w/ Ric Hanson

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Last week, members of the Atlantic Education Association met with a team representing the District’s administration, and proposed a 6.9% salary package increase for the 2012-2013 Contract Year. Monday afternoon, those same entities met again, to hear the District’s opening proposal during the Collective Bargaining process. The Atlantic School District’s counter to last week’s salary and benefit proposal included no increase in the base salary rate, which was markedly different than the 5 percent increase in base pay presented by the union.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Mike Amstein proposed several changes in language to the current contract. Amstein says the proposed changes in particular, focused on parts of the contract that either are “permissive,” with no history of how the language was presented, or simply needed clarification. He says the proposed contract is not as long as the current version, and is more understandable.

Some of the language which was considered redundant, or “permissive,” were included in the following sections of the contract: Employee hours; Vacations and Holidays; Leaves; Transfer procedures; Staff reduction procedures; Professional Development; Salaries and Benefits; and Insurance. The Education Association will review the proposed language changes and meet again, most likely next week, with District officials. Both sides are still waiting for the district’s insurance rates to become known, before they can proceed with further, meaningful talks on salaries and benefits packages.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a Red Oak man was arrested this (Tuesday) morning on charges of Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of marijuana. Authorities say 24-year old Timothy James Stewart was taken into custody at around 3:40-a.m..  Stewart was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on full bond.

The route for next summer’s RAGBRAI will be announced this weekend. RAGBRAI director T.J. Juskiewicz says the eight overnight towns for the annual bicycle ride across the state will be revealed Saturday night during an event at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines. This isn’t the first time RAGBRAI officials have held a special “route announcement party.” Juskiewicz says this is the third year for the event and the previous two years were “fantastically attended.” The event is scheduled on the same day as the Iowa Bicycle Summit and Expo – held from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Iowa Events Center. The RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party runs from 8-11 p.m. The bicycle expo is free, but tickets to the RAGBRAI announcement are $30.

“The event benefits the Iowa Bicycle Coalition,” Juskiewicz said. The party will include a live band, door prizes, food and drinks. Video of the event will also be carried live on the Des Moines Register’s website. This will be the 40th year for RAGBRAI.”We’re planning some big stuff,” Juskiewicz said of the event’s 40th anniversary. “After the route comes out, we’ll clear up some of that stuff, but we’re looking forward to one thing at a time.” RAGBRAI XL will be held July 22-28. Bicyclists traditionally start the trip with their rear tire in the Missouri River and end the week-long journey with their front tire entering the Mississippi River. Juskiewicz refused to provide any clues to this year’s route. “It’ll be in Iowa,” Juskiewicz said. RAGBRAI typically draws 10,000 bicyclists from around the country and outside the U.S. Last year’s event began July 24^th in Glenwood, and included overnight stops in Atlantic, Carroll and Boone, in western Iowa.

(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A federal judge in Iowa has sentenced a Nebraska man to more than 13 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa says 42-year-old Kevin Hershman, of Lincoln, Neb., was sentenced last week to 160 months. Hershman pleaded guilty after his indictment in October.
 
Hershman was found to be an armed career criminal under federal law because he’d been convicted of three or more felonies for crimes of violence or drug trafficking. They include bank robberies in Washington and Nebraska and conspiracy to rob a store in Nebraska.  Court records say Hershman is facing Nebraska charges on four felonies: two counts of theft, one of arson and one of drug possession.

A Central Iowa organizations’ misfortunes have turned into a blessing for students in eight southwest Iowa counties, who will be the beneficiaries of free school supplies. “Teacher Tools 4 Tomorrow” is a volunteer run, FREE store for qualifying teachers in Iowa. The Des Moines store was established to allow teachers of qualifying schools to shop at no cost to them for the supplies that they need to educate the students in their classrooms.

The non-profit group usually works with metro schools to provide the supplies, but because they’ve lost their warehouse, the excess school supplies must be removed from the facility in the Des Moines area.  Adams County Community Economic Development Executive Director Beth Waddle says it’s the first time they’ve been able to partner with Teacher Tools For Tomorrow. 15 pallets of school supplies were donated to help eight area schools, including: Corning, Prescott, Villisca, Lenox, Cumberland-Anita-Massena, Orient-Macksburg, Bedford and Clearfield.

Capital Sanitary Supply and Hy-Vee transported the pallets to Corning. Precision Pulley and Idler allowed use of its facility to store and sort the items. Akin Building Center provided supplies to sort and wrap the boxes. Corning Rotary Club and Southwest Iowa REC brought in volunteers to help sort the items. The schools were then notified to come to Corning to pick up their free materials.

A collision between a semi and a car this (Monday) morning in Crawford County has claimed the life of a Schleswig woman. The Iowa State Patrol says 61-year old Margaret Rebecca Irvine, who was wearing a seatbelt, died at the scene of the crash on Highway 59, about 3-miles north of Denison. Officials say a 2004 International was traveling south on Highway 59 at around 8:35-a.m., when a northbound 1993 Oldsmobile driven by Irvine went out of control on the slick road surface, and crossed the center line. The vehicle was then struck broadside by the truck.

The driver of the truck, 51-year old David Charles Joslin, of Galva, was not injured in the crash.

The Adair County Extension office is moving. Officials with the Extension office in Greenfield says as of this April, the center of Adair County’s 4-H and Youth programs will be housed in the south portion of the Warren Cultural Center on the Greenfield Square. “We’re really excited about being up there,” says Adair County Extension Council Chairman Randy Caviness. “We see really positive things coming out of this.”

The Extension Service oversees a variety of ag-related programming, including Adair County 4-H, Clover Kids, and Youth Council. It provides pesticide and manure handling training, livestock and crop management education, and Master Gardener programs, as well as partnering with the Neely Kinyon Research Farm for its annual field day. Extension also focuses on area families with the Growing Strong Families program.

It is currently housed in the City Hall Building on South First Street, where it has been for 15 years. The city will use the additional space to accommodate its office needs. “Agriculture is a part of our culture, and that makes the Extension Service a good fit for our mission,” says Nancy Queck, chairman of the Warren Cultural Center project. “They’re more than just a tenant. They’re a vital part of our community and we’re thrilled to have them in the center.”

Patrons of the Extension office will enter via the main entrance to the building. Extension and the WCC will share a receptionist. The Extension Service will utilize other portions of the building for meetings and conferences as needed. “It’s not only good for us, but it will get people into the building that might not o herwise go there,” says Caviness. “It’s a wonderful historic building, and it’s great to have the opportunity to be a part of it.”

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green said today (Monday), his officers arrested one person and investigated an accident over the weekend. On Sunday, 22-year old Tyler Johnston, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of Disorderly Conduct. Johnston was booked into the Cass County Jail and held pending an appearance before the magistrate.

And, on Saturday, officers with the Atlantic P-D cited Shannon Schmitt-Boudle, of Atlantic, for Failure to yield while backing onto a highway, after Schmitt began to pull her properly parked vehicle out of a stall and collided with a vehicle driven by Matthew Nielsen, of Exira. The accident happened as Nielsen was traveling north in the 300 block of Chestnut Street, at around 1:30-p.m., Saturday. Damage from the mishap amounted to $8,000.

Sheriff’s officials in Cass County say four people were arrested over the past week on unrelated charges. Last Thursday, deputies arrested: 27-year old Thomas Lee Curtis, of Red Oak, on a District Court Warrant for Probation Violation. Curtis was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was being held on $5000 bond; 23–year old Travis Derrick Collins, of Cumberland, was arrested Thursday on a charge of Disorderly Conduct. Collins was taken to the Cass County Jail where he pled not guilty and was released on his own recognizance later that day; and, 39-year old Robert Joseph Dambra, of Atlantic, was arrested Thursday on a Cass County Warrant for Possession with Intent to Deliver Methamphetamine. Dambra was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on $50,000 bond.

 On Sunday, 70-year old Michael Francis Wagner, of Cumberland, was arrested on a charge of Domestic Abuse Assault Simple. Wagner was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remained pending a hearing before the magistrate. 

And, on Saturday, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies investigated a non-injury accident at 7th Street and Hospital Drive, in Atlantic. Officials say a 2006 Ford Freestar owned and driven by 74-year old Robert Leroy Baker, of Griswold, was attempting a left turn onto Hospital Drive when his vehicle struck an oncoming 2006 Pontiac G6 owned and driven by 66-year old John Allan Carns, of Atlantic. Damages from the accident amounted to $5,500.  Deputies cited Baker for Failing to Yield the Right of Way.