(Atlantic, Iowa) [updated]- An investment the City of Atlantic made in a housing rehabilitation program has come full-circle, with a reimbursement check for $65,000 issued to the Mayor, Wednesday evening. In Dec. 2020, the City Council passed a Resolution establishing a non-profit Housing Rehabilitation Revolving Loan Fund. At that same Dec. 16th meeting, they appropriated funds and partnered with SHIFT ATL on the organization’s first housing project at 608 Hazel Street.

SWIPCO Community Development Director/SHIFT ATL Co-Founder Alexsis Fleener said Wednesday, the project was completed, and the home was sold for $154,000. Fleener said the house was purchased for rehab in the amount of $63,000, but with closing costs included, the loan from the City came to $65,000.

She says when they paid off the loan and the check presented Wednesday night clears the bank, SHIFT ATL will have made $33,000. The funds reimbursed to the City will be deposited back into the Non-profit Housing Fund for future projects.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, passed by a vote a 6-to1, a Resolution granting Mike Pellett, the owner of 60499 Glacier Road, permission to connect to the City’s Sanitary Sewer System.

Councilman Dick Casady was the lone “Nay” vote.

Annexing the address on Glacier Road would have been impractical, due to it being too far from the City limits, and the City would have had to absorb a bridge, one they do not need added to the infrastructure liabilities, according to City Administrator John Lund.

The Council approved the closing of select streets on October 9th at 6-p.m., for the Atlantic Fireman’s Parade. Mayor Dave Jones set Halloween as Sunday, Oct. 31st, from 5-until 7:30-p.m., and the Council approved the appointment of Heather Santi-Brown to the Housing Committee.

(Radio Iowa) – Parents and school board members were surprised after the Sioux City Schools sent out a notice today (Wednesday) that all students must wear masks on school buses to comply with federal law. The school board declined to institute a mask mandate in Sioux City school buildings at their meeting last week. Board member Dan Greenwell says he thought the board was going to discuss the bus issue next Monday. “But apparently, the administration decided to implement it immediately — and that was on the advice of counsel I think…it surprised all of us on the speed and the requirement,” Greenwell says. He says it’s based on the legal interpretation.

“We are subject to that federal requirement. We checked for the state’s interpretation and the Department of Education’s interpretation indicated that we should the federal guidelines required for the masks,” he says. Greenwell says it creates an unusual situation for wearing masks. “Get on the bus in the morning and you put on your mask during the bus trip and then you take your mask off. On again, off again. I apologize to the citizens for this, it’s just inconsistent and not in line with what the board approved at the last meeting,” according to Greenwell.

“If it’s a rule, it’s a rule and if it’s a law, it’s a law. I think we have to follow the law. I would not recommend not doing it.” The bus mask mandate includes travel for extra-curricular activities as well as transportation to and from school. The Sioux City Schools have declined any comment on the issue — saying their new release on the issue explains the guidance.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Three City of Atlantic employees were presented with plaques and received congratulations from the City Council, for their 10 years of service to citizens of the community. Mayor Dave Jones made the presentations.

Among those honored was Lt. Devin Hogue with the Atlantic Police Department, who began as a Patrolman in Aug., 2011.

Lt. Devin Hogue

City Administrator John Lund, who began as an Assistant to the City Administrator in March, 2011, and Chad Silence, who joined the Street Department in March, 2011 as and Equipment Operator.

John Lund

Chad Silence

(UPDATE, 9/24: Individuals who participate in the program must be 18 years of age or older)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Iowa Western Community College, in Atlantic, said Wednesday, that Iowa Western’s Continuing Education department is partnering with local hospitals and long-term health facilities to recruit and provide FREE Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training for the first 100 Iowa resident applicants! There will be training programs in Atlantic, Clarinda, Harlan, and at the main campus in Council Bluffs.

The cost is FREE to Iowa residents! The applicant will attend an orientation day and then their next step is to show up to their first day of class. Iowa Western offers a 75-hour class, as well as a hybrid class, which incorporates both class and lab exercises. Once the student successfully completes the class and lab, they will then take the state certification exams, offered at our Iowa Western campus, and be able to apply for CNA jobs immediately!

Rachel Jensen, Director of Continuing Education at Iowa Western, says “We want to find 100 individuals who want to make a difference in the lives of others.” Certified Nursing Assistants have the ability to make a difference in a resident’s life each and every day. This CNA Training is certainly a great initiative for the student, the facilities, the community and most important the residents.

Iowa Western hopes that the 100 free CNA’s start to address the health care workforce demand that has become more acute due to the COVID pandemic. There is a large workforce demand for CNA’s. The region of SW Iowa and the Omaha MSA currently has 6,702 Certified Nursing Assistants positions and will experience a 1.7% growth in the next five years. Currently the median pay is $15.33 an hour.

Cindy Wetterlind, IWCC Cass County Center Director, is excited for this initiative.  She said “I was very excited to hear about this initiative and the great opportunities it will bring to our community. Many providers are experiencing staffing issues and by adding 100 new Certified Nurses Assistants to the workforce residents, patients, and staff across all healthcare sectors will benefit greatly.” She has reached out to several facilities in the area and they too are excited for the opportunities that this will bring to the local area.

The IWCC Cass County Center CNA class will start on November 29th. For more information please call 712-243-5527.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Officials with the Glenwood Police Department say two people were arrested Wednesday on separate warrants: 32-year-old Tera McAtee, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Failure to Appear. Her bond was set at $1,000; and, 25-year-old Kameron Myers, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Douglas County, Nebraska warrant, also for Failure to Appear. Myers’ bond was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest state report shows that over the past seven days there’s been a nearly 10 percent increase in the number of Covid patients in Iowa hospitals. The Iowa Department of Public Health’s website shows there are 638 Covid patients in Iowa hospitals and 25 percent of them are in intensive care units. State data shows a dozen kids under the age of 12 are hospitalized with Covid.

Among the Iowans who’ve tested positive for Covid in the past week, 26 percent are under the age of 18. That’s a slight decline from last week’s report.

Over the past seven days, nearly 60 percent of the Iowans confirmed through testing to have Covid are under the age of 40. The latest information on Covid shots shows nearly 65-and-a-half percent of Iowa ADULTS are fully vaccinated. The vaccination rate among Iowans over the age of 65 is 83 percent.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Workforce Development hosted a roundtable in Sioux City this (Wednesday) morning to partner with businesses in trying to find workers. Presenter Kathy Leggett talked about the issue prior to the roundtable and says there’s some people who aren’t coming back to the workforce for various reasons.

Leggett says businesses have to look at a variety of options for bringing in workers.

Leggett says hiring wages are making things even more competitive. She says she saw it in their summer youth work program.

The roundtable was held at Western Iowa Tech.