In an update to our earlier reports, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office confirms an Atlantic man was injured during a single-vehicle rollover accident east of Marne, Monday morning. The accident happened on Highway 83 (The Marne Road), a little before 8-a.m. Authorities say 22-year old Kyle Krueger, of Atlantic, was traveling westbound in a Ford F-150 pickup, when the vehicle went out of control off the right shoulder of the road, crossed the highway and rolled into the south ditch. Krueger was transported by Medivac Ambulance to the Cass County County Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries. The accident remains under investigation. The pickup sustained an estimated $5,000 damage.

Ric Hanson (Photos)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa agency is keeping secret a list of about two dozen former criminal offenders who were improperly granted credentials to work for private security firms.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety denied an open records request Friday that sought the identities of those individuals whose security cards were recently revoked. The revocations came after the discovery that the department granted 5,800 private security employees credentials to work in Iowa without undergoing mandatory federal criminal background checks.

The department has for a year worked to retroactively complete those checks. Commissioner Stephan Bayens said it has revoked 20 to 25 cards of those found to have disqualifying criminal histories.

In keeping the list secret, department lawyer Catherine Lucas cited a state law that says names of employees of licensed security firms “shall be held as confidential.”
But it’s unclear whether that law applies to those revoked. Other parts of the law allow the department to release information about disciplinary action taken against licensees and to confirm whether an individual is an employee of a licensed agency.

Sheriff’s Deputies in Page County, Monday, arrested 37-year old Richard Doran Alexander, of Shambaugh. Alexander was arrested on a Department Of Corrections Felony Warrant for Parole Violation. He was on Parole for an original charge of Domestic Abuse Assault 3rd or subsequent Offense. Alexander was found to be hiding in a basement at a residence in Shambaugh, where he was staying. He was transported to the Page County Jail for holding as there is no bond on the warrant.

Richard Doran Alexander

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new report says an August survey of business supply managers suggests slow or no economic growth over the next several months in nine Midwest and Plains states.
The report issued Tuesday says the Mid-America Business Conditions index dropped below growth neutral in August, hitting 49.3 compared with 52.0 in July. The index had remained above growth neutral for 32 straight months.

Iowa’s overall index sank below the 50.0 threshold to hit 49.7 last month, compared with 52.6 in July. Index components were new orders at 51.8, production or sales at 49.4, delivery lead time at 59.4, employment at 45.7 and inventories at 42.1. Manufacturers experienced slightly positive growth over the past 12 months.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he blamed the slowdown on weak farm and manufacturing sectors, produced in part by tariffs and a global economic slowdown. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) — Researchers are finding up to 30-percent of Midwestern farmers are suffering from an allergic disease that’s linked to their agricultural lifestyle — and rural residents who don’t farm may also be at risk. Jill Poole, a professor of allergy and immunology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, says rural areas have unique allergens, especially in parts of Iowa where there’s been heavy flooding. “Not all farmers have allergies but that doesn’t mean they don’t have symptoms,” Poole says. “There’s a lot of nasal symptoms, sinus symptoms, and respiratory problems like coughing, wheezing and chest tightness and that has also been on the rise. There’s lots of exposures in the rural environment that you don’t see in the urban environments.”

There’s organic dust in grain elevators and in animal confinement facilities, whether it’s poultry, dairy or swine, and Poole says hardly anyone wears a mask. “We know that the respiratory protective devices, the masks, are not used,” Poole says. “Less than 10% — probably less than 5% — wear a mask. Some will even consider a bandana or a handkerchief as a respiratory protective device, which clearly it is not.”

Exposure to pesticides can also trigger symptoms and there are other hazards, like with what’s known as grain smut or grain rot from significant rain or flooding.”Farmer’s lung is that exposure that can cause chronic and even debilitating lung disease if the exposure persists,” Poole says. “If it’s caught early and you remove yourself from the exposure, there are things like steroids and medications that can be used to treat. Catching it too late, there’s less we can do for this disease.”

Poole says vitamin D supplements may help to reduce inflammation from being exposed to some bacteria on the farm. Other things that can help include omega 3 fatty acids and fish oils. Overall, Poole says there’s been a steep rise in allergies over the last 20-to-30 years, now with prevalence in up to 50-percent of all Americans.

Members of the Atlantic City Council will meet in the Council’s Chambers 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, at City Hall. On their agenda, is:

• A Proclamation by Mayor Dave Jones, recognizing Sept. 21st at Alzheimer’s Awareness Day. The City will join in the International community in bringing awareness of the disease.
• An order approving an Administrative Contract with SWIPCO (The Southwest Iowa Planning Council), for the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) Downtown Revitalization Project. Alexis Fleener, Community Development Team Leader for SWIPCO, will be the grant administrator for the project, the services for which will cost $30,000. All of the costs are part of the grant itself, and are not part of the grant match, according to City Administrator John Lund.
• On a related note: The City Council will act on approving the final design contract for the CDBG project, the architectural and construction aspects of which will be handled by RDG Planning and Design. The total cost of their services is $130,000, $80,000 of which is from the grant, with the remaining $50,000 part of the City’s match. Eight downtown businesses are participating in the business revitalization program, with a combined share cost of $171,375.
  

  Building facade improvements proposed by RDG Architects.

• The Atlantic City Council will also consider a request from Brown’s Shoe Fit to close-off the sidewalk and parking at in front of the store at 502 Chestnut, for a Summer Clearance sale. City Code states that “It is unlawful….for goods or merchandise for sale or display…to interfere with the free and uninterrupted passage of pedestrians on the sidewalk…[and] more than three-feet of the sidewalk next to the building….”
• The Council will also act on a Resolution setting the salary of the Parks & Recreation Director (Bryant Rasmussen), after action last week by the City’s Personnel & Finance Committee, recommending his salary be $47,600. The increase was requested by the Parks Board, following Rasmussen’s change of employment status on August 19th from Interim Parks & Rec Director, to permanent Parks & Rec Director.
• And, the Council will hold a Public Hearing on Vacating a portion of the final plat of the Country Oaks Addition.

In other business, Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson, Wednesday, will make an announcement with regard to deer hunting within the City Limits. Erickson has received word from the Iowa DNR, and a recommendation, that only 10 Does be harvested this year inside the City. The Bow Hunting season would begin Oct. 1st, and end on Dec. 6th.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa apple growers are benefiting from a resurgence in an old-time beverage made from their crop. Wilson’s Orchard near Iowa City makes sweet and hard cider — which owner Paul Rasch (Rash) says gives their products a wider audience. “We sell our hard ciders both packaged and on draft pretty much across Iowa under the Wilson’s Orchard brand,” Rasch says. “And we sell our sweet ciders just for a limited time — starting in September and going through December — in supermarkets and at our farm market here.”

He says hard cider was once the favorite adult beverage. “Hard cider used to be the alcohol of choice for Americans almost right up until prohibition. Prohibition kind of put the kibosh on hard cider and beer kind of took over,” according to Rasch. Hard cider is finding its way back as a choice for alcohol drinkers. “There has been a real resurgence in the interest in cider. It’s gluten free, it’s just not as heavy as beer. And it’s sort of a pallet that you can lay a lot of different flavors onto,” Rasch explained.

He has tried to focus more on growing apples dedicated to cider to take advantage of the expanding interest.”The hard cider market is not only expanding, but it’s developing in very interesting ways,” Rasch says. “So like for us, we’ve got five acres of orchard now committed just to varieties for making cider. There’s specific cider apple varieties that make a higher tannin cider higher quality.” He says the hard cider is product where you can make it from the crop you grow right here. “You know you can make great beers — Iowa is making great craft beers — but you can’t grow barely here. You can make wines — but it is hard to grow the really premiere wine varieties here. But you can grow great apples,” he says.

Rasch grew up in Michigan where they grow a lot of apples. He says Washington state is known for growing apples, but he believes in the product grown here benefit from the climate. “I’d put the flavor of our apples up against any other growing area in the United States. These tough growing conditions we have this year is a good example of them, hot, cold, wet, dry, you name it,” Rasch says. “I just think it builds character. It builds flavor in apples.”

A search online shows at least seven hard cider producers in Iowa.

The City of Atlantic’s Community Development Committee will meet Wednesday evening at around 6-p.m., or immediately following the regular meeting of the Atlantic City Council. On the Committee’s agenda, is:

• Consideration of a Housing Rehabilitation Proposal from Shift ATL (Shift Atlantic). Jessie Shiels, Mackenzie Bandow, and Alexsis Fleener formed Shift ATL, a 501-C3, earlier this Summer. The non-profit organization is aimed at creating a positive shift for the Atlantic Community.
• The Committee will also consider a proposal from Terry Hinzman, with regard to the City Right-Of-Way between Teresa Drive and W. 15th Street.
• Consider their options with regard to a property at 508 Hazel.
• And they’ll discuss Community Property Standards.