(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic, Wednesday, approved a request from Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) Community Development Director Alexsis Fleener, to support an application to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), for a $900,000 CDBG-CV (Community Development Block Grant-Covid Recovery) grant to facilitate facade improvements to buildings in the 200-to 210-block of Chestnut Street, in downtown Atlantic.

(Google image)

Fleener says the City’s support is needed in advance of the submission of the application to IEDA, as they will judge which projects are to be approved in the next grant cycle. The application deadline is April 30th. If approved, the City would act as the holder of the construction contract without any financial obligation. The building’s owners are Keith and Cindy Steffens.

The proposed plan will bring the buildings to good condition by repairing or replacing elements of the fronts of the buildings, which could include brick tuckpointing, windows, doors, painting, awnings, and storefront work.

The Steffens’ property is not the only project on the list for downtown improvements.

She says once it begins, construction will take approximately ten months to complete and must be completed by June 2023. In other news, the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, approved a preliminary plat for the Redwood Subdivision for residential development. The land will be used for the creation of nine new lots for single-family homes. The first reading of a related ordinance changing the area zoning classification from R-4 (multiple family) to R-2 (low density single family),was also approved.

The Atlantic City Council also held and approved the first reading of Ordinances pertaining to the “Mowing of Properties” (reducing the maximum allowable growth of grass from 12 inches to 9 inches), and an Ordinance under Nuisance Abatement to include the amended mowing ordinance.

If the property owner fails to comply after the 2nd notice, the City would mow the grass and bill the owner accordingly. The hourly rate for mowing would be considerably higher than if a private mower were hired to handle the unsightly grassy area.

(Radio Iowa) – Eight people were arrested on Wednesday as part of an undercover investigation by Iowa Drug Task Force agents in Marshalltown and the surrounding area. According to a press release from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, three Marshalltown residents were taken into custody by law enforcement authorities after a search warrant was issued at a home located at 522 North Center Street.

Twenty-seven-year-old Austin Peter Baer was arrested and charged with having possession of a schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine), with intent to deliver; failing to affix a drug tax stamp; and violating a parole warrant. Twenty-nine-year-old Scott William Doc Slocum was also arrested and charged with violating a parole warrant, while 22-year-old Ramon Jesus Mora was charged with having possession of a schedule II controlled substance (meth).

A search warrant was also issued by authorities at a home located at 206 South Third Avenue, at which time multiple arrests were made. Thirty-year-old Omar Alejandro Cruz, and 26-year-old Stefani Jo Perdue, both of Marshalltown were each charged with having possession of a schedule II controlled substance (meth); engaging in prohibited acts; and possession of drug paraphernalia. Thirty-one-year-old Jose Eduardo Victor of Marshalltown was also arrested at the same address on felony warrants. In addition, 45-year-old Michael Joseph Alexander of Wellsburg was arrested by authorities in Wellsburg on a failure to appear warrant.

A warrant was also issued by authorities in Hampton, resulting in the arrest of 41-year-old Andrew Craig Buttshaw on charges of having possession of a schedule II controlled substance (meth); and possession of drug paraphernalia. Warrants were also served at three other addresses in Marshalltown on Wednesday with no additional arrests being made. However, the search did lead to the seizure of a “distributional” amount of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, with a stolen vehicle also being recovered.

According to the press release, a minor child was also encountered while the warrants were being served.

(Radio Iowa) – The City of Ottumwa has a pit bull ban in place, but the city’s leadership are discussing some changes to the ordinance after hearing from some community members. Ottumwa City Council member Cara Galloway says while she can emphasize with the public’s feelings on both sides of the debate, some people are out of line. I don’t like the threatening emails, the bullying tactics and people being rude,” she said at this week’s city council meeting. “I’m sorry. I understand this is a heated issue, but threatening and bullying is not going to get anyone anywhere. It’s really just going to shut us down from listening and truly understanding what you’re trying to say.”

City Council member Marc Roe says some citizens have threatened legal action.  “People are taking pictures of litigation papers and (saying): ‘We’re just going to sue the city if we don’t get what we want,'” he said during this week’s council meeting. “Here’s my invitation: If the speed of this process to make sure it’s done correctly is not to your liking, please hire an attorney because we’re not going to be threatened by litigation.”

City Administrator Phil Rath did not directly mention the pit bull ban at the council’s meeting this week, but indicated council discussions about the ordinance began last fall. “We looked at other communities, the Iowa Humane Society, different resources,” he said. “The public weighed in, has been weighing in — the pros, cons, people for and against.”

A revised version of the ordinance is expected to be read during the Ottumwa City Council’s May 3rd meeting. It must be publicly read three times at these meetings before the city council can vote on it. The earliest that vote could happen is June 7th. Ottumwa has had a pit bull ban since 2002 after a child died following a pit bull attack.

(Neola, Iowa) – One person was transported to the hospital Wednesday morning by the Neola Fire Department, following a collision in front of the Tri-Center High School in Neola. The accident happened at around 7:45-a.m. No other details are currently available. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

Photo courtesy of Zach Ploen.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, welcomed the City’s newest Police Officer and his family. Nicholas Wimmer was sworn-in with the Oath of Office from Mayor Grace Garrett. Afterward, he spoke about his background and family. Officer Wimmer has two young girls. He and his wife Jamie have been married for nine-years. They moved to the area from Council Bluffs.

Officer Wimmer said his wife sent him a link to the Atlantic P-D job opening. The couple purchased a house in Elk Horn (Iowa), and moved-in Tuesday.

Newly sworn-in Atlantic Police Officer Nicholas Wimmer is congratulated by Mayor Grace Garrett.

Joining his wife and kids in the audience, Wednesday evening, was his mother, father, grandmother and great-great grandmother.

Police Chief Devin Houge said there remains one more position to be filled on the police force before he has a full complement of Officers.

(Breda, IA April 21, 2022) – In early 2021, Western Iowa Networks (WIN) announced fiber optic construction projects as part of a public-private partnership with Mills County. WIN and Mills County have teamed up once again to expand fiber optics even further in Mills County. An area just north of Glenwood has been mapped out which includes portions of Ellington & Gaston Avenues as well as 230th & 237th Streets and an area along and just east of 221st Street (s outlined in red on the map below.)

WIN CEO Jeff Roiland stated, “We are very happy to be working with Mills County again on this particular project that will make fiber available to almost 230 additional Mills County homes.” Roiland added “What we have been able to accomplish through this partnership is truly extraordinary and is a huge benefit to the residents of Mills County. The vision of the County Supervisors to see what this will do for their home and business owners in building towards the future is quite remarkable.”

Construction will be wrapping up in the Loess Hills fiberhood project this summer and the crews will then transition to begin construction in the Glenwood North fiberhood. Once a more accurate timeline is available, it will be posted on the Status of Fiberhoods page here https://fiber.westianet.com/mills-county-map/. This network will bring fiber internet with speeds of 100Gbps, 500Gbps and 1Gbps as well as Phone to residents in this area. WIN will be offering construction of a fiber drop to the home at no cost as well as free installation to everyone who signs up for services before the network construction is complete.

Mills County Supervisor Lonnie Mayberry stated “Mills County and Western Iowa Networks started our partnership a few years ago when we worked together on our Broadband Study. Since then, the partnership has grown exponentially. Mills County assisted in helping WIN acquire several grants to install fiber throughout the entire unincorporated part of the county.” Mayberry added “This will help the residents of Mills County both now and into the future. They’re a great company to work with and the staff and support is top notch. I can’t recommend them enough.”

Residents and businesses in any of the service area can sign up for fiber optic services online at www.westianet.com, by calling or texting 712-775-2946 or by calling toll-free at 888-508-2946.

CLIVE, Iowa — A southwest Iowa man woke up his wife to tell her he’d won a big Powerball prize, but neither of them realized it was $100,000. “She was still sleeping,”

Cody Marsh

Cody Marsh said he woke his wife Kylee up, and told her he thought he had won $20,000.” He says “She thought I was joking with her. It took us an hour to realize we’d won $100,000.” Marsh, 37, of Red Oak, matched four of five white balls and the Powerball in Monday’s drawing. He was one number away from winning that night’s $352.5 million jackpot.

Marsh bought his winning easy-pick ticket at Casey’s, 201 N. Broadway in Red Oak. He said he buys a Powerball ticket every now and then, but only when the jackpot is elevated. “The guy in front of me was buying some scratch-off tickets and reminded me nobody won the Powerball this last round,” Marsh said. “I ended up buying another two tickets.”

He checked his numbers the morning after the drawing. The more numbers he matched, the more excited he became. But it wasn’t until later, when he scanned the ticket with the Iowa Lottery mobile app, that he realized the size of his prize. “I was shaking. I was like, ‘Holy cow!'” he said. “I’ve got a few home projects that I’ve been working on saving up some money for and this will help out quite a bit. It’ll be really nice.”

Marsh’s initial $50,000 prize was doubled because he opted for the $1 Power Play^® add-on, which multiples non-jackpot prize amounts by up to 10 times. He claimed his prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Clive.

The winning numbers in Monday’s drawing were 8-33-55-59-62 and Powerball 18. The Power Play was 2.

Update 4/21/22: The Powerball jackpot remains unclaimed. The top prize for the next drawing Saturday, April 23^rd, is $400-million.

Atlantic, IA, April 20, 2022 – TS Bank recently donated $3,000 to SHIFT ATL, a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Atlantic, Iowa, as part of its newest initiative of launching community murals as economic development tools. Locally, community murals and other art initiatives encourage a sense of excitement among community members and promote reinvestment in downtown areas.

Established in July 2019, SHIFT ATL has a mission to revitalize Atlantic through projects, services and programs that will enhance the community and foster a sense of social and economic development and growth. Since its inception, TS Bank has donated over $7,000 to SHIFT ATL walking alongside the organization while supporting their various development initiatives.

“Having access to guidance and support from an institution that really understands nonprofits has been immensely beneficial to our organization,” said board member, Alexsis Fleener. “Working through our various financial needs, while having someone available to ask questions of, allows us to know we are being the best stewards of the donations we’re receiving, and in return, our community.”

SHIFT ATL has recently completed an extensive interior renovation of The Telegraph building at 14 E. 4^th Street in Atlantic, creating a fully functioning two-bedroom, one-bathroom Airbnb on the upper story and a commercial space on the lower level. Currently the lower level is utilized as a pop-up space for businesses to explore their ideas while they look for a full-time commercial resident. This spring and summer SHIFT ATL is finishing the exterior tuck-pointing, skim coating, patio installation, stonework and adding a new awning to the building.

Most recently, SHIFT ATL is working with Liz Lidgett Gallery + Design out of Des Moines, IA, to commission the community mural piece at The Telegraph building. They had nine artists respond to their mural request for proposal in late 2021.  Due to overwhelming community and artists’ response, the organization decided to commission two murals for The Telegraph building that will serve as artistic representations of what Atlantic embodies where the community is headed.

“As soon as we bought The Telegraph building, we knew it would be the perfect project to include some type of art and quality-of-place creative piece,” said SHIFT ATL board member, Jessie Shiels. “The concept of an ‘Instagram-worthy’ mural in our community generated a lot of excitement, and now that we’re able to put up two of these murals in Atlantic is a major bonus.”

The patio space and murals are slated to be completed and unveiled before SHIFT ATL’s summer fundraiser, Summer Soiree, on Saturday, July 16. Shiels added, “To be able to see Atlantic visualized into a piece of art is a really cool experience, and we cannot wait to share this with the Atlantic community members and our visitors.”

Additionally, this Saturday SHIFT ATL is hosting a pop up shop from 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. To learn more about SHIFT ATL, visit shiftatl.org or at facebook.com/shiftatl.

(Radio Iowa) – Home sales in Iowa held steady last month, while national data shows there was a decline of two-point-seven percent in sales of existing U.S. homes. Robin Anderson is the chief economist for the State of Iowa. “So in some ways we’re maybe doing a little bit better in terms of sales.” But Anderson says the lack of supply is a big constraint on the housing market. “Very low inventories and those are pretty comparable nationally and in Iowa,” Anderson says. According to the Iowa Association of Realtors, there were nearly 14-and-a-half percent fewer Iowa homes for sale in March compared to the same month last year. The median price for an Iowa home sold last month was over 203-thousand dollars. That compares to 180-thousand in March of last year.

“Home prices are up and they’re up pretty dramatically,” Anderson says, “but there are other pockets of the nation that have very high home prices,” Anderson points to hot spots like Austin, Texas, where appraisals are up 56 percent since last year. The Iowa Association of Realtors reports Iowa homes are selling 20 percent faster this spring, averaging about 43 days on the market. Anderson says the rate on a 30-year mortgage is about five percent now and as rates rise, that may lead to a decline in home sales. “But I do think the really constraining supply is going to basically constrain how far home prices go down,” Anderson says. “I would not expect a sharp downturn in prices because we really don’t have a lot of supply on the market.”

About 85-hundred single family homes were sold in Iowa during the first three months of this year. That’s a nearly three-and-a-half percent decline from the first quarter of 2021, partially driven by the historically low number of home listings in January. Iowa home sales in the month of March alone were up just under one percent compared to March of last year.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Trevor Frederickson Memorial Fund has donated $500 to the Kiwanis bike helmet project.  Fund spokesperson Melanie Petty said “We have teamed up with the Kiwanis on this project for years because it holds a special place in our hearts”. Trevor was one of the first recipients of a bike helmet when they started this program.  Petty says “What an amazing gift they have provided 3rd graders over the years!”

All of the money raised during the fund’s annual TFred Golf Tournament, are returned back to the community that Trevor loved for the things that were important to him.  This year’s 14th Annual TFred Memorial Golf Tournament is just two short months away.  It will be held Saturday, June 18th at the Atlantic Golf and Country Club.

The Frederickson Fund’s Grant Petty and Deb Schuler w/the Kiwanis.

Although the tournament is full, Petty says they are still taking donations for our silent auction.  Food will be served throughout the day so stop by to bid on the large array of auction items, have some lunch.