Atlantic, IA – ​SHIFT ATL, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, will be hosting a one-day fundraise-a-thon on Friday, May 15, 2020, from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Options to donate and participate will include physical drop-off at 14 e 4th street, practicing appropriate social distancing, and/or various digital opportunities.  With the generous support from an involved community member, all funds raised during this one-day fundraise-a-thon will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000.

Members from SHIFT ATL will be present at their first commercial renovation project at 14 E. 4th street in Atlantic, from 11-a.m. until 7-p.m., for the one-day fundraise-a-thon. They will have the building open to the public to tour, see the projected floor plans and 3D renderings for both the lower and upper level and hear about recent progress. If you wish to tour the space, SHIFT ATL asks that you please practice appropriate social distancing. Only six people will be allowed in the building at a time to ensure the safety of everyone. If you wish to participate in the fundraiser, you can donate in the form of cash, check or Venmo.

Hungry Spartan Pizza, a wood-fire pizza food truck out of Exira, Iowa, will be on site from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. serving lunch. They accept cash, card or Venmo payment the day of. Pizza options will include: ● DAY OF: walk-up pizza by the slice, $3/slice or 2 slices/$5 ● PRE-ORDER: full pizzas to pick up the day of ○ single-topping small $10, large $12 ○ carnivore (all meat) small $14, large $16 ○ supreme small $14, large $16 ○ daily special: The Big Guy (pepperoni, sausage, cream cheese, honey drizzle) small $12, large $14 ○ additional toppings are $1/each To pre-order, either message Hungry Spartan Pizza on Facebook or call/text at 712.304.3387 and mention SHIFT ATL. All pre-orders must be made by Thursday evening, May 14.

Also, SHIFT ATL will be partnering with Atlas Atlantic Cinema for a popcorn fundraiser. Swing by the theater anytime from 2-p.m. to 7-p.m. to grab your afternoon or evening snacks.  In addition, SHIFT ATL will be running a digital fundraiser that day for those who are not able to stop by in person. Options to participate are to visit their website at shiftatl.org, click the “Donate” button and show your support or purchase a SHIFT ATL t-shirt as part of their “buy one, give one” campaign. Using the code “BOGO” you can buy one shirt, and then get another one free to give to someone. You can find the current shirts for sale on their website under “SHIFT Swag”.

Funds raised at this event will be put towards the matching funds required for the Community Catalyst Grant SHIFT ATL applied for in April 2020. This grant, and the matching funds, will cover the cost of the majority of the renovations that will be done inside the group’s first economic development project, the previous Downtowner building the group bought in 2019.

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

Thanks to the Mills County Emergency Management Agency for providing this quick snapshot of the changes coming Friday, May 8th, as a result of the Governor’s proclamation on May 6th (this applies to all counties except those otherwise noted):

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Thursday press conference. We plan on providing live audio of the presser at approximately 11:00 a.m. on KJAN as well.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Nearly 25,000 Iowans filed unemployment claims last week as the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage the state’s economy. The Des Moines Register reports that the new report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday showed 24,693 new claims. The new report comes as the state begins to allow the reopening of businesses that had been closed to limit the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Gov. Kim Reynolds first imposed business restrictions on March 17. Since then, 285,422 jobless claims have been filed.

DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) — Tyson Foods plans to reopen its Dakota City, Nebraska, beef plant after closing the facility following a surge of coronavirus cases among workers. Tyson closed the plant Friday and initially planned to reopen in four days but pushed that back to Thursday after awaiting coronavirus test results. The plant employs 4,300 people and is among the largest employers for neighboring Sioux City, Iowa.

The Dakota City plant is one of numerous meat processing facilities that have closed due to coronavirus outbreaks. A Tyson pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa, and a Smithfield pork plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, both reopened this week.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Police in Creston report 46-year old Sandra J. Kohler, of Fontanelle, was arrested at around 10:25-p.m., Wednesday, on charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Kohler was released from the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Promise to Appear in court.  And, 45-year old Luke A. Johnson, of Creston, was arrested at his home Wednesday evening. Johnson was taken into custody on a Union County warrant for Harassment in the 3rd Degree. He was also released from the LEC on a Promise to Appear.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Board of Directors of the Atlantic Community School District will meet 7:30-a.m. Friday, May 8th a special board meeting.  Due to the State of Public Health Disaster Emergency issued by Governor Kim Reynolds that limits gatherings to less than 10 people, this will be an electronic meeting.  Board members will meet electronically and will NOT meet together in a physical location. Any member of public can view the meeting live on YouTube at the following link:  https://youtu.be/xqOV-etf4Ks

During their session, the School Board will act on approving 2020-21 Master Contracts with the Atlantic Education Association.

(Radio Iowa) — An Iowa native was one of three Marines who prevented a potentially dangerous situation from escalating on an international flight early Monday morning. Captain Daniel Kult, a 2011 Coon Rapids-Bayard graduate, was on a flight from Japan to Texas when he became aware of the disturbance. “I was actually like half-asleep, watching a movie, had my headphones in, started hearing some kind of like commotion…so it took me kind of a moment to kind of realize what was going on,” he says. “I took my headphones out and then that’s when I definitely heard there was someone screaming from one of the bathrooms in the middle of the plane.”

According to Kult, the shouts from the passenger were clearly threatening and he quickly joined two other Marines to assist the flight crew however they could. Once the man subdued in a seat, Kult says he and the other two Marines kept watch as the flight was diverted to Los Angeles. “Off and on he’d have some outbursts here and there,” Kult says, “and there were a couple of other times we had to work on re-restraining him because he slipped out of the duct tape that we used on his legs just because he was getting sweaty and moving his legs around, so he was pretty active throughout the hour it took to land at O an get the authorities on board.”

The passenger was taken into custody not long after landing and taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation. The plane then took off for the flight’s original destination — the Dallas-Fort Worth airport. Kult is now back on base at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, but on a 14-day quarantine following international travel.