The Atlantic School District’s Board of Education met Wednesday in the High School Media Center. Superintendent Steve Barber said they began with a Work Session, during which they had a good conversation about Self Assessment, and what they want to achieve with regard to their Strategic Plan. Afterward, the Board moved into a regular session, during which they heard a special presentation from students with the Spanish Club who traveled to Costa Rica earlier this summer.

The Board approved a contract with American Tower with regard to a Verizon Tower on District property. The original lease allows the lessee to contract with a third-party in a sublease. The Tri-Party Contract will provide the District an additional $300 per month income. Currently, the District receives about $1,200 per month for the lease of the cell tower. In other business, the Atlantic School Board approved resignations mentioned earlier this week on KJAN, as well as Contracts and/or Letters of Assignment, with a few more para-educators added to the original list.

And, Barber gave us an update on the District’s Summer Projects. He said they are “Doing really well on wrapping those projects up before the start of the school year August 23^rd, including new bleachers installed for the Middle School starting August 22^nd. He said they’ll be working out of the gymnasium the week before. Barber said also the HVAC system is in-place and online, and the LED lighting is installed as ready to go in the High School Gym. The lights make for much cleaner and brighter viewing, as opposed to the old lights, which cast a yellow glow over the area.

BROOKLYN, Iowa (AP) — The brother of a missing University of Iowa student’s boyfriend says there were no signs of struggle at the home where she had been staying. The father of Mollie Tibbets last week suggested she might have been abducted from Dalton Jack’s home in Brooklyn, Iowa. The 20-year-old Tibbetts was seen jogging July 18 and her family reported her missing the next day. Jack’s brother, Blake Jack, told Fox News in an interview broadcast Thursday that Tibbetts is “small, but she would have done something” if she had been attacked in his brother’s home.

Dalton Jack has said he received a Snapchat message from Tibbetts July 18, after she would have returned from her run. Authorities haven’t found her Fitbit or cellphone. Her reward fund has grown past $300,000.

(Radio Iowa) — With the rattle of rollercoasters and the scent of corn dogs, cotton candy and livestock, the Iowa State Fair starts its 11-day run today (Thursday) with the theme “Nothing Compares.” Fair manager Gary Slater says the fabled event has something to offer all visitors. “Every year we try to make it bigger and better than the year before,” Slater says. “Some of that is in construction and giving facilities a face-lift. Other parts of it are just new and exciting events that we are able to bring in or new exhibits.” Slater says there are also plenty of traditional exhibits that always pack in the crowds. “The Butter Cow is something that everybody needs to see when they come to the Iowa State Fair,” Slater says, “but, along with it, 100 years of John Deere Corporation being in existence and what better way than to display that than the Waterloo Boy tractor in butter?”

Several national magazines and newspapers, like the New York Times, list the Iowa State Fair as a top summer destination. Slater says it’s a special event that’s much more than just livestock shows, carnival rides, and concerts. “Some fairs, people would say, ‘Well, that used to be a good fair when it was livestock-orientated, but now it’s too urban,’ but I don’t think that’s happened to the Iowa State Fair and it certainly won’t happen while I’m here,” Slater says. “We have to honor those rural roots we have and know that agriculture is the largest industry in Iowa and one that we want to celebrate.”

One goal, he says, it to “make sure our urban cousins, as they come through the front gate, understand where their food and fiber come from.” The state fair runs through Sunday, August 19th.

ACKLEY, Iowa (AP) — A trial has been scheduled for a woman accused of helping her boyfriend torture his 8-year-old son by locking him in a basement enclosure, withholding food and making him endure dog bites. Hardin County District Court records say 39-year-old Traci Tyler on Monday has entered a written plea of not guilty to a kidnapping charge. Her trial is set to begin Sept. 11. The boy’s father, 30-year-old Alex Shadlow, is scheduled to enter a plea Monday.

An arrest affidavit says the boy was locked for at least 9 hours a day last summer in an enclosed space under the basement stairs at the Ackley home, where he slept on concrete and had no access to a bathroom.
Police say Tyler also urged her dog to attack the boy, which left scars on his back and limbs.