McLEAN, Va., July 18, 2019 — Glen R. Smith, of Atlantic, was designated Wednesday (July 17) by President Donald Trump, as chairman and CEO of the Farm Credit Administration (FCA). The FCA has examination and regulatory authority over the Farm Credit System, with oversight by Congress. Collectively, the institutions of the Farm Credit System constitute the nation’s largest single provider of agricultural credit, with offices in all 50 states and assets over $350 billion.

Glen R. Smith, of Atlantic, IA

Glen Smith has served as a member of the FCA board, as well as a member of the board of directors of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation, since December 2017, when President Trump appointed him to the FCA board. His term on the board will expire on May 21, 2022.

As chairman, he succeeds Dallas Tonsager, who died in office in May. As CEO, he succeeds Jeffery Hall, who became acting CEO following Mr. Tonsager’s incapacity from illness. Mr. Hall continues to serve as a member of the FCA board and as chairman of the board of directors of the Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation.

Glen Smith is a native of Atlantic, Iowa, where he was raised on a diversified crop and livestock farm. His farm experience started at a very early age, after his father was involved in a disabling farm accident. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in agricultural business and accepted a position with Doane Agricultural Services as state manager of the company’s farm real estate division.

In 1982, Mr. Smith and his wife, Fauzan, moved back to his hometown and started farming and developing his agricultural service business. Today, their family farm, Smith Generation Farms Inc., has grown to encompass about 2,000 acres devoted to corn, soybeans, hay, and a small beef cow herd.

Mr. Smith is founder and co-owner of Smith Land Service Co., an agricultural service company that specializes in farm management, land appraisal, and farmland brokerage, serving about 30 Iowa counties. From 2001 to 2016, he was also co-owner and manager of S&K Land Co., an entity involved in the acquisition, improvement, and exchange of Iowa farmland.

Mr. Smith has served on numerous community, church, and professional boards. He was elected to the Atlantic Community School Board of Education on which he served for nine years.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Guatemalan man believed to be in the U.S. illegally has told an Iowa judge that he shot a woman in self-defense after she killed her two children.

The Des Moines Register reports that 31-year-old Marvin Oswaldo Escobar-Orellana asked the judge during an initial court appearance in Des Moines on Thursday why he’s charged with killing 29-year-old Rossibeth Flores-Rodriguez, her 11-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son, when he only killed the mother and in self-defense.

Police, though, say an unidentified witness told investigators that Escobar-Orellana shot Flores-Rodriguez during an argument Tuesday before going inside the family’s condo and shooting the children. Police also say ballistic evidence supports the witness’ account.

Judge Becky Goettsch set Escobar-Orellana’s bond at $3 million cash and assigned the case to the public defender’s office. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement official says Escobar-Orellana was deported in 2010 and 2011, and that ICE has filed an immigration detainer and administrative arrest warrant for him.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The lower Missouri River is likely to remain high throughout the summer because of the large amount of water being released from dams upstream.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it needs to keep the releases high to clear out space in all the dams along the river. So it will continue releasing more than double the average amount of water from Gavins Point Dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border at least into August.

National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Dergan says the Missouri River isn’t likely to go down much until the releases from the dams are reduced. The significant releases may worsen flooding downstream — in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas — where many levees were damaged during severe March flooding.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — More bankers surveyed in parts of 10 Plains and Western states say President Donald Trump’s trade skirmishes are having a negative effect on their local economies.

The Rural Mainstreet survey released Thursday shows the survey’s overall index falling from 53.2 in June to 50.2 this month. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says higher agriculture commodity prices and rebuilding from recent floods helped prop up the region’s economy last month. But he added that nearly 9 of 10 bankers surveyed noted the tariffs’ negative impact on the economy. That’s up from 8 in 10 who said the same thing in September.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

DES MOINES – Senator Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, has organized a local tour on July 30 to help residents learn about one of the options for bottle redemption in Iowa.

In a statement, Schultz said “Over the last few years, one of the topics I receive the most communication on from my constituents is bottle redemption centers and the various ‘Bottle Bills’ the legislature has discussed. Droppett is one of the options that has been explored during these discussions. Droppett allows residents to drop off beverage containers in a bag at a local collection site and receive credit in an online account.

“When the creators of Droppett called and asked if I’d like to see it, I thought it was a great opportunity for constituents to see it with me. These events provide western Iowans in and around these communities with an opportunity to see this option for themselves. This tour has been organized to help educate residents on one of the bottle redemption options for our area and allow them the opportunity to learn more about it and ask questions.”

His July 30th schedule is as follows:

10 a.m. Harlan – Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry
12 p.m. Denison – Crossroads mall at the intersection of U.S. 59 and state highway 39
2 p.m. Ida Grove – Shopko parking lot

ATLANTIC- Officials with the Cass County Health System (CCHS) announced today (Thursday), that Dr. Mark A. Johnson, MD, has been selected as an Iowa Hospital Association (IHA) 2019 Hospital Hero. He will be recognized on October 9, 2019 during the IHA annual meeting in Des Moines.

Mark Johnson, M.D.

In a statement, Dr. Johnson said “It is a great honor to receive the IHA Hospital Hero Award, but this is not a singular award. It is an award that requires the assistance from the entire team that I have worked with at Cass County Health System for these past 32 years.”

An Atlantic native, Dr. Johnson graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1984. He received his medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in 1984. After completing his residency at the Broadlawns Family Medicine Residency Program, he returned to his hometown of Atlantic to begin his practice as a family medicine physician in 1987. After many years of working in both the rural health clinic and the emergency department, he transferred full-time to the emergency department in 2012.

CCHS CEO Brett Altman said “Dr. Johnson truly exemplifies what it means to be a hospital hero. It was never about a single moment in his career where he sprinted in to save the day, although we’re sure there have been many of those. For him, it’s been a steadfast career of service to the patients, families, and neighbors in his community. His quiet style of servant leadership is admired by his staff, and his patients praise him for the superior experience he delivers.”

The Iowa Hospital Heroes award is presented to those who have performed a heroic deed or tirelessly given of their time, talent, and expertise to improve their organization and the world around them. These leaders exemplify honesty, integrity, humility, courage and commitment. Dr. Johnson is one of only 10 people from across the state chosen as a hospital hero this year.

Two men were arrested on separate OWI charges Wednesday, in Mills County. 24-year old Logun Matthew Hughes, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 8-p.m. for OWI/2nd offense, Driving while License Revoked, Failure to Maintain Control and Operating Non-Registered Vehicle.

And, at around 4-p.m., 28-year old Troy Eugene Petersen, of Essex, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce have alerted local businesses to a questionable advertising ploy. The issue is that a company is calling local businesses asking for advertising for a new city map. They claim to be calling on behalf of the City of Atlantic.

Atlantic City Administrator John Lund says that it is not a project the City is involved with. Businesses are being advised not to move forward when the company calls, and to call the Atlantic Police Department at 712-243-3512.

(Radio Iowa) — A local foundation has awarded 200-thousand dollars in grants to assist with immediate needs of flood victims in southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska. The Iowa West Foundation made the award as part of seven-point-seven ($7.7) million dollars in grants and initiative funding that was awarded in their current cycle. Foundation C-E-O Pete Tulipana says Iowa West partnered with other groups to get funding to flood victims. “We actually worked with some of our sister and brother foundations on the Omaha side and asked them to join us in providing funding for emergency relief in southwest Iowa,” Tulipana says. “A total of 565-thousand dollars was actually funded by four foundations.”

The foundation is the non-profit license holder which receives the state mandated fees from the Council Bluffs casinos and is also funded by investment income. The grant money was divided among the various organizations working on flood relief in southwest Iowa. “Like Food Bank of the Heartland, Iowa Legal Aid, Harrison County Foundation, Mills County Flood Fund and Fremont County Flood Fund, in addition to traditional organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army, who are reaching out in those communities,” Tulipana says.

By awarding the money to organizations that already have presence in flood-affected areas, Tulipana says the partnering foundations can have an immediate impact on recovery efforts. “Make sure that there was emergency funding available immediately for all those who were impacted by the flood, and that those funds were available and distributed by organizations who had boots on the ground in communities that were the hardest hit,” according to Tulipana.

Tulipana says the Iowa West Foundation will also look towards more long-term assistance for flood victims. “Our plan is to take a second look at this and look at the longer-term needs once the floodwaters have receded and we see what the situation is,” Tulipana explains. “We realize this is a devastating event to many, many families, and we want to be a part of helping to find the solution.”

A full list of grant awards from the foundation can be found at iowawestfoundation.org.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – July 18, 2019 – Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company is taking proactive steps to reduce costs for customers because of today’s heat. Energy prices can increase during intensely hot days like today. To reduce the impact of rising energy prices on monthly bills Alliant is are activating their voluntary Appliance Cycling program for Thursday and continue to monitor the weather forecast to determine if it is needed for Friday too. The energy company will remotely control central air conditioners for participating customers in the central and southern zone in Iowa. This applies to electric, residential customers located along and south of Highway 20, extending to the southern border of the state.

Participants will see their central air conditioner cycled in 15-minute intervals from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. The blower fan will continue to circulate the cooler air already in the home. The program reduces peak energy use on the overall energy grid, which lowers costs for customers. The last time Alliant activated the program, was July 12, 2018. Learn more at: alliantenergy.com/appliancecycling