out of state for an abortion.

“We’ve been making long term regional investments to ensure patients who face bands have regional options. For example, our expansions to Omaha and Mankato health centers will help meet the needs of Iowans who are now facially facing that harsh reality that they must travel hundreds of miles for care,” Richardson says.

Richardson made her comments on a video call this afternoon.

Johnston, IA —  The Iowa National Guard state headquarters in Des Moines has tasked the 185th Air Refueling Wing and 132^d Wing to provide up to 30 Airmen to help with debris clean up in the wake of historic flooding in Iowa. The Sioux City based Iowa Air Guard unit has been tasked to help in their home county of Woodbury in the western side of the state as well as neighboring Cherokee, Ida, and Buena Vista counties.

As part of their state mission, the Air Guard has Debris Removal Teams, specialized personnel and tools that includes chain saws, skid steer loaders, dump trucks and other vehicles. Airmen assigned to the domestic response mission are primarily assigned to the unit’s Civil Engineering Squadron.

A series of rainstorms caused widespread flooding that quickly overwhelmed dozens of municipalities in the Northwest corner of the Hawkeye state. As residents began cleaning up, communities were faced with large amounts of debris that included items like basement carpet, drywall, furniture, and other household content.

Getting cleanup operations underway as quickly as possible is paramount as flood debris can present public health concerns. The ANG teams will be on duty to assist with recovery efforts, starting in Spencer, Iowa.

Air National Guard Debris Removal Teams were used as recently as 2020 when they were called to Cedar Rapids in the wake of the derecho windstorm.

The Iowa National Guard says F-16 fighter jets will fly over West Des Moines this weekend to honor a retired Air Guard General who has died.  Brigadier General Travis K. Acheson died June 21st after a year-long battle with brain cancer. General Acheson graduated from Valley High School in 1986 and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The University of Iowa in 1990. He retired from the Guard after 33 years in September 2022.

(Ret.) Brigadier General Travis K. Acheson

He amassed nearly three-thousand flying hours in the F-16 and completed over 500 combat hours during five overseas deployments. He also had a career as a commercial pilot with American Airlines.

Acheson is survived by his wife Brooke and three daughters. There will be an F-16 flyover around 10:30 Saturday at Resthaven Cemetery following a celebration of life ceremony.

(Radio Iowa) -0 Iowa’s Catholic bishops say they celebrate that the Iowa Supreme Court has recognized there’s no right to an abortion in the Iowa Constitution. Their written statement was issued this (Friday) morning, shortly after the Iowa Supreme Court issued a ruling that lifts an injunction that had blocked a six week abortion ban from taking effect in Iowa. Bishop William Joensen of the Des Moines Catholic Diocese spoke last weekend at a rally to celebrate the U-S Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v Wade.

“As much as we heralded the Dobbs decision, we know how it has exposed an underlying attachment in our American culture to that option to procure an abortion, at least under limited circumstances,” Joensen said. “We know a legal sea change of this magnitude does not automatically correlate with changes in hearts and minds and attitudes.” The written statement from Joensen and the other bishops says human life should be protected under our laws to the greatest extent possible. Joensen suggests the next step is banning in vitro fertilization.

“Nobody knows how many human embryos dwell in dark, cold storage tanks, though estimates range from 500,000 to millions and they would make it certainly at least one of the 30 largest cities in America,” Joensen says. “The fact is only a tiny minority will see the light of day.” Maggie DeWitte, executive director of Pulse Life Advocates is also a spokeswoman for the Iowa Coalition of Pro-Life leaders. She calls the six week ban is a life saving measure.

Iowa Judicial Branch Bldg.

“This is a monumental win for Iowa women, for Iowa families, for babies,” DeWitte said. DeWitte says she’s been lobbying for abortion restrictions in Iowa for 25 years and it’s hard to put the magnitude of today’s (Friday) ruling into words.

(Radio Iowa) – Flooding on the Cedar River the past three weeks has conservation officials in the northeast Iowa area concerned about ongoing soil and habitat preservation efforts. Black Hawk County Conservation Executive Director, Mike Hendrickson, says if the river keeps rising and falling so quickly, it could result in unforeseen erosion. “It will eventually take its toll, because it will find ways to cut erosion gulleys down through areas, and that will take out vegetation and every time it does that it’ll get bigger, and we really can’t get in there to fix it until it’s over,” he says. The Cedar River has crested at over 90 feet twice in the past three weeks.

Hendrickson says the erosion from the flood cycles could wipe out several years of work. “If these things keep coming, and if the next time we can’t get some of this water out of here, then we’re going to start having problems,” he says. “Then we have to take a look at when we can get back out there, and are we going to have to fix what we didn’t think we were going to have to fix.”
Flood conditions on the Cedar River are expected to continue at least into the weekend, and more rain is likely.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Area Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by TS Bank on Thursday, June 27th, 2024. The Ambassadors gathered to welcome new staff members to the TS Bank team. The Ambassadors welcomed Le Ann Erickson to her new role as branch manager. Le Ann has worked in banking for the last 24 years and has been a part of two previous banks in the past. She is excited to be working in the Atlantic branch of TS Bank. The Ambassadors were also introduced to Paige Hays who made the move to Atlantic just a few weeks ago. Paige helped open the TS Bank branch in Ames just last year in April. Paige looks forward to getting out into the community and meeting new people.

The Atlantic branch of TS bank opened in December of 2015 and has continued to uphold their mission to Ignite Prosperity in the communities they serve by reinvesting 10 percent of its net income. The Guttau Family has owned TS Bank and Group since the early 70’s and is continuing to lead by example when it comes to investing in every TS Bank community. In Atlantic TS Bank has been involved in Shift ATL, the YMCA, Ann Wickman, among many others. Dave Wise, President of Community Banking stated, “Of all our markets I am excited about Atlantic and all the things happening in Cass County, we are here to continue to grow with the community.”

Ambassador’s Pictured Left to Right: Nina Welter, Jeff Christensen, DeeDee Kalny, Jeremy Butler, Dolly Bergmann, Dave Wise, Le Ann Erickson, Ashley Williams, Adriana Mendez, Paige Hays, Dan Rossell, Kelsey Stupfell Abby Becker, Alex McAfee, Megan Sramek, Colt Doherty, Kathie Hockenberry, Julie Waters, Scott Bennett, Krysta Hanson, Lana Westphalen, Keith Leonard, BJ Hart, Bill Saluk, Jim Kickland

TS Bank is located at 1005 E. 7th Street in Atlantic.