Atlantic Iowa –  Nishna Valley Family YMCA Director Dan Haynes, Wednesday night, said in a press release, that “The YMCA will decrease its overall childcare capacity from 131 to 108 children after they move kids from the infant room in the Early Learning Center. The YMCA will vacate the school’s room, as asked by December 22, 2023.

“The Wickman operation has not been taking any new children since April of 2023 in order to downsize and fit back into the original building. We have added 46 new kids to our waiting list for childcare spots since April. In order to support families and employers we will all need to come together to address the long term need for childcare in our community.

“The YMCA Board,” Haynes said, “has researched many options which include relocating a classroom to another community location. We have a very giving community and many churches have offered up their classrooms for use by the Wickman center. After working with the churches, the fire Marshall, Department of Human Services, Childcare Resource and Referral and many hours of deliberation, the YMCA Board has made the difficult choice to continue to not take any new children.

“We will hold this policy until we can fit all children into the original Wickman building with the addition of the 4 years olds who will stay at the renovated racquetball room space at the YMCA. We anticipate that this, along with natural attrition, will help us fit by the end of December 2023.

“The cost, regulations, and logistics of opening another classroom location is not something the YMCA Board is able to take on at this time. The Nishna Valley Family YMCA Board of Directors and the Atlantic Community Schools have agreed to continue to share the ELC gym and the Wickman playground through the end of the current school year.”

Haynes said “The other issue the YMCA Board is struggling with is the lack of staff. The YMCA board is looking for ways to increase wages and to be able to offer some type of benefit package to employees in order to attract and retain a stable workforce. Currently the starting wage is $12 an hour and no health insurance benefit. The board anticipates that our starting wage will need to increase to at least $15 per hour in the future and provide some type of health insurance coverage for qualified employees. This will require the generation of an additional $320,000 in revenue annually.

“This will require a significant weekly rate increase to families OR some type of subsidy by the local community, businesses and donors OR a combination of the two. We look forward to having a community discussion about how childcare in our community can move forward and stay affordable to families.”

For more information you can call the YMCA at 712-243-3934 or stop by the YMCA at 1100 Maple Street, Atlantic Iowa.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Board of Education in the Atlantic Community School District met this (Wednesday) evening in a regular monthly session. The Board heard from Booster Club President Brian Wagner, who spoke about the success of the “Buy the yard” on the football field initiative. He said the premise, basically, is that “You buy a yard line on the [Trojan home games only] football field, for $100. You own that yard line for the entire year. At the end of the first quarter, wherever the ball landed, whoever owns that yard line….” gets $100.

Brian Wagner

The process is repeated for the second- and third-quarters of the game. “If no one wins in the second quarter,” Wagner said, “The ball landed on the 11-yard line [for instance and] nobody owned that 11-yard line, that money rolls over to the third-quarter, you then win $200.” Wagner said they currently have 21 open yard lines available, so it’s almost sold out. He said “It’s kind of fun, so we are going to do it again next year. It’ll be out on Facebook platform, coaches go out and talk to people about it…it’s been a lot of fun, it really has.” The money is used to buy football backs for the football team. They’re embroidered so they all match. The extra funds goes to the Booster Club for other sports-related activities and supplies. Their next big project is “The second highest-Def (Definition) board in all of the State of Iowa in the gym. There will be a 10-foot by eight-foot video board installed before basketball (before the season begins).”

The Board also heard from Aviation Program Instructor Bryce Smith, community member Garry Pellett, Lori & Barry Reid, Managers of the Atlantic Municipal Airport, who spoke about an extension of the Iowa Western Community College/Council Bluffs Aviation program in the form of an aviation maintenance program. Smith said that’s due to the increased demand for aircraft maintenance operators. Right now talks are underway with IWCC to have the program housed at the Atlantic Airport. Pellett said they have a verbal commitment of support from the Atlantic Airport Commission, and Lori Reid said even though their hangars are full, they can juggle some aircraft so some space becomes available.

Bryce Smith

Garry Pellett

Lori & Barry Reid

Iowa Western is offering dual credits toward Aircraft Power (A/P) certification, and would send qualified adjunct facility to Atlantic to teach coursework so students can earn power-plant mechanic certification. The idea is based on the AOPA (Aviation Owners and Pilots Association) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) curriculum. Bryce Smith said there are 37 students in grades 9-through 12, who currently enrolled in the aviation program through the Atlantic High School, with five set to graduate in 2024. Atlantic is only one of four schools in the State to offer the AOPA program.  College graduates with a two-year  degree in an aircraft power/mechanic program, Smith said, can earn $52,000 right off the bat.

The district would need to garner financial support, in order to buy tools for the program. No action was taken at this time, as the presentation was for information only.

In other business, the Atlantic school Board acted to approve contract recommendations for: Lily Renfro – Elementary Paraeducator; Rick Boysen – Substitute Bus Driver. At the request of Board Member Josh McLaren, action on approving the previously mentioned Spring 2024 Sports Coaching position recommendations was tabled until the November Board meeting, because it’s expected additional names will be added to the list.

(Radio Iowa) – UnityPoint, one of Iowa’s largest health care providers, is no longer planning a merger with a New Mexico-based health care system. West Des Moines-based UnityPoint operates 32 hospitals and 280 clinics in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. Earlier this year, UnityPoint announced it was negotiating a merger with New Mexico-based Presbyterian Healthcare Services, which operates nine hospitals.

UnityPoint’s president and C-E-O has departed, according to a news release. He’d been a V-P at the New Mexico system. The new president of UnityPoint has been the system’s chief legal officer for the past two years. This is the second round of merger talks UnityPoint has started, but then tabled.

In 2019, negotiations with South Dakota based Sanford Health stalled. That merger would have created one of the largest health care systems in the country.

DAVENPORT, IA – A Davenport man was sentenced today to 27 years in federal prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl which resulted in the overdose of an 18-month-old child.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at trial, Kathan Daniel Wiley, 23, possessed fentanyl, which had been pressed into pills resembling prescription Percocet pills—blue pills stamped with “M30”—with the intent to distribute the pills, which an 18-month-old child ingested. The child had stopped breathing as a result of ingesting the fentanyl, but was able to be revived by medical professionals. A jury found Wiley guilty of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury (relating to the overdose of the child), after a trial in April 2023.

Others charged as a part of the conspiracy include Linder Kai Divos (a.k.a. Lindo), Jordan Thomas Hopper, Austen Michael Thomas (a.k.a. Waynski, a.k.a Mitch), and Marshall Matthew James Carver.

Linder Kai Divos, 27 of Davenport, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and being a felon in possession of a firearm. On February 21, 2023, Divos was sentenced to 14-and-a-half years in federal prison.

Jordan Thomas Hopper, 25 of Davenport, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury, relating to an April 2021 overdose which occurred in Bettendorf, and distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, relating to a June 2021 overdose which occurred in Davenport. Hopper’s sentencing is scheduled for November 28, 2023, at 11:00 a.m.

Austen Michael Thomas, 26 of Davenport, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and felon in possession of a firearm. Thomas’ sentencing is scheduled for November 29, 2023, at 12:30 p.m.

Marshall Matthew James Carver, 26 of Davenport, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury, relating to an April 2021 overdose which occurred in Bettendorf. Carver’s sentencing is scheduled for January 23, 2024, at 10:30 a.m.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Davenport Police Department investigated this case.

GRIMES, Iowa – Oct. 11, 2023 – If you drive on westbound Interstate 35/80 and use the exit ramp to reach U.S. 69 (exit 136) near Des Moines you need to be aware of an upcoming construction project that may slow down your trip.

Beginning on Sunday, Oct. 15 until Friday, Nov. 17, weather permitting, crews will close the westbound I-35/80 exit ramp to U.S. 69 (exit 136) so work can be done on the bridge approaches to the ramp.

While the exit ramp is closed you will follow a marked detour using westbound I-35/80, Iowa 415/2nd Avenue, and U.S. 69.

CRESTON, Iowa – Oct. 11, 2023 – As part of continuing efforts to improve the work zone on Interstate 80 around Jordan Creek Parkway, the Iowa Department of Transportation will be closing I-80 overnights between Jordan Creek Parkway and Grand Prairie Parkway. The Creston DOT Construction Office reports contractors have planned two nights of overnight road closures.

On the first night of work, westbound I-80 will close at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15, and re-open by 5 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 16. On the second night, eastbound I-80 will be closed from 9 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16 to 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

The closures will allow the contractor to place asphalt on the pavement over the rumble strips. Officials say the smoother pavement will address several issues in the work zone including difficulty seeing lanes as well as making the road easier to drive on and less noisy.

While the roadway is closed for construction work you will follow a marked detour route using Jordan Creek Parkway, University Avenue, and Grand Prairie Parkway (see map).

(Radio Iowa) – A community college trades program in Waterloo is gaining national acclaim. Hawkeye Community College’s “We Build” program has only been around three years, but has helped establish dozens of Cedar Valley residents in trades ranging from masonry to plumbing. We Build has won the Exemplary Program Award from the National Council for Workforce Education. The college’s Workforce Development Coordinator, Val Peterson, says part of that recognition comes from where the students go after completing the program.

“Most of our students, once they do find employment, tend to stay local,” Peterson says. “They go to local plumbing, electrical, and HVAC and carpentry companies. We’ve actually been able to run into some of our previous students working on their job sites.” Peterson says the program’s strength comes from how closely it ties itself to the area workforce.

“We help them find the job, but maybe when they’re getting a promotion or a raise, or they’re able to do other ‘life’ things like get married and have babies and buy houses, they share in those successes with us.” The national recognition has prompted conversations with other colleges across the country about how Hawkeye’s model can be implemented elsewhere.

The 12-week curriculum has helped more than one-hundred Cedar Valley residents find employment in six different trades — and is looking to expand.

(Grant Winterer, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has denied a new trial for the man convicted of murdering University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts of Brooklyn in 2018. Cristhian Bahena Rivera appealed his first-degree murder conviction, arguing statements he made to police early on should have been suppressed.

He also argued statements from a jail inmate and the investigation of a man for sex trafficking in the Brooklyn area were newly discovered evidence that should require a new trial.

The Appeals Court ruling says there were repeated references to Bahena that he was free to leave as officers questioned him, but he chose to stay and continue the questioning. The ruling also says the confession and investigation do not align with much of the other evidence in this case, and neither one would have changed the guilty outcome.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa fire chief says there’s a good reason preventing kitchen fires is the focus of National Fire Safety Week this year. Estherville Fire Chief Travis Sheridan says most of the fires his department responds to start in the kitchen. “People that leave things on stoves or in their oven,” he says. Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires in the U-S. Estherville’s fire chief says there should be a fire extinguisher in every kitchen.

“Sometimes burners get left on, electric stoves get left on and the tops continue to get hot and people set stuff on top,” Sheridan says, “or they accidentally bump those burners with stuff on top of their ovens as well.” Estherville fire fighters, including the fire chief, are visiting preschools and elementary classrooms in their community this week to talk with kids about preventing fires.

“Actually if you took this program from 30 years ago to today, the kids are very involved and our fire calls have gone down quite a bit due to educating the youth who take this back home and help keep us parents on our toes,” Sheridan says.

According to the U-S Fire Administration, four-point-three percent of the calls Iowa fire departments responded to in 2021 were for fires. More than six out of 10 calls for a fire department response were for a medical emergency. Just over three percent of Iowa fire departments have paid career employees, while nearly 90 percent are totally volunteer.

(Radio Iowa) – Storm Lake Police took several juveniles into custody after a reported threat this (Wednesday) morning at the Storm Lake Elementary School. According to Storm Lake Police, officers got word of the threat during the morning drop-off period. School staff and officers quickly escorted students into the elementary building and into their classrooms.

All other schools in Storm Lake were immediately notified, and they were also put on lock down as a precautionary measure. Three juveniles were taken into custody for questioning. The Storm Lake Police Department says there is no active threat, and all lockdowns were lifted later in the morning.

The school day was set to continue as planned at the Storm Lake schools, with increased police presence throughout the day.