A Public hearing will take place 5-p.m. Wednesday in Atlantic, during a regular meeting of the Atlantic School Board. The hearing, which will be held in the High School Media Center, is with regard to the 2018-19 Amended Certified Budget. Later on during the meeting, the Board will act on Superintendent Steve Barber’s recommendation to approve the 2018-19 budget amendment to the “other” category, as presented. If approved, it will allow the district to complete building improvements this summer without overspending the certified budget.

Among the expenditures included in the amended budget and not budgeted for during the current school year is: A sewage problem at the Washington School; Replacing two small sections of the Middle School auditorium roof; LED lighting for the High School Commons area; Replacing a bus transmission, and Technology expenses. Officials say there will be no increase in taxes to be paid in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018.

In other business, the Atlantic School Board will act on the resignation of Taylor Williams, Student Council Advisor, and contract recommendations and/or Letters of Assignment for: Donald Boggs – District Maintenance; Mark Weis – Transportation Director; Derek Hall – Summer Weightroom Coordinator; Michella Bartholomew – Head Cheer Coach; Alyssa Dovenspike – JV Volleyball Coach, and Kelly Juhl – Summer grounds.

They are expected to act also on Winter Sports Coaching Contracts (**see below), and on 2019-20 sharing agreements, including with CAM & Exira-EHK, for Girls Soccer, and Griswold, with regard to Industrial Technology and Transportation Director. The Board is then expected to act on approving a Technology purchase in the amount of $12,950 for backup batteries, a $38,000 agreement with Piper-Jaffray for handing the General Obligation Bond process (Financial services, Bidding agent and Dissemination agent agreements), and Snyder and Associates Engineers, with regard to Survey services for the Athletic Facilities Project, in the amount of $11,800, as well as an agreement with Allender Butzke, for Geotechnical Engineering, in the amount of $23,600.

Their final piece of business is to approve a recommendation from the Superintendent to change the surface of the Trojan Bowl turf from natural grass to synthetic turf, with the $600,000 cost paid by private fundraising and donations. Seeding a natural grass surface at the athletic facility would require the loss of one season of activity at the Trojan Bowl, and experts have said using sod has a number of negative consequences. A fundraising committee was formed. Members said they could secure $300,000 over the duration of the improvements, with the intent to raise all $600,000 to turf the Trojan Bowl and not lose a football season.

If the committee is unable to raise the entire $600k, the district would be responsible to cover the remaining costs.

**Winter Coaching recommendations by Activities Director Andrew Mitchell:

Head HS Wrestling – Tim Duff; Asst. HS Wrestling – Tucker Weber; MS Wrestling – Jordan Newberg & Chase Roller; Head HS Girls Basketball – Dan Vargason; Freshman Girls bball – Shelby McCreedy; MS Girls/Boys Basketball – Terry Hinzmann & Trace Peterson; JV Boys Bball – Jeremy Blake; Freshman Boys bball – Derke Hall; Girls/Boys Swimming – Dean Junker.

The Harlan Police Department, Tuesday, issued a short report on arrests made over the past week. On Saturday, May 4th, 26-year old Jacob Kyle Krienert, of Harlan, was arrested for OWI, and cited for improper rear lamp and improper rear registration plate lamp.; 23-year old Austin Michael Parker, of Harlan, was also arrested Saturday. He was charged with Driving while suspended, failure to prove security against liability, and failure to display license plate.

And, on Monday, 63-year old Gary Lyn McCoy, of Harlan, was arrested for driving while suspended, and carrying weapons.

In a regular meeting of the Harlan Community School District Board of Directors Monday, Justin Wagner, Superintendent of Harlan Community Schools, resigned from his position effective June 30th, 2020.  His last day at Harlan  Community will be June 2nd when he will be deployed overseas.  The following is an excerpt of a statement Wagner made to our sister station KNOD, while he is on military leave. The statement was also read during the Harlan School Board meeting, Monday night.

“For a variety of reasons the 18-19 school year was a challenge for the Harlan Community School District.  After certain accusations were published and other concerns came to the board’s attention, the board and Superintendent Justin Wagner worked together to determine the validity of those accusations and concerns.  Superintendent Wagner denied these allegations, so the board engaged an independent investigator and also conducted a 360 degree survey of staff.  The investigator did not find Mr. Wagner engaged in illegal conduct.  Additionally, as a result of the investigation, both sides recognized certain long standing district practices should be updated.  Both the board and the superintendent value the opinion of district staff and are in the process of addressing some concerns.

“In the midst of that collaborative process, Superintendent  Wagner was called to duty to serve his country overseas.  Current orders are for him to deploy  in June 2019 and to be gone for approximately 7 months.  This means the district must obtain an interim superintendent for much of the 19-20 school year.  Because of this and because Superintendent Wagner and his family will need some time together to re-acclimate, the board and Superintendent Wagner agreed this was a logical time to make a change, not only for the Superintendent and his family but also for the district.

“Therefore, the board and Superintendent Wagner agreed that he will resign effective June 30th, 2020 but will not be required to return to work after his deployment in order to spend time with his family upon his return.  Superintendent Wagner’s last official day on the job in the district will effectively be June 2, 2019.

“Harlan Community School District remains one of the premier 3-A school districts in the state.  The Board is appreciative of Superintendent Wagner’s passion and energy spent in purposeful service to the district’s vision and mission and we also appreciate his military service.”

The Board provided Wagner with a letter of recommendation, also.

LENOX – During a routine inspection Tuesday morning, DNR inspectors noted a manure spill approximately three miles southwest of Lenox. The owner, Steve Kerns, said the spill occurred Monday morning after a malfunctioning plug caused manure to overflow from shallow below-building pits. An unknown quantity of manure flowed to the barns and then overland to an unnamed tributary of the East Fork of the One Hundred and Two River.

Field tests showed elevated ammonia levels in the tributary. The DNR inspector did not see signs of a fish kill. Water samples are being sent to a laboratory for analysis.

DNR will follow up with the Steve Kerns West Finishing site to ensure manure is cleaned up, an outdoor storage pit is pumped down and any future spills are reported within six hours.

The DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action.

Detectives in Council Bluffs have identified 18-year old Ethan B. Edgar, of Hutchinson, Kansas, as the person who died after being shot Monday afternoon, at South Main Street and 9th Avenue.

The investigation, which is still ongoing, indicates that owner of a stolen black 2009 Nissan 370Z, along with several friends, in multiple cars, were in Council Bluffs actively searching for the car, as they had information that it was seen at different locations in Council Bluffs throughout the day. The Nissan had been reported stolen to the Omaha Police Department just after 2-a.m., Monday.

Edgar was behind the wheel of the stolen Nissan, parked on the gas station lot, at South Main and 9th Avenue, when it was located by some of the owner’s friends, who were in two separate cars. One of these cars, a blue Honda Civic, pulled directly in front of the Nissan, blocking its forward path, as the second car, a silver Toyota Camry pulled in directly behind the Nissan, blocking it from backing out of the area.

Edgar, the lone occupant of the Nissan, put the car in reverse and accelerated, slamming the rear‐end of the Nissan into the front passenger side door of the Camry. As Edgar then began to drive forward, a male sitting in the front passenger
seat of the Camry fired multiple shots at the Nissan through his open car door window. The three cars proceeded to ram into each other several times, with the male in the Camry firing additional rounds at the Nissan. A total of 12 spent
.9-mm shell casings were recovered at the scene.

Edgar was able to drive the Nissan off the gas station lot, heading north on South Main Street, with the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry chasing after it. Edgar lost control of the Nissan at the intersection of South Main Street and 5th Avenue,
crashing into a tree. Paramedics transported Edgar to UNMC, where he died from his injuries. Edgar had been struck by gunfire twice, once in the upper right back and another time on the right thigh.

The subjects inside the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry remained on the scene and were taken in for questioning. After reviewing all the known evidence with the County Attorney’s Office, it was decided that no one would be immediately
arrested. It is expected the County Attorney will present the evidence to a Grand Jury to determine if the male who fired the shots, 25-year old Jonathan Echtinaw, of Omaha, will face any criminal charges.

Seven people were hurt during a collision Monday night, in Pottawattamie County. The Sheriff’s Office reports the crash happened at around 8:15-p.m. at the intersection of Highway 83 and Railroad Highway. Upon arrival, deputies were able to determine that 32-year old Katharine Wellman, from Harlan, was westbound on Highway 83 and approaching the intersection at Railroad Highway. She was driving a 2004 Buick LeSabre. 40-year old Valerie Kluver, from Portsmouth, was northbound on Railroad Highway in a 2008 Kia Sedona, and approaching the intersection at Highway 83.

The investigation indicated that Wellman failed to stop at the intersection, causing the vehicles to collide.  Wellman was issued a citation for failure to obey a stop sign. Katherine Wellman and a passenger, 25-year old Edward Parrott, Jr., were transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Both were later released. Valerie Kluver and her passengers, 51-year old Chad Kluver and three juveniles, were transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol is conducting an internal investigation into a manager who received $40,000 in benefits to relocate to western Iowa but for tax purposes recently claimed a newly built house 120 miles away as his residence. The investigation is looking into whether Lt. Joel Ehler is in compliance with its residency policy and whether the moving expenses were handled appropriately.

A spokesman says the patrol is taking “very seriously” the concerns raised in an anonymous complaint that sparked the investigation. Ehler was stationed in Des Moines and living in Adel when promoted in 2017 to lead the Council Bluffs patrol post. He qualified for state-funded relocation benefits.

Property records show Ehler and his wife sold their Adel home in 2018 for $469,500. Then, he claimed a homestead tax break on a new West Des Moines home.

(Radio Iowa) — A traffic stop Sunday night in northwest Iowa’s Woodbury County led to the seizure of over five and a half pounds of cocaine. Woodbury County Sheriff’s Sergeant Nate Sands stopped an eastbound vehicle on Highway 20 at Osceola Avenue that was traveling 82 mph in a 65 speed zone.The driver, 37-year-old Jacob Rios, had a California drivers license and a car registered out of Oregon.

Court documents state Rios was very nervous and couldn’t give the correct name on the registration. He also stated he was going to see a friend in Chicago but couldn’t immediately think of the friend’s name. Sgt. Sands had his K-9 Rico sniff the vehicle and around 5.6 pounds of a substance which field tested positive for cocaine was found in the trunk under the floor where the spare tire should have been.

Rios was taken into custody and charged with possession with intent to deliver cocaine, speeding, no drug tax stamp, no vehicle insurance and was put on a federal hold for ICE. Rios is being held in the Woodbury County Jail on $30,000 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A developer needs just one more city council vote before he can implement proposed plans to transform a former Des Moines junior high school into an eclectic space featuring meeting rooms, restaurants, a bar and boutique hotel. We Can Build It owner Jeff Young says he is hoping to invest up to $8 million to revamp the old Franklin Junior High school.

The Des Moines Register reports that the city council is set to vote May 20 on Young’s request to rezone the 213,000-square-foot property from church and school use to a planned unit development. Supporters say they would like to see life injected back into the long-abandoned and underutilized building that’s attracted crime in the past.

Critics say they are concerned about excessive traffic, garbage and noise.

MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) — A July 17 trial starting date has been scheduled for an eastern Iowa man charged in the death of a woman hit by fragments from a homemade cannon. Delaware County court records say 31-year-old Max Fenton has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter and two fireworks charges. The improvised cannon was made from the sawed-off barrel of a .50-caliber, black powder rifle and was supposed to serve as a noisemaker. Authorities say the rear of the barrel “blew out” in Greeley the night of July 2, 2016, sending fragments toward where 55-year-old Lori Heims was sitting, hitting her in the head. She died later at a hospital.

The trial has been delayed since because of legal maneuvering. Judge Michael Shubatt noted previous trial delays and says in court records that he won’t delay it again for further preparations or negotiations between the parties.