SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Iowans no longer have to retreat in a public place before using deadly force – that’s the result of a new gun law that took effect in the state this month. But it’s creating an abundance of concern and confusion.

Sheriff Dave Drew of Woodbury County says he’ll continue to enforce a no-guns-allowed policy at the county courthouse, even as the county supervisors insist the courthouse ban should no longer apply. Drew says he is complying with a June order from the Iowa Supreme Court, which limits the ability to carry weapons in justice centers. “I’m an officer of the court, I have been for the 36 years I’ve been doing this job, and I don’t have that luxury to tell the judge, ‘You know, I don’t agree with that,'” he says.     

Opponents of the law are worried that it may actually increase violence in the state.

Meanwhile, the Iowa Legislature has been criticized for the vagueness of the bill. Drew says he’s aware that by limiting where firearms can be carried, he’s opening himself up to lawsuits – but believes he’s on solid legal ground to win such a case.

The state law now says an Iowan can sue any city, county or township that passes a firearms ban if the individual believes they are adversely affected by it. And as county officials butt heads over how to interpret the new law, Drew says the disagreement in his county isn’t personal – just part of the nature of county business. “Each elected official, office holder, is autonomous, in that they don’t answer to the Board of Supervisors – but they answer to the public every four years,” he explains.

Elsewhere in the state, the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors has publicly stated that it will also abide by the state Supreme Court order, noting it will likely take a legal battle to ultimately resolve the issue.

(Iowa News Service)

Officials with the Atlantic Community School District (ACSD) say they will continue to utilize the “rollover” online registration process for the 2017-18 School Year using JMC, the district’s student information system. The online portal for registration will open Tuesday, August 1st. If your student or students attended ACSD last school year (2016-17) and were still in attendance on the last day of school, you need to follow 6 steps to verify registration information and pay student fees (The steps are shown below). Student fees will need to be paid by Friday, October 6, 2017.

Students who are new to the school district and are planning to enroll for the 2017-18 school year will need to register for school at our school buildings. During this time, if administration is available we will be more than happy to give new students tours of their new school. Information about the six quick steps for “Rollover online registration, as well as other information about the district and contact numbers, is listed below. Parents can also access school registration forms by visiting the district’s webpage, www.atlanticiaschools.org.

The 6 Quick Steps for “Rollover” Online Registration.

Log onto Parent Portal
Click on Register for School and Start/Continue Registration Process
View Tuition/Fees In Parent Portal
Set Up Alert Configuration in Parent Portal
Pay Fees and Lunch on RevTrak

Other information is available on the district’s webpage as well, including: Free and Reduced Forms, Physical Forms, Transportation Request (rural only), Yearbook Order, Handbook, Parent Portal Information, and much more).

If you don’t have access to the internet/online, please feel free to stop at your child’s school. The office will be more than happy to assist you in anyway. Should you have any questions regarding school registration or the payment of school fees, please contact the schools at the numbers below.

Washington Elementary School: Pre-K – 3rd grade, 712-243-5234; Stacey Hornung, Principal. Hours: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Schuler Elementary School: Grades 4-5; 712-243-1370; James Northwick, Principal. Hours: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Atlantic Middle School: Grades 6-8, 712-243-1330; Josh Rasmussen, Principal. Hours: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Atlantic High School: Grades 9-12, 712-243-5358; Heather McKay, Principal. Matt Alexander, Asst Principal/Activities Director. Hours: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm

Transportation – All Grades: Phone: 712-243-3374; Dave Eckles, Supervisor

Food Service – All Grades: Phone: 712- 243-5369; DeeAnn Schreiner, Supervisor

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:15 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Attorneys for a former Iowa Senate Republican caucus aide awarded $2.2 million in a sexual harassment lawsuit this month have filed a motion seeking an independent investigation into the caucus office’s workplace culture. The Des Moines Register reports attorneys for Kirsten Anderson filed the motion Thursday. It accuses GOP party leaders of doing nothing to curb an ongoing toxic environment at the statehouse.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified a Des Moines man shot and killed in the city’s River Bend neighborhood, as well as two people arrested in the case. Police say 23-year-old Jeffrey Sifrido Mercado died following the Friday afternoon shooting. Police say two other men, 19-year-old Miguel Angel Lorenzo-Baltazar and 22-year-old Anthony Garcia, both of Des Moines, were arrested Friday and have been charged with first-degree murder.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa City police are investigating a shooting that left one man injured. The shooting happened late Friday night. Police were called to Sandusky Drive for a report of a fight. When officers arrived, they found a man bleeding from a gunshot wound. The man was taken to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening. Police say an initial investigation revealed the man may have been robbed at gunpoint.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A former union president in northwest Iowa has been sentenced to a year in prison for embezzling more than $95,000 from the organization. The Sioux City Journal reports that 53-year-old Curtis Lang was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City on Friday. Prosecutors say Lang took the money from 2005 through 2015 while serving as president of the United Dairy Workers, which represents employees of Wells Enterprises in Le Mars, Iowa.