Montgomery County Emergency Management Director Brian Hamman reports the Red Oak Fire Department was called to Ace Hardware in Red Oak at 1:34-p.m., Friday, for an air conditioning unit possibly on fire on the roof.

Photos courtesy Brian Hamman, Montgomery County EMA

Upon arrival, no fire was present however light smoke was visible in the interior of the structure coming out of the duct work.  Crews immediately began investigating the source of smoke both inside the structure and on the roof to ensure no fire was present and to limit any potential fire spread.  Jones Mechanical was requested to the scene and determined that an air conditioning unit had failed and was the source of the smoke.

As a precaution, Ace Hardware and the Family Dollar Store were evacuated for a short time while crews could work and determine that no hazards were present.  There was no fire damage to the facility and smoke damage is very limited.  Crews were on scene for roughly 45 minutes. Red Oak Fire Department was assisted on scene by the Red Oak Police Department and Montgomery County Emergency Management.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State budget experts say Gov. Kim Reynolds and the legislature will have about $360 million less to use for next year’s budget than earlier expected. The Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference, a group of three people responsible for estimating state revenue, set lower expectations for this year and next after debating the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The group lowered the state revenue estimate for the current year, which ends June 30, by $150 million from a March estimate. For next year, officials will have about $7.88 billion to work with. That’s about $360 million less than had been estimated in March.

(Radio Iowa) — Hundreds of Iowa National Guard soldiers are leaving for training and then deployments overseas in the next few days. Guard spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Wunn, says it’s important to have send-off ceremonies for these soldiers, even in the midst of a pandemic.

The public will not be allowed to attend, but ceremonies will be live-streamed on Facebook and, in some instances, broadcast by local media. In addition, there will be parade routes through communities as the soldiers depart.

Wunn says around 500 soldiers based at an eastern Iowa unit are deploying. About 350 other soldiers from the 113th Cavalry, based in Le Mars and Johnston, will also be leaving for tours of duty that will last about 12 months.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Meatpacking plants that had to briefly close due to coronavirus outbreaks have been back up and running for weeks, but production backlogs are forcing farmers to euthanize thousands of hogs that can’t be processed, drawing complaints from animal welfare advocates. The preferred methods of euthanizing hogs include gunshots or electrocution, but when thousands must be destroyed en masse, producers shut off the ventilation, causing heat to build up in barns and kill them.

Animal welfare groups say that is inhumane and should be stopped. An estimated 2.5 million hogs are backed up on farms nationwide.

BURLINGTON, Iowa (The Hawk Eye) — A third defendant has been sentenced to prison in the kidnapping and beating death of a man at a Burlington apartment complex. The Hawk Eye reports that 50-year-old Stanley Baldwin was sentenced this week in a written order to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to willful injury.

Prosecutors say Baldwin broke Edward Breuer’s hand less than an hour before his death on March 17, 2019. Two other defendants _ Majestic Malone and Markell Price _ were convicted in August of second-degree murder and kidnapping and each sentenced to 60 years in prison. Police say the attackers accused Breuer of breaking into an acquaintance’s apartment.

Two people were arrested at around 1:20-a.m. Friday (today), following a traffic stop on I-29 in Mills County. The Sheriff’s Office reports 33-year old Dalerie Faye Parde, of Beatrice, NE., was arrested for Possession of Prescription Drugs, Possessing Contraband and Possess of Drug Paraphernalia. Her bond was set at $6,000. And, 25-year old Tiannie Dawn Alexander, a homeless woman, was arrested for being a Fugitive from Justice. Her bond was set at $5,000.

Sheriff’s deputies in Cass County, Thursday, arrested an Atlantic man on a District Court warrant. 30-year old Tyler Lee Mills, was arrested on the warrant for Probation Violation. Mills was taken to the Cass County Jail where he remains held on $7,000 bond.

The Atlantic Elks Lodge #445, on Class Night May 21st, awarded two scholarships to Atlantic High School Seniors. Scholarship Chair Mark McNees says the recipients were Tayler Burg, daughter of Mitch and Megan, and Grace Clay, the daughter of Chris and Crystal Schroder and Darren Clay all of Atlantic. Burg plans to attend Iowa State in the fall, and Clay will be attending the University of Iowa.

Photo from L to R.  Exalted Ruler Alan Kramer, Grace Clay, Tayler Burg, and Scholarship Chair Mark McNees.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks awards more scholarships each year to students than any other organization in the country,  except  the US Government. The Atlantic Lodge #445 is pleased to be able to continue their yearly scholarship to deserving seniors.

(Radio Iowa) – Renters and homeowners who can’t make monthly payments because of the COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for assistance through the Iowa Finance Authority. Renters who qualify may receive up to 32-hundred dollars over a four month period. Iowans earning less than 80 percent of the median income for their county may be eligible, but the payments are NOT available to people getting the temporary federal six-hundred dollar bonus along with unemployment benefits.

Finance Authority director Debi Durham says people who don’t qualify will be referred to Iowa Legal Aid.

Applications are being taken at IowaHousingRecovery.com. The moratorium on evictions and foreclosures ended this week.

Officials with the Red Oak Child Development Center report that as the community begins to reclaim 2020, those involved with the ROCDC are excited to be moving forward and gearing up for the opening of the new childcare center in August. Laura Kloewer, ROCDC Board Vice-Chair, says “According to Child Care Resource and Referral, on average 1 in 2 children in Iowa go without access to affordable, quality childcare. As of 2019, Montgomery County had 1,186 children under the age of 9 and only 504 available spaces in existing licensed childcare facilities. The goal of the Red Oak Child Development Center is to be an additional facility in our community that provides quality, education-based childcare in a safe and nurturing environment.”

ROCDC classrom

ROCDC Reception area (Photos submitted)

Montgomery County Child Development Association (MCCDA) is a board governed 501c3, nonprofit corporation. The first project of this organization is to open the Red Oak Child Development Center (ROCDC). MCCDA began in fall 2018 as a small group of volunteers and has evolved into a large coalition of individuals all working together to realize the dream of opening the Red Oak Child Development Center.

Kloewer says “Some big milestones and accomplishments necessary for opening have been reached recently; including the completion of construction inside the old Washington School building – now referred to as the Red Oak Early Childhood Center (ROECC). This building is still owned by the Red Oak Community School District (ROCSD) and will continue to house their 4-year-old preschool program. ROCDC will be renting space in the ROECC building.” She said also, “We are so grateful for the partnership with the Red Oak Community School District, however we are not officially affiliated with the school district.

ROCDC will provide all day care for children aged 6 weeks to 4 years, and after-school and summer programming for children up to 12 years of age. ROCDC plans to use two unique and
comprehensive curriculum programs: Creative Curriculum, a research-based curriculum that utilizes exploration and discovery; and Second Step, a program rooted in social-emotional
learning that encourages and supports students. With indoor construction finished, ROCDC is excited to begin moving in and furnishing their rooms. They will be renting four rooms in the ROECC building. These rooms will be used as an infant room, a pre-toddler/transitional room, and two toddler rooms. Each room will feature newly renovated flooring, emergency exits, and bathrooms designed for toddlers.

Another feature of the new building renovation is the main entryway. Originally, visitor access to the building was through the southwest entryway. Now, the only entrance has been moved to the southeast side so that the employee in charge of allowing visitors into the building will be able to immediately see who is entering and ensure that the facility is safe and secure at all times. The Red Oak Early Childcare Center will be sharing both the indoor gymnasium and media center with the ROCDC. Besides the indoor renovations, work is also being done to the outdoor area for a play space that is accommodating for all ages. Although they are currently working on landscaping for the outdoor space, ROCDC Director Jacque Howell is excited for some new additions to the playground, especially for the installation of a Nature Explore playground setting. The addition of the Nature Explore playground, officials say, will add an exciting and stimulating age-appropriate learning space for all students.

In addition to moving in, hiring the remainder of the staff is one of the next big steps. Applications for teachers and support staff will be opening soon. For more information, check out the Red Oak Child Development Center Facebook page, or email questions to director@redoakcdc.org.