The Atlantic City Council will hold a regularly scheduled meeting 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, at City Hall. During the session, the Council will act on an approving a change order amounting to $3,450, for the Bull Creek Improvement Project. The first aspect of the change order pertains to the removal of five trees along the route, prior to the installation of a storm sewer pipe. The second is with regard to a pipe and connection to an existing driveway draining gate. During removal of the old pipe, the connection was discovered and had to be replaced.

The Council will also act on an order approving the Fiscal Year 2016 Urban Renewal Report to the State of Iowa.

City of Atlantic Urban Renewal District geographic boundaries

The Urban Renewal Areas (URA’s) are zones established by the City that allows for the creation of TIF (Tax Increment Financing) districts. Atlantic has three area: North, Southwest and Southeast. A fourth area, the Eastridge URA, is no longer active.

And, the Atlantic City Council is expected to act on approving the second reading of an Ordinance that calls for “Deleting property from [a] Tax Increment Financing District for Urban Renewal Area,” and the establishment of a new URA for the Whitney Inn. City Administrator John Lund says Iowa Statute requires the URA to be established before a TIF or other economic development benefits are granted to the property. The Ordinance would separate the Whitney Inn properties from the Northern URA so that it can eventually become its own Urban Renewal Area. The City’s finance attorney has recommended the Northern URA be reviewed at a later date, as it may technically be expired.

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

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Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer reports four arrests took place over the past few weeks. On Thursday, 26-year old Cole Jacob Benton, of Audubon, was arrested for Theft in the 5th Degree (shoplifting). On Oct. 17th, 25-year old Tyler Lee Carter, of Audubon, was arrested for Child Endangerment. On Oct. 8th, 23-year old Caine William Hedrick, of Audubon, was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. That same day, 21-year old Andrew Jason Holmes, of Audubon, was arrested for Possession of Marijuana and Drug Paraphernalia.

Two Creston residents have reported recent incidents of theft. Creston Police say a resident in the 600 block of W. Mills Street reported Thursday that sometime between 7-a.m. and 7-p.m. that day, someone took a tote from the back of a vehicle parked outside the residence. The tote contained camouflage bibs, a camo jacket, other miscellaneous hunting apparel, calls and hunting knives. The loss was estimated at $420.

And, Friday morning, a resident of the 1300 block of W. Mills Street told police sometime on Oct. 11th, someone took a prepaid Motorola cell phone, a Samsung cell phone, Toshiba laptop computer, and prescription medication from her home. The loss was estimated at $250.

Police in Creston say five people were arrested over the past four days. Early this (Monday) morning, 39-year old Jeremy King, of Creston, was arrested at around 12:12-a.m. on Cromwell Road, for Interference with Official Acts, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Meth. King was being held in the Union County Jail on $1,000 bond. He was also served two Union County warrants for Failure to Appear, on Domestic Abuse Assault and Violation of a Protection Order. King was being held in the Jail while awaiting a bond hearing on those charges.

Also arrested at the same time and location, was 37-year old Michael Waddingham, of Orient. He was charged with Driving Under Suspension and later released on $300 bond.

At around 4:50-a.m. Sunday, Creston Police arrested 50-year old Robert Embree, of Urbandale, for OWI/2nd offense. He was later released on $2,000 bond. Saturday night, 28-year old Christopher DeBoard, of Mt. Ayr, was arrested in Creston for Driving While Revoked. He was later released on a $1,000 bond. Earlier in the day, Saturday, officers with the Creston P-D arrested 46-year old Parrish Ellis, of Shenandoah, on Taylor County warrants for Failure to Appear in court on an original charge of Driving while Denied, Suspended or Revoked. Ellis was later released on $300 bond.

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

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A developing La Nina pattern in the Pacific Ocean could impact Iowa’s winter weather, as well as the rest of the Midwest and Northern Plains. Climatologist Dennis Todey, director of the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says the consensus points to “cold and snowy” for the upcoming winter, which isn’t exactly a stretch.

“That is every winter in the Northern Plains,” Todey says. “A lot of it then becomes, how much snow do you have on the ground? When you carry snow cover for a period of time, it allows that cold to set in and stay cold longer. If you don’t carry much snow cover, then you’ll bounce back and forth between the warm and the cold.”

A La Nina pattern occurs when Pacific Ocean surface temperatures drop below long-term normals and that has an effect on climate trends in North America. Todey says the predictions include the possibility of a more active storm track for our region.

“If you have a more active storm pattern, you’re going to have highs and lows coming through on a more frequent basis, so that would allow you to bounce back and forth fairly regularly,” Todey says. “So far, that’s kind of the way we’ve been this fall, although we’ve still been warmer than average.”

Todey says the forecast into mid-November indicates above-normal to much-above-normal temperatures for most of the Northern Plains.

(Radio Iowa)

ALGONA, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa National Guard says it will close its Algona Readiness Center next spring. Officials say the unit based there and the about 90 soldiers assigned there will be moving to Camp Dodge in Johnston. The unit is Battery B, 1st Battalion, 194th Field Artillery.

Officials say the Algona facility is the 13th to be closed as part of a statewide National Guard consolidation and facilities upgrade program.  The 20,400-square-foot Algona facility was built in 1994. It will be turned over to the city for its use.

A pair of automakers will pay the State of Iowa $1.4 million to settle claims that the companies misrepresented fuel economy ratings for some of their vehicles. The case involves Kia and Hyundai vehicles from 2011, 12 and 13 (2011-2013). Geoff Greenwood, spokesperson for the Iowa Attorney General’s office, says prosecutors believe the automakers deliberately overstated fuel efficiencies of several of their cars.

“We also allege that many consumers made their purchasing decisions based on the window stickers and based on what they saw in these advertisements – that the vehicles got better mileage than they actually did,” Greenwood said. The fuel economy claims came at a time when gasoline prices were at historically high levels. This agreement follows a similar deal that led to payments to owners of Kia and Hyundai vehicles.

“In 2012, the companies announced that consumers who bought the cars could get lifetime reimbursement for the vehicles. A year later, they also announced a one-time, lump sum payment option. The companies contacted consumers directly regarding those programs,” Greenwood said.

The company’s $1.4 million payment to Iowa will go to the state’s Consumer Education and Litigation Fund. Overall, the companies are paying $41.2 million to 33 states and the District of Columbia.

(Radio Iowa)

A Red Oak man was arrested Sunday evening, for Disorderly Conduct, a simple misdemeanor. Police say 32-year old Kyle William Chase, of Red Oak, was arrested in the 1300 block of N. 1st Street, at around 7:15-p.m., and brought to the Montgomery County Jail.