Several area school district Board of Education meetings are set to take place Monday evening and night.

First up, at 5-p.m., is the Audubon School Board meeting at the High School. During their session, the Board will act on: an SBRC (School Budget Review Committee) request for At Risk/Drop Out prevention; A Policy Review Committee recommendation; The first reading of a Board Policy regarding testing; An Early Retirement plan option; and, the approval of a City transfer of a baseball field. The Board will also award diplomas to Foreign Exchange Students.

The Griswold School Board meeting begins at 5:30-p.m., Monday at the Middle School/High School building, during which they will act on: Locker room and intercom repair;  The purchase of a van; a possible Conference change; various Board Policies; Special Education contracts and more. They will also discuss information from the Facilities Committee.

Members of the Exira-Elk Horn Kimballton School Board will gather in the Elk Horn building Conference Room, beginning at 6-p.m., Monday, with a Work Session. During the work session, they will discuss, but take no action on, Building Alignment and Budget review. During their regular session, at 7-p.m., the Exira-EHK Board will discuss and possible act on approving: A Board Resolution in Support of “The Promise of Iowa” Public Education Campaign; The offering of Early Retirement; An At Risk/Dropout Prevention Application, and on approving Joe Rasmussen as Secondary Lawyer for Property and Local Issues. The Board will also hold discussion with regard to Negotations Team, Facility Assessment, and Bond Refinance Options.

The CAM School Board will meet beginning at 6:30-p.m. Monday, in the High School Media Center. Discussion and/or Action items on their agenda include: the presentation on Pre-Final Plans and Specifications for the Massena School addition; Approval of additional services from CTS amounting to $24,000, for soil borings at the Massena School Building; Discussion with regard to the Greenhouse Project; Early Retirement option; A trip to Washington, D-C and approval of Out-of-State Travel for after-prom, and other matters.

Members of the City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Board of Directors will hold their regular monthly meeting Monday evening, at City Hall, beginning at 5:15. During their session, the Board will receive updates from Parks and Rec Director Seth Staashelm, with regard to: The Sunnyside Pool Steering Committee; An Enhance Iowa grant application; the Schildberg Rec Area Campground, and Sunnyside Park Ice Rink.

Staashelm is also expected to report Sunnyside Park streets are closed for the season, and that Shelter House reservations for 2017 will be accepted beginning Jan. 1st, 2017.

Atlantic Public Library Director Natalie Struecker has announced the Library now offers Mango languages online language-learning system to its patrons. Mango is free for all Library patrons, and can be accessed anywhere there is an internet connection. Each lesson combines real life situations and audio from native speakers, with simple, clear instructions.

The courses are presented with an appreciation for cultural nuance and real-world application, by focusing on the four key elements of language learning: Vocabulary; Pronunciation; Grammar and Culture.

Mango offers access to 60 foreign language courses and 17 English courses, taught completely in the user’s native language. It also offers the opportunity to learn through foreign film, with “Mango Premiere,” and access to a variety of mini-courses, like Pirate, Medical Spanish and romance. Mango can be accessed at the Atlantic Public Library, remotely, or with apps for the iPhone, Android, Kindle and Nook devices.

To learn more about Mango, stop by the Library and ask a librarian for an introduction. Library card holders can access Mango through the library website at www.atlantic.lib.ia.us.  For more information, call 712-243-5466.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – President Barack Obama has signed into law a measure that will allow for a public-private partnership to build a $136 million veterans medical facility in Omaha. Nebraska Democratic Congressman Brad Ashford said the measure was signed Friday. Ashford pushed the bill through the House. U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, a Nebraska Republican, sponsored it in the Senate.

Under the measure, the Department of Veterans Affairs will provide $56 million to build 157,000 square feet of new medical space next to the current aging and outdated VA hospital in Omaha. Private donors will put up the remaining $80 million.
Ashford tells the Omaha World-Herald officials hope the facility will be completed in 2018.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:45 a.m. CST

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ice and snow caused dozens of car crashes in Iowa and Nebraska, Saturday, at least one of which was fatal in Omaha. But it’s the frigid temperatures coupled with strong winds that had officials warning residents Saturday to stay indoors. The National Weather Service says winds have turned single-digit to below-zero temperatures into dangerously low wind chills. Wind chill warnings have been issued for both states, with some areas expected to see wind chills of 30-below zero.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — For the first time in well over a century, the Des Moines is about to be without an Orthodox Jewish synagogue. The Des Moines Register reports that the Beth El Jacob congregation is selling its 32,000-square-foot building on the west side of Des Moines. The Orthodox synagogue’s leaders blamed the sale on dwindling congregation numbers.

FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Forest City businessman has been sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for failing to pay employment taxes. A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cedar Rapids says 60-year-old Darrell Smith was also ordered to serve two years of supervised release after his prison term ends. Prosecutors say Smith failed in his role as president and partner of investment firm Energae to pay more than $500,000 in employment taxes for employees of Hopkinton ethanol plant Permeate Refining.

(Update 6:17-a.m.) Firefighters in Audubon fought a house fire under freezing conditions this (Sunday) morning. Audubon Fire Chief Tyler Thygesen told KJAN News the structure at 311 Pacific Street was fully involved when they arrived on the scene a little after 2-a.m., and the home was a total loss. A male occupant of the home suffered what were thought to be minor injuries. More manpower was requested from the Exira Fire Department at around 3-a.m. to provide relief to crews that had been battling the blaze. No firefighter injuries were reported.

Thygesen said they battled cold and icy conditions. The temperature in Audubon at 4-a.m. was -11, with a wind chill factor of -24. The flames were extinguished and the scene secured. Crews returned to the fire station at around 5:30-p.m.

An accident in eastern Madison County claimed the life of a St. Charles woman, late Saturday morning. The Iowa State Patrol reports 79-year old Joyce Daniels, of St. Charles, who was a passenger in a 1995 Chevy Suburban, died at the scene of the crash that happened at around 11:30-a.m., west of the Holliwell Bridge Road.

The Patrol says the vehicle was traveling west on the St. Charles Road, when the driver, 79-year old Jack Daniels, also of St. Charles, lost control on the ice covered road.

The Suburban left the road and rolled once before coming to rest on its top. Jack Daniels was injured in the crash and transported to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines by ambulance. The Patrol says the couple were wearing their seat belts.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — A broken elevator that left some elderly residents stranded in a Le Mars apartment building for months is back in operation. Le Mars Fire Chief David Schipper tells the Sioux City Journal that the elevator at Floyd Valley Apartments was certified by a state inspector Friday. It first went out of service in August.

The delay in repairing the elevator was due to problems getting special parts for it shipped from Pennsylvania. One part was dropped down the elevator shaft and broke a couple of weeks ago, slowing the repair process even more.

Many residents in the five-floor complex were not able to use stairs and had to rely on friends, family and the building manager to get groceries, do laundry and retrieve mail.

Ice and snow caused dozens of car crashes in Iowa and Nebraska — at least one of which was fatal in Omaha. But it’s the frigid temperatures coupled with strong winds that had officials warning residents Saturday to stay indoors.

w/ Chris Parks

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