The Taylor County Sheriff’s Office reports 21-year old Carlos Cortez was arrested Tuesday in Lenox, on a warrant for Failure to Appear (on an original charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance). Cortez was being held in the Taylor County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

Spring is here, and tomorrow (Thursday, March 22nd) will mark the 2nd Produce in the Park planning meeting of 2018. The meeting will be held at 4:30-p.m. in the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce meeting room at 102 Chestnut Street, Atlantic. Anyone interested in this community event is invited to attend, especially those interested in selling locally grown produce and handmade crafts. The market is always looking for fresh ideas for entertainment and kids activities as well.

The opening date for Produce in the Park is May 31 and it will be held every Thursday night, 4:30 to 6:30 in Atlantic City Park. The vendor fee is $60 for the season. Funding and budget will be discussed as well as volunteer opportunities and a discussion on sampling goods at the market. Decisions are made by attendees of the meeting. The mission of Produce in the Park is promoting local food production and consumption, and building community to enhance the health and well-being of residents. Produce in the Park provides opportunities for direct marketing for producers, access to fresh local foods for consumers, social networking and educational opportunities for all participants.

For more information contact Emily Paulsen, Susan Retz, Emily Krengel, LaVon Eblen or the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The House has approved more than $35 million in mid-year cuts to Iowa’s $7.2 billion budget. The Republican-controlled chamber voted 59-41 Tuesday along party lines for the reductions, which impact the budget running through June. The GOP-majority Senate must OK the cuts before Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds can give final approval. The reductions affect various government agencies. Funding for the board that oversees Iowa’s three public universities is reduced by more than $10 million, making it the largest cut. The University of Northern Iowa’s funding is spared in the bill.

A budget panel estimated last year that incoming state revenue was below projections. GOP legislative leaders have been at odds over the extent of the reductions, though a compromise has been reached. State revenue has been up recently, though GOP lawmakers say the cuts will give the budget a cushion.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is asking the Defense and Justice Departments to explain how they handle student-on-student sexual assaults at K-12 schools the Pentagon runs on military bases worldwide. The Iowa Republican wrote Defense Secretary James Mattis and Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday asking a dozen questions based on issues raised in an ongoing Associated Press investigation.

In stories published last week, the AP found that reports of student-on-student sexual assaults or rapes often languish, and that administrators do not accurately track them. The 71,000 students who the schools educate have fewer protections than public school kids if they are sexually attacked by a classmate on campus.

Ernst, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joins colleagues who last week demanded answers and promised a public hearing.

LYTTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a traffic accident in northwest Iowa killed the younger brother of Des Moines Police Chief Dana Wingert. The crash occurred around 2:30 p.m. Monday near Lytton, in rural Sac County. The Iowa State Patrol says the vehicle driven by 44-year-old Deon Wingert, of Carroll, drifted into a ditch, hit a field entryway, went airborne and then rolled several times, ejecting him.
Deon Wingert was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police in Red Oak arrested an Adams County man Tuesday afternoon on Theft charges. 52-year old David Dudley Byers, of Corning, was arrested at 1905 E. Summit Street in Red Oak, at around 3-p.m., Tuesday. He was taken into custody for Possession of Stolen Property and Theft (Theft 4 & 5th Degrees). Byers was transported to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on a $1,000 cash bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:50 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Joni Ernst is asking the Defense and Justice Departments to explain how they handle student-on-student sexual assaults at K-12 schools the Pentagon runs on military bases worldwide. The Iowa Republican wrote the defense secretary and attorney general Tuesday based on issues raised in an ongoing Associated Press investigation. The AP showed how reports of student-on-student rapes or assaults often languish and that the system’s 71,000 students have fewer protections than public school kids.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The recent discovery of the USS Juneau in the depths of the South Pacific has provided some closure to people with connections to the ship that was blown apart during World War II. Hundreds died, including the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa. An expedition team backed by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen reported finding the wreckage over the weekend. The Sullivans’ story was told in a 1944 movie.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A 30-year old northern Iowa man convicted of sexually exploiting a child and extorting the minor has been sentenced to more than 28 years in federal prison. Prosecutors say Jason Marvets, of Eagle Grove, was sentenced Tuesday after earlier pleading guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of extortion.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Wisconsin man convicted of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. Federal prosecutors in Iowa say 26-year-old Carson Sibley, of Lacrosse, Wisconsin, received the prison term Monday after pleading guilty to one count of enticement of a minor. Prosecutors say Sibley twice travelled to Grundy County, Iowa, hoping to have sex with a minor.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A fired and then reinstated Des Moines police officer, who once shot at a television cameraman, attacked a groom at a wedding and assaulted his girlfriend, has been sued in federal court for attacking a man who called police for help.

The lawsuit filed Monday in Des Moines by Charles Young claims officer Cody Grimes violated his constitutional rights by using excessive force.

Young called police in March 2016 for help with evicting guests from his apartment. He became angry and slammed the door as Grimes and another officer were leaving after declining to help. Grimes says the door hit him. He kicked in the door and forced Young to the floor, fracturing his ribs.

Grimes was fired in 2014 after assaulting a girlfriend, but the city’s civil service commission reinstated him.

A public hearing will take place Wednesday evening in Atlantic, with regard to the City of Atlantic entering into a General Obligation General Purpose Loan Agreement and related borrowing of money. The hearing is part of the Atlantic City Council meeting that begins at 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, and follows recognition of the Atlantic High School/Middle School State Archery Team.

Under the agreement, the City would assume $304,181 in general purpose loan debt. If approved by the Council a Resolution would combine those funds with $2.35-million in essential corporate purpose bonds, for the purpose of undertaking various Capital Improvement Projects. It would also authorize the use of a Preliminary Official Statement and the levying of taxes to pay for those projects/bonds. City Administrator John Lund says those steps are the last actions needed by the Council related to the 2018 General Obligation Series until after the City takes the bond to market.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will hold a public hearing on an Ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances, with regard to traffic being required to stop on Sunnyside Lane at the intersections of 10, 22^nd and 29^th Streets. The hearing will be followed by the first reading of an ordinance for the same purpose. The proposed ordinance would remove the 6^th Street stop sign, in order to improve traffic flow, and is in response to an engineers determination that with the new ethanol plant being built, certain areas of town will see higher traffic volumes, including Sunnyside Lane.

In his report to the Council, City Administrator John Lund will clarify the Council’s position on the Existing Inventory of empty lots, and speak with regard to a 2018 Code Enforcement Priority: The Minimum Maintenance Code.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the discovery of a pickup that was stolen from Glenwood on early Tuesday morning. Red Oak Police responded to a parking complaint and discovered the vehicle was reported stolen from Glenwood. The vehicle is a 1997 Dodge R15 Pickup owned by David Leroy Jenkins Sr. of Glenwood. The truck was impounded and the investigation into the theft is underway. The vehicle was stolen in the 600 block of North 6th Street in Glenwood and was later discovered at 811 North 6th Street in Red Oak.