(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber, Wednesday, told the School Board he’s pleased with the initial positive reaction students and families have with regard to the “Trojan Summer Experience.”

Last month, Mr. Barber said the Trojan Summer Experience focuses on nutrition, academics and enrichment. The program runs four weeks, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30, four days per week throughout the summer. It serves current students in grades K-through 7 and incoming grades 1-through 8 that are enrolled. Their day begins with breakfast at the Schuler Elementary School. The older students then stay there, while the younger group walks up to the Washington School, after breakfast and return to Schuler for lunch.

The district’s ESSER dollars (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) are funding the program that’s mandated to use 20-percent of the money over two years for loss learning.

The Superintendent reports also, the Schuler Elementary School received the 2022 Ray Center/Character Counts, award . Principal James Northwick received an e-mail recognizing the work that’s been done at Schuler with regard to Character.

Sometime after the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, the Ray Center will bring a team to Atlantic and honor different recipients of the award.

(Lewis, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board held a youth fishing derby at Cold Springs Park on June 11th 2022. Prizes were awarded for the most overall weight: 1st Dayton Thomas ( 2nd from Right) , 2nd : Ethan Scoles( left), 3rd : Addyson Freerksen (Right). Awards also given for heaviest single fish and longest single fish: Ethan Scoles ( left) , and shortest single fish: Chloe Pendergast (2nd from Left).

The CCCB would like to thank all those that donated items for the event: Weirich Welding for the trophies, Cappel’s Ace Hardware, and Scheels for prizes. For further details please contact Micah Lee with the Cass County Conservation Board at 712-769-2372.

Red Oak Police report an early morning arrest on Saturday. At 1:38 a.m. Officers arrested 27-year-old Trevor Allen Johnson of Red Oak following a traffic stop at the intersection of G Avenue and 200th Street on the charge of Operating While Intoxicated 1st Offense. Johnson was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

LOGAN, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Public Safety, Friday, said that on April 22, 2022, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a possible inappropriate relationship between former West Harrison School Teacher Benjamin J. Work and a minor student.  The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, along with agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, initiated an investigation into the allegation.  Mr. Work was placed on administrative leave by the West Harrison School District on April 22, 2022.

During the investigation, law enforcement identified six minor students that Mr. Work had reportedly had inappropriate contact with between the fall of 2021 and spring of 2022. On June 3, 2022, Mr. Work resigned from the West Harrison Community School District.

Benjamin Work (Harrison County S/O photo)

On June 10, 2022, Benjamin Work was arrested at his residence without incident.  He was transported and booked into the Harrison County Correctional Facility.  Work has been charged with five counts of Sexual Exploitation by a School Employee (Class D Felony), five counts of Lascivious Conduct with a Minor (Serious Misdemeanor) and two counts of Indecent Contact with a Child (Aggravated Misdemeanor).

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.  

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke said Friday, the Secretary of State’s Office has ordered a post-election audit of the June 7, 2022, Primary Election. By random selection, Precinct 1 will be the precinct audited. The polling place location for Precinct 1 is the Gold Fair Building. The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office will conduct this audit on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, starting at 9:00 a.m.

The audit will take place in the Board of Supervisor’s Meeting Room in the Courthouse, 105 E Coolbaugh Street, Red Oak. Said proceeding shall be open to the public.Notic

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A reminder from Cass County Treasurer Tracey J. Marshall: Office hours for the Treasurer were changed as of June 3rd, and until further notice. The office is open the following hours and days:

8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.         ”             ”                  ”               ”

Closed on Tuesday’s

Property Taxes and Motor Vehicle Renewals: The best way is by mail or online. www.iowatreasurers.org

A BILL OF SALE is required for all Motor Vehicles purchases

Marshall said “We will process your payments as they come in. Please provide a telephone number in the event we need to contact you.” Please use the yellow drop box outside– envelopes are in the side box

(Radio Iowa) – Sioux City Police are investigating a fatal shooting overnight. Sergeant Jeremy McClure says the call came in about 9 p-m and they arrived at the address and found a man who had been shot. “He was taken to Mercy One for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries. The officers’ investigation determined that there were two women inside the apartment where this occurred and their stories did not match the evidence that was found on the scene,” McClure says.

“They initially reported that the man was on the porch and had told them he had been shot. However, after we conducted a search of the residence, we determined that one of the females inside the apartment had fired a shot through the door striking the man.” Thirty-two-year-old Katrina Lashay Barnes is charged with second-degree murder, possession of marijuana, and possession with intent to deliver fentanyl. McClure says Barnes and the man knew each other.

“She’s in a relationship with the victim they’ve been living in this residence together for some time and they’ve been arguing throughout the day. The victim had left the apartment and when he returned and knocked on the door pounded on the door she fired a shot to the door,” McClure says. McClure says the women failed to call police for 12 minutes after the shooting and then tried to conceal evidence.

They charged the other woman, 25-year-old Jordyn Easton with being an accessory after the fact. Barnes is being held in the Woodbury County Jail on a 150-thousand dollar bond. Easton is being held on a 61-hundred dollar bond.

WILLEY, Iowa —Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, on Friday (today), followed up on an anonymous tip received Thursday night indicating manure was discharging from the Wendl Feedlot about 6.5 miles south of Carroll. When notified, feedlot owner Brian Wendl left his vacation and drove 900 miles overnight to oversee containing and cleaning up the runoff.

Friday morning, DNR staff found runoff leaving several locations from a saturated field, flowing into a tributary of Willey Creek. The discharge occurred when the field became saturated following an attempt to dewater a basin used to contain manure.

DNR staff found elevated ammonia levels in the tributary at the field, but considerably lower levels a mile downstream. The tributary flows into Willey Creek and then into the Middle Raccoon. There were no signs of dead fish. And the stream was running high after about three inches of rain in the last few days.

Wendl was constructing a berm along the stream to stop runoff. DNR is sending water samples to a laboratory for testing. Staff will monitor the cleanup and containment. DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action.

(Radio Iowa) – Deidre DeJear, the Democratic Party’s nominee for governor, says Iowa should have a law raising the minimum wage for purchasing an A-R-15 style rifle.  “When we look at 18 year olds and 19 years olds and the rate in which they are using assault rifles in mass shootings, let’s make a requirement there that you’ve got to be at least 21 to purchase,” DeJear says. “Seven other states have done that.” And DeJear says it’s time to again require permits for purchasing guns and carrying a concealed weapon in Iowa.

“I’m of the mindset that we’ve got to be preventative versus reactive and something that’s common sense is ensuring that an individual has to have a permit in order to purchase a gun or a rifle. I have a permit. It didn’t take a lot for me to get it,” DeJear says. “Something just so simple and common sense is just have a license on you if you’re going to carry your weapon.” In 2021, the Republican-led legislature got rid of state regulations requiring permits for buying and carrying guns.

One G-O-P lawmaker said the permits forced gun owners to get a permission slip to exercise a constitutional right. DeJear says it was a misstep for Governor Reynolds to sign the bill into law. “Let’s be realistic about what Iowans want versus what special interests want,” DeJear says. “I want to be a people centered administration. That’s possible. You know, we’ve taken steps back unfortunately when we’ve utilized this tool called democracy and we’ve let special interests infiltrate it. Let’s get back to basics.”

DeJear made her comments during taping of “Iowa Press” which airs tonight at 7:30 on Iowa P-B-S.