The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, set March 4th as the date for a public hearing on an amendment to the City’s Urban Renewal Plan. City Administrator John Lund explained the hearing is just the first step on the City’s end in utilizing Tax Increment Financing (TIF) as an economic development tool. In the immediate future, it would impact a request from developer Don Sonntag for a TIF to support his Southern Heights View development project.

He says the amendment is part of the changes made with regard to TIF by the Iowa Legislature over the last four-years. Following the public hearing, a Resolution will be acted upon to change the Urban Renewal Plan for the southeast side of Atlantic, which will allow the City to apply TIF to that area.

In his report to the Council, Lund said he and Deb Field have been hard at work preparing the budget, which he says will have some “pleasant surprises,” and “will be exciting.” Lund reminded the public also, about removing their vehicles from City Streets within a 72-hour period following a heavy snowfall. The same applies to removing snow from public sidewalks.

Police Chief Steve Green said tickets and tow notices will be issued to persons who have left their vehicles on the street, making it difficult for the snow plow crews to do their jobs. Green said the City will always make a good faith effort to contact vehicle owners before issuing tickets or tow orders. He said the City has a Snow Emergency Ordinance in-place, but it hasn’t been used in years because it is more confusing and hard for the public to keep up with.

During the Council Committee Reports, Councilperson and Mayor Pro-Tem for the Wednesday evening meeting Kathy Somers said the Cass County Landfill Commission Tuesday night discussed but did not take action on a rate increase at the Landfill for next year, and since they may not be able to keep the big green recycling bins in the parking lot next to the Armory building much longer, the Commission is looking for public property to place the bins on. The move may be necessary since the property is owned by ARISE, and not the City of Atlantic.

Somers said also the landfill is taking care of roofing shingle recycling. The finely ground up material will be used as part of asphalt paving on the roads. Somers suggested if you are putting new shingles on your roof, take the old ones to the landfill so they can recycle them.

DES MOINES, Iowa – Residents across Iowa tomorrow will be wearing their hearts on their sleeves, so to speak, as Friday is National Wear Red Day. The goal of the annual Wear Red Day is to raise awareness that heart disease is not just something that impacts men. Interventional cardiologist Dr. Richard Aplin says it’s just as deadly for women, and while they can have the same heart attack symptoms of men, like chest pain and nausea, women can also present in a more atypical manner.

“Perhaps they have more jaw discomfort,” says Aplin. “I’ve seen that over my years of doing this and I’ve seen women maybe have more arm pain and more shortness of breath with their heart attack symptoms.” According to the American Heart Association, one-third of all women in this country die from heart disease and stroke.

If you’re suffering from any of these symptoms and they don’t subside with the ending of any physical exertion, Aplin says it’s time to call 9-1-1, so the process of diagnosis and preparing for treatment can begin, instead of the person trying to drive to the hospital themselves.

“There’s lots of problems with that, but if anybody has an (cardiac) arrest while somebody’s being driven in, then what are they going to do with that situation,” asks Aplin. “It’s never a good idea to drive to the emergency room.” Aplin adds, for women and men, heart disease and stroke are highly preventable with healthy lifestyle choices like quitting smoking, a nutritional diet and physical activity.

(Iowa News Service)

A man from Creston was arrested Wednesday night. Police report 32-year old David Richman was taken into custody at around 10:40-p.m. in the 100 block of north Elm Street, on a charge of Public Intoxication/3rd or subsequent offense. Richman was booked into the Union County Jail and held on a $5,000 bond.

More area news from Ric Hanson.

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The area’s top news, and funeral announcements, w/KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, listened to a presentation from a representative with the Nishna Valley Trails (NVT) group, and their request for $50,000 in funding to help in their efforts to continue progress on the “Troublesome Creek Connector Trail.”

Dave Chase speaks to the Atlantic City Council.

Dave Chase said last summer, the group applied for and received a $96,000 Iowa Department of Natural Resources REAP (Resource Enhancement and Protection) Grant, for the organization’s latest project. It was one of seven out of 24 projects that had applied for and received funding from the state for cities the size of Atlantic.

The $550,000 project involves the construction of about a 1.5-mile recreational trail and the use of a 12-foot wide single-span pedestrian bridge. The bridge itself has not yet been purchased. Chase said the group has raised more than half the funds needed to purchase the bridge needed to span Troublesome Creek, through a Community Drive, which has brought in a little over $50,000 since Christmas. He said the group has also filed a number of grant applications, but even if those are approved, it still won’t be enough to help complete the project, which is why NVT came to the City of Atlantic to ask for additional help.

Chase and City Administrator John Lund discussed the possibility of using a portion of the Community Progress Fund which is derived from the Local Option Sales Tax, to leverage more of the grant funds.  If the City Council should approve the $50,000 matching funds request, it would be combined with $50,000 from the County, which Chase said he intends to pursue as well. He said their goal is to raise all the necessary funds by this spring, with bid-letting at the same time, and construction getting underway this fall. He said the engineering aspect of the project has been completed.

The City of Atlantic’s Community Promotion Commission is set to consider a request from NVT for $10,000, during their meeting at Noon, today (Thursday).

A broken gas line is to blame for an explosion and fire in Atlantic late Wednesday night that claimed the life of one person and resulted in serious injuries to another. Firefighters were called to 604 Olive Street (Denise’s Taxi Service) at around 10:08-p.m.  When crews arrived on the scene they knew they had victims trapped. A female victim was found upstairs. The woman was unresponsive and underwent CPR before being transported to the hospital in Atlantic and later flown to a trauma center in Omaha. A male victim was found deceased in the second floor bathroom.

Ric Hanson (photo)

Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees said neighbors told him they heard a loud “boom” prior to noticing the flames. Investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office used that information and spent the night combing through the home trying to determine the cause. He says they discovered a natural gas pipe in the basement broke due to the weight of clothes on hangers being hung on the pipe. The ignition source of the explosion is not known, but since a kitchen stove on the first floor is directly above the pipe in the basement, it’s believed the stove may have sparked the explosion.

The Chief said there were numerous combustible materials inside the home which made getting the flames knocked down and the victims found, difficult. When they arrived on the scene, the temperature was around 1 degree above zero. By the time firefighters left at around 3:20-a.m., the temp was down to -11. Atlantic Street Department crews were asked to salt and sand the street in front of the home, as the water used to fight the fire had created extremely icy conditions for pedestrians and motorists alike.

The names of the victims have not yet been released. Atlantic Fire was assisted at the scene by Medivac Ambulance, the Atlantic Police Dept., Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Cass County Emergency Management Agency, Atlantic Municipal Utilities and Alliant Energy crews.

A vehicle authorities say was traveling too fast for road conditions, crashed into a tree Wednesday afternoon, in Red Oak. According to police, 17-year old Gavin French, of Red Oak, was traveling west on east Coolbaugh Street at around 1:50-p.m., when he lost control of the 2000 Mercedes Benz C-230 he was driving on the plowed, but still snow covered road. When vehicle hit a tree in front of 1203 E. Coolbaugh, it sustained $3,600 damage. French told police the vehicles’ traction control device was disabled. No injuries were reported, and no citations were issued.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

ATLANTIC (KJAN) – A fire has claimed the life of a man in Atlantic, and resulted in a woman being critically injured. The blaze at 604 Olive Street was reported at 10:08-p.m., Wednesday. The female victim was flown from Atlantic to another hospital, while the male was found deceased in the home. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No names have been released.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities at the scene of a freight train derailment in eastern Iowa say 11 cars have derailed, with three of them catching fire and three plunging into the Mississippi River. Dubuque Fire Chief Rick Steines told the Dubuque Telegraph Herald 10 cars which derailed around 11:20 a.m. yesterday were carrying ethanol, some of which spilled into the river.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Wisconsin man has been accused of sexually assaulting a Dubuque woman while she was asleep. The Telegraph Herald reports 19-year-old Patrick J. Hanley of Shullsburg, Wisconsin was arrested Tuesday and charged with third-degree sexual abuse. His bail was set at $30,000.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — The trial of an Iowa woman accused of killing her husband and his girlfriend more than 30 years ago has begun in Waterloo. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier says prosecutors opened the case Wednesday against 54-year-old Theresa Supino, who was arrested in March in connection to the 1983 slayings of Steven Fisher and Melisa Gregory. Their bodies were found on the Copper Dollar Ranch northwest of Newton.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Bakersfield, California running back Sheldon Croney and offensive lineman Jaypee Philbert helped Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads salvage a recruiting class that took some late hits. Five players who had committed to Iowa State changed their minds in recent weeks, but getting Philbert, a 6-foot-4, 305-pounder from Coffeyville, Kansas, Community College, helped ease that sting, as did this week’s commitment from Croney.

The Iowa Dept. of Transportation’s District 3 office in Sioux City report placement of overhead electrical lines will require nighttime closures in both directions on Interstate 29 north of the Floyd Boulevard interchange (exit 147) beginning at 10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, weather permitting.

Traffic will be stopped for 15-minute intervals. Motorists approaching this area should drive with caution and be prepared to stop for traffic backups beyond the limits of the work zone. The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.