Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

In his report to the Atlantic City Council Wednesday night, Councilman Chris Jimerson announced the Atlantic Police Department has the necessary forms and information available for an upcoming Deer Depredation hunt, designed to reduce the deer herd within the City limits. Jimerson said persons interested in bow hunting the deer will need to attend  qualifications tryouts to be held at 10-a.m. Sat., August 18th, or 6-p.m.  August 22nd at Sunnyside Park near the old school house.

Councilman Steve Livengood clarified this is NOT an organized hunt arranged by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He said bow hunters will need to have a license, tags, permission to hunt on private property and Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green, to hunt within the City limits. Prospective hunters must also be able to prove their competency to handle their archery equipment responsibly. The City received permission from the Iowa DNR to hold the special antlerless deer hunt, to reduce the deer population, which has grown substantially since the last study was conducted a couple of years ago. An Urban Deer Control Ordinance was approved by the Council in June.

In other business, Councilman Dana Halder reminded residents about the need to remove your posted signs about garage sales. Halder said there is an ordinance prohibiting such signs on Public property. At the very least, he implored residents to “Have the courtesy to go pick up your garage sale sign…“  Some of the signs he says, are still posted, more than two-weeks after the sale was held.

Atlantic Police Chief said there is a $250 fine for posting signs on City property, such as light and telephone poles, school property and on private property, where permission was not received to post those signs.

The Atlantic City Council Wednesday tabled until November 7th, a Resolution approving the plans and specifications for the Sunnyside Tennis Court reconstruction project, due to a lack of bids. Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm told the Council contractors are extremely busy right now, they practically had to beg for an active bids. Sturm said they ended up taking just one bid, but it was more than  $40,000 over what was budgeted for. The bid from Dostal’s Construction out of Gretna, NE, was for $267,000. The Engineer’s original cost estimate was $241,000.The project would have been paid for through bond proceeds, grants and with payments from the Atlantic Community School District.

Sturm said after discussing the situation with Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring and the Parks and Rec Board, it was decided to reject the bid and request bids for the project again in February 2013. Sturm said the problem with receiving bids came down to a matter of timing. The contractors who would normally bid for projects have a full slate already, therefore there was a lack of interest. He said there are at least two or three contractors, including Dostal’s, who would be interested in submitting bids, once there’s a lull in the construction season.

Sturm said also, that the best bids typically come in during the months of January and February. Councilman Steve Livengood made a motion to table a Resolution approving the plans and specifications for the Sunnyside Tennis Courts project until November. The motion was seconded by Councilman Chris Jimerson. Dave Sturm said officials with the  United States Tennis Association (USTA) have indicated the delay in approving bids and specifications would not jeopardize the City’s likelihood of getting a grant to help pay for the project.

The Walnut City Council Thursday, is set to consider the adoption of an Ordinance governing the use of golf carts on City streets. The discussion and possible action will take place during the Council’s regularly scheduled meeting, which begins at 5-p.m.

In other business, the Council will hear from Walnut Fire Department officials, with regard to a Smoke Alarm campaign, the Pottawattamie County Burn Ban, and Fireman’s Funfest. They’ll also discuss a possible downtown beautification project, time limitations on building projects, and possibly act on adopting a Resolution approving the Road Use Tax report, in addition to other, regular business matters.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Department reports a teenager from Georgia who was trapped in a vehicle following a crash early this (Wednesday) morning, was transported to the hospital by helicopter, as a precautionary measure. The accident happened just after 1-a.m. on Interstate 29 northbound, near exit 10.

Officials say 49-year old Lonnie Lee Dickey, of Sioux City, was driving a 2006 Volvo semi and entering I-29 from the northbound exit ramp at Exit 10, when the semi’s trailer was struck from behind by a 2004 Dodge Ram pickup. The accident happened as the driver of the pickup, 33-year old David Michael Carroll,  of Georgia, was retrieving an item from the floorboard of his truck, and lost control of the vehicle, which was pulling a U-Haul trailer.

After the collision, the pickup and trailer left the road and traveled several hundred feet into an adjacent corn field. 13-year old Sadie Carroll was trapped in the truck for over an hour, while rescue crews used the Jaws of Life to try and free her. Officials say because of the excess extrication time, LifeNet was called to the scene. Sadie was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Neither the driver of the semi, nor Carroll, were injured.

A dog traveling in Carroll’s pickup escaped from the vehicle and fled into the cornfield. It was described as being a 9-year old chocolate lab/pit bull mix. The dog answers to the name of “Coco.” Officials say alcohol is not thought to have been a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation.

(9-a.m. News 8/1) (Updated 4:18-a.m. Thursday, 8/2)

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has announced the 1600th Street Bridge will be closed beginning Monday, August 6th. The bridge is located over an unnamed tributary of Pigeon Creek, just east of 208 1600th Street (near the Sylvan Kenkel residence), between Washington Townships 20 and 17. The bridge will remain closed for the next five-weeks, so that the bridge can be replaced.

Residents and emergency responders should plan now to take alternate routes. If you have any questions, call the Shelby County Engineer’s Office at 712-755-5954.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa state climatologist says the 2012 drought is even worse than the 1988 event and the worst since 1936. Climatologist Harry Hillaker told The Gazette that the heat and dry July has pushed this year’s drought above ’88 drought for breadth and severity. Hillaker says the 1936 drought in Iowa also was fueled by a torrid July, the hottest and second-driest in 140 years.
 
Climatologist Brian Fuchs at the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Neb., says “heat makes droughts drier, and droughts make heat hotter.” Fuchs says a high-pressure system that has kept many storms from watering the nation’s grain belt has strengthened and could remain as a rain barrier for two more months. The center reported last week that the drought covers two-thirds of the continental U.S.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Discarded smoking materials are believed to have been the cause of a fire in Atlantic Tuesday afternoon that caused extensive damage to a home on Front Street. Atlantic Fire Chief Mark McNees said the call from the residence owned by Bev Carroll and Shane Davis, at 511 Front Street, came in at around 3:30-p.m.

The Chief says Shane received a call from his children who were in the home along with a young friend, about smoke coming from a bedroom closet. The children, ages 12, eight and five, attempted to fight the fire but couldn’t. They escaped the home safely. Davis arrived at the house and attempted to gain access to the home, but couldn’t. McNees said the man eventually broke out a window and tried to use a garden hose to reach the flames.

Atlantic Firefighters arrived and were able to get the fire knocked down and the house ventilated within about 30-to 45-minutes. McNees said he doesn’t know if the kids had been smoking in the house, and they denied doing so, but there was evidence of discarded smoking materials in the closet.

The bedroom and closet sustained extensive fire damage, while the rest of the residence had extensive smoke damage. No injuries were reported, in association with the fire or the attempts to fight it.

w/ Ric Hanson

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