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Atlantic School Board to act on resignations/contracts & Early Retirement Plan

News

November 7th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Members of the Atlantic Community School District’s Board of  Education will meet 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, November 8th, in the High School Media Center. The meeting can be viewed via YouTube. Here’s the posted agenda:

1. Call to Order, Board President
2. Roll Call, Board Secretary
3. Approve agenda
4. Welcome Visitors/Communication from the Public
5. Special Presentation
a. Food Service Annual Update- Natalie Ritter
b. School Therapy Classroom Update
c. Special Education Update- SpED Staff
6. District Reports
a. Principal Reports
b. Superintendent Report
c. Board Report
d. Financial Reports
7. *Consent Items
a. Meeting Minutes for 10/11/2023 and 10/25/2023
b. Monthly Bills
c. Open Enrollment Applications
d. Resignations/Contract Recommendations/Letters of Assignment
i. Resignation: Michelle Blake, HS Volleyball Coach
ii. Resignation: Joseph Brummer, MS Track Coach
iii. Resignation: Mallory Robinson, District Communications Specialist
iv. Resignation: Laurie Parrott, HS Paraeducator
v. Resignation: Matt Best, Asst Boys Track Coach
vi. Hire: Desiree Kent, Paraeducator, Schuler Elementary
vii. Hire: William Lawson, Paraeducator, Therapeutic Classroom
viii. Hire: Rob Kirchner, Asst Archery Coach
ix. Hire: Julie Phippen, Wrestling Cheer Coach
x. Hire: Bryan Armstrong and Stephanie Kinzie, Wrestling Girls Chaperone & Drivers
xi. Volunteer Archery Coaches: Adam Roberts and Hailee Copeland
xii. Volunteer Wrestling Coaches: Cale Roller, Dillon Cox, Josh Perkins, Mike Greving, Adam Smith
and Caleb Smith
xiii. Volunteer Basketball Coaches: Jacey Hoegh and Zach Christianson
e. Gifts, Grants and Bequests
f. Fundraising request: PBIS-Casey Pelzer, Coupon Cards
8. Discussion Items
a. Review of District Enrollment Data
b. Early Retirement Incentive Plan
9. Action Items
a. Coaching List for Spring Sports
b. Second Reading of Board Policies, (new) 200.04; (updated) 210.05, 401.05 R1, 401.10, 407.02, 501.02,
604.06, 701.02, and 708
c. Second Reading of Board Policy (new) 503.08
d. Out of State Travel request
e. Volume 31 #4 Policy Updates following the 2023 Legislative Session on 06/07/2023. First Reading of
Board policies (new) 402.05, 503.07, 503.07E1, 503.07E2, 507.02E3, 507.02E4, 605.03E5, 804.05E1 and
updated policies are 104, 104.R1, 213, 402.02, 408.01, 505.04, 505.05, 507.02, 507.02E1, 507.02E2, 60101,
603.05, 605.01, 605.01R1, 605.02, 605.03, 605.03R1, 605.05, 605.07R1, 607.02, and 804.05
f. Green Hills AEA District 3 Director Ballot
g. Snow Removal Bids
h. Pay App 5 FINAL, Caliber Concrete, Washington Playground $29,117.05
i. Resolution for Washington Elementary Playground
j. Pay App 3 Sub Final, United Construction Services, Storage Shed $26,695.00
k. Early Retirement Incentive Plan
10. Upcoming Dates
a. School Board Organizational Meeting, November 29; 5:30 p.m.
b. Regular Board Meeting; December 13, 2023
c. Organizational Meeting with new Board Directors, November 29, 2023, 5:30 p.m.
11. Board Meeting Evaluation Question: Did all board members have an opportunity to be heard?
12. Adjournment
*Consent Agenda
(Please note: Any item that appears on the consent agenda may be removed from the consent agenda by a board member. If an item is removed from
the consent agenda, the item will be taken up later in the regular agenda. That item is then discussed and voted on separately, after the rest of the
consent agenda has been approved, or may be moved to a following board meeting.)

Dyersville toymaker talks about the start of the family business

News

November 7th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The son of an iconic Iowa toy maker says the farm toys his dad created came out of a need to support the family. Joe Ertl says the Ertl Company was created by his father, Fred Ertl Senior, 80 years ago in the basement of their Dubuque home following a strike at the foundry where his dad worked. “After the war, with wage and price controls went off, they went on strike in Dubuque, three foundries, there was 900 men,” Ertl says. “And it was pretty drastic strike was and it lasted 18 weeks. Dad had five boys he had to feed, so he started making things in the basement of our home.” Ertl says a friends solved the problem of creating cast iron farm toys by giving his dad waste aluminum he had picked up at John Deere and other places.

“He gave him some of that so that he could make toys out of aluminum,” he says. “And that’s really where he came to build building the better mousetrap, he made him out of aluminum.” Joe says the family would all pile into the car and sell the farm toy tractors to local implement dealers for a dollar a piece. john Deere ordered 100-thousand replicas of its tractors, which the family made in the basement of their home. There were some unique features in the first models.

“We could not get rubber tires anything after the war so we made the first toys with aluminum wheels,” Ertl says. They expanded to a small 40-by-20 foot building to serve as a factory near their home on the west side of Dubuque, with around half a dozen employees and five kids working for the company in those early years. The moved to Dyersville when they needed more space.

The Ertl Company became internationally known by the 1960s, with Joe branching out in the 1970s to start his own farm toy manufacturing company – which led to the birth of Scale Models. At 88 years old, Joe is still involved with the company. He talked about the early days in the lead up to the National Farm Toy Show this past weekend in Dyersville.

Small percent of corn and beans remain to be harvested

Ag/Outdoor, News

November 7th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The corn and soybean harvest could be close to wrapping up this week. The U-S-D-A says just three percent of the soybeans remain to be harvested statewide, and around ten percent of the corn. The majority of the corn still in the fields is in south-central Iowa, where the report says only 69 percent has been harvested through Sunday.

Crop report/USDA graphic

The same area lags behind in the bean harvest as well, with 86 percent complete, while the report shows 100 percent of the beans have been harvested in the north-central portion of the state.

It’s time to start prepping for winter weather

News, Weather

November 7th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) Much of Iowa has seen warmer-than-normal temperatures in recent days, but autumn will soon transition to winter and the National Weather Service is encouraging Iowans to prepare now for the inevitable. Meteorologist Chad Hahn (HON) says this Thursday is Winter Weather Awareness Day, which is devoted to getting our homes and vehicles ready for the cold season ahead. The Iowa D-O-T says 75-percent of winter crashes occur with two inches of snow or less, so he says even light snowfalls need to be taken very seriously. Hahn says Iowans should be familiar with the differences between a watch and a warning, and outfit a winter survival kit for your car. The weather service will be releasing a variety of winter preparation tips on its social media pages, including at the website: www.weather.gov/dmx. We still have about six weeks of fall ahead, as winter arrives on December 21st.

Iowa Wins all Ten Matches in 40-0 Wrestling Blowout

Sports

November 7th, 2023 by admin

(Riverside, CA) – Hawkeye wrestling sees positives from both the men’s and women’s programs over the weekend. The Hawkeyes who are ranked second overall won all 10 matches on Sunday in a 40-0 blowout.

Iowa had a 31-1 difference in takedowns and had six major decisions as they earned their first victory overall. The Hawkeye came out with a bang in the beginning as they were up with a 13-0 lead in the first three matches. Drake Ayala earned a ranked win alongside Brody Teske as he was able to put away Hunter Leake in a major decision.

The Hawkeyes also had Victor Voinovich earn a 2-0 decision over Dayne Morton and Jared Franek earned an 8-1 first half of a dual decision. Aiden Riggins helped Iowa earn a bonus point victory as he helped earn a pair of takedowns and won 15-4. Brennan Swafford earned a major decision, ultimately winning 15-4 over Nathan Haas. Iowa closed the dual with an 11-2 decision with Zach Glazier.

Associate head coach Terry Brands said, “I learned that we have a room full of competitors. I learned that what I thought I knew, I knew, It’s every week though, now it’s in the past we gotta move forward.”

Iowa returns to action on November 19th against Oregon State at home at noon.

Hawkeye Kicker Drew Stevens Named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week

Sports

November 7th, 2023 by admin

(Iowa City, IA) – This time it is not Cooper DeJean on the Special Teams Player of the Week list. Rather, it is place-kicker Drew Stevens as he was named to the honor after his game-winning field goal with 14 seconds remaining to help Iowa overcome Northwestern 10-7 on Saturday.

It all happened when the Hawkeyes drove 37 yards downfield with just 1:46 left to put Stevens within 53 yards. He drilled the field goal, tying the season-long that he earned in the game against Michigan State.

This is now the second career weekly honor for the sophomore, both of which have come against Northwestern. The last time that he was recognized with the honor was on Halloween of 2022 when he made all four field goal attempts and knocked in a 54-yarder. This also marks the fifth time this season that a Hawkeye has been recognized for a weekly honor.

Iowa dives further into Big Ten action with a game against Rutgers this upcoming Saturday at Kinnick Stadium. The kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.

FIRST-PERIOD FLURRY BOOSTS BULLDOGS PAST ST. THOMAS IN SEASON OPENER

Sports

November 7th, 2023 by admin

DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake women’s basketball (1-0) opened a new season with a sizzling performance from long range in rolling past St. Thomas (0-1) 94-69 at the Knapp Center on Monday night.

After watching the banner honoring their 2023 Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship unfurl from the rafters, the Bulldogs wasted no time setting the tone for the game. Grace Berg and Courtney Becker knocked down three-pointers on Drake’s first two trips down the floor and the shots just kept falling.

The Bulldogs hit nine of their first 14 shots from beyond the arc and were 15-for-27 after three quarters before finishing 15-of-33. Graduate transfer Anna Brown led the barrage, going 5-for-7 from deep and finishing with 17 points in her Drake debut.

The five treys matched the career high she reached twice at Loyola Chicago, where she played four seasons before joining the Bulldogs.

Berg led the Bulldogs with 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Katie Dinnebier added 13 points, five assists and two steals, while Becker and Taylor McAulay and each scored 11. Becker had a solid line with nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. She made all but one of her six shots.

Freshman Shannon Fornshell also grabbed nine rebounds and scored four points.

The 94 points were the most for the Bulldogs in a season opener since they beat North Dakota 99-91 on Nov. 11, 2016. The Bulldogs shot 51 percent overall and had assists on 27 of their 33 field goals. Drake finished second nationally in assists last season, averaging 20.9 per game.

The celebration of last season’s tournament success continued after the game when the players, coaches, and staff members received their championship rings.

St. Thomas, a Division I program only since 2021, clawed back to tie the game at 6-all. Then the Bulldogs took over. A 20-2 burst that included two triples each by McAulay and Ashley Iiams and one from Brown made it 26-8 and the Bulldogs were in control from then on.

Brown knocked down back-to-back treys to start the second quarter to stretch the lead to 32-8. At that point, five different players had made a 3 for the Bulldogs. By the end of the game, seven had hit at least one shot from beyond the arc.

When the Bulldogs weren’t striking from long range, they got layups in transition, scored on aggressive drives to the basket and set themselves up for easy shots with strong cuts to the hoop. Junior post Anna Miller led the team with six assists, matching her career high, including a slick high-low feed to Berg for a bucket early in the game. She also pulled down six rebounds and blocked two shots.

Drake led 48-30 at halftime and was up by as many as 28 before St. Thomas made a little run, drawing to 82-68 with 4:30 left. The Bulldogs then outscored the Tommies 12-1 to finish it off.

Jo Langbehn’s 16 points led St. Thomas, which plays in the Summit League. Drake held the Tommies to 6-for-25 shooting from 3-point range and 38.5 percent overall.

Drake travels to Saint Louis for a game at 7 p.m. Thursday, then hosts Iowa State at 2 p.m. next Sunday.

 

Hawkeyes Host Bucknell in NCAA Tournament First Round

Sports

November 7th, 2023 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s soccer team enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 regional seed. Iowa (12-4-4) will host Bucknell (12-3-5) in the First Round at 6 p.m. (CT) on Friday, Nov. 10, at the Iowa Soccer Complex.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for University of Iowa students and youth. All NCAA Tournament First Round games stream live on ESPN+ (subscription required).

Friday will mark the first time the Hawkeyes have hosted an NCAA Tournament match.

Iowa makes its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and third under Head Coach Dave DiIanni. The Hawkeyes have an 11-6 postseason record under DiIanni, including nine postseason wins since the 2020-21 season.

The Hawkeyes earned the Big Ten Conference automatic bid with a conference tournament championship this weekend. The Hawkeyes downed three ranked opponents en route to the second Big Ten Tournament Title in the past four seasons.

NCAA Tournament Second Round play takes place on Nov. 17, with Sweet 16 action scheduled for Nov. 19. Those games will take place at eight non-predetermined campus sites.

JEFFERY HICKS, 54, of Harlan (Celebration of Life visitation 11/11/23)

Obituaries

November 7th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

JEFFERY HICKS, 54, of Harlan, died Sunday, November 5, 2023, at Myrtue Medical Center, in Harlan. A Celebration of Life visitation for JEFFERY HICKS will be held from 10-a.m. until 2-p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at the Pauley-Jones Funeral Home, in Harlan.

Burial is in the Harlan Cemetery.

JEFFERY HICKS is survived by:

His wife- Andrea Hicks.

His sons – Josh Haggerty, Cameron Hicks, and Caiden Hicks, all of Harlan.

His daughter – Courtnee (Jayde) Albers, of Harlan.

His sisters – Sheryl Hicks, of Shenandoah; Donna Fink, of Des Moines, and Janet Campbell, of California.

His brothers – Jay Hicks, of Oakland, and John Hicks, of Council Bluffs.

and 2 grandchildren.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023

Weather

November 7th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

Today: Partly sunny with a chance of sprinkles late this afternoon. High near 63. Southeast wind 10-20 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. E/SE wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north northeast after midnight.
Tomorrow: Partly sunny & breezy. High near 62. N/NW wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 54.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 54.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 70. The Low was 34. This day last year the high was 52 and the low 32. The record high for Nov. 7th in Atlantic was 77 in 1915, and the record low was -14 in 1991. Sunrise is at 6:59 am and sunset is at 5:08 pm.