The Exira-EHK School Board, Monday night, discussed but took no action on, offering an Early Retirement incentive package. Superintendent Trevor Miller says instead, they’ll make that decision during their meeting in December. Miller said three people are eligible for Early Retirement this year.

In other business, the Board hired Mark Emgarten as Junior High Girls Basketball Coach, who formerly served as the Adair-Casey Boys Basketball Coach, and, they accepted the resignation of long-time teacher Julie Christensen, whose resignation is effective at the end of the current school year. Christensen retired once, and came back to serve part-time. Now, after having served the district for 42-years, she’s decided to pursue other avenues in life.

They also approved the sharing of a Human Resources position with the Neola/Tri-Center School District. And, the Board also talked about what they discussed and had learned at the IASB Convention last week, as well as acted on approving the SBRC (School Budget Review Committee) application for Modified Allowable Growth for Increasing Enrollment, Open Enrollment Out, and LEP (Limited English Proficiency) Instruction beyond 5-years.

The Audubon Community School District’s Board of Education, Monday night, spent a considerable amount of time discussing the possibility of offering Early Retirement for the current school year. Superintendent, Dr. Brett Gibbs, said they talked about what that package could look like. He said they’ve offered Early Retirement in the past, but the past year was the exception, because of declining enrollment and the uncertainty of State funding, Gibbs is recommending the District offer the option to its current staff, but it would not become effective until July 1, 2017.

Gibbs said they discussed how many years a person would have to have served in the District in order to qualify. The Board will determine what type of package they would like to offer and act on approving, it during their meeting in December.

He says “Sadly, we need some people to take early retirement due to help our financial situation with declining enrollment…and the lack of State aid.” He says if personnel take the option, assuming it’s offered, it would clear up some space in the District’s General Fund. Gibbs didn’t want to say right now how many people might be interested in taking the option, since it hasn’t officially been offered. He said there are some who he thinks would take Early Retirement if it’s offered, but he has not officially solicited any responses so as to not get anyone’s hopes up.

In the past, a person had to have served the District for 15 or more years. Currently about a dozen employees would meet the requirements, and who are at least 55-years old. Dr. Gibbs said also, they talked about, but did not take action on, their Drop Out Prevention/At Risk program, which needs to be completed by Dec. 15^th and submitted to the State. He says since it just came online yesterday (Monday), they didn’t have time to get the forms filled out detailing how they use those funds and what types of services are provided to students through the use of the funds.

He said also the District’s Principals submitted a report to the Board on the “Smarter Balance Testing” for students, that’s scheduled to start next year in Iowa. The subject was discussed at last week’s IASB Convention.

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The area’s top news at 7:06-a.m., w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Iowa roadways have been a dangerous place this year. Patrick Hoye, chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says traffic fatality numbers in Iowa had been declining, year-over-year, earlier this decade. Last year, 320 people were killed in traffic crashes in the state. “Unfortunately, we are already at 351 for this year with about a month-and-a-half to go,” Hoye said. “It’s scary, but we could be looking in the neighborhood of 380 to 390 fatalities if this trend would continue, which would be a sharp increase from a year ago.”

The Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest times of the year on Iowa’s roadways. A campaign is underway and runs through Sunday involving an increased law enforcement presence on Iowa’s highways and interstates. “Obviously, the things we’ll be looking for are impaired drivers, speeding vehicles, and people who are not properly buckled,” Hoye said.

Officials have been studying why there’s been such a sharp increase in traffic fatalities this year. Hoye notes roughly half of the traffic deaths in Iowa involved people who weren’t wearing a seatbelt and 30-percent of the fatal crashes were alcohol-related. Another reason for the spike in fatal crashes could involve the low gas prices we’ve had this year. “People are traveling more and anytime you have more vehicles traveling, there is the (potential) for an increase in crashes,” Hoye said.

Over the 2015 Thanksgiving holiday, five people were killed on Iowa roads.

(Radio Iowa)

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board met Monday evening at City Hall, and heard an update from Parks and Rec Director Seth Staashelm, with regard to the campground pads at the Schildberg Recreation Area, and they approved a proposal to install a liner at Sunnyside Park, so a seasonal ice skating rink can be installed.

Staashelm told the board the trail around Lake #2 at the Schildberg Rec Area was paved Nov. 14^th, despite some sprinkles in the air. Some final grading is being done, but Staashelm said the trail should be open soon. On a related note, he said Atlantic Municipal Utilities (AMU) has agreed to provide in-kind labor amounting to some 40-to 50-thousand dollars, to install electrical and water lines to the campground pads. He says they hope to wrap that up before the ground is in a hard, frozen condition.

In other news, Staashelm also presented a proposal before the Board, with regard a 90-by-120 foot ice skating rink where the basketball courts are currently located, at Sunnyside Park. Water would not cover the courts directly. Instead, they would be covered by a heavy duty liner to prevent damage. He says “logistically, I would not just fill it, or plug the drain and fill it.” He indicated the liner is from a company called “Nice Rink” (www.nicerink.com)

The 10-millimeter thick, plastic liner is rip resistant, and would cost almost $2,400, with a total investment of about $2,700, including the purchase and installation of rope lights, to delineate a boundary. Staashelm says he hopes the Community Promotion Commission (CPC) will be willing to cover at least part of the cost. Maintenance would be handled by Parks and Rec crews. Board member Charlene Beane was skeptical about installing an ice rink, and wanted to wait to see how the synthetic “skating rink” being set up for this weekend next to the Rock Island Depot, is used.

Beane1           :08       Q: “In Atlantic.”

City Council liaison Ashley Hayes said she’s had people ask her about an ice skating rink, for years.

(Hayes said she’s had around 40 people inquire about an ice rink for the City.)

The liner would be stored in the Parks and Rec shed when not in use for the season. The Parks and Rec Board gave Staashelm the go ahead to meet with the CPC December 1^st. The Parks and Rec Board said it would be willing to cover at least some of the costs associated with the project.

Iowa’s governor expects the Republican-led congress and President-elect Donald Trump to quickly repeal the Affordable Care Act and Branstad says it’s unclear what may happen to the 145-thousand low-income Iowans who now are covered by Medicaid because of the law. “That remains to be seen,” Branstad says. “I think we’ve got to see how that works.”

However, Branstad says those 145-thousand Iowans who are on Medicaid due to “ObamaCare” are unlikely to completely LOSE coverage. “I don’t think they should be worried,” Branstad says. “I think they should recognize that the Republican congress recognizes that ObamaCare is unaffordable and unsustainable and it needs to be replaced with something that’s workable and affordable for the American population and that’s what we’re going to work together to do.”

The Affordable Care Act offered states additional federal funds if more low-income citizens were enrolled in government-paid Medicaid. In Iowa, Branstad and legislators created an “Iowa Health and Wellness Plan.” Iowans with an annual income up to 133 percent of the poverty level have been eligible to enroll under the “Medicaid expansion” that’s part of “ObamaCare.” “I have confidence that the new Trump Administration and the congress will indeed, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, replace it with something that’s more sustainable,” Branstad says.

Branstad suggests “more flexibility” for how states run the Medicaid program can yield cost savings.

(Radio Iowa)

Republicans at the statehouse may seek changes in union benefit packages for government workers in Iowa. Janet Phipps is director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services and she’s the governor’s lead negotiator on union contracts.

“What we’re anticipating and what has been mentioned is there’s going to be some conversation about how the state is going to deliver group health care benefits to public employees,” she says.

Republican Terry Branstad has trying to get the state’s union workers to pay more of their health insurance premiums since he returned to the governor’s office in 2011. After election victories this month, Republicans will have sizable governing majorities in both the House and Senate in 2017. Branstad’s considering the idea of consolidating health insurance policies for union employees at ALL levels of government in Iowa.

“He has mentioned that in the past, that he would like to look at pooling resources, if you will, of all public entities, whether it’s schools or counties or municipalities,” Phipps says. “I think he envisions something big that could be explored and have a big master contract. He’d like to do that.”

State officials on Monday began contract talks with the union that represents 600 state law enforcement officers, including state troopers. There were NO insurance benefits included in management’s initial offer. AFSCME represents the largest percentage of state workers and negotiations with AFSCME begin Wednesday afternoon. By state law, contracts must be finalized by March 15th. If an arbitrator has to make the call, Phipps says that means management and the unions involved have to stake out their final positions by late February. “So it would be moving briskly along, certainly, if there were going to be discussions legislatively to do something different,” Phipps says.

On Monday, state officials made their initial offer to the State Police Officers Council. It’s the union that represents 600 employees in state government. The offer? A one percent raise in each of the next two years. The union’s initial request was for pay hikes in each year of three percent.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

VERSAILLES, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri state trooper charged in the death of a man who drowned while in his custody is scheduled for trial this summer. The Kansas City Star reports a July 10 trial was set Monday for Trooper Anthony Piercy, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Brandon Ellingson at the Lake of the Ozarks in May 2014. Piercy had pulled over the 20-year-old Ellingson from Clive, Iowa, on suspicion of boating while intoxicated and handcuffed him before Ellingson fell into the lake.

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. (AP) — St. John’s senior linebacker Carter Hanson is among 10 semifinalist for the 2016 Gagliardi Trophy. Nine seniors and one junior were announced Monday for the annual award honoring the best football player in Division III. The trophy is named after former St. John’s football coach John Gagliardi, who retired with 489 career victories, most in college football history. The Gagliardi Trophy will be presented Dec. 14 in Salem, Virginia.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A U.S. Marine from Oelwein who died fighting a World War II battle on a Pacific Ocean island is scheduled to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington on Monday, the 73rd anniversary of his death.

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Jan. 9 sentencing has been scheduled for a northwest Iowa day care operator convicted of injuring a toddler. A Sioux County news release says a jury found Dianna Winder guilty Friday of felony child endangerment causing injury and misdemeanor assault causing injury. The incident leading to the charges occurred on Nov. 11, when the 15-month-old boy’s mother pick him up and noticed marks on his face.

The sponsors of the Cass County Conservation Board’s Trumpeter Swan arrival contest have determined the official arrival of the swans was November 19th.  There was on that day, four Trumpeter Swans at the Schildberg Recreation Area. The birds stayed more than twenty-four hours. Therefor, the winner is Jane Kite.

She will receive a Trumpeter Swan 8×10 print from the Cass County Conservation Board. The school contest was won by Mrs. Haynes’s three year old Morning Preschool at Jack and Jill Preschool! The students will receive a trumpeter swan prize and Mrs. Haynes will receive a trumpeter swan t-shirt! Cass County Conservation thanks to all who participated!