(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Chamber Ambassador’s were hosted by Atlantic City Hall on Thursday, July 22nd. Ambassadors heard from Mayor Dave Jones, and he thanked the community for the opportunity to serve as Mayor and he looks forward to his retirement with his wife Rosie. Mayor Jones spoke about his appreciation and pride in each department of the city and shared that he is optimistic about the direction Atlantic is headed. Mayor Jones shared that each City Hall staff member has great strengths that make the office run smoothly. John Lund, City Administrator, is a great asset when it comes to crunching numbers and researching ideas. Barb Barrick, City Clerk, and Amanda Martin, temporary Deputy City Clerk, provide great support to the department heads and city residents.

Ambassador’s Pictured: (Standing Left to Right) Heidi Hinman, Dawn Marnin, Nedra Perry, Rich Perry, Anne Quist, Bill Saluk, Arlene Drennan, Donnie Drennan, Dr.Keith Leonard, Ruth Sears, Krysta Hanson, Scott Bennett, Dolly Bergmann, Dianne Gipple McCurdy, Kelsey Beschorner.
(Seated Left to Right) Barb Barrick, Grace Garrett, John Lund, Dave Jones, Linda Hartkoff, Pat McCurdy, Amanda Martin, Hannah Richter. (photo courtesy the Atlantic Area CoC)

The Ambassadors learn more about Hannah Richter, temporary Administrative Assistant, as she prepares to head back to Northwest Missouri State University to continue her education in Agriculture Science and Music. City Hall is located at 23 E 4th Street, Atlantic Iowa. For more information about the City of Atlantic, please visit www.atlanticiowa.com or call 712-243-4810.

(Radio Iowa) – Authorities in northwest Iowa are releasing more information about a fatal one-vehicle accident on Thursday morning. Emmet County Sheriff Mike Martens says at around 5:40 A-M, his office received a call from a motorist reporting a vehicle on its top about three miles north of Estherville. Upon investigation at the scene, it was determined that the 2002 Ford pickup was traveling southbound on 400th Avenue when the driver lost control causing the vehicle to skid. The vehicle began rolling on the roadway before coming to rest on its top on the east shoulder and ditch of 400th Avenue.

The driver of the vehicle, 16-year-old James Dean Woodyard, of rural Estherville, was ejected from the vehicle during the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A collision between an SUV and a pickup truck in eastern Iowa, early Friday morning, resulted in a death. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2012 Nissan Rogue driven by 40-year-old Seth Sanderson, of Denver (IA) was westbound on 280th Street in Butler County at around 4:35-a.m., when he failed to stop at the posted intersection with Temple Avenue. The SUV collided with a northbound 2012 Ford F-150 driven by 58-year-old Denis Morrow, of New Hartford.

Sanderson, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene. The accident remains under investigation.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, today (Friday), released a report on arrests and accidents. On Thursday, July 22nd, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested Jason Richard Tasto, of Marne, for OWI/1^st offense, and interference with official acts.  Tasto was being held in the Cass County Jail. And, on Tuesday, July 20th, 18-year-old Chance Eldon Kline, of Shenandoah, was arrested for public intoxication.  Kline was transported to Cass County Jail, later plead guilty, and was released.

There were two accidents in Cass County this past week. On Monday (July 19), at approximately 2:42 p.m., Cass County Deputies responded to an accident on 620^th St. and Lansing Road, near Atlantic.  Mauro De Avila, of Des Moines, was traveling north bound on 620^th St., driving a 2007 Volvo Dump-Truck, when he met a south bound 2011 Chevrolet Silverado Pick-up driven by Michael Louis Leeper, of Atlantic.  The vehicles met at the crest of a hill, sideswiped with the pick-up coming to rest in the ditch. No injuries were reported.

And, as we’ve previously reported, one person was seriously injured during a motorcycle accident that occurred on July 17th. Authorities say Cass County Deputies responded to the accident scene on the Lewis Road, between 580^th and Quincy Rd.  Officials say Andrew Jensen, of Atlantic, was riding a 2011 Harley Davidson motorcycle northbound at around 5:21-p.m., when he failed to negotiate a curve and lost control.  Jensen was thrown from the motorcycle and landed in the ditch.  He was transported by EMS ground to Lewis, and then transported by EMS air to Des Moines Methodist Hospital.

(Radio Iowa) – An Ankeny woman who is president of the National Pork Producers Council is urging members of the U.S. Senate to reform the visa system so immigrants working as farm hands or in meat packing plants can stay permanently.  “Our foreign born workforce is an essential part of our supply chain and we need visa reform to reflect our year-round needs.”  Jen Sorenson is also the communications for Iowa Select Farms, the largest pork producer in Iowa and the 8th largest in the United States. “Unfortunately the U.S. is suffering from a serious labor shortage negatively impacting our farms and our processing plants,” Sorenson says. “As any pork producer will tell you, there is no pork season. It requires a full time, hard working and dedicated workforce on our farms and in our processing plants.”

The current H-two-A (H-2A) visa program allows agribusinesses to fill temporary positions with foreign-born workers. Sorenson says that’s designed for seasonal agriculture, like vegetable and fruit farms, not for livestock operations which need a workforce all year long. “If the labor shortage is not addressed, it could lead to farms and packing plants shutting down,” Sorenson says. “As a result, pork production would be constrained, leading to higher food prices for consumers and the United States becoming an unreliable trading partner for the many countries around the world that rely on our pork.”

In March, the U.S. House passed a bill to make changes in the visa program for temporary farm workers. Sorenson says the bill is an excellent solution — if the bill’s cap on the number of visas in the bill is eliminated, so an unlimited number of visas for farm workers is available. “We would not want to find ourselves in situation where we are competing against our fellow livestock farmers for a specific number of workers,” Sorenson says, “and that is why we ask for an uncapped H-2A program and also a year-round H-2A program.” Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley invited Sorenson to testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee this week. Grassley also invited Leon Sequeira, an assistant U.S. Labor Secretary in President Bush’s Administration and the former legal counsel to the Senate’s Republican leader.

“The worker shortage on our farms continues to get worse with each passing year and it is threatening the future viability of labor-intensive agriculture in America,” he said. “Farm work is honest, honorable and necessary work, but there are simply not enough U.S. workers willing to do it.” The National Pork Producers Council president told senators the labor shortage in the pork industry is exacerbates by continued population decline in rural areas of the country, where most pork production and processing is located.