A road in Shelby County that was closed last month for the replacement of a pipe is now open. The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency reports 1500th Street, which had been closed over an unnamed tributary of the East Branch of the West Nishnabotna River (just west of Redline), is open following the replacement of a pipe under the road.

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

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The Atlantic School Board received updates Wednesday evening with regard to district technology progress, school progress and planning, and the budget. The work session served as a sort of “primer” for what they can expect in the year ahead, as well as a familiarization with various acronyms, which was helpful for new school board members.

Roger Warne

Prior to making his report to the Board, District Technology Coordinator Roger Warne (Warn) gave new Board members Alison Bruckner, Jenny Williams, and Keith Swanson, former Board President Kristy Pellett and current Board President Josh McLaren, new 1:1 (one to one) laptop computers. The same type of laptops are issued to students. Pellett and McLaren were issued their laptops almost 8 years ago. Warne said their computers are so old he cannot even effectively update them.

Warne said the Technology Department keeps very busy managing and repairing the district’s computers and related components. He said they manage and repair 1,200 Mac devices, 95 I-pads, 135 Chrome Books, 100 Windows devices, and 475 1:1 devices that include the Windows Operating System.

The Technology Dept. also handles the District’s surveillance cameras and recorders. There are 45 digital cameras and assorted analog cameras. The analog cameras are located in the Washington and Schuler Schools. Warne says one of the keys to the operation of cameras and computers is the District’s network system, which includes fiber optics. The current bandwidth is 200 megabits, with an average of 50-to 60-percent of that used each day. The department also handles the district’s phone system, which he says will need replacing in years to come.

He says also, the district has saved about $80,000 through a reduction in the number of printer/copiers that are being made available.

Board Secretary/Business Manager Mary Beth Fast reported to the Board they will receive budget projections next month from Gary Sinclair, who represents PMA Financial and the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB). Sinclair will cover five year projections with regard to the District’s unspent balance.

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

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A second straight monthly survey of nine Midwest and Plains states suggests a slowdown in the region’s economy. A report issued Thursday says the overall Mid-American Business Conditions Index dropped to 47.7 last month, compared with 49.6 in August.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he cited the strong U.S. dollar and global economic weakness among the reasons for the region’s economic slide.  The survey results from supply managers are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests economic growth. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating an armed robbery that took place at around 2:40-a.m. today (Thursday). Officers were called to the Hy-Vee Store at 2323 West Broadway, by a man who said as he was leaving the store after purchasing at pack of cigarettes, he was approached by a white male subject who asked for a cigarette. The victim said he would sell the other man a cigarette for 25-cents.

The subject paid for the cigarette, and as the victim was leaving, he heard the man demand the entire pack of cigarettes. The victim said the man produced a knife as he demanded the cigarettes from him. The victim complied and gave the pack to the suspect. The suspect and the other two males he was with then fled the area on foot and could not be located.

The suspect was described as between 18 and 23 years old, about 6-feet 2-inches tall, and weighing about 150-pounds. He was wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt. No one was injured during the incident and this investigation is ongoing at this time.

A man suspected in a stabbing incident early this (Thursday) morning in Grant, was arrested after fleeing the scene and being located by a k9 unit. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 52-year old Derrick Geaton Zucco, of Grant, was found hiding in a brush pile after being tracked and located by the K9 team. Zucco was charged with Aggravated Domestic Assault and was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. Additional charges are expected following completion of an investigation.

His arrest followed a call to authorities from 402 U Avenue in Grant at midnight, where a man had been stabbed multiple times. The caller told authorities the suspect fled on foot. The unidentified victim was transported by Griswold Rescue to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for treatment. A report on his condition was not released.

Assisting in Zucco’s arrest was the Iowa State Patrol, Red Oak Police and Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

• Corrects his age to 52 instead of 59 as mentioned in early press release.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a Stanton man was arrested Wed. night for allegedly supplying alcohol to a person under the legal age. 21-year old Benjamin Carroll Johnson arrested in the 200 block of Center St. in Stanton, at around 8:15-pm. He was cited into court and then released from the scene.

Red Oak Police report three people were arrested on separate charges, Wednesday. At around 9:40-p.m., 23-year old Jordan Charles Quick, of Red Oak, was arrested on a charge of Simple Assault. Quick was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 cash bond.

Police arrested 32-year old Vincente Torales-Bautista at around 7:20-p.m. on a Montgomery County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Driving While Suspended. Torales-Bautista was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 cash bond.

And at around 2:50-p.m., Wednesday, Red Oak Police arrested 15-year old James Dean Kelly, of Red Oak. Kelly was charged with Criminal Mischief in the 5th degree, following an investigation into an incident at the Red Oak High School that took place last Saturday. The teen was later released to the custody of a parent or guardian.

The captain of a new naval ship bearing the name of Sioux City surprised members of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce Tuesday by unveiling the ship’s official crest. U-S-S Sioux City, Commander Kevin Ralston and eleven members of his crew to unveiled the crest that includes several local symbols. Ralston says they came to Sioux City a few months ago to do some research and then put together the design. The crest includes the Sergeant Floyd monument and the roof line of the Badgerow Building downtown.

Image from the Sioux City Journal.com

“We are really, really happy with the crest and the way it turned out, and we hope that you are too,” Ralston says. Ralston says he and the crew are working to get the littoral combat ship ready to begin its duty. “We’re actively engaged in training, we’re getting ready and doing our best to prepare to take the U-S-S Sioux City to sea and represent the U-S Navy overseas,” Ralston says.

The U-S-S Sioux City is expected to be commissioned in the spring of 2017.  Work began on the ship in 2014 with the keel laying at Marinette Marine, in Marinette, Wisconsin.  When complete the USS Sioux City will carry a crew of 95 on missions as long as 21 days.  The ship weighs 3,500 metric tons, and measures nearly 380 ft. long.

(Radio Iowa)