The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce has announced the City has been recognized as a Neighborhood Champion for the fourth year in a row by American Express. Atlantic will participate in the 7th Annual Small Business Saturday to support small businesses. Bailey Smith, Executive Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, said they are “Excited to partner with all of the Atlantic Area businesses to create shopping incentives and activities to celebrate Small Business Saturday.”

Founded by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday® is a day to celebrate the small businesses that help support our community. American Express created the Neighborhood Champion Program to help rally communities around Small Business Saturday and is working alongside numerous business organizations to support local Small Business Saturday celebrations throughout the country. Participating organizations include: the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA), the International Downtown Association, the Latino Coalition, the National Main Street Center, the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

American Express recognizes communities that have strong participation. The on-going Shop Local Initiative and Passport Program, presented by First Whitney Bank & Trust, and overall community support has helped Atlantic achieve this national recognition. Smith said “It’s a great opportunity for Atlantic to receive positive, national exposure. Atlantic has everything you need and this day is just an added reminder for the community how important their support and participation in shopping local is to keeping Atlantic a vibrant place to live.”

November 25th marks the 7th annual Small Business Saturday, a day dedicated to supporting the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. Small business owners can learn more about taking part in Small Business Saturday and download free marketing materials on www.shopsmall.com. Consumers can visit www.atlanticiowa.com to find merchants to shop at on Small Business Saturday.

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

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Some small towns continue to thrive even as their populations drop and those towns are the subject of research by a team from Iowa State University. Kimberly Zarecor (ZARE-core), director of the interdisciplinary design program in the I-S-U College of Design, says the outlook in these towns is overwhelmingly optimistic. “We are looking at communities that are losing population, which is a common thing among rural communities all over the country,” Zarecor says. “We want to look at communities that, even if they’re losing population, they seem to have stable or improving quality of life perceptions among the people in the town.” The communities are being referred to as “shrink smart” towns. “This means people still feel like it’s a great place to live. When they’re asked questions about their neighbors and their community and the support system and the services, they feel they’re all good and possibly improving, even while they’re losing population in the community,” Zarecor says. “We think these places are special.”

I-S-U has won a one-year, $100,000 planning grant from the National Science Foundation to study these “shrink smart” communities in Iowa. She says, “What we’re really interested in is quality of life and how their towns can deal with the issues of being small, being rural and losing population.” Work is underway to identify some of the communities. Since 1994, I-S-U has polled residents in 99 small Iowa towns, one in each county. Researchers hope to chose a half-dozen or so towns from that list. “There’s a certain perception that small towns aren’t doing well or that they’re on their downward swing,” Zarecor says. “For us, we want to think about what are the ways in the cycle where more people are moving into metro areas, what’s the future cycle for small towns. Maybe we’re going to see people moving back to small towns and what draws people to those towns.”

An advisory board for the study includes representatives from the Iowa League of Cities, Iowa City and County Management Association, small-town government officials and the Iowa State University Extension.

(Radio Iowa)

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The National Weather Service in Omaha has issued WIND ADVISORY in effect from 10-a.m. today (Thursday) until 7-p.m. for Harrison, Pottawattamie, and Shelby Counties, and from 10-a.m. today until 10-p.m., for Monona County.

A FREEZE WARNING is now in effect from 5-a.m. Friday until 9-a.m. Friday, for Harrison, Pottawattamie, Shelby, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont and Page Counties.

The Freeze Watch issued Wednesday afternoon, was cancelled and replaced by the Freeze Warning.

* TIMING…Strong northwest winds expected around noon today and continuing through the afternoon. Freezing temperatures expected Friday morning.

* WINDS…Northwest increasing to 30 to 35 mph with gusts 40 to 45 mph.

* TEMPERATURE…At or below freezing Friday morning.

* IMPACTS…Cold temperatures will result in a killing freeze ending the growing season this year.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Freeze Warning means sub-freezing temperatures are imminent or highly likely. These conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation.

A Wind Advisory means that winds of 30 to 39 mph are expected for one hour or longer, or winds of 45 to 57 mph for any duration. Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

The vast majority of eligible state and local government workers in bargaining units have voted to retain their union representation. Danny Homan is president of the Iowa local for the American Federation of State, Countil and Municipal Employees — the AFSCME union. “I’m elated,” Homan says. “…I think this speaks volumes. People want to have their union.”

A new state law requires “recertification” votes before each round of contract talks with public sector workers. Over the past two weeks, members of 436 local bargaining units have voted to remain in their union. State officials say 32 bargaining units will be dissolved as a result of the balloting. Ninety-eight percent of the “locals” represented by the Iowa State Education Association retained the union.

The AFSCME union faced recertification votes in 42 bargaining units. One of those 42 units will no longer be represented by AFSCME. Two of the four eligible Carroll County Conservation Board employees voted yes and a third cast a void ballot. Homan, though, is challenging the decision on that ballot.

“With all the problems there were in this voting process, I’m ecstatic,” Homan says. “This proves what we’ve been saying all along. Folks want to have a say at the table. Folks want to have a say in their terms and conditions of employment. Most of our elections, all but one of them, they weren’t even close.” As a result of this month’s voting, the Service Employees International Union will no longer represent nearly 200 nurses at Broadlawns Hospital in Des Moines.

About a third of the 32 bargaining units that will be dissolved were part of the Teamster Union, representing bus drivers, county jail employees and road crews. The Iowa State Education Association will no longer represent teachers in Glidden-Ralston, North Linn and Sigourney School Districts.

A majority of teachers who voted in those districts cast ballots to stay in the union, but teachers who did not cast ballots were counted as “no” votes under the new state rules. Iowa State Education Association president Tammy Wawro (WAR-oh) called that an “unreasonable standard.” Homan, the AFSCME union’s Iowa president, says it’s an unfair hurdle.

“I think people are just mad as heck at the Republicans that did this to them,” Homan says. More than 28-thousand Iowans cast ballots over the past two weeks in these recertification elections. If their public sector employers negotiate one-year contracts, there’ll be another round of voting like this a year from now.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources report staff from the DNR’s Atlantic field office were in the field Wednesday checking for the sources of a spill in Fremont County and a manure spill that reached a tributary of East Tarkio Creek in Page County.

In Fremont County west of Hamburg, DNR staff investigated the report of a whitish liquid running into a ditch near Draper Bottoms Wildlife Management Area. Staff identified the liquid as an unknown amount of a wheat gluten and water mix land applied by Ben Shinn Trucking for Manildra Milling company.

DNR staff collected water samples for laboratory analysis, but have not found any dead fish. The investigation continues.

In Page County, staff responded to a Wednesday morning report of a manure spill that occurred the previous evening when a stuck pump valve caused manure to pool at the Lee Brooke confinement northwest of Clarinda. DNR staff found manure pooled at the site, and in roadside and drainage ditches that flow into an unnamed tributary of the East Tarkio Creek.

An estimated 7,000 gallons of manure was released during manure pumping by commercial manure applicator Jason Sickles. Sickles immediately limed the ditch and placed hay bales to keep manure from moving downstream. DNR is requiring him to build a temporary dam in the ditch and excavate soil to prevent more manure from reaching the stream. Staff found no dead fish, but the investigation is ongoing.

In both cases, the DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action.

Police in Omaha arrested a man wanted in connection with the armed robbery Monday night of a man from Council Bluffs. The Council Bluffs Police Department Criminal Investigations Division reports 21-year old Renante B. Perry, of Omaha, was arrested on a Probation Violation in Omaha. His arrest was handled by Nebraska State Probation and the Omaha Gang Unit. He is currently incarcerated in Douglas County Corrections and wanted in Iowa for 1st Degree Robbery.

Renante Perry

Official says at around 10:15-p.m., Monday, Council Bluffs Police Officers responded to the area of 204 South 10th Street, regarding a Robbery. Officers arrived on scene and made contact with the victim, 19-year old Donavan Belt. Donavan Belt reports that he was in the area on foot when he was approached by a male party (later identified as Renante Perry). Perry showed Belt a handgun and demanded his money before fleeing the area on foot.

Officials with the Iowa DNR late Wednesday afternoon, received a report from the city of Council Bluffs that untreated wastewater had discharged into Indian Creek and then into the Missouri River near Gifford Road in Council Bluffs.

City staff estimate about 360,000 gallons of wastewater discharged during maintenance work on a force main. City workers quickly stopped the release, made repairs and collected water samples in the creek and in the Missouri River.

The DNR recommends keeping children and pets away from the area for the next 24 to 48 hours. The city reports no fish were killed. City staff will follow up at the site this (Thursday) morning.