(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic School Board will meet this (Wednesday) evening following a tour of the district’s buildings that begins at 4:30-p.m. When the meeting convenes sometime around 6-p.m., the Board will hear from Chad Alley, with the Iowa Construction Advocate Team (I-Cat).

The Board is expected to act on approving a Superintendent search firm vendor, and the following personnel matters:

Resignations –

• Jordan Zarbano, Evening High School Custodian
• Lindsey Thomas, Elementary Special Education paraprofessional (Effective Oct. 9th)

Retirements –

• Jon Peterson, Middle School Teacher (effective the end of the 2024-25 school year).

Recommendations to hire –

• Harrison Heogh, Volunteer HS Football Coach (Non-paid position)
• Dan Vargason, Interim HS Girls Soccer Coach
• Mackenzie Morris, Elementary Special Education paraprofessional.

And:

• CTSO sponsors requirement for Perkins Grant Funds.
• 2024 Volunteer Coaches for Winter Sports.
• 2025 Spring Sports Coaches.

The Board’s final order of business is to approve an FFA Fruit Sales Fundraiser request for Oct. 10th through the 30th.

PUBLIC 10092024 Agenda

(Radio Iowa) – Republican incumbent Zach Nunn and Lanon Baccam, the Democratic nominee in Iowa’s third congressional district, both say they’d support steps to reduce inflation, but they disagree strongly on the topic of abortion. The candidates debated for an hour on K-C-C-I Television last (Tuesday) night and the first question was about lowering costs for Iowans. Nunn says cutting taxes should be a priority.

“Make sure that Iowans get more money in their pocket to invest in their community. That’s how you grow and recover,” Nunn said. “…Pass a balanced budget.” Baccam says addressing the cost of housing and groceries should be priorities. “We have to go after the price gouging,” Baccam said, “big corporations…raising up prices for us and not passing down those savings.” Abortion has been a defining issue in the race and the two returned to the topic often. Baccam accused Nunn of being out-of-step with the majority of Iowans.

“The abortion ban that we have in this state, before most women even know they’re pregnant,” Baccam said. “He laid the groundwork for this when he was in the state legislature and what we have today is exactly what he wanted.” Nunn voted for a six-week abortion ban in 2018, when he was a state legislator. “I am pro-life. I have voted for exceptions for rape, incest and certainly for the health of the mother,” Nunn said. “I believe strongly that we should not have a federal abortion ban.”

Both expressed support for enhanced security at the southern border, but each accused the other of failing to support efforts to accomplish that goal.  “Mr. Baccam today will you stand up to your boss Biden and he can sign right now ‘remain in Mexico,’ he can sign a bill to make sure ‘catch and release’ is ended and he can build the border wall that would help everyone today?” Nunn asked. Baccam responded: “I think Iowans are tired of these political games where folks are trying to drive wedges between us. We actually want to see action and get things done…and Zach Nunn has failed to do that.”

It was the only debate the two are scheduled to have before November’s election.

(Radio Iowa) – Attorneys for a Hardin County landowner and for the company seeking to build a carbon pipeline argued the case before the Iowa Supreme Court last (Tuesday) night. A district court judge ruled Kent Kasischke did not have the right to refuse to let surveyors for Summit Carbon Solutions on his property. Brian Jorde — Kasischke’s attorney — says it’s a violation of the constitution to grant a private company access to Kasischke’s land before the project has been approved by state regulators.

“This is an extreme right to give a private company the right to invade someone’s property against their will for the mere convenience of looking around,” Jorde said. Ryan Koopmans, the attorney representing Summit, says surveyors for private companies plotting out projects have had the right to survey Iowa land since 1851. “To go onto the property…to make sure that easement they’re going to seek is where they say it is,” Koopmans said. “That’s about as simple as it can be.” Koopmans says if the justices rule in the landowner’s favor, it would prevent utilities and other private companies, as well as state and local governments, from surveying property.

“Either we all get survey access,” Koopmans said, “or none of us do.” Jorde urged the justices to limit their decision to a section of state law that deals with hazardous liquid pipelines. “The sky will not fall if you go with landowners on this particular case,” Jorde said. A pipeline opponent sued by the company that’s no longer planning to build the Navigator carbon pipeline were among those who spoke at a rally on the statehouse steps just before last (Tuesday) night’s hearing.

Vicki Hulse of Moville was sued by Navigator for access to her land, but a district court dismissed the lawsuit last year. “If we can stop Navigator’s surveys, we can stop Summit’s,” Hulse said. “We have to keep fighting. We have to stand together and today we stand with Kent.” Kim Junker of New Hartford, an opponent of Navigator’s pipeline, noted the Iowa Utilities Commission has fined Summit for buying the voluntary easements Navigator before the required public hearings were held. “Summit knows the law, but they are arrogant enough to break the law anyways. Well this time Summit is going to be held accountable…well, sort of,” Junker said. “$10,000 is chump change for a billion dollar company.”

Summit issued a written statement, saying the company believed it was in compliance with state regulations and cited the commission’s statement, which called the violation minimal.

(Iowa News Service) – A new report from the American Federation of Labor shows the pay gap between C-E-Os and their workers continues to widen. Iowa has among the biggest disparities in the nation. The A-F-L’s report shows companies’ production costs were down 3-percent in 2023, but consumer prices were up 3-percent. Iowa Federation of Labor President Charlie Wishman says company C-E-O profits are up 6-percent, even as more families struggle to keep up with a rising cost of living. Wishman says the gap between the C-E-O and an average worker at a Casey’s General Store in Iowa is among the highest in the nation.

Wishman says the Casey’s C-E-O-to-employee wage gap has grown from about 40 to 1 in the 1980s. Casey’s says it reviews its salary and bonus structure yearly to be sure they are competitive. Nationwide, the report says it would take more than five career lifetimes for a worker to earn what the average C-E-O is paid in one year.

The A-F-L report lists several examples of huge corporate profit increases, including a 66-percent hike in the former Starbucks C-E-O’s pay. Securities and Exchange Commission documents show Laxman Narasimhan’s compensation jumped from 8-point-8 million dollars in 2022 to 14-point-6 million in 2023. Wishman says for the average Iowan, numbers like these are hard to stomach.

In the Starbucks example, the A-F-L report shows the cost of a medium coffee at the chain has risen by 20-percent in some locations, and the company has doubled the number of points required to qualify for rewards despite its overall production costs going down.

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents approved today (Tuesday) U-I Healthcare’s plans to buy Mission Cancer and Blood’s more than 20 community clinics across Iowa. During a special meeting, U-I Vice President of Medical Affairs Denise Jamieson told the board the deal will help improve access to treatment.

“Cancer rates in Iowa are the second highest in the nation, and they’re rising. And in the midst of this cancer crisis, access to cancer care across the state is insufficient to meet the needs of Iowans, and this is particularly true in rural Iowa,” Jamieson says. She says they thoroughly review the operation before moving ahead with the purchase proposal.

“Mission, Cancer and Blood is a thriving, financially sound medical group that provides access to cutting-edge cancer care, and they really excel at patient-centered care by building lifelong relationships with patients and providing personalized care,” she says. U-I Healthcare will pay 280 million dollars to purchase Mission’s assets. Jamieson says there are several positives to the purchase.

“It improves access to clinical care for patients in Iowa. Second, it expands access to community-based clinical research trials. Third, it improves access to innovative clinical therapies,” she says. Jamieson says the acquisition also gives them more opportunities for training medical students and is expected to be a draw for doctors.

“We believe that it will increase the likelihood that cancer physicians stay in Iowa to practice,” she says. Mission is headquartered in Des Moines and have facilities in central and western Iowa, which includes Ankeny, Pella, Oskaloosa, Fort Dodge, and Grinnell.

(Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – Members and spouses of Pymosa Lodge No 271 in Atlantic recently joined with Masons around Iowa at the 180^th Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Iowa in Cedar Rapids.

The annual communication is held at various venues around the state each year to vote on policy and by-law changes, election of officers and award ceremonies. This year Pymosa Lodge was awarded one of the Lodge of the Year awards for their continued support of Masonry in Iowa. Pymosa Lodge received its Charter at the Annual Communication on June 8, 1870 and have had continuous membership for 154 years.

Locally the Lodge holds two major fund raisers during the year; The St Patrick’s Day Stew Feed and the Scholarship Can Collection. The proceeds from these fund-raising activities goes to provide Scholarships for Atlantic and CAM Students. We also support the Atlantic Fire Department, the Atlantic Police department, the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce and Atlantic Rising to name few of the programs that donate time and money to.

Elections were held for the Grand Lodge officers who will represent the Masons across the state of Iowa this year. Elected to hold the office of Senior Grand Warden for the 2024-2025 term is Right Worshipful Brother Donnie Drennan.

Donnie Drennan (Center/right) – photo submitted

Worshipful Brother John Bricker, of Drennan Insurance, is the vice-chairman of the Lodge Service committee for the Grand Lodge. His duties include traveling the state promoting masonry and providing Masonic education to the local lodges and coordinating meetings of the Grand master and the Grand Secretary.

Those attending from Pymosa Lodge were: Mike Blevins, Worshipful Master, Donnie Drennan (Arlene) Secretary and John Bricker (Nikki) Marshal.

(Radio Iowa) – Tomorrow (Wednesday) will mark the third annual Shop Iowa Day, where some 750 small businesses in the state offer pre-holiday discounts on more than 8,000 thousand unique Iowa products through a single website.

Cherie Edilson is the CEO of Member Marketplace, which is managing the ShopIowa.com platform for the Iowa Economic Development Authority. She calls this an online celebration of Iowa’s small businesses.

“It is a sale through the ShopIowa.com platform where you can explore businesses from all 99 counties,” Edilson says. “We have boutique retailers. We’ve got food-based businesses, games, home decor, just tons of products from businesses right here in Iowa that are eager to get eyes on their businesses and get new sales ahead of the holiday shopping season.”

While the event coincides with one of the Amazon Prime Day sales, Edilson hopes Iowans will consider keeping it local instead by supporting their neighbors across town or across the state. Plus, there are day-long deals.

“We have a sale happening, 30% off sitewide, to be able to buy products from all corners of the state, add them to the cart with one checkout and buy and shop local Iowa businesses online,” Edilson says. “Several businesses are also putting their products on sale, so they’re doing additional discounts in addition to what Shop Iowa is offering for the day.”

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, around 67 cents of every dollar spent locally stays in the community, helping to strengthen local economies. About half of the merchants featured on ShopIowa.com also have brick-and-mortar stores in Iowa, and Edilson is sure they’d appreciate you shopping in-person as well.

“That’s part of the requirements from IEDA. They need to either be a retail business in Iowa or a handmade-in-Iowa small business,” Edilson says. “So you can discover businesses in your community that you’ve never been to before and go in and shop them in-person and discover what’s that business that you’ve driven by several times? And now you can discover their shop online and it gives you a reason to go in store next time as well.”

There’s also a place on the site where you can sign up for a chance at a $500 shopping spree.

(Radio Iowa) – The 14th annual climate statement from dozens of Iowa scientists suggests it’s never been easier for individuals to help reduce carbon emissions. Drake University Environmental Science professor David Courard-Hauri  is part of the Iowa Climate Educators group. “This year we wanted to address the question that we get asked more than any other, which is: ‘What can I do about climate change?'” he said.

The report from nearly 200 climate scientists at 32 Iowa colleges and universities cites rapidly improving technology that reduces carbon emissions as well as tax breaks for electric vehicles, solar power systems and more efficient appliances. “We want to be clear that the solution is bigger than individual action and we need leaders at all levels to enact policies if we want to avert even greater disasters than we’ve seen all around us this year,” Courard-Hauri said.

Emma Stapleton Thornell of the University of Iowa’s Department of Internal Medicine researches how exposure to air pollution impacts the lungs. She’s part of a campus-wide initiative to recognize teams of students, faculty and staff who come up with solutions to reduce the impact the climate has on human health.

“It’s been a great way to feel like you’re actually doing something about climate change,” she says, “and because of the scope of the problem that’s been delineated, you know, any step is a good one and an important first step.”

The group’s report notes 2023 was the hottest year since global temperatures measurements began and Iowa’s past winter was the second warmest in 152 years of record keeping and June brought historic flooding to areas of the state.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Police Department was called this (Tuesday) morning to Cappel’s Ace Hardware in downtown Atlantic, to investigate the theft overnight, of a log-splitter and two gas-powered snowblowers. The machines were secured outside the store when the theft occurred at around 10-p.m., Monday. Surveillance video still-frame images from inside and outside of the store show a blue Ford long-box pickup and three people who were allegedly responsible for the thefts. The unidentified suspects made two trips to the hardware store to grab the machine.

Cappels is asking anyone with information about the thefts to contact the Atlantic Police Department.

(Radio Iowa) – The state Transportation Commission approved a change today (Tuesday) to a state program used to help communities build roadways for business development. The D-O-T”s Deb Arp says the change allows the Rebuild Iowa’s Sound Economy or RISE program to be used to relocate businesses in disaster areas. “That is limited to communities that experience state and federally recognized emergency events and where existing businesses have expressed interest in permanent relocation, and documentation of business interest in relocation has been provided with an application,” Arp says.

The first project under the new designation was also approved for Rock Valley. “The city is seeking to develop a new business park located outside the flood zone with access to U-S 18 the proposed rise roadway will provide access to 14 lots totaling more than 25 acres for light industrial purposes,” she says. Arp says the city has multiple letters of interest from local businesses impacted by the flooding, looking to relocate within the community by.

The Commission approved nearly one-point-five million dollars ( $1,482,758) for Rock Valley, which is 70 percent of the project. The Transportation Commission also approved some regular RISE funding. Sioux Center was approved for a roadway to help a business expansion.  “The proposed RISE roadway will provide improved access to a proposed expansion at Service Trucks International, a manufacturer of truck bodies and telescoping cranes, and assist in the creation of six full time jobs and an additional ten jobs within the next ten years,” Arp says.

This project is anticipated to be completed by July 2026. The city of Boone was given state funding for access to the Daisy Brands dairy. “The immediate opportunity component, providing direct access to the Daisy Brand site is tied to a job creation commitment of 217 jobs. The total project cost is three million-781-thousand-981 dollars. and at an 80 percent rise participation rate, the recommended award is three million-25-thousand-530 dollars,” she says. Arp says the company plans to expand. “Daisy Brands will construct a 700-thousand square foot manufacturing facility at the site to produce soft dairy products such as cottage cheese and sour cream. Production is anticipated to begin in 2027 and ramp up to full build out and job creation in 2032,” she says. 

She says the funding comes with the promise of hundreds of new jobs. “The proposed RISE grant will support a commitment to create 217 new full time jobs within three years of roadway completion, out of an anticipated 255 rise eligible jobs created at this facility through 2032, and almost 730 million dollars in associated capital investment.

The funding will help pay for a roadway that is expected to be completed by November 2026. There is also funding for a roundabout on U-S Highway 30 to provide access as well, and that project is still under development.