The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education, Monday, approved the District’s participation in a Financial Planning Program (FPP). Superintendent Mike Amstein told KJAN News the action came after the Board heard from FPP advisor Gary Sinclair. He says based on that presentation, the Board thought the FPP would be beneficial in preparing budgets and formulating budget scenarios for the upcoming year, as well as up to the next five-years.)

The Board authorized the purchase of the full FPP package in the amount $10,000, of which the District is responsible for $5,700. The cost will likely be paid for through the Capital Projects because it’s non-instructional software. Amstein says the FPP will be greatly beneficial in determining the outcome of specific financial scenarios, especially with regard to the amount of money the District receives from the State in the form of Supplemental Aid.

He says it allows them to project what their income will be regardless of whether the State aid is zero percent or as much as five-percent, and it takes into consideration student enrollment. It helps in determining the tax rate, where there staffing needs are the greatest and other costs. Last year, school districts were forced to try and determine their budgets for the upcoming year without having known for certain the amount of Supplemental Aid they would be receiving, because the legislature took so long in reaching a decision on the matter.

Amstein said instead of “Being in a position where you have to sit on your hands a little bit, we can be a little more proactive in taking a look at the different scenarios that might come into play so we’re not having to wait for the last minute to go ahead and start punching in the numbers.”

In other business, the Board discussed the possibility of hosting a Legislative meeting for local legislators to come and visit with Atlantic School Board members, as well as those in Griswold and CAM. The details are still being worked out, but the tentative plan is for the week of January 5th. Additional information will be released once all the facets of the meeting are hammered out.

With Ric Hanson.

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Temperatures have warmed up and that might make you want to head out to try some ice fishing. Army Corps of Engineers Natural Resource Specialist, Phillip Rustad, says that’s one activity that should be still be put on hold until further notice. “Until we get some more consistent cold weather to create good ice, I would recommend nobody probably go out on the ice or wander out on the ice we have out there because it’s just not very safe. There’s a lot of open spots on a lot of the lakes,” Rustad says.

Rustad says you should always wear some sort of life preserver whether you’re in a boat or just near the water.  “They have inflatables now that aren’t very bulky at all, you can wear em under your coat, you can wear em on top,” Rustad says. “They are just little packs that can go around your waist, there’s a lot of options for people.”

Rustad says if you fall into the water, don’t panic. Remember the 1-10-1 rule. Cold shock will pass in about one minute: in the next ten minutes; you will have effective use of your fingers, arms and legs. And it could take up to an hour before you become unconscious due to hypothermia. Rustad says it will take several days of sub freezing temperatures before the ice will be safe again.

(Radio Iowa)

State officials are drafting plans for digital driver’s licenses, so you could show your photo I-D by pulling out your smart phone. Iowa Department of Transportation director Paul Trombino showed a mock-up to the governor and his aides on Monday. “This is a digitally-encoded drivers license. It’s on your cellphone, so you can carry it around with you,” Trombino said. “It has as much, if not more, digital encoding than the one in your wallet.”

Trombino says it could be used at a traffic stop, at the airport or anywhere else you’re asked to show identification.  “It really opens up the doorway, I think, for a lot of different types of transactions,” Trombino says.

Trombino expects the digital license would be available to motorists in addition to that small, plastic version for your wallet, at no additional charge. Some motorists are already showing proof of insurance with an app on their smart phones.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Creston, Monday, arrested a woman from Adams County on a Union County warrant for Probation Violation. Authorities say 30-year old Tara Anne Squibb, of Corning, was arrested at around 9:40-p.m. and was being held in the Ringgold County Jail, pending an appearance before a magistrate.

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A traffic stop late Monday evening in Adams County resulted in the arrest of a Colorado man. Sheriff’s officials say 51-year old Jeffrey Wayne Armstrong, of Loveland, CO, was pulled over at around 5:30-p.m. near the intersection of Highway 34 and Loomis Avenue. A deputy smelled alcohol coming from Armstrong, who failed Field Sobriety Tests and was placed under arrest for OWI/1st Offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

Most employers in Iowa are optimistic about their hiring plans for the first three months of 2015. That’s according the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey released today (Tuesday). Manpower spokesperson Karen Miller says 73-percent of the Iowa companies surveyed anticipate maintaining current staffing levels between January and March, while 21-percent expect to add employees. That’s good for a “Net Employment Outlook” of 16-percent — doubling the results from the survey conducted for the first quarter of 2014.

“Last year at this time, we were only looking at an 8-percent Net Employment Outlook,” Miller said. The companies that take part in the Manpower survey have been holding steady on their hiring plans for quite some time now. “I think this is our third year running, we’ve got about 12 straight quarters of really solid hiring within the state of Iowa,” Miller said.

Iowa’s job market is basically on par with the nationwide outlook. Of the more than 18,000 employers surveyed in the U.S., Manpower found 19-percent expect to add to their workforces, while 6-percent expect a decline in their payrolls between October and December. The Net Employment Outlook nationwide is 16-percent, the same as Iowa’s Q1 figure.

(Radio Iowa)

Authorities in northwest Iowa’s Woodbury County are investigating the mysterious death of 17 head of cattle this weekend. Lieutenant Charles Hertz of the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, says the cattle were discovered by a creek near Lawton around 1:30 Saturday afternoon. He says the cattle owner was checking on the animals and discovered 17 cattle in the creek dead, while there were 13 others nearby that were just fine. Hertz says the were no marks on the animals or anything else to indicate why they died.

“We had checked the creek to determine if there were any other deaths associated with these cattle and we could not determine anything. There were no fish that were killed or any other livestock or animals in the area that had been killed,” Hertz says. “The state vet did a field autopsy at the scene, and there was nothing readily apparent.” He says the county emergency manager took water samples.

“And found everything to be in normal parameters. These samples are going to be forwarded to Storm Lake to have further tests done on them. The state vet also took samples from these animals and there will be further tests conducted,” according to Hertz. Hertz says there are not indications of criminal activity as they continue to investigate looking for the cause of the death of the animals.

(Radio Iowa)

A western Iowa teen found not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of his foster brother poses “a great danger to others” and will need lifelong monitoring “to help minimize his risk to the public and to himself,” according to a judge’s order. The Daily NonPareil reports the order commits 18-year old Cody Metzker-Madsen to a psychiatric unit within the Iowa Department of Corrections for an indefinite period of time. Metzker-Madsen killed 5-year-old Dominic Elkins, of Atlantic, as the two played outside at a foster home north of Logan, in Harrison County.

Dominic’s body was found in a wooded ravine with a stream. An autopsy determined that he died from blunt force head injuries and drowning.  The two boys had been staying at the home of foster parents Don and Julie Coolman, who were not home at the time.

During his seven-day trial in late October and early November, Metzker-Madsen testified that he remembered killing a goblin with a brick while in a fantasy world. He said he didn’t realize until later that it was Dominic whom he had killed.  Metzker-Madsen’s mother also testified that she used methamphetamine during her first three months of pregnancy.

On Nov. 7th, District Judge Kathleen Kilnoski found Metzker-Madsen not guilty of first-degree murder by reason of insanity. She ordered him committed to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center at Oakdale and ordered the chief medical officer there to report to her a diagnosis and also an opinion on whether Metzker-Madsen was a threat to others. The report was not made public. But Kilnoski’s order, filed Thursday, quotes from it.

Metzker-Madsen’s provisional diagnoses include oppositional defiant disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, psychotic disorder not otherwise specified and personality disorder not otherwise specified, with anti-social traits. The order describes him as having “borderline intellectual functioning.”

According to the judge’s order, Metzker-Madsen “poses a great danger to others, and indirectly to himself, because of his limited functioning and mood instability. The evaluating psychiatrist said it was her opinion that the defendant requires ‘continued long-term placement in a highly structured and secure environment. … (H)e will need lifelong monitoring and structure to help minimize his risk to the public and to himself.’ ” The judge concluded that Metzker-Madsen is “seriously mentally ill and dangerous to himself and others.”  She ordered him committed to the Iowa Department of Corrections for placement at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital at Oakdale.

Robert Rigg, director of the criminal defense program at Drake University Law School in Des Moines, said Metzker-Madsen will probably never be released, unless some way is found to successfully treat him. Last month Dominic’s mother, Barbara Kunch, withdrew a lawsuit that she had filed in October accusing Don and Julie Coolman of failing to properly care for and supervise Dominic and Metzker-Madsen. Court documents did not list a reason why.