(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, received a report from Chamber Director Bailey Smith, who said the Chamber had acquired nine new members since the end of June, for a total of 230 businesses and organizations, there were 16 Ambassador visits, three of those involved ribbon cuttings, with three more scheduled to take place before the end of the year. She said also, there have been eight big events since June, with more to come, including: Christmas in Atlantic, which kicks-off with the Grand Lighting Ceremony.

As we’ve mentioned, the Scrooge Contest is currently underway until Nov. 21st, raising funds and collecting non-perishable goods for the Atlantic Food Pantry.

The food can be used for a Christmas meal, as well as non-perishable items that can be used beyond the holiday. Speaking of food, Bailey Smith mentioned there is the prospect for a new restaurant in Atlantic.

In his report to the Council, City Administrator John Lund reported on the progress of Retail Coach in helping the City find new businesses. The elephant in the room is always the lack of definable retail property with which to establish a business.

The Council mulled-over how to get property owners to sell their land for retail development. Councilman H. Lee Sisco asked if there was interest in nine-acres behind Casey’s on east 7th Street, for business use? Mayor Grace Garrett said that property has been sold.

The City of Atlantic signed a contract with Retail Coach in August 2021, to boost retail recruitment and related services. The agreement cost was $30,000 and renewed in September 2022 for $20,000. The Firm was tasked to identify retail opportunities within the City of Atlantic, recruit retailers, coach the community, help fill gaps, and ultimately act as an extension to the current staff, particularly how it relates to retail.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A traffic stop Wednesday afternoon in Red Oak, resulted in the arrest of two men from Nebraska. Police report the vehicle was stopped at the intersection of Highway 34 and 4th Street, at around 4:06-p.m. Upon further investigation, officers arrested 35-year-old Jae Lawrence Torpy, and 20-year-old Ramon Edwin King, both of Omaha.  Each was taken into custody on a Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – charge. Their bonds were set at $1,000 each.

(rural Rock Rapids, Iowa) – Three juvenile females were injured Wednesday afternoon, during a crash in northwest Iowa’s Lyon County. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2006 Chevy Impala driven by one of the juveniles, was traveling west on 160th Street, southwest of Rock Rapids, when the car went out of control where the road transitioned from pavement to gravel at Goldfinch Avenue.

The car entered the south ditch and rolled multiple times before coming to rest on its roof and catching fire. The accident happened at around 3:40-p.m., Wednesday. Two of the juveniles were transported by ambulance to Avera Hospital in Rock Rapids and Sioux Falls. No names were released.

Two of the three females were wearing their seat belts. The crash remains under investigation.

The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by Rock Rapids Fire and the Lyon County Ambulance.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds and the Republican governors of 14 other states – including the neighboring states of Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota – are objecting to proposed federal rules on nursing home staffing levels. The proposed rule comes from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It says nursing homes should have enough staff to provide each resident with at least half an hour of care from a registered nurse and at least two hours and 45 minutes of care from a nurses aide each day.

The 15 Republican governors have sent a letter to President Biden, asking him to reconsider the rule. The governors say the long-term care industry is facing a workforce crisis, especially in rural areas, and the group calls the agency’s proposal an unnecessary, one-size-fits-all requirement that will force many long-term care facilities to close. The governors say that means many vulnerable Americans will find it more difficult to get a spot in a nursing home.

Twenty-six Iowa nursing homes have closed since May of last year. During the 2023 legislative session, Iowa lawmakers increased Medicaid reimbursement rates by 15 million dollars.