The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education will meet during a Work Session Monday, in the High School Media Center. No action is expected to be taken during their meeting, which begins at 5:30-p.m.

The Board will discuss: Early Literacy progress; the Pre-School Program; Facility Planning, and a Retirement Incentive Program. Superintendent Steve Barber is expected to issue a reminder to the Board, with regard to some upcoming dates, which includes:

• Parent/Teacher Conferences, Oct. 24th & 25th
• No School Oct. 25th & 26th
• The next Regular Board meeting: Nov. 14th, 5:30-p.m.
• No School Nov. 22nd & 23rd (Thanksgiving)
• and a Board Work Session that’s set for Nov. 28th, at 5:30-p.m.

(Radio Iowa) — The U-S Small Business Administration approved loans to more than 400 Iowa businesses during the just-ended fiscal year, helping them to start or expand operations. Jayne Armstrong, director of the S-B-A’s Iowa District Office, says the loans totaled nearly 170-million dollars statewide for the fiscal year, that’s up from about 155-million the previous year.  “Sometimes, there are bigger deals out there that they’re looking for expansions or buying commercial real estate,” Armstrong says, “and also times when they just need small amounts of working capital.”

Loans were approved to 405 Iowa businesses during the year, down from 455 the previous year. When the economy isn’t doing so well, that’s when people more often look to start their own businesses, so the decline in loan numbers is being interpreted as a positive. “We don’t really get too hung up on the dollar volume as much,” Armstrong says. “We’d like to put more money on the street and to help more small businesses but it’s going to fluctuate every year. As long as we’re meeting the needs of the small business community, that’s the most important thing to us.”

Figures from Iowa Workforce Development released today (Friday) put Iowa’s unemployment rate for September at two-and-a-half percent. That’s unchanged from August and is the second-lowest in the nation. While that’s great in one respect, it’s also making progress a challenge for small merchants and large employers alike.  “A lot of small businesses are having a difficult time,” Armstrong says. “One of the biggest issues is the workforce issue and being able to identify workers and to attract workers.”

The S-B-A report says the 400-plus loans created 12-hundred-58 jobs in Iowa and retained an additional 26-hundred-45 jobs. She says the S-B-A remains a critical resource for small start-ups and expansions.

A man convicted earlier this month on murder, attempted murder and arson charges associated with a fatal fire in Guthrie Center, was sentenced Friday to serve two-life sentences. According to reports, a District Judge handed down the sentence for 27-year old Patrick Thompson for murdering his step-sister, 12 year-old Paige Exline and her cousin, 16-year-old Shakiah Cockerham. The Judge also ordered Thompson to pay $150,000 to each family.

On Oct. 8^th, Thompson was found guilty by a Monroe County jury, of two counts of first degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and arson. The May 2017 fire in Guthrie Center resulted in the deaths of the girls, and injuries to their grandmother Shirley Exline and their uncle William Long III.

Thompson’s step-father James Exline was sentenced to 75 years in prison for sexually abusing his daughter Paige in Greene County before her death. Thompson’s step-brother Noah is facing seven felony charges for allegedly sexually abusing Paige. And, while his trial is currently set for October 30^th, court documents indicate plea negotiations are underway.

(Radio Iowa) — Vice President Mike Pence rallied with about 200 of Republican Congressman David Young’s supporters Friday afternoon, in Des Moines. Pence told the crowd the race in Iowa’s third congressional district may determine whether Republicans retain majority control of the U.S. House or Democrats take over. “This race is going to be critical to whether we’re going to be able to continue with the momentum that we have,” Pence said.

Pence returned to that theme several times during his 24 minute speech. “The fate of the Republican majority in the House might just go through Iowa 3…It’s a choice between two different futures, one future under a Republican majority in the United States House of Representatives and another future where Nancy Pelosi is speaker of the House again,” Pence said and the crowd booed.

Pelosi’s name was mentioned often during the event. Young spoke less than seven minutes and mentioned Pelosi’s name seven times. “Now again Nancy Pelosi and her hand-picked candidates want to take us back,” Young said, eliciting boos from the audience. “We can’t have that.”

Pence cited Young’s work on veterans issues, then mentioned Cindy Axne, the Democrat who’s challenging Young’s bid for a third term. “The choice between his opponent is so clear. You know, his opponent Cindy Axne — I know the president called her ‘Cindy Tax-Me’ and there’s a good reason why. Cindy Axne said the first thing that Democrats need to do if they retake the majority in the congress is to repeal those tax cuts. You know, there’s a term for repealing a tax cut. It’s called a tax increase and we’re not going to let it happen.”

Pence praised Young for supporting President Trump’s agenda in congress. “He’s been there, standing with this president every step of the way,” Pence said. The vice president drew the largest burst of applause when he promised that Trump would withhold aide from Central American countries if a caravan of four-thousand asylum seekers winds up at the southern border.