Several area Boards of Education meetings were held Monday, and for many members of those boards, it was the first time they took their seats following the September 13^th elections. In the Atlantic Community School District, two new board members were sworn in, and a new Board President and Vice President were elected. Superintendent Dr. Mike Amstein said Glen Smith, who has a total of about nine-years of the board and was filling a vacancy position, retired from the board, along with Jon Martens, who served for the past seven-years. Amstein says Josh McLaren and Rodney Hartwig were sworn-in to replace Smith and Martens. Kristy Pellet was elected President of the School Board during Monday night’s session, while Denny Davis was elected Vice President.

Phil Hascall had served as President of the Board for the past five-years. The Elk Horn-Kimballton School District saw no change in leadership on its Board of Education, with Mark Smith being re-elected President and Kevin Peterson Vice President. EHK-Exira Superintendent Dean Schnoes said Joel Schulter was sworn-in as the board’s newest member. Schnoes said also, the Board discussed school lunch prices, which will be going up during the second semester, due to a new formula the district is required to use as part of the “Child Nutrition Act.”  He says the information was sent out in June, after the district has already established its prices for the year. The created a conflict, because the school lunch prices are different for both the EHK and Exira Districts.  Schnoes says the formula required them to change their prices. Letters will be going out to parents in both districts, explaining the reasons behind the change.

In other business, Schnoes said the EHK Board also approved a contract with Warren Watson, as the Junior High Boys Basketball Coach. At the Griswold School Board meeting, Monday, Mary Perdue, who served as Board President for the past 12-years, and three-year board member Angie Amos retired from the board. Scott Peterson from Elliott, and Doug Lembke, who lives near Griswold, were elected by the voters to succeed them. Superintendent Dana Kunze (coon-zee) said the new board elected Steve Baier  as President, and Tom Moore as Vice President.

Kunze said with the Revenue Purpose Statement being approved by the voters last Tuesday, the district can move forward with plans for improvements to their facilities, including the engineering and financing aspects of those projects.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Rob Seivert  says a Memorial Fund has been established for the family of a Shelby firefighter who died in the line of duty Sunday night. 41-year old Mike Collins, from Minden, was struck and killed by a car while directing traffic at the scene of an accident in Interstate 80 eastbound just east of the Shelby exit, at around 7-p.m.,  Sunday. No charges have been filed, but an investigation into the accident continues.

Collins is survived by his longtime companion, Tanya Collins, and two daughters. Seivert says donations are being accepted at the Shelby County State Bank for the family of Michael Collins. Donations may be dropped off at the Shelby branch of the bank, or mailed to Shelby County State Bank, Shelby Branch, Post Office Box 279, 425 East Street, Shelby, Iowa, 51570.

A visitation for Mike Collins will be held from 4-to 8-pm Thursday, at the Hoy-Kilnoski Funeral Home in Council Bluffs, where a funeral service will be held at 11-a.m., Friday.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Police in Red Oak are investigating the theft of a large amount of copper piping from a business on West Bridge Street in Red Oak. The value of the copper was still being determined. The theft was reported Monday.

Anyone with information about the theft is being asked to contact Red Oak Police at 712-623-6500, or Montgomery County Crimestoppers, at 800-432-1001.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa businesses along the Missouri River are being asked to report flood damage as the state gathers more information to appeal a decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reject flood aid. FEMA notified the state in early August that activation of the Federal Individual Assistance Program was denied for five counties – Fremont, Harrison, Monona, Pottawattamie and Woodbury. The program helps individuals and businesses with grants and loans. FEMA earlier this month extended Iowa’s request for more time to appeal. The new deadline is Oct. 7. Iowa expects more and more damage will surface as the flood waters continue to fall.

(updated 9:55-a.m. Sept. 20th)

A recent settlement between the Atlantic Community School District and the parents of several girls who claimed to have been strip-searched in August 2009 over the matter of missing money, has not ended the district’s legal battles. An open-records case filed over the incident at the Atlantic High School has reached the Iowa Court of Appeals, with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) saying the case will be argued in court, this Thursday.

The ACLU has been trying to find out what discipline, if any, was imposed on former Assistant High School Principle Paul Croghan, and Guidance Counselor Heather Turpin. The ACLU lost its bid in district court to uncover that information, but later appealed. In August 2009, several girls were strip-searched in a locker room at the school after a classmate reported the theft of $100 from her purse. No money was found. Atlantic School District Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein  says the district’s case is being handled by its attorney, Brett Nietzche.  Amstein says Nietzche will argue on behalf of the district, that information regarding disciplinary action against school personnel is confidential, and should not have to be disclosed.

The district recently settled a lawsuit filed by families of three of the girls. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Amstein – who was not with the Atlantic Community School District when the incident took place – says with that portion of the legal matter concluded, they’re looking to move on to other issues.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The corn harvest in Iowa is under way with farmers focusing on getting storm damaged crops out of the fields first. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey released his weekly crop report Monday, saying this week’s sunshine will help dry the corn and let the harvest move forward. He says some scattered soybean fields have been harvested but the harvest is a week away for most soybean farmers. Sixty percent of the corn crop is mature, about one week behind last year but four days ahead of normal. Fifty-five percent of the corn crop is in good or excellent condition with just 16 percent being poor or very poor. Sixty-two percent of the soybean crop is in good or excellent condition with just 12 percent being poor or very poor.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board of Directors Monday, continued discussion with regard to the skateboard park, and whether or not it should be moved to another, more centrally located area. Councilman Kern Miller has explored the possibility of moving the park to a lot located across the street from Iowa Western Community College, because it was thought the concrete pad for the half-pipe out at Sunnyside Park might have been originally intended for use as a Parks and Rec maintenance shed, but Mayor Dave Jones said that was never the case.  He says contrary to rumors, the pad was poured for a skateboard park, because the half-pipe is a heavy piece of equipment.

Parks and Rec Director Roger Herring said the pad would require extensive modifications in order to build a shed at that location. He added there are other options when it comes to building a new maintenance shed, including a location further off to the south of the skate park. He says the utilities are already in place to make the location useable.

Park and Rec Board members said the proposed location for a new skate park is too small, too close to a local church, and that Iowa Western Center Director Ann Pross was not willing to say either way whether they would want it located on the lot across the street.  Herring said the half-pipe, which was damaged when it was moved to it’s current location, and is currently unusable, can be repaired, resurfaced and sealed, and left where it is, for about $2,500.

He says the location that they have is adequate, if they get some pieces added to the pipe once it‘s repaired, that will make it more user friendly, including “rails.” Herring says the people who use the park are willing to step forward to get the funds necessary to make that happen. Herring says the people who use the skate park vary in age from the early teens to their mid-30’s. He says “They deserve a place to skateboard,”  other than on peoples’ driveways, and city sidewalks, and Herring credited Councilman Miller for his efforts to make sure there is a place for the skateboarders to enjoy their sport.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Director Roger Herring said Monday, a public “Open House” event will be held Thursday evening for the newly resurfaced Schildberg Quarry Recreation Area Trail, around Lake number One. Herring said the trail is done, with the exception of seeding, which has been delayed because of recent rains.  He says the Chamber will hold an Ambassador’s ribbon cutting ceremony at 10-a.m., with another ribbon cutting and public open house later that same evening, from about 5:30-until 7.

The trail he says, has seen a lot of use, but hopes are that the event planned for Thursday will make more people aware of what’s available at the Recreation Area, and the work that has been done to make it more user friendly.

The Parks & Rec Board is also looking at placing bag dispensers at the entrance to the park, so that persons who walk their dogs can dispose of their animals’ droppings. There may also be signs urging people to be considerate of others, by picking up their dogs’ droppings.

Herring said another idea is to include signs showing a map of the trails, and the distance for each trail, so people can keep track of their walking mileage.