(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, will consider and possibly act on a request for a special fireworks display that, if approved, would take place July 16th, on private property. The meeting in the Council’s Chambers inside the Atlantic City Hall, begins at 5:30-p.m.  The request was made by Dan Vargason, and would be held at 1303 Maple Street, should the Atlantic Softball Team host the Regional Softball Final, and Win the final game, qualifying the team for the state tournament.

City Administrator John Lund notes an ordinance regulating fireworks states the City may grant a permit for the display of fireworks on Public Property (By a City, Fair Association, etc., when such fireworks “Will be handled by a competent operator,” and with the proper/required insurance. Lund is expected to recommend referring the matter to the City of Atlantic’s Community Protection Committee, with feedback from the Atlantic Fire & Police Departments, and all private parties with a vested interest in fireworks displays, with the idea being to explore a Special Event Permit, or amending the regulations to allow for Special Displays on private property.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will hold a public hearing on the receipt and approval of proposals for, the disposal and development of certain City-owned Real Property in the Southeast Urban Renewal District. The land referred to in the hearing, is 41.54-acres that was purchased by the City from the Comes Family Trust for $830,000, in Oct., 2022. The land was purchased for future housing development.

Last month, notices were published in the local paper, seeking proposals from interested buyers on their intention to develop the property, and the price they would offer for the land. The Council will hear from those proposing to purchase and develop the property, and citizens, with regard to the use and disposal of the land. Administrator Lund notes that “Since this is related to an Urban Renewal Project that will almost certainly utilize tax increment financing (TIF), specific considerations need to be undertaken before the land can be transferred to another party.”

The Council will act Wednesday, on the third and final reading of an amended (Updated) ordinance with regard to the large bicycling event that will be in Atlantic July 22nd-23rd. The updates are with regard to vendor fees and dates. The ordinance – if approved – will expire July 23rd at 5-p.m.  City Council Agenda Packet 05-15-2024-min

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County, Tuesday, will discuss and possibly act to approve agreements with Solutions Information Technology, as they pertain to the County and Sheriff. The Board is also expected to consider and act on approving requests to abate owned Red Oak City-owned property taxes, for properties at: 300 E. Market St.; 818 E. Nuckols Street; and 306 E. Elm Street, and the possibly refund of Red Oak City-owned property taxes paid in error by Bruce Reich, for a property at 210 N. 5th Street.

In other business, the Montgomery County Supervisors will discuss the Montgomery County FY25 Budget revenue collection schedule on long-term debt, and schedule a canvass of the June Primary Election results for June 11th, at 8:30-a.m.

The Board meeting begins at 8:30-a.m. Tuesday (May 14), at the courthouse in Red Oak.

The meeting will be held in-person, and electronically at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85039693411

Meeting ID: 850 3969 3411

or, Dial by your location   +1 312 626 6799 If you are calling in, Press *9 to raise your hand if you wish to speak.

(via Iowa News Service) – New research released by AARP Iowa shows how important Social Security benefits are to people who receive them – and the numbers reveal women are far more likely to list those benefits as critical. About 700,000 Iowans receive Social Security benefits, and 55% are women. AARP Iowa State Director Brad Anderson said he dug into the data, to find out why women see this as an important issue in their lives – in far greater numbers than men.  He said it’s because women tend to have far smaller Social Security checks – due to factors like receiving lower wages than men, and taking on unpaid family care-giving responsibilities during their lives.

“In addition to that, women have fewer resources of retirement income than men,” said Anderson. “And so, what that means is, men can rely more on stocks and bonds and pensions – whereas women really rely more heavily on Social Security.” Anderson and other advocates are calling on Congress to address the dwindling Social Security Trust Fund, which could be forced to cut benefits by 2035 unless Congress acts to address the funding shortfall.

In addition to earning less and qualifying for fewer benefits, women also typically live longer than men – which, Anderson says, means they have to stretch their Social Security income even further. “When you put it all together,” said Anderson, “it makes a lot of sense that women find Social Security and the strength of Social Security an extremely important issue, when it comes to the polls that we’ve seen.”

AARP Iowa released its findings on the heels of a national report on the financial health of Medicare and Social Security.

CLIVE, Iowa (KCAU) — A Sac City man has won half a million dollars from a scratch game. According to the Iowa Lottery, Michael Johnson of Sac City has won $500,000 from the “$500,000 Ca$H” scratch game. The prize was the 9th top prize of this game.

The ticket was purchased at the Food Pride on 16th Street in Sac City. On Tuesday, he claimed his ticket in Clive, Iowa.

SPENCER, Iowa (KCAU) — Two boys were rescued Thursday after they got in the Little Sioux River in Spencer, authorities said. ​According to a release from the Spencer Police Department, officers and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance in the 600 block of 4th Street SE in Spencer Thursday around 5 p.m.

Authorities arrived to the scene to find two 12-year-old boys calling for help while clinging to a utility pole in the Little Sioux River. Spencer High School tennis coach and social studies teacher Evan Scheck heard the cries for help, entered the river and swam out to the children. Scheck was able to get one of the children to the shore without assistance. Authorities threw a rope with a floatation rescue disk to Scheck who then was able to get it to the second child. The child and Scheck were then pulled to shore by authorities.

A ​Spencer ambulance was called to the scene for precautionary measures but both boys escaped without injury, the release said. The police said the two boys on bicycles tried to cross a flooded walking trail near the footbridge when the river current swept them downstream.

BUENA VISTA COUNTY, IA (KTIV) – The  small plane crashed onto a homeowner’s land near Linn Grove, Iowa on Saturday afternoon (May 11th). The National Transportation Safety Board says it is investigating the crash of a Van’s RV-9 airplane.

The Board says preliminary information indicates the small plane was returning from a local personal flight and made contact with a nearby grass area while attempting to land at a private airport. The aircraft came to a rest inverted in a nearby field. The pilot was transported to a local hospital. Their condition was not immediately known.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Special Olympic Summer Games will get underway in Ames this week. Special Olympics spokesperson, Megan Filipi says the state summer games is their largest state competition of the whole year.

She says the event gets started with the torch run.

The Special Olympic Games is an event for those with intellectual disabilities.

(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report one person suffered suspected minor (Non-incapacitating) injuries, following a collision that occurred at around 7:10-p.m. Sunday, at Prairie and Oak Streets, in Creston. Authorities say a 2014 Dodge Dart driven by 48-year-old Phillip Ronald Williams, of Creston, stopped at the posted stop sign for the intersection and proceeded south from the intersection. A 2016 Nissan Altima driven by 59-year-old Lisa Marie Monger, of Creston, was traveling east on Prairie Street without a stop sign, and had the right-of-way.

Her car struck the Dodge, causing an estimated $14,000 damage altogether. The airbags on both vehicles deployed upon impact. Monger suffered unknown/possible injuries, but was not transported to the hospital. Both drivers were wearing seat belts.

Police say Williams claimed not to see the Nissan before proceeding into the intersection, failing to yield the right-of-way. No citations were issued.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report the arrest on Sunday afternoon, of 48-year-old Markus Eugene Johnson, from Red Oak. Johnson was arrested in the 300 block of 4th Avenue, and charged with Harassment in the 2nd Degree (Threatening bodily injury), a Serious Misdemeanor. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.