Waterloo – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 41-year-old Andrew Lee Stephens, who was convicted of Robbery 1st Degree in Black Hawk County, failed to report back to the Waterloo Residential Correctional Facility as required yesterday (Friday).

Stephens is a 6-feet tall, 227-pound white male. He was admitted to the work release facility on 2/9/24.

Persons with information on Stephens’s whereabouts should contact local police.

Andrew Lee Stephens

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A Public Hearing will be held Wednesday in Atlantic, with regard to the Proposed Maximum Property Tax Levy for Fiscal Year 2025. The hearing takes place in the Atlantic City Council’s Chambers at City Hall, beginning at 5-P.M.

The Council will hold its regular meeting at 5:30-p.m., Wednesday, at the same location. Some of the agenda items for that meeting include:

• The Swearing-in of Atlantic Police Sergeant Brock Thompson.
• Public Hearing on Proposal to Enter into an Essential Purpose Loan Agreement.
• Public Hearing on Proposal to Enter into a General Purpose Loan Agreement.
• Resolution #22-24 “Authorizing and Combining Loan Agreements, Approving the Future Issuance of General Obligation Bonds and Providing for the Levy of Taxes to Pay the Same.”
• Order to Approve Second Amendment to Ambulance Services Agreement Between City of Atlantic, Iowa, Cass County Memorial Hospital d/b/a Cass County Health System, Cass County Iowa, and Midwest Medical Transport Company.
• Resolution #23-24 “Setting the Date for Public Hearing on April 17, 2024, to Adopt the FY 2025 Budget.”
• Resolution #24-24 “Approving Contract and Bonds for the 2024 Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project.”
• Resolution #25-24 “Setting the Date for Public Hearing on a Proposed Ordinance Vacating the Street Located between 3009 Palm Street and 3101 Palm Street in the City of Atlantic, Iowa.
• Order to Terminate City Clerk Services Contract with Marne Effective May 31, 2024.
• Order to Approve The Retail Coach Contract Extension (Tabled during the last meeting)
• Resolution #21-24 “Approving a Professional Services Agreement with Barb Barrick to Temporarily Provide City Clerk Consulting Services for the City of Atlantic.” (tabled during the last meeting)
• Order to Enter Exempt Session Pursuant to Iowa Code Section 20.17(3) Providing for the Strategy Meetings of Public Employers for Collective Bargaining

OMAHA, Neb.  – The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Omaha field office is seeking the public’s help in locating an Iowa man wanted for alleged money laundering and wire fraud.

The office says William Jack “Bill” Berg, 51, is wanted for allegedly defrauding over a dozen client investors in a scheme that resulted in the loss of over $1.5 million. It’s alleged that the victim investors provided Berg, a financial advisor in the Des Moines metro area, with funds for investment — only for Berg to use those funds for his own benefit.

A federal arrest warrant was issued for Berg on March 19. He most recently lived in the Waukee and Adel areas and is suspected to have been in the Des Moines area as recently as Monday (March 25th).

William Jack Berg, (AKA Bill Berg) – FBI Photo

Berg is described as 5′11″, 195 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI’s Omaha field office at (402) 493-8688.

MUSCATINE, Iowa — The experts have spoken: Iowa’s best pulled pork sandwich is made in eastern Iowa. Voters in a recent social media contest sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers Association picked Skinny’s Barbecue in Muscatine as winner of the annual Pulled Pork Madness contest, according to a news release.

The Pork Producers say the bracket-style competition, in its seventh year, starts with 16 contenders and follows a narrowing process similar to the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament. The public determines which restaurants advance to the next round.

From the news release:

“At Skinny’s, pork butts are traditionally slathered with mustard to bind an equal mix of salt and pepper. Owner Cord Kleist uses a thick-cut pepper to grow a bark, the flavorful black crust that forms on the outside of the meat during the cooking process. He only recently began adding a special blend of seasonings.

“The pork is then cooked on a gas-powered rotisserie smoker at a low temperature for about 14 to 15 hours, and gets wrapped for the last couple of hours to seal in the moisture and juices. Oak wood is added as the meat cooks, to enhance the taste.

pulled pork sandwich at Skinny’s BBQ in Muscatine

“Each sandwich is served on a shiny brioche toasted bun, with house-made pickles and onions on the side, along with a choice of one homemade side dish. Three flavors of house-made sauces are available — sweet, spicy, or Carolina tangy gold.

“Winning the title ‘brings a tear to my eye,’ says Kleist, who will receive $250 and a Pulled Pork Madness plaque. “It’s crazy to see how far we’ve come and adapted and changed.”

Previous winners have included:

• 2018: Moo’s BBQ in Newton
• 2019: Warehouse Barbecue Co. + Brewhouse in Ottumwa
• 2020: Whatcha Smokin’? BBQ + Brew in Luther
• 2021: Smokin’ Butt Barbeque in Davenport
• 2022: Starbeck’s Smokehouse in Cedar Falls
• 2023: The Flying Elbow in Marshalltown