(Atlantic,Iowa) – You don’t have to go all-out for your Thanksgiving meal, Thursday, and you don’t even have to do the dishes, if you attend the FREE 3^rd Annual Community Thanksgiving meal Thursday, in Atlantic. The event – with all the traditional fixings, including turkey, ham, dressing and pie, takes place from 11-a.m. Until 4-p.m. At the Cass County Community Center (next to the Fairgrounds), at 805 W, 10^th Street.

Take-out meals and delivery are available in Atlantic, and there are drop locations in Wiota, Anita, Cumberland, Massena, Lewis, Griswold, Marne, Walnut, Elk Horn and Exira (By pre-order only). To order to go meals on Thanksgiving please call or text message 712-250-1599 by no later than 5-p.m. On Wednesday (Nov. 27). Last year over 500 meals were served. Kristen Holaday-Brooks with Holaday Baking Company is serving the meal, thanks to numerous sponsors. Kristin’s family has hosted the event since its inception.

The first family was served after consulting with the Atlantic School District to see who needed the most help on Thanksgiving. From there, the need grew to multiple families.

The first year, she said, they were just trying to figure out the logistics of serving numerous people. They ended-up served about 450 meals.

As of last week, there were at least 159 meals ordered for delivery and the drop locations. The meat for the meal is smoked by Troublesome Creek Cattle Company in Exira, the week before the meal. Every meal is homemade.

Their job is made easier thanks to the use of an industrial potato peeler. The Atlantic Bottling Company has donated all of the drinks for the event. That’s also included with deliveries. The deliveries are handled by volunteers. Again, deliveries are made by pre-order only. For more information, call or text Anna at 712-250-1599, or visit the holadaybakingcompany’s Facebook page.

(Radio Iowa) – We could find out who will be the new lieutenant governor sometime next month. Governor Kim Reynolds was asked Tuesday about her decision to replace Adam Gregg who left in September. “Soon, really soon. So it in the next couple of weeks, probably we’ll have a decision,” Reynolds says. Reynolds has been busy with the fall campaign, the Republican Governors Association, and a trade trip to India. “So it’s just been a crazy timeline, but, and we want to do it right and so, but we’re really close,” she says. Reynolds says she has completed all of the interviews of candidates for the job.

“You know, I’m not going to give you the number that we’ve interviewed, but we’ve talked to several people,” Reynolds says. Gregg resigned as lieutenant governor to take over as the leader of the Iowa Bankers Association. The president of the Iowa Senate is next in line of succession until a new lieutenant governor is named by Reynolds.

[UPDATED] (Radio Iowa) – A group of nurses from four central Iowa hospitals is trying to form a union. Hundreds of nurses work at UnityPoint hospitals in Des Moines and West Des Moines. An online petition indicates a group of them is working to have the Teamsters union represent nurses at Methodist, Lutheran and Blank Children’s Hospitals in downtown Des Moines and Methodist West Hospital in West Des Moines. The petition says they’re seeking safe staffing ratios as well as better insurance benefits, pay and improved working conditions to improve the health and safety of both patients and registered nurses. UnityPoint executives say they are taking steps to support their nurses and learn from their feedback.

There are several steps before employees at a workplace can join a union. Thirty percent of employees in the group must agree to hold an election by signing cards that are presented to the National Labor Relations Board. Then a majority of all employees who would be represented have to vote to join the union. The Teamsters Union represents about 50-thousand U-S health care workers. That includes nearly 10-thousand nurses at a group of Michigan hospitals who voted earlier this month to join the union. The Service Employees International Union represents about 38-hundred employees who work at University of Iowa Health Care’s hospitals and clinics in Iowa City and Coralville.

(Rockwell City, Iowa) – The Calhoun County Attorney’s Office, Tuesday, said a man from Minnesota was sentenced to 25-years in prison, for sexually abusing a 13-year-old child in rural Manson, on July 27th, 2024. 37-year-old Troy James Holicky, of Lamberton, MN, received the maximum sentence for the crime, and was ordered to be placed on the sex offender registry for life. Under Iowa law, he must serve 70-percent of his 25-year sentence, before he is eligible for parole.

The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in its investigation of the matter, by the Rockwell City Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the Calhoun County Attorney’s Office.

Publicly accessible court documents for this case and others, can be found at https://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council held a Special Meeting Tuesday evening (Nov. 26th), and as expected (and previewed in our previous report), passed several measures that it was required to do, in order for them to filed with the State by December 1st.

The Council passed a resolution “Obligating funds from the Southeast Urban Renewal Area Revenue Fund for Appropriation to the payment of Annual Appropriation Tax Increment Financed Obligations which shall come due in the next Succeeding Fiscal Year.” The resolution pertains to tax increment financing for the Redwood Subdivision.

The second resolution that the Council approved, was for “Obligating Funds from the Hotel Whitney Urban Renewal Area Revenue Fund for Appropriation to the payment of Annual Appropriation Tax Increment Financed Obligations which shall come due in the next Succeeding Fiscal Year.”

The City Council eight-years ago passed a resolution for a TIF agreement with the Whitney Group enabling them to make improvements to the Whitney Inn. The annual appropriation allows the City to capture taxes paid by the Whitney Group using TIF. The agreement will continue until the $750,000 cap is reached or 20 years pass. A similar resolution was adopted during the November 15, 2023, meeting.

The Council Tuesday, approved the City’s Annual Urban Renewal Report. Iowa law requires local governments with Urban Renewal Areas to submit an annual Urban Renewal Report to the Iowa Department of Management by December 1, 2024. The report, which is merely a formality, summarizes TIF districts, projects, and previously approved plans, agreements, and budgets. Failure to file the report would have prevented the County Auditor from collecting property tax revenues for TIF obligations.

And, the Council approved the 2023 Road Use Tax Report, which is also required under the Code of Iowa (for all cities). It details spending on street improvements and allows the City to receive Road Use Tax funds.

Atlantic’s report includes spending from the Road Use Tax Fund, Local Option Sales Tax Capital Improvement Fund, bond proceeds, and stormwater utility funds. Failure to submit would halt state funding.