(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic, this (Tuesday) evening, discussed and then considered the purchase of 16 Scott Air-Pak Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses for the Atlantic Fire Department. Fire Chief Tom Cappel mentioned their current Airpaks are beyond their certifiable life.

He said he has not yet heard back on a FEMA grant for the bottles. He said the 16 certified Airpaks requested will equip the Departments First-out trucks. The bottles have a 15-year certifiable usefulness.

Atlantic Fire Chief Tom Cappel speaks to the City Council (2-6-24)

The Council agreed to move forward with process of purchasing the devices. The Council then received an update from Jeremy Butler and Ali Pieken, SplashPad Committee members. Pieken also spoke last month, during the City of Atlantic’s Parks Advisory inaugural meeting.

Pieken said Rolling Hills Bank and Trust, in addition to their $10,000 donation, is willing to carry a loan with a 2% interest rate. The committee pitched the idea of a $300-thousand or $400,00 value, but that is only what they used for an amortization rate.

The project is currently estimated to cost $673,000, leaving a gap of $101,185. After some contentious, back-and-forth over allegations that the City told SWIPCO (the grant-writing arm of the City), NOT to write any grants for the Splash Pad project, the Council proceeded to move forward and approve a submission of a Letter Of Support for the Splash Pad Project, as part of an application to Enhance Iowa, for a CAT (Community Attraction and Tourism) grant. A delay caused by miscommunications with regard to the grant writing, means SWIPCO will have to hustle to meet the deadline to apply for the grant, which is February 15th.

Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm said the plan right now, is to go out for bid on the Splash Pad, at the end of this month, take bids in March, and possibly award a contract that same month, with the contract and bonds approved by the middle of April. The Splash Pad Committee is scrambling to get SWIPCO all the necessary information to get the grant application submitted on-time.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council passed two resolutions. The first was with regard to “Allocating the Alliant Energy Gas Franchise Fee for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025.” On July 5th, 2023, the City Council in Atlantic granted a 25-year franchise to Interstate Power and Light Company (Alliant Energy), which imposes a five-percent franchise fee upon gross revenue generated from the sales of natural gas by the Company, within the City’s corporate limits. In Sept. 2023, the City Council passed a resolution adopting a Revenue Purpose Statement (RPS), outlining the purposes for which the City will use the franchise fee. The Personnel and Finance Committee deemed the fee should be allocated for FY 2024 and 2025, as follows:

• 2% to the Police Department Operating Fund
• 2% to the Fire Equipment Reserve Fund
• 1% to an Ambulance Subsidy Fund.

The other resolution the Council passed tonight (Tuesday night), was to authorize bids for 2024 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation. Dave Sturm explains…

The Resolution states the notice of letting will be published by law for Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, at which time the City Clerk will receive bids for the work until 2-p.m. on that date. The sealed bids will be opened 5:30-p.m. March 5th, for consideration of the adoption of the proposed plans, specifications and proposed form of contract for the improvements.

The Council concluded regular business and adjourned into a Closed Session for the purpose of “Providing for the strategy meetings of Public Employees for Collective Bargaining.”

New York, NY, Ithaca, NY, and Port Rowan, ON— The 27^th Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) will take place from Friday, February 16 through Monday, February 19. Volunteers from around the world are invited to count the birds they see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, then enter their checklists at birdcount.org. Anyone with internet access can participate, no matter what their skill level—it’s a great family activity, too.

A lot has changed since the first Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) was held in 1998. Each year brings unwavering enthusiasm from the growing number of participants in this now-global event. All the data contribute to a snapshot of bird distribution and help scientists see changes over the past 20 years.

“The very first GBBC was an experiment,” says the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Marshall Iliff, a leader of the eBird program. “We wanted to see if people would use the Internet to send us their bird sightings. Clearly the experiment was a success!” eBird collects bird observations globally every day of the year and is the online platform used by the GBBC.

“The Great Backyard Bird Count is a great way to introduce people to participation in citizen science,” says Audubon vice president and chief scientist Gary Langham. “No other program allows volunteers to take an instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations that can contribute to our understanding of how a changing climate is affecting birds.”

Varying weather conditions so far this winter are producing a few trends that GBBC participants can watch for during the count.

Jon McCracken, Bird Studies Canada’s National Program Director, reminds participants in Canada and the U.S. to keep watch for snowies. He says, “The GBBC has done a terrific job of tracking irruptions of Snowy Owls southward over the past several years. We can’t predict what winter 2024 will bring, because Snowy Owl populations are so closely tied to unpredictable ‘cycles’ of lemmings in the Arctic. These cycles occur at intervals between two and six years.  Nevertheless, there are already reports of Snowy Owls as far south as Virginia.”

In addition to counting birds, the GBBC photo contest has also been a hit with participants since it was introduced in 2006. Since then, tens of thousands of stunning images have been submitted.

Learn more about how to take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count at birdcount.org where downloadable instructions and an explanatory PowerPoint are available. The GBBC is a joint project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society with partner Bird Studies Canada and is made possible in part by sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.

This is a wonderful family program for bird watchers of all ages and is free of charge. All you need is basic knowledge of bird identification! It is not required that you record every species you see, only those that can be properly identified. To participate in the bird count either call the Conservation Board at 712-769-2372 and receive everything you need in the mail (or pick up in the office), or go to the website: http://www.birdcount.org/ and follow the instructions.

Let’s get out there this year and stay in the top 10 in the state! Please help the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon Society by participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count.

(Lewis, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board is holding a Snowshoe Night Hike next week. The Snowshoe Night Hike will be held at the Outdoor Educational Classroom outside of Massena, on February 16th 2024 at 7-p.m. Come out for a great night hike, try to call in various species of Owls that may be in the park that night! Snowshoes (variety of sizes) will be available. Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning says “We will hike, and if the sky is clear, it will be a great night to stargaze! FREE, Dress for the weather!

The event be a night hike with “NO SNOWSHOES- if there is NO Snow!”

The following evening (Nov. 17th), there will be a “Sweethearts Snowshoe Hike.”  The Sweetheart Snowshoe Hike will be held at the Pellett Memorial Woods outside of Atlantic, beginning at 7-p.m. Come out for a great night hike, who knows what nature has waiting for us then! Snowshoes (variety of sizes) will be available. This event is also free. Be sure and dress for the weather.

The event WILL be CANCELLED with “NO SNOW!”

(Radio Iowa) -Republicans on a House subcommittee have advanced Governor Kim Reynolds’ bill that would put definitions of man and woman and mother and father in Iowa law and require changes in how the state issues driver’s licenses to transgender residents. Molly Severn is the governor’s legislative liaison.

“Just like the governor and legislature did with girls’ sports, this proposal protects women’s spaces and rights afforded them by Iowa law and the Constitution,” Severn says. Denise Bubeck of The Family Leader’s church ambassador network says Reynolds is standing up for women by clearly defining the term.  “This bill will help us move in the right direction because without it, we are losing single sex spaces and resources,” she said, “including locker rooms, athletics and even prisons and domestic violence shelters.”

Clara Reynen, a graduate student at the University of Iowa, testified against the bill.  “This bill is completely unconstitutional and worse than that it’s unAmerican,” Reynen said. “…My transgender friends and family deserve to live in peace..” The bill requires Iowa driver’s licenses and newly-issued birth certificates to list a transgender resident’s gender at birth as well as their gender after sex-change surgery. Stefanie Munsterman, executive director of the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission, says the bill sends the wrong signal to the L-G-B-T-Q community.

“I have business leaders across the state of Iowa telling me they are having an exceedingly hard time finding employees to work,” Munsterman said. “People are leaving the state. People are afraid to come here, so we are losing our competitive advantage.” A huge crowd of opponents of the bill rallied and chanted outside the committee room during the half hour hearing.

The bill is now eligible for a vote in a House committee.

(Radio Iowa) – It may be a little easier to get help if you run into a problem filling out your federal tax forms this year, as the Internal Revenue Service is expanding its range of services. Christopher Miller, the I-R-S spokesman for Iowa, says the agency has added more staff to handle calls on its helpline.

Miller says, “We’re expanding our customer callback feature, designed to significantly reduce wait times on the phone.” He says more funding for the agency this year translates to more services and better support. The I-R-S’ website has also gotten a make-over to better assist taxpayers.

“We’re enhancing the IRS online account tool to include chat,” Miller says. “We’re including the option to schedule or cancel future payments, revise payment plans, and even save bank account information.” If you have questions but don’t want to get online or on the phone, Miller says there’s another option.\

“The IRS is expanding in-person service to taxpayers,” Miller says, “by meeting with them where they are, by opening or reopening Taxpayer Assistance Centers in local communities across the country.” You can find a local center, or get help online at I-R-S-dot-gov.

Moments of silence were observed in the Iowa House and Senate this (Tuesday) morning to honor former Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey, who died unexpectedly at the age of 64. Northey served more than a decade as state ag secretary before his appointment as a U-S-D-A Under Secretary during the Trump Administration. Speaker Pat Grassley led the tribute in the House.

Senator Dennis Guth, of Klemme, worked in a farm group with Northey before Northey was first elected ag secretary in 2006.

Senator Dan Zumbach, a farmer from Ryan, wept as he spoke about Northey.

Northey had been C-E-O of the Agribusiness Association of Iowa since last March.

Former Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey served as a USDA Under Secretary from the spring of 2018 to early January, 2021. (USDA photo)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Cass County, today (Tuesday), approved the hiring of Sawyer Ocheltree as Deputy Sheriffs, at a rate of $34.08/hour, in accordance with the AFSCME Union contract. They also approved wage increases for two Secondary Roads Department employees (Kyle Wilmeth & John Johnson), following completion of their respective probation’s.

Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken updated the Board on various Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities. He also discussed a joint bridge project with Guthrie County, with regard to the Board’s approval of a final voucher for the Boston Road project.

The contractor has already been paid, therefore the Supervisors’ approval of the voucher was essentially a formality. He explained the joint project was made possible through a grant.

The Supervisors also approved the appointments of Dr’s. Elaine Berry and Angela Weppler, as Medical Examiners to a two-year term (Through 12/31/25), and four M/E investigators: Registered Nurses Tabetha Smith, Darci Young, Michelle Schroder and Andrea Stork.

They also approved the re-appointment of Mary Robinson, PA-C, to the Cass County Board of Health, and, Heath Larsen as Cass Township Trustee.
In other business, the Board received Quarterly Reports from: Cass County Veteran’s Affairs Director Mitch Holmes; Mental Health/General Relief Coordinator Debbie Schuler, and County Conservation Director Micah Lee.

Their final item of business was to approve a Class-B Retail Liquor License for the Griswold Dollar General Store.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County, today (Tuesday) passed a FY 2023-24 Budget Amendment, following a public hearing, during which there were no comments made. Board Chair Mike Olsen…

The Board received a weekly report from Montgomery County Engineer Karen Albert, who provided an update on the 250th Street Bridge Project.

Montgomery County BoS mtg, 2-6-24

The Board also approved reports with regard to Recorder and Sheriff’s fees for the month of January, totaling $31,607, and the Treasurer’s Semi-Annual report.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa Senate subcommittee has given unanimous approval to the governor’s proposal to extend Medicaid coverage of post-partum care for new moms for 12 months after their babies are born. Current law provides coverage for 60 days after birth for Iowans with an annual income below 375 percent of the federal poverty level. The governor’s proposal lowers that cap to 215 percent. Iowa Health and Human Services director Kelly Garcia says Iowa’s current income Medicaid eligibility for pregnant moms is the highest in the country. “The concept is to bring our (Federal Poverty Level) in line with other states,” Garcia says, “and to use those investment dollars to extend coverage.”

Blank Children’s Hospital lobbyist Chaney Yeast says the lower threshold will hurt working moms who aren’t getting health insurance coverage from their employer. “We have a maternal mortality crisis. We have an infant mortality crisis,” Yeast says. “This is a single policy lever that you can pull to improve the health of moms and babies but also support our workforce.”

Iowa is among a handful of states that has not extended Medicaid coverage of post-partum care for a year after a child is born. The national group that represents O-B/G-Y-Ns says post-partum check-ups should include discussions about emotional well-being and care of the baby as well as a physical exam.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — The federal weapons trial for Adair police Chief Brad Wendt, began Monday. Wendt is charged with making false statements to the ATF about buying machine guns for the police department and instead selling them in his gun store. KCCI reports Federal prosecutors said during opening statements, that Wendt used his position of trust to make money selling firearms for his personal gain. Wendt’s defense attorney told the jury he did nothing illegal and informed the ATF of all of his gun sales and purchases. This began in 2018, when Wendt was hired as the Adair police chief.

The government says he immediately started buying guns. A total of 90 guns over the years, which he said were for the two-man Adair police force. One of the weapons is an $80,000 electric Gatling machine gun that can fire 6,000 rounds a minute. Prosecutors say that the machine gun ended up on his personal Humvee SUV. Prosecutors say many of the guns he allegedly bought for the police department, he later sold at the two gun stores he owns.

Monday afternoon, several gun manufacturers testified about their dealings with Wendt. He faces 10 years in prison if convicted. The trial continues today (Tuesday).