A report called the Solar Jobs Census finds the number of people working in the solar industry in Iowa rose just over 60-percent in the past two years. Avery Palmer, spokesman for the non-profit Solar Foundation, says Iowa had about 350 solar jobs in 2015 versus more than 560 last year. The study finds one out of every 50 new jobs in the country last year was in the solar industry.

Palmer says, “What we’re seeing over and over is that the price of solar is going way down and solar is becoming more and more affordable and accessible no matter what part of the country you live in, whether you’re in a small town a big city or a rural area.” The census finds solar employment increased in 44 of the 50 states last year, growing by 25-percent nationwide, while Iowa’s increase was 61-percent.

“As solar becomes more attractive to homes, businesses and communities, companies are building more projects,” Palmer says, “and they are hiring more people to do the work.” The subject of solar jobs is wide-ranging, Palmer says, and includes far more than the people who install solar arrays on rooftops.

“If you have a big solar project that’s being built out somewhere in the country, you need folks to manage the project and to manage the finances,” Palmer says. “You also need people to do sales, to do the marketing, to do the engineering.” Palmer predicts steady growth, with an increase of at least 10-percent in solar jobs nationwide in 2017.

California saw the most growth in solar jobs in 2016, followed by Massachusetts, Texas, Nevada and Florida. Iowa ranks 41st nationally for the number of solar jobs, 38th in solar jobs per capita.

(Radio Iowa)

Supporters of President Trump are planning rallies in four Iowa cities tomorrow (Saturday). Organizers of these “Spirit of America” rallies across the country say their goal is to show there’s broad support for the president’s agenda.  “We just know how the last few years the middle class has become really crunched and he sees that and he wants to turn that around.” That is Tammy Kobza, a coordinator for the rallies in Davenport, Ottumwa, Des Moines and Council Bluffs. She says the rallies will feature speakers, patriotic songs, and fellowship.

“It’s a very upbeat, family-friendly time where we’re going to cheer him on and just see that America, by and large, believes in the values that our country was built upon and we’re ready to stand for ‘America First,'” Kobza says. The pro-Trump rallies in Iowa are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday). The central Iowa event will be held on the state capitol grounds in Des Moines. The rally in Ottumwa will be held in the Central Park Band Shelter. Davenport Guns will host the event in Davenport.

Organizers of the Council Bluffs event call it a “street corner” rally — at the corner of 16th and Broadway in Council Bluffs.

(Radio Iowa)

One of two Atlantic residents injured during a two-vehicle crash accident in Lancaster County, Nebraska, Christmas Day 2016, has died. 78-year old Joan Harlan, died Thursday, March 2nd, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, in Omaha.

The Nebraska State Patrol said an eastbound semi had gone out of control, crossed the median and struck a westbound SUV occupied by Joan and her 78-year-old husband, Robert Harlan. The accident happened on Interstate 80 near the Waverly exit,  shortly after noon on Dec 25th. Both suffered serious injuries during the crash. The driver of the semi, 45-year-old Princewill Dabrinze, of Texas was hospitalized in fair condition at the time.

It’s believed the weather and road conditions were to blame for the crash.

(Oakland, Iowa) –Western Iowa poultry producers are invited to a meeting about a poultry processing project on Thursday, March 9th at 6pm at the Oakland Community Center (614 Dr. Van Zee Rd., Oakland, IA 51560). Local farmers are working with Golden Hills RC&D to aggregate poultry for transport to a USDA-certified processor. The project was piloted last fall and the meeting will discuss future processing details and logistics.

The group will be coordinating a group purchase of chicks to be ready for processing on the same date this spring, and likely with follow-up dates after that. Birds would be picked up at two or three locations in Western Iowa and transported to a USDA-inspected facility in Eastern Nebraska. Kevin Ellis, Poultry Specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) will also be at the meeting to answer questions about poultry production.

Producers who join the project will have their birds shipped collectively to a USDA-certified processor in Southeast Nebraska, saving time and money while expanding market opportunities to various wholesale and retail outlets in Iowa and other states. Live birds will be transported to the processing facility using a local contracted hauling company. Processed birds will then be shipped via refrigerated truck to restaurants, stores, consumers, or a cold storage facility in Harlan, depending on the producers’ preferences.

Funding for this project was made possible by the Local Food Promotion Program managed by the Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, with matching funds from Golden Hills RC&D. For more information about the project, visit www.swiffi.org/poultry or contact Golden Hills RC&D at 712-482-3029 or lance@goldenhillsrcd.org.

The City of Atlantic has received an audit report from Gronewold, Bell, Kyhnn and Company P.C.  City Clerk Barb Barrick says the report shows the City’s receipts for its governmental funds totaled $12.176-million dollars for the year ended June 30th, 2016. They included:

• more than $3.57-million in property tax,
• $42,296 in other City taxes,
• $891, 112 in Local Option Sales Tax (LOST),
• $143,310 in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) collections,
• $1.134-million from intergovernmental sources,
• $92,793 from use of money and property,
• $77,177 from licenses and permits,
• $326,607 from charges for services,
• $1,432 from sale of assets,
• $2.272-million from debt proceeds,
• a little more than $2.015-million from proceeds of refunding bonds, and
• $1.146-million in miscellaneous revenues.

The City’s receipts for its proprietary funds totaled $4.059-million, of which $4.039-million was from charges for services.

Disbursements for its governmental funds totaled $12.372-million, and included:

• $3.684-million for Public Safety,
• $2.175-million for Public Works,
• $6,483 for Health and Social Services,
• $1.439-million for Culture and Recreation,
• $626,534 in Community and Economic Development,
• $1.009-million in general government
• $2.22-million for Capital Projects
• Nearly $1.21-million for Debt Service.

Disbursements of the City’s Propriety Funds totaled a little more than $1.98-million, which was attributable to its business-type activities. The report contains recommendations to the City Council and other City officials. The City has responded that corrective action is being taken for each item.

A copy of the Audit Report is available for review in the Office of the Auditor of State, and at the City Administrator’s office, at City Hall, in Atlantic.

(12-p.m. News)

(Updated 12:57-p.m.) — The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education met for a brief session this (Friday) afternoon to vote on approving a one-year Superintendent contract.

Atlantic Board of Education announces new Superintendent (Chris Parks/photo)

The person they selected for the position Steven H. Barber, Superintendent at George-Little Rock Community Schools in George (Iowa) was offered the job earlier this week, and has accepted. Barber has worked for the George-Little Rock District since 2013.

Bruckner said appeared to the selection committee and School Board to be a “Genuinely nice guy. A good guy.” She said also there was a consensus among the constituent groups that allowed him to “Rise to the top,” and that it was “Important that the teachers and administrators have a say in who was going to be their next boss.”

Prior to becoming the Superintendent at GLR, Barber was a Middle School Administrator with the Spencer Community School District (2004-2013). He also served in a Secondary Administrative position at the East Union Middle and High School in Afton (1999-2004), and as a Science Teacher and Coach (for both Academic and Athletic teams) at the East Greene High School in Grand Junction (1991-1999). While there, he coached the varsity cross country and boys track teams, and was an assistant boys basketball coach.

Steven Barber’s education includes: a Specialist Certification from ISU in Ames in “Superintendent Licensure in Advanced Studies;” A Master’s Degree in Education from ISU in Ames; A Bachelor of Science degree from Bemidji State University in Bemidji, MN; and an Associate of Arts degree from Worthington Community College in Worthington, MN.  He and his wife Debra have two grown daughters.

There were three finalists for the position, after months of meetings and planning for the interview process. In addition to Mr. Barber, Dr. Joe Potts, Ph.D, an Iowa native who resides in Kent, WA., and serves as High School Principal for the Kent Community School District; and Dan Dierks, who has served Superintendent for the Oelwein Community School District, since 2015, were interviewed for the job.

Steven Barber will succeed Dr. Michael Amstein, who is retiring at the end of the current school year, after having worked for the District since 2010.

(Noon News)

The Glenwood Police Department reports a man was arrested today (Friday), on drug charges. 36-year old Tyler Blakely, of Glenwood, was arrested on two counts of Possession of a controlled substance, and possession of Drug paraphernalia. His bond was set at $2,300.

One person died and another was injured during a collision early this (Friday) morning, in eastern Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol says a when pickup truck driven by 38-year old James C. Grassi, of Coralville, crossed into the path of a 2017 Mack semi driven by 56-year old Hobee Hansen, of Cedar Rapids, the vehicles collided head-on. Grassi died at the scene of the crash, that happened on Highway 148 at around 12:40-a.m.

Hansen was transported by ambulance to Trinity Hospital in Muscatine, for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Both men were wearing their seat belts. The accident remains under investigation.

Governor Terry Branstad may resign as soon as the last week in April in order to serve as President Trump’s ambassador to China. Branstad expects a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing on his nomination to happen about five weeks from now. Branstad was in Washington, D.C. last weekend and through the beginning of this week for a National Governors Association meeting. He also met with Trump Administration officials to talk about his hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“I spent about three hours with the state department, with some of their staff and, basically, they indicated to me it’ll probably be around the first week in April when I’ll come up,” Branstad said.

The governor will be flying back to D-C “a few more” times THIS month to meet personally with each member of the committee. During one of those trips, Branstad also will be put through what’s called the “murder board.” It’s a state department drill to simulate what may happen at the confirmation hearing. “Ask you the tough questions,” Branstad says. “See how you handle it. Give you advice.”

Branstad says he’s gone through the same kind of preparation for press conferences and campaign debates. Branstad has a good guess now about when his nomination to be ambassador will be voted upon by the full U.S. Senate. “I’m thinking it’s going to be late April, maybe early May,” Branstad says. “But as soon as I am confirmed, then shortly thereafter it would be my intention to resign and be sworn in as the ambassador and then the lieutenant governor would, of course, become the governor.”

Branstad sat next to First Lady Melania Trump and the governor’s wife, Chris, sat next to President Trump at the dinner the Trump’s hosted at the White House Sunday night for the nation’s governors.

(Radio Iowa)

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports a phone scam that circulates every year at about this time, is making the rounds again. Sheriff Todd Johnson says his office has received numerous calls from citizens saying they have received a phone call or had a recording left on their phone, from someone claiming to be from the IRS.

Johnson says with new technology, scammers can use their number as showing up as the IRS or Department of Treasury. The scam has been around for a number of years, but Johnson says it seems to be hitting Audubon County harder this year.

The caller claims to be from the IRS, and threatens to take legal action. Johnson reminds citizens, that THE IRS DOES NOT CALL TO DEMAND IMMEDIATE PAYMENT, not will they call about your taxes without first mailing a bill.

NEVER GIVE OUT YOUR PERSONAL or FINANCIAL INFORMATION to a person or agency you did not call!